WRS – Chapter 87

He Yan hesitated whether to go see his biological mother.

Jin Xiuzhu immediately decided for him. “Let’s go have a look. If your mother isn’t doing well, we can give her some money.”

He Yan was unhappy when he heard that. “Why should we give her money? She wasn’t good to me.”

But he still obediently walked toward the Fifth Production Team. After taking a few steps, Fu Yanyan heard him quietly mutter, “I only have one mother.”

Fu Yanyan looked up at him.

He Yan had already run ahead with a grin, catching up to Jin Xiuzhu, happily discussing that he wanted to earn money by selling things too.

Jin Xiuzhu asked what he wanted to sell.

“Clothes, like Yang Yingxiong. Mom, I’m great at selling things. Yang Yingxiong said with me there, business is several times better than usual. When I make money, I’m going to buy you clothes…”

Liuliu heard him and instantly ran up. “Me too! Me too! I want a pair of white shoes!”

“You? Wearing white shoes? You’d turn them black in one day.”

“Not true! You’re the one who makes them black!”

“You don’t just make them black, you also never wash them, you messy little girl.”

“Mom, Brother is bullying me…”

It took them twenty minutes to walk from here to the Fifth Production Team. When they were young, it felt very far, but once walking it now, it wasn’t that bad. He Yan followed Grandpa Liu’s directions. Grandpa Liu said his biological mother had married into the Jia family of the Fifth Production Team. She had been involved with that man when she was young, but her family disliked how poor he was and married her off to He Weiguo. After He Weiguo died, she went back to that man, who had conveniently lost his wife a few years prior due to childbirth complications.

But the man from the Jia family was no good either. Rumor had it that his whole family spent all the money He Yan’s mother brought with her. They also resented that she had only given birth to a daughter. The couple argued constantly, and later it turned physical. When her maiden family found out, they didn’t interfere—they blamed her for letting outsiders use her money.

When talking about this, the old Liu man sighed and said to He Yan, “Your mom has had a hard life.”

Only after hearing Grandpa Liu’s explanation did He Yan vaguely recall something. When he was small, the production team spread rumors that his mother was improper with another man, and some people called her a fox-spirit behind her back. He once fought others over it, but he had been too young—he’d forgotten most things.

The only memory that remained clear was the day that woman left—walking away with a man while his grandmother held him back, scolding him as a little bastard.

Back then, he didn’t understand. Now, he was slowly realizing that perhaps in his grandmother’s heart, he wasn’t her son’s biological child.

Following Old Liu’s directions, they reached the Fifth Production Team and searched for the house with two jujube trees at the gate. After circling around, they finally found it on the east side of the production team.

This house had two rooms made of brick, clearly in better condition compared to others. There was a courtyard too, though only half-walled, and the wall was only waist-high—anyone could see everything inside.

It was noon, and everyone had already returned home from farm work. A woman and an old lady were squatting by the well washing bowls, chatting and laughing. When they saw the group approach, they looked up curiously.

He Yan stiffened, but still met the woman’s eyes, trying hard to recognize something from her face—

But no matter how long he stared, nothing felt familiar.

In the end, it was the old lady who asked, “Who are you looking for?”

He Yan didn’t reply. Jin Xiuzhu instead politely smiled and said, “Excuse me, is this Liu Guogen’s house?”

The old lady frowned. “Liu Guogen? We’re not surnamed Liu. You’ve got the wrong house.”

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t understand and turned to her son.

He Yan stepped forward smoothly. “We got it wrong? That shouldn’t be. My grand-uncle’s house should be around here.”

“Which production team is your grand-uncle from?”

“I think the Third Production Team.”

“Then you definitely got the wrong place. This is the Fifth.”

“Ah, then we really did.”

He Yan sighed after saying that, then lifted his hand and fanned himself. “It’s so hot. Auntie, could we get a bowl of water to drink? We haven’t had water all morning.”

Seeing his bright, sunny smile—and their neat, clean clothes without patches—the old lady hesitated briefly before calling into the house, “Eldest daughter-in-law, bring a clean bowl of tea water—”

She called once, but no response came. With an irritated tone, she shouted again, “Where’d you go? Bring a clean bowl of tea water!”

