Chapter 33: Dual Personality?
Zhang Ma came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands with her apron, and asked them with a smile, "Madam, can we set the table now?"
Shen Rong looked over with surprise and delight: "Aunt Zhang, you're back."
Then, somewhat annoyed, he slapped his forehead and said, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Someone just treated us to dinner, but I forgot to tell you."
Lu Lin chimed in, "Then let's set out the meal." It seemed Wen Zhongda hadn't eaten either.
Wen Zhongda was displeased: "Sister-in-law, Tianming, this isn't very kind of you. I invited you to dinner and you made excuses about having other things to do." His eyes held a hint of resentment.
That's a bit awkward.
Shen Rong gave Lu Lin a meaningful look, urging him to explain quickly.
“Isn’t it good to save you money?” Lu Lin looked at him.
Shen Rong didn't want to get involved in their brotherly affairs: "Lu Lin, why don't you eat some more with them? I'll go put the flowers in the room."
He left after saying that.
Lu Lin had already drunk some wine, and now he had drunk a few more cups with Wen Zhongda, so he was a little tipsy.
Wen Zhongda gestured towards Shen Rong's direction: "It's not quite what you said."
In Lu Lin's description, Shen Rong is a cold and proud beauty with a bit of a spoiled young lady's temper.
"Yes, it's different now, like a completely different person," Lu Lin murmured.
Wen Zhongda seemed to realize something, put down his chopsticks, and lowered his voice: "You were talking about her before? You suspect she was replaced?"
"When did this happen? With that child?"
Lu Lin propped his forehead up and shook it, trying to clear his head.
“I’m not sure either, but in the last few months, she’s like a completely different person, so different from before.”
Since his friend already knew, he simply recounted all the suspicious points.
The most unusual thing is that she actually broke up with Kang Wenbai.
He still remembered how obsessed she was with Kang Wenbai before. She was so passionate and reckless. How could she have become so indifferent and even disgusted in such a short time?
This is not how lovers should behave.
If this is a fake Shen Rong, where is the real one?
He had suspected she was sent by the southern government and had even tested her, but she couldn't even speak Cantonese fluently, so she probably wasn't one of them. Now, the most troublesome thing was that he had a child with the fake one.
Wen Zhongda was dumbfounded. This was just too outrageous.
What value does Chen Rong have that makes him worth replacing?
To win over Lu Lin? That's certainly possible.
but……
"There are no signs of surgery on her face, so this should be her natural appearance. Could she be twin sisters?"
Lu Lin: "I've already confirmed it. The Shen family has no twins, and none of our ancestors had twins."
"And, do twins even have the same moles on their bodies?"
That's impossible; the probability is very low.
Could this be Chen Rong?
Wen Zhongda thought of another possibility.
"Dual personality?"
"Yes, it's a mental illness. After experiencing a major trauma, a person might develop an alternate personality. Of course, this is just my guess. I only heard a professor mention this illness in a lecture in the United States, but I don't know much about the specifics. Perhaps I could ask someone for you?"
Lu Lin nodded; perhaps only this could explain it.
"You can observe her and see if the previous version of her will reappear. If she has dissociative identity disorder, she should have memory confusion. The two personalities are unaware of each other's existence, and she won't have the memories of the other person. This will cause a lot of trouble in her life."
Lu Lin nodded. Yes, she seemed to have no memory of the past, but there were also strange things. She knew how to hide it, as if she didn't know about the other person's existence. In fact, she was consciously playing the role of her past self.
The more Lu Lin thought about it, the more likely it seemed that Wen Zhongda's theory of split personality was true.
"Could you please find someone to ask him?" He has many doctor friends.
If he were really sick, Lu Lin wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry; it would be better if he were a fake!
Zhang Ma took the initiative to find Shen Rong.
She hesitated, lowered her head, and looked somewhat uneasy.
“Madam, I heard from Guichun that you are leaving here for Bincheng.”
Shen Rong asked her to sit down: "That's right, I was just about to tell you that Gui Chun is willing to go to Bincheng with us. What about you? What do you think? If you don't want to go, that's fine too. My husband and I will give you two extra months' wages as compensation."
Zhang Ma knelt down with a thud and cried, "Madam, I...I want to go, but...can you take in my husband and two children? My husband is very capable, strong, and a master at farming. The children are also sensible and won't cause you any trouble."
Shen Rong was surprised and quickly helped her up: "What happened? Get up and talk to me."
Isn't Zhang Ma's husband a farmer in the countryside? If he follows her to the city, what will happen to their land?
Aunt Zhang wiped away her tears with her sleeve: "It's gone, the land was sold!"
It turned out that Zhang Ma's mother-in-law was seriously ill. Her husband was afraid that she would worry, so he hadn't told her the truth. When she returned, she found out that her mother-in-law had been sick for a long time and the family's savings had all been used up. Her husband was a filial son, so he gritted his teeth and sold the land, thinking that he could save his mother. He went to the city to do hard labor for two years and maybe he could earn back the land. Who knew that even after selling the land, his mother still couldn't be saved.
"Now he has no choice but to come to the city with me to find work."
