Chapter 312: Chapter 312: Blackmail, Finally Cleared

The woman clung to his arm, sobbing, “Child, I really am your mother. Liu Chun, the former nanny of the Yun family, is my mother.

Back then, I accidentally got pregnant with you. After you were born, your biological father refused to acknowledge us, wouldn’t even give me a proper status, and mocked me, saying I was a toad lusting after a swan.

In a fit of rage, I accidentally killed him. Together with your grandmother, we found a place to bury him.

Luckily, although his family reported him missing, they didn’t seem to know about me. I spent a few months living in constant fear. I couldn’t stand it anymore and wanted to leave Beijing to try my luck elsewhere.

But as a woman with a baby just a few months old, there was no way I could survive. At that time, your grandmother was working for a family who had a grandson about your age, living in luxury. That’s when I came up with a plan.

I had your grandmother take the employer’s child and run far away, never to return to Beijing. Then, while the Yun family was grieving and desperate, I left you at their doorstep.

At first, your grandmother refused, but I threatened her with my own life, and only then did she agree to take the child and leave.

Old Mrs. Yun was a kind-hearted woman. Seeing you crying so pitifully, she took you in and raised you. I even know she named you Nianzhou. You took the place of that child and lived as the young master of the Yun family.

Seeing you living well, I finally felt at ease to leave Beijing. All these years, I haven’t stopped thinking about you, my child.”

The woman’s words were a mix of truth and lies.

Her scheming was real, but her so-called affection was fake.

Back then, after she killed someone and her hands were stained with blood, she even wanted to kill Yun Jiuzhou to clear the way for her own son. It was her mother who begged her not to commit another murder.

Liu Chun, at least, saved Yun Jiuzhou’s life and took him back to her hometown in the northeast, severing ties with her daughter from then on.

That was also why Liu Chun never said a word and eventually took her own life.

As a mother, she couldn’t reveal that secret and betray her own daughter, so she chose to bear everything with her own life.

The woman’s original plan wasn’t just to find a good adoptive family for her child, but also to leave herself a way out.

Just like today.

She learned from Liu Chun that Liang Zhiqiu had her uterus removed after giving birth to Yun Jiuzhou and could never have children again.

So, her son, Yun Nianzhou, was the Yun family’s only child, their sole heir.

What a clever calculation.

After leaving Beijing, she became the mistress of a wealthy businessman and lived well for the first ten years.

She bore him a son and a daughter, and he kept them outside.

Later, the businessman’s wife discovered their existence, and life became much harder. Fortunately, she’d saved up some money and managed to get by.

The businessman lost interest as she aged and visited less and less. She had to find other ways to support herself—she worked as a prostitute, sold her body, and even tried her hand at business.

Eventually, the businessman’s fortunes collapsed—his assets were nationalized, he gambled away the rest, and his wife and children left him. Only then did he come looking for her.

Of course, she refused to take in a broken man and hid with her children. A few years later, she heard the businessman had died during a public denunciation.

Her own days became unbearable. Old and faded, she could no longer make a living selling her body.

So she decided to go all in and brought her two children back to Beijing.

With this secret in hand, she was determined to get something out of Yun Nianzhou.

After all, she’d given birth to him and planned such a good future for him.

When Yun Nianzhou learned the truth about his origins, he was completely stunned, his hands shaking uncontrollably. Luckily, he was home alone—Gu Qingyue had taken the kids to her mother’s.

This flood of revelations left his mind nearly blank. He didn’t know what to say.

Reason told him it was all true. This woman was his mother, without a doubt.

What Yun Jiuzhou said that day had come true—his mother was a murderer, who not only killed his father but did so many insane things.

And Yun Jiuzhou had been kidnapped because of her selfishness…

If the Yun family ever found out this secret, he’d lose everything, maybe even end up in jail.

It was terrifying.

He’d thought being demoted from heir to adopted son was bad enough.

He never imagined he’d fall from the abyss into hell itself.

Yun Jiuzhou was right—he was a thief, stealing someone else’s happiness, and then blaming others for not giving him a way out.

