Ye Weiliang looked at Ye Jianjun’s face, twisted in pain, and couldn’t help a surge of satisfaction—she silently thought, “Refreshing!”
Yet at the same time, she felt extremely unlucky, muttering to herself, “How unlucky… just going up the mountain and I run into the Ye family.”
Ignoring Ye Jianjun, she turned to head into the mountain.
But then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed that Ye Jianjun was following her step by step.
Seeing this, Ye Weiliang immediately abandoned the idea of going further into the mountain.
After all, if she had encountered a large wild boar, she had intended to capture it and raise it carefully in her space.
Now, with this annoying man tailing her, no matter what she planned, it would likely be impossible to succeed.
After glaring at Ye Jianjun, she grabbed the two plump wild rabbits and the brightly-feathered wild chicken, and began walking down the mountain.
Ye Jianjun silently followed behind her the entire way, until she entered the youth cadre compound, never once looking back at him.
At that moment, Ye Jianjun’s throat felt parched, and his mouth was full of bitterness.
He knew that everything that had happened was their fault, causing his treasured daughter to endure so much suffering.
So even if she refused to acknowledge him as her father, it was only justified.
Ye Weiliang would not easily forgive the Ye family on behalf of “Er’ya” either.
Earlier that morning, before the sun had fully risen, Ye Jianjun had secretly sent an encrypted telegram to the eldest Ye family member.
He returned quickly, only to see his daughter heading up the mountain alone.
Just in case, he followed her.
The telegram he sent carried shocking news, like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake, ready to stir a huge ripple.
Meanwhile, in the capital, Ye Jianjun’s elder brother, Ye Jianshe, sat in his spacious, bright study reading the newly arrived telegram.
He opened it, quickly scanned the contents, and his face showed a mix of surprise and the expression of someone who had half-expected it.
For a long time, the children in the family had felt something odd about Ye Shiwai, sensing she bore no resemblance to the Ye clan.
Despite this, as the only girl in the family, she had been pampered in every way.
Now, learning the truth—that she had been swapped with another child—he felt an immediate “so that’s how it is” realization.
Ye Jianshe took a deep breath, trying to calm the turbulence in his heart.
He knew this was no trivial matter and needed to act quickly.
Without hesitation, he stood, put on his coat, and headed straight to the police station under the jurisdiction of the steel factory.
“Secretary Ye, what brings you here today?” asked Mu Wenchang, the station chief.
Ye Jianshe controlled the emotions surging in his chest, his expression solemn as he said,
“I’m here to learn about a person’s situation. I need you to investigate for me.”
“Oh? Really? You personally came all this way? And you need me, the chief, to investigate?” Mu Wenchang smiled, teasing his longtime friend.
“It’s my only niece from the Ye family,” Ye Jianshe replied gravely.
“Wait, wait. Isn’t our eldest niece already on the island? Why would you need to investigate now?” Mu Wenchang asked in confusion.
“Ah, this matter can’t be explained in a few words. The child I want to investigate is named Ye Er’ya. Actually…” Ye Jianshe was about to continue, but Mu Wenchang interrupted in astonishment.
“What? Ye Er’ya? You mean her?” Mu Wenchang’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Could she really be your little niece? Then who is Ye Shiwai on the island?”
“Sigh, the situation is extremely complicated… it’s hard to explain in words,” Ye Jianshe sighed helplessly.
“Then don’t bother explaining. Let me fill you in on our eldest niece’s situation,” Mu Wenchang said. He knew the situation with Ye Er’ya was complex; even if he didn’t know everything, he understood at least seventy or eighty percent.
After all, the girl had suffered greatly: “A few days ago, a young girl came to our station, asking to stay on a bench overnight. After asking, we learned that her mother had deliberately swapped her with a child from a wealthy family, taking the wealthy child back to torment every day—small beatings every day, bigger ones every few days.”
“I never imagined that this girl was actually your family’s child. The woman’s name was Liu Pandi, you know her, right? Her husband, Ye Tangsheng, was a minor employee at the steel factory. I heard they wanted to sell Ye Er’ya to an old widower as a bride.”
“Not to mention a fourteen-year-old girl—even an adult can’t be sold at will! This is illegal. Luckily, the child mistakenly sent over later was their own, so this family left a deep impression on me.”
“Oh, and Er’ya herself volunteered to go to the countryside, to the same place as your parents. I asked the youth office before; she knew her parents were there and deliberately chose to go.”
“The night before she left, Old Zhao even asked if she wanted to contact you, her uncle. She refused, so Old Zhao followed her wishes. He felt pity for her and let her stay at his place for one night. She also came to the station herself to change her name—now she’s Ye Weiliang. It’s a good name.”
Mu Wenchang spoke like opening a floodgate, recounting everything in detail. Each word made Ye Jianshe’s expression grow darker.
He couldn’t believe someone had deliberately plotted to swap the children!
Recalling the earlier telegram from his third brother, it clearly didn’t describe the situation in full.
Hearing the full story of his little niece’s life over the past decade ignited endless anger in him.
“Old Mu, I’d like to ask a favor,” Ye Jianshe said, taking several deep breaths to calm his emotions.
Mu Wenchang nodded without hesitation:
“Rare for you to ask, go ahead! As long as it’s legal, anything’s fine!”
Ye Jianshe shook his head firmly:
“I just want someone to deliver a message to the farm over there. Those two heartless scum must not be let off lightly.”
“Don’t worry. Before your instructions, Old Zhao already handled it once. That girl still hates injustice and evil, just like before,” Mu Wenchang said, patting Ye Jianshe’s shoulder.
Ye Jianshe nodded. He and Zhao Youliang had known each other for years—gratitude was due.
His third brother and sister-in-law had voluntarily gone to the countryside to care for their elderly parents. Their father had been deliberately sent to the remote Hei province to avoid disaster, but some dark-handed people might still interfere.
After saying goodbye to Mu Wenchang, Ye Jianshe returned home and called Ye Jiawen, stationed on the island, to explain the situation.
“Ha! I knew it—Ye Shiwai’s temperament is nothing like ours. Our family is straightforward, but her personality is twisted and scheming. She always framed Mu Feng and the others.”
Ye Jiawen was blunt, saying things as they were, so Ye Shiwai disliked him the most.
Thus, her two sons had often been bullied by her in various ways. Previously, since she was the only girl in the family, everyone had turned a blind eye.
Now… all they could do was sigh.
After exchanging messages, the brothers updated the younger children, including Ye Weiliang’s older brother, Ye Muqing.
Ye Muqing now had a plan: to give up his current work, go to the countryside, join the youth movement in Hei province, and take care of his sister.