Chapter 100 Chapter 100 You are my dad!
After a busy period of pouring water and patting his back, Wang Heping's cough finally subsided.
"Who are you?"
After coming back to his senses, Wang Heping looked at Xu Xingbang with a gaze so sharp that it seemed as if he would pick up a bench and smash it at him in the next second.
The eldest master was very angry, and his target was clearly Xu Xingbang.
Does he know who Xu Xingbang is?
As Wang Nian was thinking this, he heard Xu Xingbang's trembling voice as he gave his name word by word, and then added, "I am Luo Xuemei's boyfriend."
"Humph!" Wang Heping flew into a rage and slammed his cigarette stick on the table: "You guys get out of my house. Wang Nian and my brother and sister-in-law's biological child has nothing to do with you."
Well! Wang Nian had to really believe that she was 99% sure that she was Xu Xingbang's biological daughter.
Wang Heping's words wouldn't be so obvious. Doesn't this clearly mean he admitted that he knew Luo Xuemei and Xu Xingbang?
"Brother, let me hear it first..."
"There's nothing good to hear. Why don't you get out of here?"
"I was wrong about what happened before, but I also have my reasons. Please listen to me first."
"If you don't get out of here, I'll call for help!"
Wang Heping was about to stand up and yell, and his voice was so loud that Wu Ying heard the noise and ran out from the kitchen.
Puff——
Suddenly Xu Xingbang walked up to Wang Heping, knelt down, and begged for an explanation in the most humble manner.
"Uncle Xu." Wang Nian hurried forward to help the man.
On the way, I heard Grandma Zhou mention that Xu Xingbang caught a cold while smuggling a few years ago and was left with severe rheumatism. His knees could not withstand such a strenuous movement as kneeling.
"Let him kneel." Grandma Zhou held Wang Nian's hand and shook her head bitterly: "He should kneel."
Wu Ying anxiously asked what had happened and how it happened that in a blink of an eye both sides had to kneel down to such a serious situation.
Wang Nian explained it again.
Wu Ying's face suddenly turned gloomy. He retracted his supporting hand and looked at Xu Xingbang coldly.
"You said your name is Xu Xingbang..."
"Grandpa, Madam, listen to what Uncle Xu said when he was angry again... I believe my mother would also like to know."
According to the old lady's temper, Xu Xingbang would probably be beaten out with two sticks before he could even say a word, so Wang Nian had to bring up her own mother.
In Wang Nian's memory, his biological mother's name seemed to be Luo Meihua, which was only one character different from Luo Xuemei.
“…”
After hearing this, the two men calmed down, except for the anger in their eyes that prevented them from beating Xu Xingbang to death immediately.
"Uncle Xu, please sit down and talk slowly." Wang Nian went to help him up again. This time Xu Xingbang did not resist and stood up with the force, while his hands rubbed his knees consciously.
Wang Nian sat next to Wu Ying, and the five of them sat around the eight-immortal table, quietly waiting for Xu Xingbang to speak.
"Xuemei and I grew up together. When we were young, we had already decided to spend our lives together and build a happy family in the future..."
The two families are old friends, and they grew up together as childhood sweethearts. Logically, they should get married, have children, and live a simple and happy life when the time is right.
But they happened to live in an era where they had no control over what happened, and when faced with turmoil, many things became beyond their control.
At that time, An Huai was in the midst of an important period of land reform and suppression of terrorism. Xu's father was framed, and dozens of members of the Xu family were reported to have participated in the terrorism movement and were labeled villains.
Finally, after making inquiries from many sources, it turned out that someone had set their sights on the Xu family's merchant ships and property and was looking for an excuse to force Xu Zhiguo to hand over his property.
Xu Zhiguo was unwilling to give up his ancestral business, so he deliberately acted in a hypocritical manner, declaring that he was willing to hand over all the business to that person in exchange for his family being freed from the label of traitor.
During this period, he quietly sold most of his property for gold, contacted foreign friends he had met in business, and planned to take his family and flee overseas.
Xu Zhiguo's good friend Luo Chengqun also knew about this matter and helped a lot. He helped to donate all the assets that the Xu family could not take away to the revolutionary organization.
But the two elders didn't know that their son and daughter had already secretly decided on their lifelong relationship and were already married.
For safety reasons, the Xu family did not tell anyone about their departure, including... Xu Xingbang and Luo Xuemei.
