Zhou Xiaozheng raised his head, blinked his sore eyes, and said hoarsely, "Aunt, you take a rest first. I won't leave. I'll stay here with you. We'll talk when you feel better."
Mrs. Cheng took a few deep breaths and felt better. She continued, "I've been waiting, waiting for someone to bring you here with a token, but I've been waiting and waiting, and I haven't seen you. I think it's because the world is too chaotic and you're too young. It might be difficult for others to take you out. I should be patient and wait a little longer.
But when I got married, the token didn't appear, and neither did you. When I gave birth, you still didn't show up. I didn't know what went wrong. Was I just too stupid, or did I forget, or did I misunderstand? I kept thinking back to everything my sister had said to me, remembering how she said you were in a secret place, a safe place. I thought, as long as the child was fine, I'd wait a little longer. And so it was until liberation, but still no token, no you.
I quit my job and searched for everyone who had ever met my sister, anyone connected to my adoptive parents, and even the most unlikely of concubines in the Gu family. I swallowed my anger and asked someone to help me inquire. But since this concerns your safety, I don't know if it will affect you, so I can only secretly search among these people for boys of similar age in their families and relatives.
I was disappointed time and time again. Every year, I didn't dare go see my sister and brother-in-law. How could I face them? My sister told me to raise the children well. My stepmother saved my life, and my sister saved my life. She died for me, and I can't even find their only child. How could I face them? I was afraid of death, afraid that if I died, how would I face my stepmother and stepfather, how would I face my sister and brother-in-law? How could I face them?
But when the day came, I couldn't help but go to their graves. I was afraid that if I didn't go, my sister and brother-in-law would appear in my dreams. I was afraid that if I didn't go, my sister and brother-in-law would be sad. Even if I hadn't found the child yet, I wanted them to listen and pray that I could find the child.
Seeing her face becoming increasingly worse, Zhou Xiaozheng hurriedly stopped her and continued, "Aunt, don't get excited. Everything is over. Look, I'm fine. I've married and have a daughter. You found me, too. It's all in the past. Don't dwell on the unhappy things. We will all be happy in the future."
"But I hate myself. If it was my sister, she would definitely recognize you, she's so smart. But I was so stupid. You passed by me and greeted me several times, but I didn't recognize you. Look, your eyes are like my brother-in-law, your eyebrows are like my brother-in-law, and your dimples are like my sister, but I just couldn't recognize you."
Zhou Xiaozheng forced a smile and said, "Aunt, do you know why I'm laughing? I thought of my daughter Jiaojiao. She said the same thing to you. She said, 'Dad, look at me, I look like you. Look, my eyes are like yours, my eyebrows are like yours, I feel like I look like you everywhere.'"
Auntie, you will definitely like Jiaojiao when you see her. You both have similar tones when you speak. Look, I'm doing fine now. You should take good care of yourself and take me and the kids to visit my parents every year. Didn't my mom ask you to take good care of me?
Then you have to get better first and cook more for me. You also have to get better and come visit me more often. We have made up for the past forty years. You have to get better and take me to see my grandparents, take me to visit Jiangnan, and take me to visit where my parents live.
So you, you have to take good care of your health, right? We'll think about happy things and do happy things in the future, and we'll tell my parents after Qingming Festival, okay?"
As Old Mrs. Cheng listened to him, a smile gradually appeared on her face, and she nodded from time to time.
Zhou Xiaozheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said a few more words to tease her, which made her laugh.
Seeing his wife was alright, Old Cheng heaved a sigh of relief. He then noticed Old Mrs. Zhou, who had been in a daze, and he secretly felt sorry for her. She was a kind person, having raised his nephew. But he still had to ask the question.
He cleared his throat, and seeing Old Lady Zhou looking at him, he quickly asked, "Sister, I want to know where the old patriarch is? Who has the token?"
Old Mrs. Zhou pointed to the amulet Zhou Xiaozheng took out and said, "A token of love is a talisman. It has been hanging around Xiaozheng's neck. I told him not to lose it because I was worried he would need it in the future."
