Cheng Chao was in a state of shock, having finally figured things out and feeling overjoyed, only to be instantly crushed by a simple blow, leaving him in disbelief. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, leaving him feeling utterly disheartened.
Seeing his persistent expression, Jian Dan was speechless and simply got up and pulled out a photo album.
"Look, I really do have my own family, it can't be your family."
The Jian and Su families are both prominent families. For others, taking a photo is a once-in-a-lifetime event, but for them, it's commonplace.
Both grandfathers felt they wanted to leave the child with a memory, so they insisted on taking photos, and even after the simple trip, they kept the photos with them.
Cheng Chao and his team conducted a simple yet detailed investigation, but tracing this information was inherently difficult at this time. The Jian family, with its prestigious background, would naturally not allow photos or similar items to leak out, and the few photos they found were all from recent years.
After handing over their family property, the two old men became even more reclusive, and there were even fewer photos of them. Cheng Chao and the others had never actually seen what Grandpa Jian looked like.
"These are photos of my family. Look, this is my grandfather, this is my maternal grandfather, this is my mother, and there seems to be only one photo of my father, which is his wedding photo."
It's on the last page, this one.
I remember asking him about it back then, and my grandpa said, "My dad isn't like us; he was afraid it would be dangerous for him if someone saw him."
He handed the photo album to Cheng Chao and then beckoned to Jian Xin.
"Xin Xin, come out and stretch your legs."
Just as I picked up the child, I heard Cheng Chao's shocked voice.
"Is this your grandfather?"
She nearly screamed, which startled the little girl.
He simply frowned and peeked out.
"Yes, my grandpa, look at those eyes, look at my eyes, now that's what you call similar."
Cheng Chao's clothes looked like they'd seen a ghost. Jian Wenxiu also got up and came over, but he was stunned after just one glance. He looked at the photo, then at Jian Dan, seemingly comparing them.
"Don't say it, it looks even more like them. You don't even need to stare, just look at them and you can tell they're family."
"However, this old man,"
He stroked his chin, hesitating.
"Am I seeing things? Why does he look like your grandfather, Cheng Chao?"
Several years after Old Master Cheng passed away, Jian Wenxiu even began to wonder if there was something wrong with his memory.
"Look, and there's this mole too. I remember Grandpa Cheng had a mole like this on his face, didn't he?"
Cheng Chao swallowed hard.
"Yes, but my grandfather's mole is on the left, while this Grandpa Jane's mole is on the right."
Jian Wenxiu was joking.
"Luckily, those who know him well know that Grandpa Cheng only has one brother. If they didn't know, they would believe that Grandpa Jian and Grandpa Cheng are twin brothers."
Cheng Chao looked at Jian Wenxiu with a troubled expression.
"But my grandfather does have a twin brother,"
"How come I didn't know?"
“Few people know that my grandfather’s younger brother, who is also my great-uncle, was separated from his family during the war when he was young and has never been found.”
"He has a mole on the right side of his face, which is symmetrical to my grandfather's. When we were little, my grandfather used to joke with us that if we saw someone who looked like him and had a mole on the right side, we should not doubt that it was my great-uncle."
The room was quiet.
Cheng Chao was both surprised and delighted. Although she was not his biological sister, he had unexpectedly found his great-uncle's granddaughter, which was a great thing.
Jian Wenxiu really didn't know what to say. This turn of events was truly unexpected and left him bewildered.
Most importantly, the matter he investigated involving Sheng Zhiyuan and Jian Xin still had no definite conclusion, so he couldn't say anything yet. But Cheng Chao, on the other hand, went from suspicion to confirmation in less than half an hour.
It's so simple, it's even more speechless.
I initially thought Cheng Chao was just making things up, but how did they actually become relatives?
Having been here for so long, she and the original owner had long since merged into one. She had always thought she was all alone, yet someone was actually looking for her.
"Are you serious? This is a big deal. My grandfather and father are both gone. It's a bit hasty to draw conclusions based on just a photo. You should go back and confirm with your elders before making any decisions."
Besides, there are many people in this world who look alike.
Meeting Cheng Chao's gaze, he once again offered sincere words of comfort.
"Really, we can't be hasty."
They came with great enthusiasm, but left one looking preoccupied, alternating between tears and laughter, while the other looked conflicted.
Before going to bed, the little girl asked again.
"Sister, is Brother Cheng Chao your brother?"
A simple sigh.
"I don't know either!"
After stumbling back to the dormitory, Cheng Chao rushed straight to Cheng Jin's room.
The reprimand that was about to be delivered immediately changed upon seeing his distraught appearance.
"What triggered this? Weren't you supposed to be looking for Jian Dan?"
They all looked rather pale, and they even made a joke.
"What happened? Did you get rejected after confessing your feelings to someone?"
He immediately received two strange looks, which piqued Cheng Jin's curiosity and made him fuming.
"What happened? If you have something to say, say it. If not, go back to sleep."
Having held back his anger, seeing the only elder beside him, Cheng Chao's pent-up grievances welled up inside him.
"Uncle!"
"Stop! Speak properly, what's wrong?"
Jian Wenxiu sighed, handed over the photo album, pointed to the photo, and tapped it twice.
"Because of this,"
"Because of a photo?"
Cheng Jin took it and glanced at it.
"Isn't this your grandfather? When was this photo taken?"
Holding the photo album, she turned it around and around.
"Who took this picture? Why is it upside down? They took it all upside down."
No one responded; the room was silent.
Cheng Jin finally realized something was wrong. He looked up, glanced at the two people, and then looked at the photo again.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Cheng Chao finally reached his breaking point, letting out a wail of agony, tears streaming down his face.
"Uncle! Waaah, Uncle, Jian Dan really is my sister!"
I struggled with this for half the night before finally falling asleep, and inevitably woke up late the next day with dark circles under my eyes.
The little girl had already gotten up refreshed, dressed herself, washed her face, and was now nestled to one side, staring intently at Jian Dan.
"Sister, are you awake?"
"You're up so early? Are you hungry? Wait for me, I'll get up right away. What do you want to eat? I'll make it."
"Everything my sister makes tastes delicious,"
That flattery was so effective that even Jian Dan couldn't help but smile.
"Such a sweet little mouth so early in the morning, did you eat candy?"
"hey-hey!"
If you get up late, keeping it simple is even less troublesome. Just make a pot of dumpling soup and an egg, and that's it. After eating, there's no more fuss. Whatever happens, happens. You still have to live your life, right?
Even if they really are relatives, people like Cheng Chao and Cheng Jin are quite comfortable to get along with, so it's not like I'm losing out.
That's what I thought, but I still felt a little awkward meeting them again.
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