Chapter 136: Zhou Xiaozheng’s Dominance

The Cheng family’s courtyard was a bit larger than the Lin family’s, and it was set further inside. Cheng Lao strolled casually, hands clasped behind his back, glancing up at the sky with a sigh. He hadn’t revealed everything about the Zhou and Gu families tonight—some things needed his wife’s permission before he could speak.

Thinking of Zhou Jingyu, who died young in the Zhou family, then of the ill-fated Gu Mingzhu, and that baby boy who hadn’t even reached a month old, he quickened his pace. He suspected Zhou Xiaozheng was that very child. He had to tell his wife and investigate right away.

Cheng Lao hurried into the courtyard, waved the housekeeper away, and went straight to the bedroom. He saw his wife wearing reading glasses, working on some needlework. He rushed over and gently took it from her, setting it aside.

Startled, Mrs. Cheng looked up and, seeing it was her husband, smiled and scolded, “You came in without a sound and scared me! You old men must’ve had a good chat tonight?” But when she saw his expression, she quickly sat up straight and looked at him anxiously.

Cheng Lao took a deep breath and slowly let it out, sitting down beside her. “I have something important to tell you. You need to stay calm. Nothing’s confirmed yet, so we can’t give ourselves away. We have to investigate everything ourselves.”

Mrs. Cheng nodded.

“I suspect Zhou Xiaozheng is that child from back then. Tonight, Old Lin said Zhou Xiaozheng’s family is from the Zhou family in Beijing. It seems that apart from Zhou Jingyu, there was another survivor—Zhou Xiaozheng’s current father. That old Zhou had a child, then didn’t have Zhou Xiaozheng until fifteen years later, and he’s extremely biased toward his eldest son. Zhou Xiaozheng was forced to join the army, and their father-son relationship is terrible. Zhou Xiaozheng’s only daughter was raised in the Zhou family, but she was abused and ignored, even though she’s the youngest son’s only bloodline. The timeline fits, the relationships are strained, and Zhou Xiaozheng’s daughter might even have a photographic memory.”

Mrs. Cheng burst into tears, her whole body trembling, lips quivering so much she couldn’t speak. She clung tightly to her husband’s arm.

Frightened, Cheng Lao quickly lifted her onto the bed, giving her water and comforting her. “Don’t panic, don’t get worked up. We’ve searched for so many years—heaven has eyes, we’ve finally found him. You can’t fall ill now. Don’t you want to take the child to your sister and brother-in-law’s graves, to let them rest in peace? There’s an eighty percent chance it’s him. We’ll keep investigating, step by step. We can’t act rashly. If Zhou Xiaozheng really is that child, we need to ensure his safety first. Times have changed—everything must be done carefully. We’ll bring your sister and brother-in-law’s proof to the authorities. Don’t worry, I’ll check everything myself. No one else will know.”

Mrs. Cheng gradually calmed down, but said emotionally, “It can’t be, it can’t be… If Zhou Xiaozheng is that child, why hasn’t he come to find me? Why didn’t he bring the keepsake to me? When I met him before, he never said a word. Where did things go wrong? When my sister was shot, she clearly wanted to say something, but I was too stupid, I just couldn’t figure it out. I hate myself for being so careless, for letting my sister die for me. If Zhou Xiaozheng is that child, really is that child—his eyes look exactly like my brother-in-law’s, as if he can see right into your heart. Xun-ge, you have to find a way to see Zhou Xiaozheng. I want to see him myself, take a good look. How could I be so blind, not recognize him when he was right in front of me? How can I face my adoptive parents, how can I face my sister?”

“Calm down, or I’ll have to take you to the hospital. Take a deep breath and steady yourself. Think carefully—did your sister ever mention sending the child to relatives to be fostered? Besides the keepsake, is there any other clue? Zhou Xiaozheng is still around, there’s no rush to find him. We need to confirm first. Try to remember if your sister ever let slip anything, even a word or two.”

Mrs. Cheng shook her head anxiously. “I can’t remember, no matter how hard I try. My sister was so worried about the child, she couldn’t risk exposing his identity. She told me the fewer people who knew, the better. My brother-in-law was too famous, the Gu family had too much property—everyone was an enemy. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust me, but knowing wouldn’t help. Back in 1917, there were all sorts of warlords, militias, bandits everywhere. We didn’t even dare go back to the Gu family home. Later, my sister donated everything our adoptive parents left behind. She said after this mission, she could finally raise the child, and when he grew up, they could go see my brother-in-law. She said he always missed her. But in the end, my sister still went to join my brother-in-law. She said if anything happened, someone would bring the keepsake. I’ve waited all my life and never saw that child. How could I die? How could I face them?” With that, Mrs. Cheng broke down in sobs, her face growing paler, lips turning purple, her whole body curling up.

