Chapter 99 Chapter 99 The Truth

Xu Xingbang listened quietly to his father discussing the next investment project with District Mayor Hu, but his thoughts had actually flown far away.

After a while, he remembered that he had promised Shi Feiying that he would bring him a toy gun and Shi Wan's notebook when he went on a business trip.

Then I thought of asking a friend to bring back a few exercise books from Taipei for Shi Shuwen, and introducing the chairman of Yuanyang Group to Shi Xiangming...

As I was thinking about it, I was suddenly stunned.

At this moment, there was another knock on the door.

"Can...can we serve the food?" The waiter looked cautiously at Manager Geng who was standing aside.

Manager Geng then quietly asked District Chief Hu what he thought.

"Serve the food! Let's eat and talk." And the person who finally won was obviously Xu Zhiguo.

As the beautifully shaped dishes were placed on the table, everyone's attention shifted from chatting to the table.

Manager Geng took the opportunity to signal Lao Gu to introduce the name of each dish.

Lao Gu: “…”

The guests arrived early so he didn't have time to ask Wang Nian the names of the dishes. He looked around and couldn't even name several of them.

After a while, he shook his head apologetically and said, "Today's dishes are all made by another chef in our restaurant. I will go and ask him to come over and introduce him to us."

After saying this, he turned around and left without even bothering to look at Manager Geng's darkening face.

Wang Nian had never expected that she would have to play the role of a waiter in the end. In the end, she reluctantly followed Lao Gu and knocked on the door of the private room.

It's a bit early to collect 800 yuan, otherwise how can I be short-handed...

Knock knock knock——

There was a knock on the door, and instantly someone opened it from inside.

As the door opened, Xu Xingbang in the room was the first to see the expressionless Wang Nian.

"Wang Nian?"

Wang Nian: “…”

"Uncle Xu."

Half of the people sitting in the private room were acquaintances. In addition to Xu Xingbang, there were also the elderly couple Li Maohua, who came to the restaurant every day for breakfast and lunch these days.

"Are you the Sichuan chef hired by the restaurant?" Xu Xingbang smiled.

Wang Nian explained the whole story in this way, which made Xu Xingbang laugh again. Li Maohua and others also lamented the coincidence of the matter.

"Since we are all family, Comrade Xiao Wang, come and sit down. We can eat and chat at the same time." District Chief Hu interrupted with great tact.

Wang Nian smiled and waved his hands: "My current identity is a chef, let's get down to business first."

Although Xu Xingbang was a familiar elder, the rest of the people were strangers, and it was obvious that they were discussing serious matters.

And...she felt like two pairs of eyes were staring at her, which made her feel uncomfortable.

"Let me introduce today's dishes to you first. Some of the dishes won't taste good if they're cold..."

The first dish that came to mind was definitely the stir-fried liver and kidney. Wang Nian turned his gaze to the old man sitting upright in the middle, his target clear.

The old man withdrew his thoughtful gaze and picked up the chopsticks...

As soon as I took a sip, it was as if I recalled the day I left home, and a myriad of emotions flooded my mind.

Xu Zhiguo chewed very slowly, as if he was savoring the food in his mouth seriously.

The kidneys and pork liver are both crispy and tender, and the unique taste of the offal is neutralized by the sour and spicy taste, and you can even taste the aftertaste on the tip of your tongue.

Although it tastes very similar to what my mom makes, I have to admit that it tastes much better.

"Wang... Wang Nian?"

A gentle voice came slowly, attracting Wang Nian to turn around and look.

The old lady was very kind, with so many wrinkles at the corners of her lips that it was obvious that she was always smiling. But at this moment, her eyes were full of confusion and... shock?

"Hello."

After seeing Wang Nian's face clearly, shock seemed to rise from the bottom of his eyes, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were pulled up in shock.

“…”

Wang Nian was puzzled as to why the old lady called someone but didn't say anything.

Then Zhang Yu cleared his throat and said in a low voice: "Are they similar?"

Zhou Hua remained silent, but nodded solemnly.