Moreover, Xu Zhiguo was worried that those people would cause trouble for Luo Chengqun after they left, so the two families openly stated that they had already broken up over political issues, and the Luo family even took out an advertisement in the newspaper to clarify the matter.
"I came out of the police station and wanted to look for Xuemei, but she had already been sent to my grandfather's house. I had no idea where she lived..."
Before Xu Xingbang found out where Luo Xuemei was, he received news from his father that the whole family would be going abroad that night.
“It was then that we realized the two children had developed feelings for each other,” Grandma Zhou said sadly.
But even if he knew, Xu Zhiguo would never risk his entire family's lives for this matter. The departing ship had already docked, and staying for one more minute would increase the danger.
Grandma Zhou took over the next task. She knew better than anyone how Xu Xingbang had lived those decades.
Xu Xingbang said he wanted to stay, so Xu Zhiguo asked his family guards to tie him up and throw him into the cabin, and the boat left the ferry on time.
Xu Xingbang was released only when the boat reached the middle of the sea where he could no longer swim back.
"As soon as he was released, he jumped into the sea, saying he was going back to look for Xuemei... His legs were also frozen at that time."
The sea water temperature was very low in winter. Xu Xingbang was soaked in the sea water for several hours before he was pulled out. His legs were injured from that time.
After going abroad, the Xu family's business was going smoothly, but Xu Xingbang became increasingly depressed, and he kept talking about returning to China to find Xuemei.
Until...the news came that Luo Xuemei had been in a car accident.
At this point, she was talking about everything that happened to Xu Xingbang thirty years ago. Grandma Zhou's eyes were red as she finished speaking.
"Why--"
After listening to it, Wang Heping finally understood how difficult it was for Xu Xingbang.
For the past few decades of twists and turns, it is not Xu Xingbang's fault or Luo Xuemei's fault, but the turbulent times.
"Master."
Wang Heping said seriously, frowned, and patted Wang Nian's shoulder gently: "Your mother's real name is indeed Luo Xuemei..."
"Wang Nian is the child of Xuemei and me?" Xu Xingbang asked anxiously.
Wang Heping did not say anything, but slowly lit the tobacco in the pipe, took a deep puff and slowly raised his head.
"When your mother came to our Red Flag Brigade, she was already more than three months pregnant... So your biological father is confirmed to be this Xu Xingbang, and she came in 2019..."
When the specific time came out, Xu Xingbang calmed down. When all his guesses came true, the only thing left in his heart was an lingering sadness.
What kind of hatred did Luo Xuemei harbor that made her hide away in this small mountain village to get married, and how much hardship did she go through to raise Wang Nian?
Xu Xingbang did not hate Wang Nian's adoptive father who took advantage of Luo Xuemei's misfortune to marry her. Instead, he was grateful to them for raising Wang Nian as their own son.
But he didn't expect that Wang Heping's next words would really make him fall into an inextricable self-blame.
"Xuemei and my second brother had a fake marriage. They lived in separate houses from the beginning until Xuemei passed away..."
That year, Luo Xuemei suddenly appeared on a small road in the village. Wu Ying took pity on her and took her in to live in her home.
At first everyone thought Luo Xuemei had fled here, but later they found that she didn't talk like a country girl at all, so Wu Ying asked her a few more questions casually.
"Xuemei said her husband died in the battlefield and her parents wanted her to remarry, so she ran away with the baby in her belly."
Wang Heping and Wu Ying had no doubt about the truth of Luo Xuemei's words, because there were countless widows whose husbands died on the battlefield in those years, and there were several in every village.
Wang Nian's adoptive father suffered from a high fever in his childhood and his intelligence was stuck at the age of five or six. His family had long been prepared for the fact that he would never be able to get married.
Wu Ying particularly liked the educated Luo Xuemei, but was worried that she would not be able to raise her unborn child by herself, so she came up with the idea of a fake marriage.
Less than two years after the fake marriage, her adoptive father died of illness, and Luo Xuemei stayed in the Red Flag Brigade as the daughter-in-law of the Wang family.
"It was not until Xuemei fell ill and died that we learned the truth..." Wu Ying gently stroked Wang Nian's long hair, her eyes already wet with tears.
Originally, Luo Xuemei had no husband at all, and she did not run away because she was forced to get married by her parents. Instead, her parents sent her to the marriage themselves.
