After confirming that they were not related by blood, He Xiaolei's father immediately contacted He Xiaolei's mother, and the two of them finally felt relieved.
"So, are we going to keep it a secret?" He Xiaolei's father asked.
"If we don't tell her, Xiaolei won't know, and it won't be a problem for her to be with Dongqiang in the future."
"But now that we know her biological parents, why are we still keeping it from Xiaolei? Will she hate us in the future? The key is that Dongqiang is from this village; it's better if he's farther away."
"Yes, that's what I'm worried about too. Let's talk about it when you get back. Xiaolei just said she won't be back for dinner, so let her go out and have some fun. You should come back early."
He Xiaolei went to the outside of the tax bureau after get off work to wait for Fang Dongqiang to pick him up.
As the sun set, it took away the warmth from the air, making it feel even colder.
"Dongqiang!" Fang Dongqiang came out of the tax building, wrapped in his coat.
"Xiaolei, are you cold outside?" Fang Dongqiang quickened his pace.
Upon seeing Fang Dongqiang, He Xiaolei took his arm. "Look, I've all dressed up!" He Xiaolei was wearing a pink hat, scarf, and gloves. "Aren't you shy about me holding your arm like this at your workplace?"
"A little." Fang Dongqiang shrank his face into his collar. "What do you want for dinner?"
"I want to go to that old wonton shop. It's hot and delicious in this weather."
"Okay, it's not far to walk there, and it'll keep you warm."
Fang Meihao rode up from behind on a scooter, calling out, "Dongqiang!"
Fang Dongqiang turned around, his ears turning red. "Auntie, this is Xiaolei."
"Little Auntie!" He Xiaolei called out obediently.
"Xiaolei, come to my house for dinner." Fang Mei looked her up and down with a smile.
“We want to go eat wontons, we’ll come to your house again next time.” He Xiaolei snuggled up next to Fang Dongqiang.
"Okay, Dongqiang, bring Xiaolei over to play next time."
"Okay, Auntie, you should go home early, it's cold." Fang Dongqiang hurriedly sent Fang Mei away.
"Okay, Xiaolei, I'll be going now. Come visit again next time!"
"Okay, goodbye, Auntie!" He Xiaolei waved her gloved hand.
"I'm so sorry, how did I end up running into your aunt?" He Xiaolei pressed her face against Fang Dongqiang's arm.
"We work in the same unit, so it's normal for us to run into each other."
"I figured you'd see me as soon as you got off work. If we bump into each other, great. We'll see each other eventually anyway."
"That's right, I saw your dad this afternoon."
"Huh?" He Xiaolei released Fang Dongqiang's hand, her eyes filled with tension. "What did he want with you? What did he say?"
“He said he’s nearby. You told him about us last night, so come and see him.”
The two turned into a quiet side street, where the wind had died down a bit. "Do you think he agrees to our relationship?" He Xiaolei couldn't help but ask.
“We had a good conversation, and he didn’t object.”
“If you don’t object, then we don’t need to…” He Xiaolei was thinking that the decision made at noon was no longer valid.
"Nothing is needed?"
He Xiaolei pulled Fang Dongqiang back, her face slightly flushed, and whispered, "Dongqiang, do you want to be with me?"
"Wasn't it already..." Fang Dongqiang finally realized what was happening, his heart pounding. "Xiaolei, what did you just say?"
"Nothing?" He Xiaolei hid her face. "Want to eat wontons together?"
Fang Meihao didn't go home, but went to Fang Meili's shop. "Second sister, I just ran into Dongqiang and his girlfriend."
"Oh? What does he look like?" Fang Meili was arranging the sunflower seed bags on the shelf.
"Wearing a scarf, I couldn't see clearly, but she looked clean and neat, which seemed pretty good."
"I heard from Dongqiang that she's coming back to do an internship next year when she's a senior. I wonder when Dongqiang will bring her over to visit. I really want to see what kind of girlfriend Dongqiang has."
Fang Damiao came in through the back door. "Meihao's here?"
"Yes, I just ran into Dongqiang and his girlfriend."
"She's back? Oh, she should be on holiday soon." Fang Damiao asked with curiosity and surprise, "What's this girl like?"
"They seem to come from a fairly well-off family," Fang Meihao added.
"Our family is quite well-off, so please don't look down on us," Fang Damiao sighed.
"What's there to complain about? Dongqiang has such a good job. No wonder he hasn't come to dinner lately," Fang Meili said.
"He's been quite busy lately, it's almost the end of the year."
"Meihao, Xinkang is burning food in the back. You can have dinner here."
"No, I'm going home."
"Then I'll contact Dongqiang first and see what he thinks, and ask him to bring his girlfriend over to play."
"Okay, I'll talk to him tomorrow when I'm free."
At He Xiaolei's home, He Xiaolei's mother casually cooked some noodles, but neither of them had any appetite. He Xiaolei's parents sat at the dining table with their bowls and chopsticks laid out in front of them.
"What should we do? Should we tell Xiaolei the truth?" He Xiaolei's father hesitated.
“I’ve been thinking about this all day. I used to think that as long as we’re good to her, we can just live like this, it’s fine. But now I feel uneasy.” He Xiaolei’s mother said with a frown.
"Given the current situation, whether we talk about it or continue living like this, it's fine even if she ends up with Dongqiang in the future, since they both live in the city. But knowing that her biological parents are from the same village as Dongqiang makes me feel uneasy."
"Yes, if we keep this from Xiaolei, what will she think of us when she finds out?"
"Dongqiang said something today that made me look at this young man in a new light."
"What did you say?" He Xiaolei's mother looked up.
“He needs ten more lies to cover up one lie,” He Xiaolei’s father said gravely.
He Xiaolei's mother tapped the chopsticks on the table with her fingers. "We didn't lie, we just kept it a secret."
"I lied to Dong Qiang."
"There's no other way. Telling him the truth is the same as telling Xiaolei. Do you expect him to help us keep it from Xiaolei?"
“We can’t keep this a secret any longer.” He Xiaolei’s father frowned deeply, resting his elbow on the table, his hand hanging limply at his sides.
"Do you want to talk things out with Xiaolei?"
He Xiaolei's father nodded.
He Xiaolei's mother slumped her shoulders, head down, thinking about what would happen to Xiaolei after they talked things out, and what their relationship would be like afterward.
Both of them remained silent, and He Xiaolei's father was also thinking about this question.
"What will happen to our family after we talk this out?" He Xiaolei's mother curled her fingers to her lips. "Do you think Xiaolei knows she's not our biological daughter?"
“I don’t know her,” He Xiaolei’s father looked up at He Xiaolei’s mother with a serious expression. “Tell Xiaolei. We’ve treated her like our own daughter, and we’ve doted on her since she was little. Now that things have come to this, if we don’t say anything, everyone will become distant. Once we’re out in the open…”
"What will happen if we talk about it?" He Xiaolei's mother pressed.
"If we talk it out, we're still family. Are you afraid that if we talk it out, Xiaolei's feelings for us will change?"
He Xiaolei's mother nodded.
“Our daughter wouldn’t be like that. We didn’t tell her before that she was adopted, but now that we know the situation, we told her in time. It won’t affect our relationship. If we keep it from her, there will really be a rift in the future.”
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