What right did he have to criticize the Yun family?

Not only did they raise their enemy’s son, they gave him a respectable life.

If he were Yun Runtong and learned the truth, he might even be driven to murder.

“Since you’ve already made your choice and have your own life, why did you come back?” Why come back and destroy his life?

He’d rather have never known, and kept hating the Yun family for their coldness.

Not like now, torn between guilt and pain, terrified the truth would come out.

He Fangfang made no effort to hide her greedy intentions.

“I can’t go on anymore, I have nowhere else to turn, so I came to you.

I gave birth to you, arranged such a good life for you—now it’s time for you to repay your mother.

Just give me some money, and I’ll leave Beijing and never come back.”

She didn’t really want to expose everything—she just saw her son as a long-term meal ticket, threatening and extorting him.

“How much do you want?” Yun Nianzhou couldn’t care about anything else now; he just wanted to get rid of this ticking time bomb.

“This much.” He Fangfang held up two fingers.

Yun Nianzhou thought she meant two thousand yuan. He gritted his teeth—he could manage that, as long as he could send this disaster away.

“Two thousand yuan. You promise you’ll leave Beijing and keep your mouth shut?”

“Haha, two thousand? Are you kidding me? I gave birth to you, went through so much for you. You’ve been the young master for years—don’t tell me you don’t even have twenty thousand yuan?”

He really didn’t. He wasn’t a real young master, and his life had been pretty stifling.

Except for Grandma Yun, the Yun parents were strict with money, especially in the past. They never let Grandma Yun give him extra, to keep him from spending recklessly.

“Twenty thousand? Why don’t you just rob me?

Even if you sold me, you wouldn’t get that much.

You think I had it easy in the Yun family? Other than Grandma, nobody cared about me.

I had to deal with everything on my own.

Where were you then?

Now you show up demanding your share. Take two thousand or nothing.”

“Oh, I never said I wouldn’t take it.” He Fangfang quickly backtracked when she saw him angry.

She’d already decided—as long as she held this over him, Yun Nianzhou would never escape her grasp if he wanted to stay the Yun family’s son.

She could squeeze him for as much as she wanted, slowly, over time.

Yun Nianzhou handed her two thousand yuan.

“Take the money, leave Beijing, and never come back.”

He Fangfang just smiled. “Good boy, don’t worry, your mother will keep the secret.” After all, her ability to keep blackmailing him depended on it.

“Shut up!”

Now, just hearing her call herself his mother made Yun Nianzhou sick.

How could a mother be so terrifying?

He thought this was the end, but it was only the beginning.

After that, He Fangfang came to ask for money almost every two months.

She always managed to show up when Gu Qingyue wasn’t home.

Yun Nianzhou suspected she was watching him, but couldn’t do anything about it.

It was a nightmare.

He spent a lot of money just to keep her quiet.

Gu Qingyue noticed the money missing and thought he was gambling again, leading to a huge fight.

Life was a mess.

July

The official document clearing the Zhong family’s name finally arrived.

Ji Linhai, Ming Cheng, Nan Sheng, and Yun Runtong all worked together. Everything became clear—the clouds parted and the sun shone through.

The day he got the news, Ji Linhai immediately sent a telegram to Gu Qinghuan and went to Huaqing University to tell Yun Jiuzhou.

Knowing Yun Jiuzhou had found his real parents, he was happy for him. Yun Runtong also came to tell his son the good news. The three met, hit it off instantly, and shared a rare night of drinking.

Ji Linhai got his job back and led his team to continue working on fighter jets. Everything was back on track.

He wasn’t young anymore, and couldn’t do as much as before, so he shifted to management and led the research team.

For him, this was the best arrangement. His youthful ideals had burned away; now he just wanted a stable life and to give his beloved the simplest, most ordinary companionship and love.

The day after their drunken celebration, Ji Linhai arranged everything and took a five-day leave to personally go to Xujia Village to fetch Zhong Zijun’s family.

With two elderly people, driving would be too bumpy, so he took the train to bring them back to Beijing.