The child's biological father left the country without saying a word. More than a month after he left, Luo Xuemei found out that she was pregnant.
At that time, their family was targeted by the bad guys who forced the Xu family to hand over their property. If they made a mistake, they would be doomed.
Her parents would not be in danger because they had donated the Xu family's property. However, if Luo Xuemei's pregnancy were to be known, she would definitely be paraded through the streets with a sign labeled "slut" and sent to labor camp.
Luo Xuemei refused to abort the baby, so her parents had no choice but to come up with a way to "faked her death" and sent their daughter on a train that was heading to an unknown destination.
As for what the future will be like, it all depends on Luo Xuemei herself.
"Before Xuemei passed away, she left me a few words for you." Wu Ying turned her gaze to Xu Xingbang and said, "If you come looking for her one day, take her body back and bury it next to her parents. If you never find her in your lifetime, then you will have no fate with her."
"Xuemei said she never blamed you, but only blamed you for being born at the wrong time." Wang Heping followed.
"Wuwu-wuwuwuwu-wuwu——" Xu Xingbang finally couldn't help but burst into tears.
His crying was mournful, as if he wanted to turn all the longing and pain of the past few decades into tears, and it also seemed that he was telling Luo Xuemei that he had never forgotten the past.
The misunderstanding that had lasted for decades was finally resolved. That afternoon, Wang Heping took Xu Xingbang and Wang Nian to Luo Xuemei's tomb to pay their respects.
They stayed in Changshenggou for three days.
Without any delay, Xu Xingbang asked someone to open Luo Xuemei's grave the next day and take out the ashes that had long been mixed with the soil.
As if he had known that Xu Xingbang would come, he chose to be cremated when he died, leaving only a box of ashes in the coffin.
After doing all this, Xu Xingbang will be busy returning to Anhuai to fulfill Luo Xuemei's last wish.
Wang Nian knew the urgency of the matter, so he did not suggest going back to Factory 431 to take a look.
They came in a hurry and left Changshenggou in a hurry.
Unexpectedly, because of the rush, she missed the last chance to relive the old factory.
Factory 431 declared bankruptcy two years later, and its employees went their separate ways.
The only people left in Changshenggou are the old employees who are too old to leave and occasionally reminisce about the past.
***
No. 15, Guanghua Street, Anhuai City.
"Is this it?"
Xu Zhiguo and Zhou Hua were standing on the roadside. Behind them, Xu Xingbang had his hands full of things. All three of them were dressed formally, attracting the attention of the diners in the restaurant.
"It's here." Xu Xingbang looked up at the name of the restaurant, feeling deeply moved.
He had been to this place countless times, but today he went in as a father-in-law, and the address had long since changed from "Uncle Xu" to Grandpa.
Overnight he not only had a wife and daughter, but also three grandchildren.
"Even if I personally confirmed that you are biological father and daughter, I still find it unbelievable and it doesn't seem real!" said Xu Zhiguo.
At that time, Xu Xingbang wanted to go to Changshenggou to find the truth, and Xu Zhiguo agreed.
However, when the truth turned out to be as everyone had guessed, he was the only one who was unwilling to accept it, until he personally sent the report to the foreign testing agency and received it in his hands.
Wang Nian is indeed the daughter of Xu Xingbang and Luo Xuemei, and also his biological granddaughter.
Time flies, and after all this trouble, the seasons have already changed.
This year's autumn did not bring comfort and warmth. Instead, it was damp and cold everywhere, and the cold seemed to penetrate into the bones with the wind.
As soon as Xu Zhiguo finished speaking, a cold wind blew, and he swayed because of the cold.
"Come in quickly! Everyone is waiting for us." Xu Xingbang couldn't help but smile a little wider.
He was different from Xu Zhiguo who needed time to accept the situation. After returning to Anhuai, he would almost forget to go to the restaurant every day and even stay here on weekends.
Compared to a house where he lives alone, this place feels more like his home.
As the weather gets colder, restaurant business becomes more prosperous.
Perhaps because the restaurant is warmer than home, the old men and women would chat inside for an hour or so after lunch before leaving.
At this moment, everyone gathered together to chat about news and current affairs. Even though it was already past dinner time, the restaurant was still bustling.
"Wang Nian."