The old patriarch passed away in an accident a long time ago. At the time, I had a miscarriage and was in confinement after childbirth. Gu Mingzhu, the old patriarch, and my husband were discussing the matter. I didn't hear the specifics of their conversation. But I know she left this amulet. When the child was born, I was the one holding him, and she even bowed to me. The old patriarch had said that the child was grown up, and why hadn't his mother come to pick him up? Maybe he had an accident, so she asked my husband to ask about Liu Xizhi. That's when I learned the name Liu Xizhi.
Old Madam Cheng asked anxiously, "What year was that? Did your husband look for her? I've been keeping people in my brother-in-law's and sister's courtyard because I was afraid they wouldn't find me and would find my sister instead. And my sister brought the child over with two wooden boxes. The big one was for your child support. I put the gold bars and silver dollars there myself, and the smaller box was taken out by my sister. Where's that small box? She said it was for the child."
Old Mrs. Zhou frowned as she recalled, "Gu Mingzhu came in with a suitcase, and she left empty-handed. But I've never seen two boxes. Can you tell me what they looked like?"
"The small one is only the size of a palm and is black and red. The box is very ordinary, without any engravings on it. Inside are two jade pendants. One of them is a mutton-fat jade that was passed down from the Gu family's main branch, and my sister always wears it around her neck. The other is a jade pendant from the Zhou family. It's a small, bright red chicken-blood stone seal. These two are the engagement tokens exchanged between the Zhou and Gu families. My sister said she would keep them for her son to marry and have children in the future."
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Zhou closed her eyes in pain and remained speechless for a long time.
Everyone in the living room looked at each other, realized the problem, and waited quietly for her to speak.
After a long moment, Old Lady Zhou said in a hoarse voice, "The Zhou family seal is around the old man's neck. He said it was passed down to him by his father. The round mutton-fat jade string broke, but the old man has been keeping it. I guess the box is still there."
Old Cheng sighed and said, "Sister, we must get the child back. We have physical and human evidence. We even have a copy of the small box and Gu Mingzhu's photos. You should understand how outstanding Gu Mingzhu is. Just in case, she would not leave a way out for the child. But we just can't find the child, and we have been waiting for the child to come with the keepsake.
The old patriarch is dead, and the only one who knows the truth is Zhou Jiaren. We are certain that Gu Mingzhu must have discussed how to find Liu Xizhi, which is why she left the token. Every time she went on a mission, she would tell my wife beforehand that if she was gone, she should wait for someone to return with the token and raise the child well.
I know this puts you in a difficult position, but we must meet Zhou Jiaren. If he doesn't admit it, we'll definitely report him to the authorities. We've waited for over forty years, searching far and wide, yet he's deliberately concealing the truth. It would be fine if he treated Zhou Jinyu's family well, but Zhou Xiaozheng won't tell me how much Zhou Jiao has suffered. My husband personally prepared the box of gold bars for Gu Mingzhu, as a thank-you gift, fearing the child would be wronged. Why would he want to keep the child when he already has all this?
Do you know how I found the child? God has mercy on me! I suspected Zhou Jiao might have inherited her grandfather's photographic memory, so hoping for the best, I searched all your comrades. My wife, overwhelmed by the shock, learned of the child and rushed to the hospital that night. As soon as we got the evidence, we boarded a military aircraft and rushed here. You've seen how well my wife is doing. Even though we feel guilty about you, we still have to settle accounts with Zhou Jiaren.
Mrs. Cheng was about to get up, and she ordered Cheng Sijin, "Boss, take Mom's two suitcases. They contain photos of your aunt. We're leaving now. I want to ask my brother-in-law how his things became his. I'll throw the photos in his face and see if he still has the nerve to do it."
Zhou Xiaozheng looked at Old Lady Zhou and said, "Mom, if you're in trouble, just stay here. I'll go over and ask about it myself. The problem must be resolved."
Old Mrs. Zhou cheered up, stood up, and said, "Let's go and see what he has to say."
Zhang Guoqing prepared dinner and was about to go forward to invite everyone to eat. He didn't want to hear everything, and suddenly realized why Mr. Zhou's attitude was so strange.
Zhou Xiaozheng saw him as soon as he left the living room. "Xiaowu, put everything aside. Let's drive to Zhoujia Village."
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