They had thought that Zhang Ma's place was safe and secure, and that they wouldn't have to worry about going hungry for at least a short time. Who knew the Lu family was going to move away?
"Where are they staying now?" Shen Rong asked with concern.
Zhang Ma: "He lives with his two children in a foot massage parlor not far from here."
In these chaotic times, finding a way out is difficult, and the family of four is on the verge of becoming homeless.
"Madam, please have mercy and take in my husband and children as well. My husband is strong and can do any kind of hard work, such as guarding the house. My two children are both over ten years old and can be ordered around. They don't need wages, just food. My husband and I can take less pay."
"Madam, we're at our wits' end! What will we do without you?"
Gui Chun heard the commotion and came over. Tears welled up in her eyes as she listened. She felt sorry for Shen Rong and looked at her longingly.
"Get up, get up and talk." Shen Rong wasn't strong enough, so Gui Chun pulled her up.
"I understand what you've said, but I can't make this decision alone. How about this, let Lu Lin and I discuss it first? If possible, we definitely want to keep you here."
Zhang Ma finally caught her breath and said, "Madam, don't worry, we will work hard to repay your kindness."
"Don't rush to say anything, let's hear the master's opinion first." This is no small matter, so Lu Lin should make the decision.
What if he has other plans?
Aunt Zhang was relieved. If the wife agreed, the husband would definitely agree. In this family, the husband had never rejected the wife's wishes.
Upon hearing that Wen Zhongda was leaving, Shen Rong went downstairs to see him off.
"Sister-in-law, no need to see me off. The car is already outside. It's getting chilly at night, and they'll blame me when it gets light."
Shen Rong joked, "I have to give you one too, since it's a bouquet of flowers."
Wen Zhongda patted Lu Lin on the shoulder: "Did you hear that? Buy more flowers for your sister-in-law."
"Stop talking nonsense, get in the car." Lu Lin shoved him into the car and told the driver to drive slowly, as he had just drunk alcohol and didn't want to catch a chill.
Shen Rong smelled the strong smell of alcohol on him, wrinkled her nose, and fanned herself with her hand.
"You stink, go wash up."
Lu Lin raised his hand and smelled it. It was alright.
It smells bad and it's so close.
Shen Rong followed him into the bathroom, and after he washed his face, she asked, "Are you still conscious?"
"What's wrong?" He turned his head and glanced at him, water droplets rolling down his face.
This looks rather tempting.
Shen Rong turned her head away, her face feeling hot. It must be due to hormonal imbalance caused by pregnancy. Right now, she could even find a dog handsome, let alone Lu Lin, who was also quite good-looking.
"Could you please be more careful and wipe your face clean?" Shen Rong said guiltily first.
Don't do anything that's meant to seduce people.
Lu Lin was stunned. What was wrong with him?
"What exactly happened?"
Shen Rong told Zhang Ma about her family and asked for his opinion.
"I'll meet her man tomorrow." He didn't immediately agree, but he didn't refuse either.
But this is how reliable he is, unlike her, who agreed as soon as Zhang Ma told her.
Fortunately, Lu Lin was rational.
Shen Rong told Zhang Ma the news and asked her to call them over the next day. Zhang Ma was overjoyed and wept.
I rambled on with words of gratitude.
Zhang Ma's husband was a kind and honest farmer. Although the two children were mischievous, they had clear eyes and were good people. After meeting them, Lu Lin agreed to let them stay.
However, their wages were not deducted. Zhang Ma's husband, whom everyone now calls Uncle Zhang, received the same wages as Zhang Ma. The two children received a total of one silver dollar per month.
They are all higher than the outside.
That evening, Lu Lin told Shen Rong why he left Uncle Zhang and the two children behind. After all, he was unfamiliar with Bincheng, and he would be busy for a long time after he left. It was necessary to have a reliable man at home to take care of the family. As for the two children, they seemed clever and would be suitable for running errands.
"You're really cunning." Shen Rong pushed him. He had achieved his goal and even gained the gratitude of Zhang Ma's family. If he were in business, he would definitely be a shrewd businessman.
A smile flashed in Lu Lin's eyes.
Time flies, and it's almost time to leave. Most of the large luggage has already been checked in, leaving only some valuable and lightweight items.
Hu Peifang had come to our home a couple of days ago and brought a farewell gift. She said she wouldn't come to the station to see her off on the day she left, as she couldn't bear the sight.
Tickets for this train were hard to come by; they were in high demand. He managed to buy two tickets for the deluxe compartment, while the others had to squeeze into the third-class carriage.
“Sir, Madam, this is already very good. Our whole family has never ridden a train before. This is much better than taking a donkey cart.” Aunt Zhang smiled broadly, and Uncle Zhang smiled along with her honest and simple manner.
Gui Chun nodded: "I've never ridden it either."
"It'll take two days." Moreover, the trains nowadays are nothing like those of later generations; the conditions are much worse, and Shen Rong felt it would be quite difficult to endure.
Zhang Ma and the others didn't care; they were happy to have seats.
Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang, along with Gui Chun, first moved Lu Lin and his wife's luggage to the private room, while they prepared to take their own luggage to the third-class carriage.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