"I said Wang Nian looked like Xuemei, but Old Li said I was imagining things."

"The mouth is very similar to Xuemei, but I feel that the eyebrows and eyes are more like Xingbang when he was young..." Zhou Hua said slowly.

Clang——

Someone dropped his chopsticks, and the silver chopstick head smashed a hole in the edge of the plate. The broken pieces mixed with soup splashed all over Xu Xingbang's clothes.

"Mr. Xu!" District Chief Hu stood up hurriedly to check.

Xu Xingbang also stood up suddenly, as if he wanted to smile, but his face was too stiff to make any expression, and instead he did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"We have some family matters to discuss. Can District Chief Hu and the others please step out and wait for a moment?"

Previously, his friends had said that Wang Nian looked like Luo Xuemei, which had caused him some confusion, but in the end, he had to admit that he was just thinking nonsense because of the reality.

But this time, my mother actually said that Wang Nian looked like her.

At this moment, his thoughts were no longer just wavering. The shock and waves in his heart completely overwhelmed all of Xu Xingbang's rationality.

He took several deep breaths and finally calmed down.

"Wang Nian, please tell me about your parents' situation... Tell me in detail from the moment you were born."

Wang Nian: “…”

He honestly and carefully recounted his original memories and his memories after traveling through time.

"What's your date of birth?" Zhou Hua suddenly asked.

"March 15, 1955."

“…”

"55...55..."

Xu Xingbang repeated these words like a madman, his expression changing from laughing to crying. He took a few steps back and fell directly into the chair.

"Xingbang, Xingbang..." Zhou Hua walked forward worriedly to check on Xu Xingbang's condition.

When he heard the news of Luo Xuemei's death, he cried and laughed like he did today. He was depressed for several years and tried like crazy to find a way to return home. Finally, he returned to normal after seeing the tombstone with his own eyes.

Just seems... normal.

"How could such a coincidence happen in the world! How could such a coincidence happen!"

"What do you mean!"

Only now did Xu Zhiguo finally realize that something seemed to be wrong.

Could it be that the two young people had already been married? Otherwise, how could Xu Xingbang have such an unrealistic fantasy?

"Tell me the truth, are you and Xuemei..." Xu Zhiguo grabbed Xu Xingbang by the collar, his eyes widened in anger.

Xu Xingbang nodded dazedly.

So many coincidences happened at the same time that Xu Xingbang had to make associations. In the end, when he heard about Wang Nian’s birthday, he even confirmed that absurd idea.

"call--"

At this time, Wang Nian had actually guessed what the elders meant.

Xu Zhiguo looked at the queen deeply and lowered his head: "If you don't verify the result, you will doubt it for the rest of your life. Instead of doing this..."

Xu Xingbang stood up and grabbed Wang Nian's wrist: "Let's go to your hometown, right now!"

When one person says someone looks like Luo Xuemei, it may just be a coincidence, but when a second person or even someone with a deeper relationship says the same thing, Wang Nian also begins to doubt.

When Xu Xingbang took me home, I couldn't help but recall all my memories about my parents in detail.

Unfortunately... nothing was gained.

***

Wenxi Township, Changshengpo.

Today, Hongqi Brigade, which has been renamed Hongqi Village 2, has not changed much. Most houses in the village are still made of mud and bricks, with only a few having red brick houses.

The family of the eldest master Wang Heping was one of them that built a two-story building.

My cousin Wang Yong runs a pancake business in the county town. His business has been booming in recent years. With the money Wang Nian sent back, he was the first to build a new house in the village.

Wang Nian and Xu Xingbang arrived suddenly. They rushed straight to the train station after getting off the plane and only remembered to call the village cadres' office halfway.

"Second sister."

Wang Heping and Wu Ying had been sitting at the door waiting since they received the call in the morning. They smoked two packs of dry cigarettes before they finally waited for the person to come back.

"Master, Madam."

"Come in quickly, let's talk inside." Wu Ying held Wang Nian's arm and invited everyone to go into the yard.