“Coming.”

A weak female voice answered. Soon, a thin woman walked out carrying a bowl of tea. A little girl of about six or seven followed her, hair all messy, wearing only shorts with nothing on top.

As the woman approached, they saw her face up close—haggard, deeply wrinkled, hair streaked with white.

Yet despite this, He Yan recognized her at a glance.

He silently accepted the bowl and first handed it to Jin Xiuzhu, who took a few sips without politeness. He then handed it to his two sisters.

The old lady by the well scolded, “I told you to bring a bowl and you brought just one? Why are you so stingy you can’t spare even a bit of water?”

The woman lowered her head and said nothing.

He Yan saw it all and pressed his lips together before taking the bowl his sisters hadn’t finished and draining it in one go. Jin Xiuzhu smiled at the old lady. “This is enough, thank you.”

When the old lady met Jin Xiuzhu’s eyes, she immediately brightened, warmly saying, “Have another bowl, water’s free.”

“No, thank you. This is enough.”

He Yan looked at the woman across from him. She seemed to sense something and raised her head slightly—just in time to meet his gaze.

Their eyes met. A strange, inexplicable familiarity flickered in the woman’s mind.

She frowned, a sudden urge swelling in her chest to look more closely.

But the boy had already looked away. She froze. She must be overthinking. These four people clearly looked like city folks—if they were visiting relatives, it had nothing to do with her. How could she possibly know them?

He handed the empty bowl back to the woman, then turned to Jin Xiuzhu and said, “Mom, let’s go.”

Jin Xiuzhu glanced at him, then agreed. She turned to the woman and said, “Thank you, sister-in-law.”

The woman hurriedly shook her head.

Jin Xiuzhu then looked at the older lady and the other woman not far away. “Thank you as well, auntie, and this sister-in-law. You’re all very kind. I wish your family all the best.”

“Good, good, all good.”

Jin Xiuzhu smiled and left with the children.

Only after they had walked some distance did she ask He Yan, “We’re just leaving like this?”

He Yan hummed in acknowledgment, then let out a long sigh. “Let it be. It’s better if we stay out of each other’s lives. When I have a job in the future, I’ll come back to see her again.”

Right now he didn’t have the ability. Acknowledging the relationship would only bring trouble to Dad and Mom. That old lady had clearly not looked like a kind person. If she learned who they really were, who knew what excuses she’d come up with to take advantage of them.

That woman wasn’t living a good life—that was the result of her own choices back then. There was no one else to blame. He Yan didn’t feel he was doing anything wrong now.

He came just to take one last look and settle the lingering thought in his heart. Now that he’d seen her, that was enough.

From the day she abandoned him, they no longer had anything to do with each other.

He had two fathers, but only one mother—and his mother was Jin Xiuzhu. No one else.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t question him further.

The woman returned to the kitchen with the bowl. Once inside, her little girl finally dared speak softly. “Mom, that big brother just now looked a lot like you.”

The woman couldn’t help but laugh. “How do I look like him?”

That boy was tall, handsome, well-dressed. She was just a rural woman—how could they possibly resemble each other?

Besides, she’d heard him call the woman beside him “Mom.” That woman looked very young. If she hadn’t heard it with her own ears, she wouldn’t have believed she had given birth to three children—she looked just a bit over twenty.

City people really were nourished by city water.

But the little girl insisted, “He’s really similar! His nose looks like yours, his eyebrows look like yours, his eyes look like yours—and his smile is the most similar.”

The woman had been about to say, How could he look like me everywhere? It’s not like he’s really your brother.

At that thought, her expression froze. Something suddenly clicked, and shock spread across her face.

She… did have another son.

Counting the years, he should be about that age now.

No wonder—no wonder she had found him familiar the moment she saw him. Yes, he had changed a lot, but some traces of his childhood appearance were still there.

More than resembling her, he looked like his father, He Weiguo.

The woman covered her mouth, her eyes slowly reddening.

