“Why are you still hiding your sister?”
Jiang Chen, hearing the teasing from the crowd, relaxed his brow and explained with a smile, “It’s not me who’s hiding her. It’s Minister Jiang who wants to keep her under wraps.”
He directly shifted the blame to his father.
“Then who’s the kid next to her?”
Jiang Chen tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, “That’s probably the child from her northwest neighbor’s family. He has never been to the capital, so Aci took advantage of the vacation to bring him here and broaden his horizons.”
The capital, as the heart of the nation, was a city countless people dreamed of visiting.
“But how does your sister know Captain Xu from the Second Regiment of the Fourth Division?”
“Captain Xu?” Jiang Chen paused to recall. “Xu Wen?”
“Exactly, the same Xu Wen your father has been praising lately.”
In the military camp, outstanding officers and cadres were well-known, especially those favored by higher-ups who were likely to be promoted soon.
People loved to gossip about them in private.
“I don’t know,” Jiang Chen shook his head.
He suddenly recalled the scene at home earlier—Wen Ci bringing a child he’d never seen before. It seemed like she was asking their father for some kind of favor.
What kind of favor would require Xu Wen’s help?
As Jiang Chen pondered this, Wen Ci walked past with Xiao Chuan in tow. A comrade beside him nudged him and asked, “Your sister’s leaving. Aren’t you going to say hello?”
Hearing this, Jiang Chen dropped his chopsticks and chased out of the cafeteria, calling after her, “Wen Ci, wait up!”
Wen Ci stopped and turned to look at him. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry.”
Jiang Chen apologized sincerely. He shouldn’t have casually slandered a woman’s reputation, especially not his own sister, who shared the same bloodline.
Seeing Wen Ci remain silent, Jiang Chen continued, “I was foolish and said the wrong things.”
Wen Ci was quiet for a moment before speaking, her voice as cold as ice, unhurried and steady. “You don’t think an apology means I have to forgive you, do you?”
Even if Jiang Chen apologized, she wouldn’t forgive him.
There was a story about hammering nails into a cherry tree. Though this era hadn’t yet heard of it, the words Jiang Chen had spoken in his “moment of foolishness” were like nails driven into the tree.
Even if the nails were removed afterward, the wounds they left would remain on the tree forever.
Jiang Chen’s face turned pale. He swallowed hard and tried to save face. “I don’t expect you to forgive me. Apologizing is what I should do.”
After Jiang Chen left, Wen Ci remembered Xiao Chuan’s presence and forced a smile. “Auntie will tell you a story, okay?”
“Mm-hmm.”
She recounted the story of The Cherry Tree and the Nails in its entirety. “Xiao Chuan, what did you learn from the story?”
Xiao Chuan, now seven years old and of school age, had grown up in Suzhou, a province known for its emphasis on education. Wen Ci was confident he had already learned how to interpret stories.
Xiao Chuan tilted his head. “We should think about the consequences before we act. The boy hammered nails into the tree, and even though he pulled them out later, the tree was still hurt.”
Wen Ci nodded. “That’s a good way to understand it. Words are like nails too. We have to think about the consequences and not speak carelessly. Understand?”
“Got it!”
Wen Ci was teaching Xiao Chuan how to be a good person.
·
Just as they returned home.
The landline in the living room rang. Wen Ci walked over and picked it up. “What is it?”
“Miss Jiang, there’s a couple at the military gate saying they want to see you.”
“See me?”
Wen Ci frowned, then couldn’t help but wonder:
Could it be Huo Jingyuan’s parents, who had found out he was seriously injured and had returned to the capital?
At this thought, Wen Ci’s heart raced. Though a daughter-in-law would eventually have to meet her in-laws, without Huo Jingyuan there to smooth things over, she had no idea how awkward it might get.
“Miss Jiang, should we let them in, or will you come to get them?”
Wen Ci thought for a moment. “I’ll come.”
Whether the couple was Huo Jingyuan’s parents or not, she should go to the gate to see who it was. Meeting them personally would show respect.
Wen Ci put the phone back and turned to Xiao Chuan. “Xiao Chuan, be good and watch TV or take a nap. Don’t touch any of the appliances, okay?”
A seven- or eight-year-old boy was at the age where he loved to cause trouble.
“Okay,” Xiao Chuan nodded obediently.
·
Meanwhile, outside the capital military base, the Wen couple stood nervously. Mrs. Wen looked at the soldier on duty and whispered anxiously, “Do you think Wen Ci will agree to see us?”
“We raised her for over twenty years, after all!”
The soldier who had made the call stepped out of the guardhouse, his stern face softening slightly as he spoke. “You can wait here. Miss Jiang is on her way.”
Hearing this, Mr. Wen puffed up with pride. “See what I told you? She’s even coming to the gate to meet us. That means the girl hasn’t changed a bit.”
Mrs. Wen also smiled.
She had been worried Wen Ci might resent them.
But as she looked at the soldier in uniform, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear. After all, Jiang Zhenjun had found out that his biological daughter had been switched at birth intentionally.
He had personally led a small team to the countryside to arrest the culprits.
Soon, Wen Ci arrived at the gate of the residential compound. She looked around but didn’t see Huo Jingyuan’s parents.
Though she hadn’t met Huo Jingyuan’s parents yet.
From his descriptions, she knew they were scientists.
In Wen Ci’s imagination, they should be the scholarly, gentle, and refined type.
Wen Ci returned to the guardhouse, a polite smile on her face. “I’m the one you called earlier. Where are the couple who asked for me?”
“Over there.”
The soldier on duty pointed to a couple squatting by the roadside.
Wen Ci followed his finger and saw the Wen couple crouching awkwardly on the ground. She tilted her head. “Are these Huo Jingyuan’s parents?”
A moment later, Wen Ci dismissed the thought.
There was no way these were Huo Jingyuan’s parents.
Suddenly, Wen Ci remembered. The shifty-looking couple before her were Jiang Ye’s biological parents—and the adoptive parents who had “raised” the original Wen Ci for twenty years.
Mrs. Wen, seeing Wen Ci standing by the guardhouse, stood up and waved warmly. “Sweetheart, your mom and dad are here.”
Wen Ci gave the Wen couple a cold glance.
She wanted to see why this pair had come all the way from the countryside to the capital military base to find her. She said coolly, “What do you want?”
Mrs. Wen tugged at her husband’s sleeve and whispered, “Why does Wen Ci seem different? She never used to look at us like this.”
“What do you mean?”
With that, Mr. Wen stepped forward, tears welling up in his eyes. “It’s so good to see you again, sweetheart. How have you been since you left home?”
Wen Ci, seeing the tears in Mr. Wen’s eyes, lowered her head and smiled faintly.
Now she knew where Jiang Ye’s acting skills came from.
It was inherited from the older generation.
The tears came on cue, perfectly timed like a Qiong Yao drama. With such masterful acting, he could easily make a name for himself in the entertainment industry.
Leave a Reply