The Railway Bureau’s staff quarters are not far from the Railway Bureau and you can just walk there.
On the way back to the Railway Administration's staff quarters with Su Kang, Qin Zheng tried to probe into Su Kang's work as a hired helper.
"Brother Su, to be honest, I'm a terrible uncle. I actually know nothing about being a child. If Yun Qiao hadn't suddenly gone to the Great Northern Wilderness a month ago, I wouldn't have known she was the wrong child."
Su Kang sighed, "Who wouldn't? This is a rare occurrence, something you wouldn't encounter in a city for dozens of days. If the mother hadn't said the child was taken away by mistake, who would have thought this? I didn't know about it much earlier than you did."
"But I'm the child's uncle. I don't know if it's excusable, but you're the child's father! Brother Su, didn't you notice anything beforehand?" Qin Zheng probed, "You were with your sister-in-law when she gave birth in the hospital, right? The child was right under your nose. How could you not have any inkling of it being taken away?"
"I really don't know."
Thinking of the past, Su Kang showed an embarrassed and guilty expression on his face. Although it was only a flash, it was still caught by Qin Zheng's keen eyes.
He raised his eyebrows slightly: "Could it be that you weren't with your sister-in-law when she gave birth?"
"Yes." Su Kang laughed dryly and explained, "At that time, I had just come to the city to work and hadn't yet established myself in Shanghai, so I didn't bring your sister-in-law here. She was pregnant in her hometown in the countryside and didn't bring the child to the city until she gave birth. By the time I saw the child, she was already a month old. So, how could I know that this child wasn't my biological child?"
"That's true." Qin Zheng seemed to be thinking. "So, from the time my sister-in-law became pregnant to the birth of the child, you don't know what happened in between?"
"Ah, yes." Su Kang tried to save face, "It's not, it's not about work. I was just a kid from the countryside back then. I finally got a permanent job at the Railway Bureau. I had to perform well and win the boss's appreciation. How could I have time to take care of a pregnant woman? We're both men, and our careers are definitely the most important thing. You can understand that, right?"
Qin Zheng chuckled twice and said expressionlessly, "Yeah, I understand."
Su Kang breathed a sigh of relief and said in a dignified manner, "It's not that I don't care about my wife and children, it's just that it's difficult to balance my career and family."
Qin agreed with Zheng without any emotion: "Yes, that's true."
After listening to Su Kang's long-winded self-glorifying nonsense, Qin Zheng simply asked, "Brother Su, are you and my sister-in-law from the same hometown?"
Su Kang nodded: "Yes, we are from the same village."
"From the same village, doesn't that mean you grew up together?" Qin Zheng said with a smile, "You two are childhood sweethearts."
Su Kang waved his hand and said, "Well, that's what rich families say. Poor people don't care about that."
Qin Zheng sighed, "Brother Su, speaking of this, I find you truly kind. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, many young men who moved to the city and made a fortune abandoned their wives and children to marry richer women. But you didn't abandon your wife back home, and you even brought her to the city. You're truly responsible and committed."
Su Kang waved his hand, the smile on his face looking a little stiff: "As long as you keep your wife, it doesn't matter."
Qin Zheng noticed that Su Kang's eyes looked a little subtle.
He realized something, raised his hand and patted Su Kang's shoulder, then changed the subject, half jokingly and half seriously, and said teasingly, "But brother, tell me the truth, have you never disliked your sister-in-law for being an illiterate rural woman?"
Su Kang's expression changed. "How could that be? Your sister-in-law and I have been together through thick and thin. I can't thank her enough..."
"Yeah?"
"Of course!" Su Kang said firmly, as if there was no trace of guilt in his eyes.
Qin Zheng gave him a meaningful look and laughed, "Brother Su is an honest man. Of course I believe what you say."
Su Kang felt uneasy when he saw Qin Zheng's look, and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
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