In the dead of night, her wailing startled the whole household. Everyone rushed to the main house in a panic. Just as they were about to enter, Cheng Lao shouted, “Get the car ready! Take your mother to the hospital, now!”

Cheng’s eldest son, Cheng Sijin, didn’t even bother putting on his coat, rushing to find the car keys. His wife ran to grab two quilts, following Cheng Lao out, shoving a coat at her husband as she hurried after them, wrapping the quilts around Mrs. Cheng and Cheng Lao in the car. “Mom, calm down, breathe in and out, that’s it. Don’t worry, whatever happens, we’ll find a way. You have two sons—what can’t we handle? If our Cheng family can’t do it, I’ll beg Dad for help on my knees. Everything can be solved. Mom, you have to live a long life and be with us. I’m still waiting for you to help the kids get married.”

Seeing his wife’s color improve, Cheng Lao slumped in his seat, wiping sweat from his brow. “Didn’t I say not to get worked up? Don’t worry, I’ll start investigating first thing in the morning and tell you as soon as I have news. Don’t try to talk—you can’t right now. Once it’s confirmed, we’ll visit your sister and brother-in-law together. It won’t be long now, I promise. Just breathe, don’t rush. If you get too upset, you really won’t be able to face your adoptive parents. You have to see that child with your own eyes. I’ll investigate myself tomorrow. We’ve waited decades; one more day won’t matter.”

Cheng Sijin didn’t react—he knew he’d find out sooner or later. Right now, his mother’s health was most important. He drove quickly to the military hospital, shouting at the entrance, “Emergency! Someone help!”

He carried Mrs. Cheng inside, calling to his wife, “Go find Dr. Huang, tell him to come right away!”

She ran off to the duty room to call, seeing Cheng Lao stumbling along, and called, “Dad, sit down first, Mom will be fine. I’ll make the call.” She was gone before she finished.

After all the chaos, Mrs. Cheng was finally given a sedative and fell asleep.

Cheng Sijin shivered, noticing his wife was still in her pajamas. He turned to his father, “Dad, don’t worry. The doctor said Mom just got too emotional, her health is fine. You should rest too. I’ll go home and let everyone know so they don’t worry. Do you need me to bring anything when I come back?”

Cheng Lao waved them off. “Go home, and have some ginger tea. No need to come back tonight. Have the eldest daughter-in-law come early tomorrow to take care of your mom. She’ll need to stay a couple of days this time. Scared me half to death.”

Cheng Sijin nodded, quietly closing the door behind them. “Thank goodness she’s okay. Take the day off tomorrow and see how things go. I’ll stay tonight, you take care of things during the day. The kids shouldn’t look after Grandma—I’m worried they won’t be careful enough.”

“It’s no trouble, it’s what I should do. I’ll handle both day and night, you just go to work. Don’t try to steal my credit.”

When Cheng Sijin returned to the ward, it was already 2 a.m. He tiptoed in and saw his father sleeping soundly outside, with his orderly Xiao Chen standing guard. When Xiao Chen started to salute, Sijin motioned for him to sleep too—there was no need to stand guard in a high-end hospital room.

He went inside, quietly sitting by his mother’s bed. Even in sleep, her face was full of sorrow. Thinking of what happened tonight, and what his father said in the car, he figured his cousin had finally been found. What a blessing. For that missing child, his mother had cried so many times. In the early years, she’d ask the gate guards every day if anyone was looking for her. Only in recent years had she given up hope. Every year on the anniversary of her sister’s family’s death, she’d cry until she couldn’t breathe.

Looking at his mother’s white hair, he remembered how she used to tell him as a child that he had the world’s best and most handsome older brother. He’d always thought he was the second son, and told his friends there were three brothers in the family. When he grew up, his mother stopped mentioning it, but she’d always prepare two sets of clothes for him, sometimes quietly crying over them, or weeping in guilt at the graves, always talking about her sister and brother-in-law. So many years of tears—thank goodness they finally found him. But what could have made her so emotional she lost control? Was there more to the story?

Cheng Sijin stayed up all night, quietly sitting with his mother, his thoughts in turmoil. He rubbed his face and stood up to stretch.

He heard his father getting up outside and quietly went out, closing the door behind him. His father was already up. “Dad, is there anything you need me to do? If it’s inconvenient for you to go, let me handle it.”

Cheng Lao could tell his son had stayed up all night. “No need, I’ll investigate myself. Your rank’s too low, you won’t get far. Go home and get some rest.”

Cheng Sijin raised his eyebrows in surprise, but seeing his father didn’t want to say more, he nodded. “I’m fine, I’m young. I’ll go home when my wife gets here.”"