Only after Luo Yan was abducted did I realize how terribly wrong I had been...
I personally sent Liu Jingqiu, who planned to abduct Yan Yan, to jail, and rescued Luo Yan with the help of the local police based on clues.
However, when the rescue operation ended, I suddenly discovered the truth behind my unease when I first saw Luo Yan: she was an imposter.
I can only blame myself for being too afraid of missing the chance to rescue her when I was surrounded by the villagers, and for not recognizing her carefully because she was wearing Hua Li's jade pendant around her neck even though her face was disfigured.
I was filled with regret, but I didn't alert them, because I realized that things might not be as simple as they seemed on the surface.
I began to observe 'Luo Yan' in secret. I wondered if she had noticed my suspicions, because she didn't show any abnormalities for more than half a month.
I had no evidence to support my suspicions, but I still went to Chen Yuanshan, whom I used to dislike but later got along very well with.
I voiced my doubts, and Chen Yuanshan surprisingly agreed.
He said that although this "Luo Yan" looks a lot like my daughter and her voice is also ruined, she is different in front of me and in front of others. Therefore, he also felt that Yan Yan had been replaced.
The saying "time reveals all" also applies to "time exposes all." I finally discovered the problem: she had been having private dealings with the eldest son of the Cheng family, who moved in after Hua Li's death in the East Courtyard.
The Cheng family has two sons. The elder son, Cheng Yichen, is pampered by his family, while the younger son, Cheng Dehuai, is neglected.
The thought of my Yan Yan suffering somewhere, and how much pain Hua Li would have to endure if he were alive, made it impossible for me to ignore the abuse Cheng Dehuai was suffering. I would often give him food and other necessities.
Once, Luo Yan wanted to eat braised pork, so I made a lot and wanted to invite Cheng Dehuai over to eat it.
Unexpectedly, when I arrived at the Cheng family home, Cheng Yi stopped me from entering. Fortunately, I heard Cheng Dehuai's faint cries for help.
Cheng Dehuai was stabbed several times by Cheng Yichen, and the bleeding was unstoppable. I carried him and ran to the hospital, but I still couldn't save him.
Cheng Dehuai told me this with all his might before he died.
"Uncle Luo, Luo Yan was sold by Cheng Yichen's biological father, Li Tai. The one in your family is a fake. Her surname is actually Xiang, and she is the daughter of Luo Yan's maternal grandmother's adopted daughter..."
After Cheng Yichen was arrested, I personally participated in the interrogation and obtained first-hand information.
Xiang Yu replaced my Yan Yan with her daughter for two reasons: first, to eliminate the sole heir to Yan Yan's maternal grandmother Shen Suyin's estate; and second, because my identity was a very effective camouflage against the enemy agent 'Luo Yan'.
I reported this to my superiors, and the order they gave me was to use a counter-espionage plot.
Using their own methods against them is indeed a good strategy, but it's not good for my Yan Yan because it means I can no longer search for her whereabouts.
Chen Yuanshan comforted me, telling me to focus on carrying out the plan. He went to find Yan Yan, and his calloused hands, covered in gun marks, held mine tightly, giving me my only support.
I used 'Luo Yan' to transmit countless false messages, thwarting the evil devils' plots and schemes time and time again.
However, I still haven't heard from my Yan Yan.
Chen Yuanshan traveled all over the country and rescued many abducted children, but none of them were my Yanyan.
Living with guilt towards Hua Li every day, and with my hopes of finding my daughter repeatedly dashed, I completely broke down, both mentally and physically.
I barely managed to hold on for ten years, but I couldn't hold on any longer.
I fell ill, and my superiors decided to have Chen Yuanshan take over my work and continue to take care of 'Luo Yan'.
Chen Yuanshan told me that he had arranged for Qian Song to continue helping me find Yan Yan. He told me not to give up until I found Yan Yan.
I endured another ten years of hardship, countless times overcoming life-or-death situations with the unwavering belief that I must find Yan Yan.
Luo Yan got married. She married Kong Feng, Kong Dahong's nephew. The resilient young man cried like a child at the wedding and left his new wife the next day to go to the most arduous border post.
On an ordinary night, Chen Yuanshan suddenly drove to pick me up. I asked him what had happened, but he didn't say a word.
Seeing the car drive into the funeral home, I still had no idea what to do. I sat in my wheelchair and was pushed by Chen Yuanshan to the morgue.
Beneath the white sheet stained with blood was an unusually emaciated figure.
With trembling hands, I lifted the sheet. The woman lying on the cold morgue had a face full of scars, but I recognized her at a glance as my Yan Yan.
Chen Yuanshan told me that before Yan Yan died, she sent her daughter to an orphanage, and her name was also Luo Yan.
Chen Yuanshan asked me if I wanted to take her back, but I don't have much time left. In addition, Xiang Yu's henchmen are deeply entrenched and will soon be uprooted. If they find out about my granddaughter's existence at this time, it's hard for them not to act desperately.
I shook my head and refused.
On the day that 'Luo Yan', Xiang Yu, and all their henchmen were brought to justice, I walked towards the end of my life.
The last thing I saw was Commander Sun Bailing bursting into the ward. He seemed to say something, but I couldn't hear him anymore.
It was as if I were having a dream, a revolving lantern of images. Yan Yan, with her hair in a bun, sat on the doorstep with her back to me. White doves flew from afar, approaching and then receding into the distance.
I was practicing sparring with Hua Li, Luo Yan, and a boy named Xiao Xiu during our morning exercises.
Hua Li found her biological parents, and I moved in with her at her parents' home.
Perhaps because her family is backing her up, Hua Li sometimes gets angry with me, and her puffed-up face is just as cute as Yan Yan's.
Yan Yan is much more lively than before. She is smart and clever, and so strong that even adults can't beat her. She is spoiled rotten by her maternal grandparents and Hua Li, but she is still kind and never bullies the weak.
Yan Yan became the leader of the children; all the children liked her. I saw her walking on the sunny avenue surrounded by other children when she suddenly waved at me, laughed, and shouted.
"Dad, your daughter is the most beautiful girl in the whole compound."
I nodded with a smile and slowly closed my eyes.
A tear slid down my cheek. I knew that some regrets were destined to remain regrets. Rather than trying to make amends, it would have been better to let them never have happened. But I no longer have that chance.
(over)
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