Yun Jiuzhou went with him, so father and son could look after each other.

With those two together, there was no need for extra security—they were the best bodyguards you could ask for.

Ji Linhai might not train as hard as Yun Jiuzhou, but he’d flown fighter jets—his physical fitness was obvious.

The two set off, and Gu Qinghuan also received the telegram.

She was so happy she cried.

Right there in the post office, in front of everyone, she burst into tears.

Over the past two years, she’d come to see Zhong Zijun’s family as her own, and deeply felt the pain the times had brought them.

At last, it was over…

They’d survived the darkness and mud, and finally saw the light and new life.

They’d escaped the tragic fate of their previous life. The whole family was together—nothing could be more exciting than this.

The post office staff knew her well, since she often sent big packages to the northwest.

Now, seeing her family cleared, they were happy for her.

“Congratulations, Teacher Gu, this is wonderful—don’t cry.”

“I’m just so happy, thank you. Something good happened in my family today—I’ll treat everyone to candy.” With that, she rushed to the supply store and bought two kilos of fruit candy.

She handed out handfuls to everyone in the post office, then scattered more to the children on the street.

Everyone cheered, picking up candy from the ground, dancing around Gu Qinghuan.

After handing out the candy, Gu Qinghuan hurried off on her bike with the telegram to find Zhong Zijun, wanting to share the good news right away.

“Mom, Grandpa, Grandma—we’ve been cleared!” Gu Qinghuan shouted before she even entered the door.

Her voice was so loud, it was as if she was venting all the years of suffering in one shout.

Zhong Zijun was cooking inside. The spatula fell on her foot, but she didn’t care—she rushed out, looking at Gu Qinghuan in disbelief.

The old couple came out too, tears in their eyes.

“Is it true?” They were afraid Gu Qinghuan had made a mistake, afraid it was just a dream.

Gu Qinghuan held up the telegram. “It’s true! I just got this from Uncle Ji—he says the official document is out, and we should get ready to return to Beijing. He’ll come pick us up himself.”

Zhong Weiqian snatched the telegram and read it word by word. Once he was sure it was real, his heart finally settled.

The next second, the old couple hugged each other and sobbed like children who’d finally been comforted after years of grievance.

Seven years—how many seven years are there in a lifetime?

Those seven years felt like a trip through hell. By the time they returned, they were completely changed.

From educated intellectuals to prisoners bullied by all, the suffering they’d endured could fill days and nights of stories.

But at least they were alive, the whole family together, and no one had been left behind.

“Shuying, did you hear? We’ve been cleared! Thank goodness, thank goodness—I thought I’d die in a strange place, but I lived to see this day.

Heaven finally saw me, Zhong Weiqian.” Tears streamed down his face.

“I’m a scholar! My hands haven’t touched a book in so long. I’ve spent every day with cow dung and sheep manure—I was so unwilling, so unwilling!”

Cheng Shuying listened quietly, saying nothing, but her eyes spoke volumes, bringing comfort to all.

Married young, now growing old together, they’d shown that companionship is the truest confession of love.

Zhong Zijun was much calmer. She numbly went back to her chores, adding salt to the pot three times without noticing, wiping the stove over and over, keeping herself busy.

Gu Qinghuan called her, but she didn’t respond, lost in her own world, neither crying nor making a fuss.

Seeing her like that, Gu Qinghuan was worried. Sometimes, crying means you’ve let go—being too calm can be scarier.

Still, with two kids at home, she had to go back.

“Grandpa, Mom doesn’t seem well. If anything happens, please come get me.”

“Don’t worry. After all the suffering, your mom will be fine.”

Luckily, they lived close by and could visit anytime.

After returning home, Gu Qinghuan began preparing to say goodbye to friends, packing up the house, taking what she could, and giving away the rest.

Yes, since Ji Linhai was coming to pick up Zhong Zijun, she planned to return to Beijing with them.

There was nothing left to keep her here. They didn’t belong here and probably wouldn’t come back.

She’d already resigned from her job and arranged for the children’s future, tying up loose ends.

