Wang Lijuan also echoed: "Yes, you should stop hiding it. Things have come to this point."
Seeing this, Liu Cuihua's legs went limp, as if all her bones and muscles were pulled out. She slowly collapsed to the ground, her knees hitting the hard ground. But the pain could not dispel the panic and despair in her heart. She knew that the truth would eventually come out and the matter could no longer be concealed.
She slowly raised her head and looked at Lu Cheng. Her eyes were filled with guilt and helplessness. Her voice was trembling because of the turmoil in her heart. "San'er, I am sorry for you. Now, I don't want to hide it from you anymore. You are not my biological son."
Memories surged like a raging tide, engulfing her thoughts and pulling her back to that dark and windy night many years ago.
Liu Cuihua paused and continued, "I remember that night, it was raining heavily, and the big raindrops hit the old window frames, making crackling sounds.
Your biological parents passed through our village and happened to catch your mother giving birth, and I was about to welcome my own child.
As fate would have it, we ended up living in the same small, dark room.
The midwife was busy in the house and was exhausted. I tried my best and helped my husband give birth to a daughter.
Half an hour later, your mother also successfully gave birth to you.
But who could have imagined that something unexpected would happen. Your mother suddenly suffered a heavy bleeding, and the blood instantly dyed the bed sheets red. The glaring red color filled the whole house with the smell of death.
The midwife was in a panic. She shouted for someone to call a doctor while she was frantically trying to rescue the woman in labor.
For a moment, the house was in chaos, and everyone's attention was focused on your mother's life and death. No one cared about the newborn baby who was still crying in the cradle.
I looked at you in the cradle, then at my daughter beside me, and an evil thought quietly grew in my heart.
I saw that although your biological parents were in a disheveled state, the temperament in their every move and the luxurious clothes and accessories made them look like they didn't look like an ordinary family. They must be from a very wealthy family.
I... I was bewildered for a moment, blinded by greed, and had thoughts that I shouldn't have had. While no one was paying attention, I secretly swapped the two children with trembling hands. ”
Her face was full of pain and regret, and her hands kept shaking, as if she could still feel that sinful moment of that year.
"After that, I carried you back home. Not long after, your biological parents recovered and left Gan'an County. They would never have thought that their biological son had been replaced by me..."
Liu Cuihua slumped on the ground, pulling her hair with both hands, mumbling incessantly, her voice trembling with fear: "I am guilty, I am really guilty. I did such a stupid thing back then, switching the baby. I have never had peace in my heart for a single day..."
Her tears rolled down uncontrollably, wetting the ground in front of her, and she looked in a state of disarray.
But even so, she never mentioned poisoning the egg cake, as if it was a taboo that could not be touched.
Lu Jianmin and Lin Lijuan stood aside, their eyes wide open, faces filled with shock and disbelief.
Lu Jianmin's mouth was slightly open and he couldn't close it for a long time. It seemed like something was choking his throat. He wanted to say something but no sound came out.
Lin Lijuan subconsciously covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes full of panic, and her body trembled slightly unconsciously. She was obviously shocked and at a loss what to do by this sudden truth.
Lu Cheng and Lin Yuexi stood not far away, their faces turning blue with anger.
Lin Yuexi's eyes were red, flashing with anger and disappointment. She gritted her teeth, her lips trembling slightly, and she wanted to rush up immediately and make Liu Cuihua explain the poisoning.
Lu Cheng clenched his hands into fists, his knuckles turned white, veins on his arms bulged, his chest heaved violently, and every breath seemed to be suppressing the anger that was about to explode.
Lu Cheng took a deep breath and tried his best to suppress the rage burning in his heart. Every pore was emitting the breath of anger, but he still endured it, trying to make his voice sound calmer, and asked patiently:
"Since I'm not your biological son, I can try to understand your cold attitude towards me and your frequent beatings and scoldings over the years.
But I really can't understand why you are so cruel today that you want to poison me? For so many years, even if there is no family affection, at least there is affection for each other, how can you..."
His voice trembled slightly, and suppressed anger and pain were faintly revealed in his words.
When Liu Cuihua heard Lu Cheng's question, her already panicked expression instantly collapsed. She covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. Tears kept flowing out from between her fingers, and she cried heartbreakingly.
"San'er, I really have my own difficulties. I have been forced into a desperate situation!"
She cried and spoke intermittently, "It's your biological parents. They got the news from somewhere and are coming to Gan'an County to look for you.
My biological daughter, Gong Yunqiu, who was swapped with you back then, found out about this. She has been with them for so many years and has lived a good life. She is afraid that once your biological parents recognize you, they will no longer want her, and then everything will be gone.
So she came to me in a hurry and used threats and inducements to force me to poison you. She swore to me solemnly that this medicine would only make you stupid and prevent you from competing with her for favor, but it would definitely not kill anyone.
I...I was confused for a moment and believed her lies. San'er, although I usually treat you badly, I really never thought of killing you. I was wrong, I was really wrong..."
She cried so hard that tears flew down her face and her body trembled violently, as if she was trying to alleviate her inner guilt through crying.
As Lu Cheng listened to Liu Cuihua's crying, the anger in his heart subsided a little, but the anger and pain still surged in his heart like a tide.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and slowly said, "If that's the case, where is Gong Yunqiu now? This matter must be resolved."
Liu Cuihua sobbed, wiped the tears and snot from her face with her sleeves, and said in a sobbing voice: "I... I don't know where she is exactly. She should have left Gan'an County, right?"
Just when everyone in the house was excited and the atmosphere was as heavy as the depression before a storm, a rapid knock on the door suddenly sounded, breaking the suffocating silence.
Lu Cheng frowned, strode forward and opened the door, only to see Zhao Gang in a hurry, with beads of sweat on his forehead and breathing heavily, obviously having jogged all the way here.
"I finally found you!" Zhao Gang said as he raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Lin Yuexi walked up quickly and asked anxiously, "Zhao Gang, what happened? You look so anxious."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