Xu Xingbang looked into the kitchen with familiarity, and saw Wang Nian busy in front of the stove. When he heard the sound, he immediately came out with a smile.
"dad."
The word "Dad" came out quite smoothly, without any sentimentality, just as smoothly as calling grandpa or aunt when he came across the sky.
The faces of the two elderly people behind me slowly appeared as I moved.
"Grandma." Wang Nian first called Zhou Hua, after all, she had already called her so many times over the overseas phone call.
Afterwards, he looked at Xu Zhiguo silently, and for a moment he didn't know whether to call him Grandpa or to call him with his surname.
After all, after returning from Changshenggou, it was this old man who looked at Wang Nian with a "conspiratorial" look the whole time. Perhaps he had thought a hundred times in his mind whether she and the Wang family had joined forces to make up such a lie.
Before returning abroad, Xu Zhiguo took away Wang Nian's hair, saying that he wanted to test it using scientific methods.
It has been more than a year now, and it seems that the test results have confirmed that she is Xu Xingbang's biological daughter.
"Xiang Ming and the children are at home." Wang Nian chose to smile and nodded, then hurriedly called Shi Shuwen: "Your grandpa and grandma are here."
Although he didn't call him Grandpa, he asked the children to call him Grandpa.
"Grandpa, Grandma!"
A figure who was one step faster than Shi Shuwen rushed into the kitchen, called someone hurriedly, and then pestered Xu Xingbang for toys.
"Grandpa, where's my gun... the kind that makes a banging sound."
"Here." Xu Xingbang handed the toy gun to Shi Feiying with a smile, and immediately received a big hug and coquettishness.
"Grandpa is the best to Feiying. I love him the most in the world."
A toy gun can be exchanged for a lot of sweet words. Shi Feiying acted coquettishly and obediently endlessly, making Xu Xingbang smile and enjoy himself.
"Grandpa."
Shi Shuwen was much more sensible. When he saw the people, he first took the things from Xu Xingbang's hand before turning around to call for help.
Several people followed Shi Shuwen through the front yard to the back yard.
"Dad, Grandpa, Grandma." Shi Xiangming had already placed tea under the grape trellis, and had not yet had time to take off the apron he had helped put on in the restaurant that morning.
"Mom and Dad, this is your grandson-in-law, Shi Xiangming..." Xu Xingbang introduced.
Apart from the fact that he was getting married for the second time, there was nothing to complain about Shi Xiangming's appearance and work, and the two elderly people were very satisfied.
"Xiao Wan, go pour grandma a cup of grapefruit tea." Shi Xiangming was always attentive. He knew Zhou Hua didn't like it when he saw her frowning slightly while drinking the tea.
Shi Wan, who was picking apples in the vegetable garden, responded immediately, and a figure in a pink dress emerged from behind a tree.
“Here we come!”
"Xiao Wan, are you picking apples and planning to sell them?" Xu Xingbang knew it at a glance.
"My mother said that the money from this sale can be saved by us." Shi Wan wiped the sweat from her forehead, her eyes sparkling: "When I make money, I will take my mother to Taipei to watch the flag-raising ceremony."
"Do you want Grandpa to take care of your business?"
"No, no." Shi Wan waved her hands quickly, her face flushed and she was quite confident: "We have already agreed to sell it in front of the university gate."
Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-
The noise of the toy gun was quite noisy. Shi Wan said that Shi Feiying's noisy noise was piercing, and even the sudden ringing of the phone joined in the noise.
Before Shi Xiangming could say a word, Shi Shuwen called him back to the living room to answer a phone call.
Shi Wan grabbed Shi Feiying's ear and walked away muttering to herself.
Suddenly, only Xu Xingbang and his parents were left in the backyard.
Zhou Hua looked up at the grape trellis, and Xu Xingbang stood up and picked a bunch of grapes and handed it to him: "There is a lot of rain this year, and the grapes are sweeter than last year."
"This kid's got a nice little home."
Everyone knew who this kid was referring to. After Xu Zhiguo said this, he lowered his head and drank his tea silently, looking as if he was not involved.
"Your dad has been so weird his whole life." Zhou Hua sighed helplessly.
"Do you want me to kowtow and admit my mistakes?" Xu Zhiguo raised his eyebrows and glanced at the living room secretly: "Besides, didn't you hear Shi Xiangming call me Grandpa? Any other questions?"