She had never expected to see that child again. She had once tried to inquire secretly and learned that he had lived poorly in his paternal grandparents’ home, but later she heard he had been adopted by one of He Weiguo’s comrades. She had thought she would never see him again in her lifetime. And yet, in such an unexpected way, she had seen him—but only in passing. He left just like that.

Not even a word exchanged.

To say she didn’t regret it would be impossible. If she hadn’t left back then, hadn’t abandoned that child, perhaps everything would have been different.

She recalled the way he naturally called that woman “Mom.” Their relationship must be good.

Thinking of this, tears streamed from her eyes again. She pressed a hand over her mouth tightly, afraid to let out even a sound.

On the way back, they luckily caught a donkey cart again. They rode it to the county seat, then transferred to another vehicle to the city. After staying one night in the city, they finally headed home.

Originally, the four of them had planned to visit Bai Jingzhi as well, but it was too hot outside, and Liuliu showed signs of heatstroke. Plus, He Yan would start school soon, so they decided to return home directly.

After two days on the train, the four finally reached home.

Even He Yan, always full of energy, was exhausted—let alone Jin Xiuzhu and Fu Yanyan. Liuliu was listless as soon as she stepped inside.

They washed their hair and bathed, then ate a simple meal before going to bed.

In the following days, none of them went out. Yanyan and Liuliu were better—they still went out to play with classmates. He Yan rarely stepped out; he took on all the housework and cooked every day.

He said that once he went to university, he wouldn’t be able to come home often, so he wanted to spend more time with his mother while he could.

Jin Xiuzhu was incredibly moved.

Fu Yanyan reminded him, “You can come home every Saturday, then go back on Sunday.”

He Yan said, “If I can, I will.”

Fu Yanyan nodded. To be honest, after living under the same roof from childhood until now, she really felt reluctant that He Yan was leaving home.

Even though she used to find him annoying.

He Yan went to school two days early. The night before he left, he came to have a serious talk with Fu Yanyan. “I’m leaving soon. You two behave at home. Don’t make things hard for Mom. It’s not easy for her alone. Help her when you can—cleaning, cooking—those things you can do.”

Liuliu looked at her brother and pouted. “Big brother, I don’t want you to go.”

He Yan felt his nose sting. He’d disliked her noisiness before, but now that he was truly leaving, he couldn’t bear it. “It’s okay. I’ll come back to see you whenever I can.”

“Okay.”

Liuliu sniffled.

He Yan then spoke to Fu Yanyan. “I know you’re smart, but no matter what, I’m still the big brother. You should listen to what I say. Study hard. Don’t have others do your homework for you. You can’t be sloppy with your studies. You’ll be taking the college entrance exam in a few years—try to get into a better university than me. Don’t choose a university in the south like I did. I filled out that form because Dad and Mom are here—I wanted to stay close to them. You should take the exam for a university in the capital. Dad will definitely return there in the future. It’s always good to stay close to our parents.”

“Your grades are good, but compared to students nationwide, that’s a different story. Study hard, put in effort, and aim for Capital University.”

“When I’m gone, you’re the eldest at home. You can’t keep leading Liuliu into trouble anymore, understand?”

Fu Yanyan looked at him and, for once, nodded obediently.

He Yan gently patted her head. “My little sister is so good.”

Fu Yanyan rolled her eyes. “I just washed my hair, don’t get it oily.”

He Yan laughed, and after laughing, he said, “Ever since we came back from my hometown, I realized something—people need to cherish what they have. Yanyan, I really envy you. You still get to stay at home for years. I wish I could stay with Dad and Mom forever.”

“You two must cherish our life now. Dad and Mom look young, but they’re actually getting old. Behave well.”

Fu Yanyan looked at the emotional He Yan, unable to speak. She always knew that although he looked outgoing and playful, he was the most sentimental.

He was like this in their previous life, and the same in this one.

Jin Xiuzhu: My eldest is going off to school… I can’t bear it.

Jiang Mingchuan: You can’t bear him? How come I’ve never seen you unable to bear me leaving?

He Yan: Can’t help it, Mom loves me the most.

Fu Yanyan: Fine, I won’t argue with you this time.

Liuliu: Big brother, remember to bring me chocolate when you come back.

He Yan: All you think about is eating.