After returning to Beijing, she’d ask Zhang Zheng for help to transfer her household registration back to the city, then take the college entrance exam as a Beijing resident—she was confident about getting into Huaqing University.

After all, she’d survived the sea of exam questions in her past life. The first year after the exam system was restored, the questions were relatively easy—she could handle it.

The kids saw her packing and knew they were going back to Beijing. They were happy, though Dabao was a bit sad to leave his best friend Erdan.

Late at night

Gu Qinghuan heard a knock at the door.

“Who is it?”

“Huanhuan, it’s Grandpa!”

Gu Qinghuan jumped—remembering how off Zhong Zijun had seemed that day, she hurried to open the door.

“Grandpa, why are you here so late? Did something happen to Mom?”

Zhong Weiqian wiped the sweat from his brow. “Your mom went to bed early after dinner. We thought she was fine, just needed time to adjust.

But in the middle of the night, your grandma felt she was burning up. She touched her—your mom had a high fever. We tried sponging her with warm water, but it didn’t help. The fever kept coming back.

We don’t have any medicine at home. I thought you might have some, so I came over.”

“Wait, I’ll get the medicine and go back with you.”

Gu Qinghuan rushed inside to “get the medicine.”

Once inside, she entered her space, bought a box of ibuprofen and some calming medicine, removed the packaging, and wrapped them in kraft paper.

She locked the door from outside and hurried with Zhong Weiqian to the cowshed.

It was stifling inside. Zhong Zijun was burning up, red as a cooked shrimp.

Gu Qinghuan poured a glass of water—spiritual spring water—and gave her the medicine with it.

She made her drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration.

After about twenty minutes, her temperature slowly dropped and she woke up.

Gu Qinghuan hadn’t expected that, after such joy and sorrow, Zhong Zijun would push herself to this point.

She’d been under too much pressure all these years. Zhong Weiqian and Cheng Shuying had each other for comfort, but she had suffered betrayal and lost almost everything.

No one else could understand what she’d been through.

Mother and daughter sat in silence.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t know how to comfort her—some things can’t be forgotten with a few empty words.

Cheng Shuying cooked a bowl of plain porridge for her daughter, feeding her as she said, “Good girl, we’ve finally made it through the hard times. The clouds have parted and the moon is shining—good days are ahead.

Don’t push yourself into a dead end now—it’s not worth it.”

Zhong Zijun nodded."

"Chapter 313: Farewell, Benefactor

The next morning, Zhong Zijun was already full of energy.

Since the village had not yet received the official documents clearing their names, they still needed to stand their last shift and wait for the notice. Once it arrived, they could leave.

The three of them only planned to take a few personal belongings with them; everything else would be left behind, so there wasn’t much to pack.

Gu Qinghuan went to find Chen Fengqin and Xu Huainian to tell them she was leaving.

“Qinghuan, I always knew this day would come, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon.

You’re truly outstanding—staying in this backwater village was always a waste of your talents.

Thank you for showing Huainian and me a brighter path. Don’t forget us in the future.

Oh, and give me your address. You love pine nuts—when the new crop comes in each year, I’ll send you some,” Chen Fengqin said, already having come to terms with the news, her tone light and open.

“Fengqin-jie, thank you for taking care of me all these years in Xujiatun. Let’s keep in touch. If you ever have questions at the factory, just ask me—we’ll be just like before.

And if you ever get the chance to visit Beijing, I’ll take you to climb the Great Wall, see Tiananmen Square, and visit the Forbidden City.”

“That sounds wonderful!”

Chen Fengqin had never imagined she’d ever leave Xujiatun, let alone visit Beijing. At the time, she was just going along with Gu Qinghuan’s words.

She never expected that, years later, she really would get the chance to visit Beijing—and when she did, Gu Qinghuan welcomed her family with the same warmth and hospitality as always.

But that’s a story for another time.

“Qinghuan, here’s your July salary—take it now. Give me your address, and I’ll mail you your wages every month from now on,” Xu Huainian said, handing over thirty yuan.