"Wang Nian also lets the children call him Grandpa." Xu Xingbang laughed.
His stubborn temper that even ten oxen can't pull him back is inherited from his father. If he hadn't died and returned to his country, he wouldn't have had a house full of children and grandchildren now.
Xu Xingbang knew that Wang Nian didn't actually blame his father, otherwise why would he let the children call him Grandpa.
"The child is like me, with an open mind and the ability to accomplish great things." Xu Zhiguo laughed again.
Zhou Hua was so angry that he laughed. He turned around slightly and didn't want to talk to him anymore.
"Dad, Mom!" Xu Xingbang relaxed his body and half-lay down on the chair lazily: "I don't plan to take Wang Nian back to the old house to recognize his ancestors."
“…”
"Why!" Xu Zhiguo's smile disappeared instantly.
"I have discussed this with Wang Nian. She is not very interested in the Xu family's property..." Xu Xingbang looked at Xu Zhiguo with burning eyes.
Wang Nian’s answer at that time was to be content with a small fortune.
Having a little money on hand, not worrying about food, clothing, housing and transportation, and living a healthy and happy life with your family is already a very perfect life.
Wang Nian didn't want to... and he knew very well that he didn't have the ability to fight for it.
Xu Xingbang had been unmarried for many years and his parents had no other choice, so they finally asked his sister to find a live-in son-in-law for the Xu family.
The Xu family now has four grandchildren, plus my youngest sister's two grandsons-in-law. All six of them are determined to get the inheritance, so why do we need one more competitor?
After many twists and turns, Xu Xingbang has come to terms with many things and even supports his daughter's choice in his heart.
"I am very happy now." Xu Xingbang looked seriously into his father's eyes for the first time: "She is more important than anything else. It was like this thirty years ago... and it will be the same after thirty years."
The difference is that thirty years ago she was his wife, and thirty years later she is their daughter.
"There are better ones abroad..."
"Old Xu!" Zhou Hua frowned and grabbed Xu Zhiguo's arm with one hand: "We made a mistake thirty years ago. Do you want to make the same mistake again thirty years later?"
If she had been able to hear her son explain the reason, perhaps Xuemei would not have been forced to hide in the ravines and die of illness early, and she would not have made her granddaughter suffer for more than 20 years.
Now Xu Zhiguo still wants to be arbitrary, but Zhou Hua will never allow the same thing to happen.
A few meters away, Wang Nian stood there silently and listened to the argument between the three people.
Don’t be a fool if you have money… Wang Nian would certainly have such an idea.
But when wealth and ability are not matched, it will only bring disaster and suffering.
Even Xu Xingbang said that his two aunts had been helping Xu Zhiguo manage the company for so many years, and their methods and character were beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Wang Nian is very clear about her own abilities. She is afraid that neither in her past life nor in this life can she possess the ability and courage of a strong woman.
Besides, my life is quite comfortable now, and I am not willing to join in any property battle.
Of course...it's not impossible to share some with her.
At this time, Xu Xingbang actually said exactly the same words as Wang Nian. The father and daughter, who had just met not long ago, seemed to be in sync with each other.
"Dad, you don't want to see our children fighting to the death over money!" Xu Xingbang said.
Xu Zhiguo hummed in dissatisfaction, but then had to admit that it was indeed possible.
Even if they are still alive, their grandchildren are already scheming against each other for the chance to get a bigger share. If we really wait a hundred years until they die, who knows what kind of chaos the situation will be.
"Whatever you want!"
Everyone's expressions relaxed, and Wang Nian also walked over at the right time.
"Grandpa." The first person to call out to Xu Zhiguo was: "You and grandma, please try the cakes I made. I put less sugar in them on purpose."
"The doctor told me to eat less sweets." Xu Zhiguo had a stern face, but his right hand had already stretched out to take a piece: "But since it's made by my granddaughter, I must try it."
Wang Nian curled up the corners of his lips and a smile appeared in his eyes.
"Mom, Dad wants to talk to you about something."
Suddenly, Shi Feiying came running over with a gun in his arms, muttering all the way.
"Is your dad going on a business trip soon?"
Every time he answered the phone and rushed to find Wang Nian, it must be because he had to go on an urgent business trip and asked her to go home to find her ID.
She was used to it, so she talked to her elders and trotted back home.