Xu Xingbang and his mother Zhou Hua smiled reluctantly; they were both a little exhausted from the long journey.

Wang Heping saw that the three people had no luggage. He first wondered who these two people were and what the purpose of their trip was.

"Where are my brother and sister-in-law?"

"Your brother and sister-in-law are all doing business in the county town with their children. Your grandfather and I are the only ones left at home."

Wu Ying observed Wang Nian's expression carefully, and seeing that her face was rosy and rounder, she nodded with satisfaction in her heart.

Wang Nian looked up at the house that had just been renovated.

The exterior walls were still made of red bricks, the yard was filled with unused building materials, and the sand in the corners was blown everywhere by the wind.

The well that used to be in the middle of the yard is no longer there, and the stove room where we often stayed has long since become a firewood shed.

Although I have lost many memories of the past, I still have to look forward and of course things have to get better and better.

"Who are those two people behind?" Wu Ying suddenly leaned close to Wang Nian's ear and asked in a low voice.

It was obvious that the two were from the city. The old lady was trembling with exhaustion. If it hadn't been for the younger man supporting her, she would have collapsed from exhaustion.

"This is Uncle Xu and Grandma Zhou..." Wang Nian thought for a moment and decided to start with Shi Xiangming.

Wu Ying said "oh oh" twice, showing a lot of enthusiasm for Xu Xingbang and the others, and then suddenly turned around and looked at Wang Nian in surprise: "Shi Xiangming's mother's friend...what is he doing in our house?"

"Come in and sit down and talk," said Wang Nian.

The walls of the house were painted white, with portraits of national leaders hung in the middle of the wall. They were all old items that Wang Nian was familiar with.

She had no idea how many meals she had eaten at the eight-immortals table, and the expensive gifts she received at her wedding were also piled on the table.

Everyone sat down.

Wang Heping poured water and got sugar, and shouted to go to the backyard to catch a chicken and stew it. Then he asked Wu Ying to go to the office to call Wang Yong and ask them to come home for dinner in the evening.

The two were so happy that they just wanted to take out all the good things in the house.

Wang Nian watched them busying around with a smile, and peeled another egg and handed it to Grandma Zhou.

"There's nothing good to eat in the countryside. Eat some eggs first."

"The chickens raised by farmers are not available in the city." Grandma Zhou took the egg and ate it in small bites, smiling.

The old lady has also experienced hardships, so no matter how bad the environment is, she will never show any disgust.

Wang Nian had a good impression of this open-minded old man. Along the way, the two chatted about a lot of things under the sun, and the more they talked, the more they got along.

"Uncle Xu, you should also eat an egg to fill your stomach."

No matter how anxious he was, he couldn't ask as soon as he entered someone's house. Xu Xingbang suppressed the urge to seek the truth, took the egg and cracked the shell.

"Look at my memory. I was so busy having fun that I forgot to cook the brown sugar eggs. You guys chat while I cook the eggs."

In the past, only distinguished guests could drink a bowl of brown sugar water. Now that life is better, two eggs and fermented glutinous rice are added to the brown sugar water.

"You don't have to be so polite..."

"Yes, yes. Please take a seat first. Let Lao Wang talk to you for a while."

As Wu Ying left, the main room suddenly became quiet, and Xu Xingbang poured Zhou Hua a cup of hot water.

Wang Heping didn't say anything either. After putting the cigarette on the table, he slowly took out the cigarette from the cloth bag and stuffed it into the mouthpiece. His movements were so slow that they didn't seem like his usual quick character.

Wang Nianduo glanced at him twice, and Wang Heping coughed lightly before finally speaking: "Do you have something important to do this time?"

“…”

"Master." Wang Nian's eyes passed across Xu Xingbang's face, and he dropped the biggest bomb in the calmest tone.

"Am I my father's biological child?"

As soon as I put the cigarette holder in my mouth, I was startled by this sudden question and started coughing.

The more he does this, the more it proves that... there is something wrong.

Three pairs of eyes simultaneously looked at the person in the room who was still coughing heart-wrenchingly.