PCJ – Chapter 412 Mother and Daughter Reunited

“Mom, will Aunt Fenglian be back?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“How would I know? You’re just a kid, don’t meddle in adult matters. It’s summer break, and I haven’t seen you doing your homework. Just wait until school starts—you’ll see what happens!” Liu Qiaoye rolled her eyes at her son.

“I’m not worried at all. I’m the top student in my class, so the teacher won’t scold me. Ms. Cai said that everyone in my class has to finish their summer homework except me. When someone scores higher than me, they can stop doing homework too,” Zhang Jiaohua said smugly.

“Look at you, all proud. Pride comes before a fall. If you don’t work hard, and others surpass you, you won’t even have time to cry.” Despite her stern tone, Liu Qiaoye felt proud of her son. Though he wasn’t always serious about studying, his grades were consistently the best in the class.

Chen Cheng occasionally glanced out the door, wondering when Chen Fenglian would arrive. Seeing the closeness between Liu Qiaoye and her son made her feel a pang of envy. “Jiaohua, would you like to act in a movie? I could talk to Director Lin about giving you a role.”

Zhang Jiaohua shook his head. “I don’t want to act in movies.”

Chen Cheng was surprised. “Why not?”

Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head. “Fame brings trouble, just like fattening pigs for slaughter. If I become a star, it’ll be so annoying.”

Chen Cheng couldn’t help but laugh. He wasn’t wrong—fame does come with its challenges. But wasn’t it natural for kids to love showing off? Yet this little guy seemed to have no interest in the spotlight. Since arriving in Meizi’ao, Chen Cheng had heard many stories about Zhang Jiaohua and knew this was no ordinary child.

“Don’t say such things. Isn’t Sister Cheng a celebrity too? She doesn’t seem annoyed, and so many people like her. Even I like Sister Cheng,” Liu Qiaoye lightly patted her son’s head with a loving expression.

Chen Fenglian had already entered the guesthouse and inquired about Chen Cheng’s room. But as she approached the door, she hesitated, unsure if she should go in.

“Aunt Fenglian!” Zhang Jiaohua’s sharp ears picked up her presence. As soon as he peeked out and saw her standing hesitantly by the door, he called out.

Chen Fenglian smiled awkwardly at him, feeling even more nervous. It wasn’t Chen Cheng she feared meeting—it was the possibility of hearing something she dreaded.

“Fenglian, come on in!” Liu Qiaoye quickly got up to welcome her, with Chen Cheng following behind.

When the two women, so alike in appearance, stood face to face, it was as if they were looking into a mirror. A strange sense of familiarity washed over them.

“Are you Chen Cheng?”

“Are you Sister Fenglian?”

Both spoke simultaneously.

Zhang Jiaohua, hoping to watch the drama unfold, eagerly stayed nearby. “Sisters reunited—what a touching scene!” he thought. But his excitement was cut short when his mother grabbed his ear, pulling him away with repeated glances back.

“Little rascal, let Aunt Fenglian and Sister Cheng talk in peace,” Liu Qiaoye said, not realizing the awkward phrasing of her words.

“Mom, wait a minute! If I call Sister Cheng my aunt, and call Aunt Fenglian my sister, what should Aunt Fenglian call Sister Cheng?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Liu Qiaoye burst into laughter. “You’re such a clever little thing.”

“I’m not wrong, am I? Mom, let go of my ear! People are watching—I’ll never find a wife when I grow up,” Zhang Jiaohua grumbled.

Liu Qiaoye chuckled. “If you don’t behave, you’ll end up marrying a woman with a square face, pigeon toes, shrimp-like posture, and a curved sickle hanging off her backside, wearing patchy clothes.”

Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head, confused. “What does that mean?”

“Guess for yourself,” Liu Qiaoye replied, laughing.

In the room, Chen Fenglian and Chen Cheng continued their conversation.

“Are you my sister?” Chen Cheng asked.

Chen Fenglian shook her head. “I don’t know. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had parents, but I’ve felt different from others. Later, I overheard children in the village calling me an abandoned child, not my parents’ biological daughter. But who my real mother is—I’ve never known.”

“Have you heard of Chen Fang?” Chen Cheng asked.

Chen Fenglian shook her head again. “No, I haven’t. But I later found out that my parents are actually my uncle and aunt. My father’s name is Chen Shunsheng. However, I’ve never heard my mother’s name mentioned.”

“Did anyone in the village know about it?” Chen Cheng pressed.

“They should have. My mother gave birth to me here. How could no one in the village know? But my mother wasn’t originally from Meizi’ao; she came here with my father when she was already pregnant. After giving birth to me, my father went hunting in the mountains during a wolf attack and never returned. Around that time, my mother’s urban resettlement paperwork was finalized. My current parents convinced her to return to the city first, promising she could come back for me once things were stable. Whether she ever came back, I don’t know. Everything I know is pieced together from the villagers’ accounts.”

“My mom lived in Xintian County during her rural stint, but she’s never spoken about it. My parents live together but are like strangers. I don’t even know why they married or if I’m really their biological child,” Chen Cheng admitted.

“Can you contact your mother?” Chen Fenglian asked.

Chen Cheng nodded and picked up the phone. But before dialing, she asked, “Sister Fenglian, if my mother denies having a child, what will you think?”

Chen Fenglian smiled sadly. “I’ve lived through so much already. Now that I have children of my own, I’ll just move on. What else can I do? Whatever was lost is gone forever.”

Tears began to stream down her face. Chen Cheng couldn’t hold back her own tears either. “Yes, what’s lost is truly lost.”