One should never forget their roots. Even though Gu Qinghuan was leaving, she still deserved her wages. Without her, there would be no factory, and Xu Huainian wouldn’t be where he was today.

Now, he was the Party Secretary, and his eldest son was the brigade leader. Their family had a lot of influence in Xujiatun.

Gu Qinghuan quickly waved her hands. “Huainian-ge, I’ll take this thirty yuan, but there’s no need to keep sending me money. I’ve already earned quite a bit from the factory over the past year, especially the research bonuses—five hundred yuan at a time, that’s more than enough.

Once I leave, you don’t need to pay me anymore.”

“No way! We made a deal. As long as I’m the factory director, you’ll always have a share of the wages—no arguments,” Xu Huainian insisted.

Partly, he wanted to keep his promise. But he also had a bit of selfishness—he didn’t want to lose the connection with Gu Qinghuan. Thirty yuan a month was a small price to pay for keeping such a brilliant advisor on his side.

He’d lived long enough to understand the ways of the world.

Once Gu Qinghuan left, no matter how close they were, time would inevitably wear down their friendship.

But if he kept sending her wages every year, and occasionally sent some local specialties, their families would stay connected. It would make it easier to ask for help in the future.

Both Gu Qinghuan and Xu Lao’er were exceptional people with limitless futures. Spending 360 yuan a year to maintain that bond was a bargain.

Gu Qinghuan understood his intentions and found it rather amusing, so she didn’t refuse anymore.

Now, the Yujie Soap Factory had stable orders and considerable income, providing jobs for many young people in the village. It was no longer the small workshop it once was.

Xu Huainian was a visionary. As long as he kept the factory on the right track, it would only grow stronger.

Gu Qinghuan thought for a moment and reminded Chen Fengqin that as the factory developed, her old-fashioned bookkeeping methods wouldn’t be enough.

She needed to learn some accounting skills and keep the books professionally. Even if she didn’t become the accountant herself, she should at least be able to understand the accounts, so she wouldn’t be deceived. Financial management was crucial for the factory’s future.

Chen Fengqin nodded repeatedly. She knew her lack of education was a disadvantage—she’d only gone to elementary school. Simple bookkeeping was fine, but managing the accounts was getting harder and harder.

You really do have to keep learning all your life.

But she already had an idea.

“Earlier this year, we arranged a match for my eldest with a girl from the commune. Her family isn’t well-off, but she finished high school, so she’s educated. She likes our family’s situation.

They’re seeing each other now, and might get married by the end of the year.

I’m thinking, once she joins the family, I’ll pay for her to learn accounting. Then she can help manage the factory. My brain just can’t keep up with the young folks anymore.”

“Fengqin-jie, sounds like you’ve got it all planned out. Congratulations in advance—you’ll be a mother-in-law soon.

Oh, one more thing. After I leave, Wang Laocai’s house will go back to the village. The big furniture—like the kang cabinets, tables, and so on—are all matching sets. I can’t take them with me, so I’ll leave them all for you.

Once I’m gone, you can move them back.”

Chen Fengqin’s eyes lit up.

“Really? Thank you so much! I was just saying we’d need to build a house for my eldest and buy furniture. Yours comes at the perfect time—saves me the trouble of buying new.”

She knew Gu Qinghuan’s furniture was almost new and well cared for—perfect for her son’s wedding. In the countryside, people didn’t care if the furniture was brand new; as long as there was some, it was fine.

“As long as you don’t mind. The school at the commune actually had a newer set, but I was too lazy to move it back, so I gave it to another teacher.”

“I don’t mind at all—this is great.”

After settling things there, Gu Qinghuan went to visit Lin Shengnan and Zhu Chunlin.

Their son was crawling all over the floor. As soon as Gu Qinghuan walked in, the little guy grabbed her leg, giggling as if to say, “Look, I caught a pretty auntie!”

Lin Shengnan was mending clothes. When she saw Gu Qinghuan, she quickly put down her basket.

“What brings you here? How’s your studying going—do you feel confident?” She knew Gu Qinghuan had been studying hard every day, rarely leaving the house.

“I came to say goodbye,” Gu Qinghuan said, scooping up the little boy, not minding his muddy clothes.

“Goodbye? You’re leaving?” Lin Shengnan was surprised.

“Mm. My mother and grandfather have been cleared. We’re going back to Beijing together. We probably won’t see each other much in the future.”

“That’s wonderful news—congratulations! All good things must come to an end, but let’s keep in touch. Don’t forget to write!” Lin Shengnan was genuinely happy for her.

She knew how much hardship Gu Qinghuan had suffered because of her mother’s background. Now that they’d been cleared, she was truly glad for her.

Of course, she was reluctant to say goodbye, but more than anything, she wished her friend well.

“You and Lao Zhu have to keep working hard too. This is your chance to leap over the dragon gate—if you get into university, you can bring your child back to the city.

I have some study notes and materials I’ve compiled. After I leave, I’ll leave them for you and Lao Zhu. They may not be much, but it’s my little gift to you.”

In fact, Gu Qinghuan had carefully organized those study materials, covering all the key points. As long as they used them well, even if they didn’t get into a top school, getting into an ordinary university wouldn’t be a problem.

She also gave a set to Lin Xiaomeng, as a token of their time together. Although they’d started off on the wrong foot, Lin Xiaomeng had eventually changed her ways and lost her good fortune spring, so Gu Qinghuan felt she owed her this much.

She also gave a set to Jiang Xue, who had always wanted to return to the city and was now doing well with Hao Zhigao.

As for her own younger brother, Gu Lanting, she’d already mailed him a set.

She couldn’t help everyone else.

“I dream of getting into university—even just the provincial capital would be fine. I want to go back south and get assigned a job there.

Thank you for the materials,” Lin Shengnan said politely, not realizing how valuable they were.

It wasn’t until after the college entrance exams that they realized just how precious those notes were, and marveled at Gu Qinghuan’s scholarly background.

Gu Qinghuan played with the child as she chatted idly with Lin Shengnan.

Kids at this age were the most fun—innocent and easy to make laugh.

“You’re so good with kids—why don’t you and your man have one of your own?” Lin Shengnan teased as she mended clothes.

“Oh, not yet. I want to go to university first—maybe after I graduate. No rush.” She wasn’t ready to raise a child yet.

“True. Your man would probably put you on a pedestal—he wouldn’t mind waiting until you graduate, or even if you never had kids.”

Gu Qinghuan smiled awkwardly and quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, I know you don’t need any furniture, so I gave all mine to Fengqin-jie. But I still have a lot of grain left, and there are vegetables in the garden that haven’t been picked yet—enough for another round.

There’s over a hundred jin of cornmeal, thirty jin of white flour, thirty jin of brown rice, and some other mixed grains.

I’ll leave all of it for you. There are also some kitchen utensils—take whatever you need, and give the rest to whoever wants them.”

Gu Qinghuan had thought it through, considering everyone’s needs.

Lin Shengnan felt embarrassed. “That’s so much grain—I can’t just take it. Let me pay you for it.”

“I know you’re not short of money now, but raising a child is expensive, and you and your husband are preparing for university. If you get in, you might have no income for a few years—it’s good to save as much as you can.

Consider this my parting gift.”

Actually, Gu Qinghuan had already set aside most of the grain; what she left was just for show, so no one would get suspicious.

Lin Shengnan was moved to tears.

Even her own parents and in-laws never thought of her needs—they only wanted to take from her. Only Gu Qinghuan, as a friend, always thought of her and gave selflessly.

From her marriage and childbirth to now, she’d lost count of how many times Gu Qinghuan had helped her—she could never repay it all.

A true friend is hard to find.

“Qinghuan, thank you. You are the greatest benefactor of my life.”

“Don’t be silly. I hope you’ll always have benefactors to help you, and that everything goes smoothly.”

The two good friends said their heartfelt farewells."

"Chapter 314: Reunion with Yun Jiuzhou