Could it be her?
This was just a minor episode; Fan Minghua had no idea that someone had taken notice of him.
He asked the salesperson at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative how much the can of blood-tonic product cost. Upon inquiring, he found it quite expensive—over ten yuan—and, most crucially, it required ration coupons.
Money wasn’t an issue; he had some on hand. But ration coupons… he didn’t have any.
He held the can, turning it over and over, reluctant to put it down.
It wasn’t until the haughty salesperson snatched it away that he finally tore his gaze from the can.
At that moment, he wanted a job more than ever.
With a job, he would receive monthly ration coupons. By saving them up, he could buy nutritional supplements for Ning Zhi. This was something he needed desperately, more than anything else.
Returning to the State-run Hostel where he was staying, Fan Minghua didn’t rush to eat. Instead, he set his things down and left the hostel again.
He had no specific destination, simply wandering around.
What he was really looking for was the Black Market. Every place had one—they had it in Shun County, and naturally, the city would have one too.
He also knew that blindly wandering around like this wouldn’t make it easy to find.
He wasn’t familiar with this place, so he decided to explore the city as much as possible.
If he couldn’t cover it in one day, he’d spend two. If two days weren’t enough, he’d take three.
He was in the city for a three-day meeting. Even if he couldn’t explore every corner in that time, he’d at least become somewhat familiar with the city.
He could always come back another time if the opportunity arose.
Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to ask the locals. He’d rather spend more time slowly figuring things out than boldly asking around.
By the end of the day, Fan Minghua had wandered through quite a few places.
He also overheard some interesting news: there were rumors that troops had come to the area for military exercises, some even from Yanjing.
Fan Minghua’s heart skipped a beat, and he moved closer to join the conversation.
Half an hour later, he had the latest information.
The troops conducting the exercises were indeed from Yanjing, reportedly under orders signed by the commander of the Yanjing Military Region.
If that were all, it wouldn’t have caught Fan Minghua’s attention. What did military affairs have to do with an ordinary civilian like him?
The most important detail was that he’d learned the commander’s surname was Ming.
The person speaking seemed to know a bit about this commander, mentioning that he had participated in the Dabie Mountain Campaign and the Great Decisive Battle.
The words “Dabie Mountain Campaign” immediately grabbed Fan Minghua’s attention. He couldn’t help but ask, “Old sir, were you also in that campaign?”
The veteran replied, “Of course. I served under Commander Ming back then. If I hadn’t been injured—lost a leg to an explosion—I’d still be under his command.”
Fan Minghua tested the waters: “I heard Commander Ming also had a sister who was in the military…”
Before he could finish, the veteran suddenly asked, “Why are you asking about that?”
Fan Minghua said, “I just heard… I heard she was also at Dabie Mountain…”
This was, of course, a lie—merely speculation.
The reason for this speculation and probing was his suspicion that his mother’s surname might also be Ming.
Although he didn’t know his mother’s surname, his name was Minghua. Combined with his own surname, he had reason to suspect that his name was a combination of his father’s and mother’s surnames.
Just as he wanted to give his daughter a surname combining his wife’s family name with his own, thinking that if he ever found his biological parents, his daughter’s name would be his surname plus his wife’s surname.
Of course, he might also be guessing wrong.
So when he learned there was someone who knew something about Commander Ming, he cautiously probed for information.
Whether he asked too eagerly, arousing suspicion, or the man was simply too vigilant, the moment he inquired, the old soldier bristled like a cat, glaring angrily and demanding, “Who are you? Why are you asking about the Ming family?”
In the end, Fan Minghua learned nothing.
He nearly got entangled by the old soldier’s accusations and almost couldn’t extricate himself. It was only when Clerk Liu arrived, showing their work permits to dispel the other’s concerns, that they managed to leave.
But Fan Minghua still wanted to try.
Now that he had a lead, he was determined to investigate further—was this Ming family connected to his mother?
His excitement and curiosity showed on his face, piquing the interest of Clerk Liu, who had been observing him from the side.
“How did you manage to offend that old soldier?” Clerk Liu asked.
Fan Minghua shook his head. Naturally, he couldn’t reveal this to Clerk Liu, at least not now.
He himself had no certainty, only speculation.
“I heard there’s a military exercise in the city recently, so I wanted to go see it. I’ve never witnessed a military exercise before,” Fan Minghua said, half-truthfully.
Wanting to watch was true; wanting to find someone was also true. As for being curious about the military exercise—that wasn’t the case.
“Just because of that?” Clerk Liu asked skeptically.
Fan Minghua replied, “That’s all. I was just being nosy, curious about Commander Ming’s heroic deeds, so I asked a few questions. Who would’ve thought the old man would get so angry and lose his temper?”
Clerk Liu didn’t doubt him further, as he knew Fan Minghua enjoyed hearing stories about soldiers and battles, especially those that took place around Dabie Mountain.
He couldn’t help but remark, “I remember your Da Duizhang saying you really wanted to be a soldier. You even tried to enlist back then? If your mother hadn’t threatened to kill herself, you’d probably be a soldier by now.”
What a pity—just like him, circumstances conspired against it, and it never happened.
Fan Minghua didn’t respond, but his tightly pressed lips betrayed his unsettled emotions.
How could he ever forget what happened back then?
That year, he was eighteen. The county armed forces department came to recruit soldiers, and both he and the Da Duizhang went. He was selected, while the Da Duizhang wasn’t.
How overjoyed he was when he returned.
Later, when his spot was taken away due to Old Woman Fan’s unreasonable interference, how devastated he felt.
It was also then that he truly confirmed he wasn’t biologically related to the Fan Family.
Those two thought they were speaking softly, assuming he wouldn’t notice their conversation.
They spoke triumphantly, saying he would never have a chance to rise in life unless they died.
They also said that only by staying in the countryside, going nowhere, could their own son remain safe and live his life as the son of a high-ranking official.
At that moment, the blood in his veins almost froze.
So the father-son and mother-son relationships he had believed in were all fake.
No wonder those two never treated him well.
No wonder they had never shown him a kind expression since he was a child.
Back then, he had also wondered if he might not be their biological child.
But he had no proof.
So he buried that suspicion deep in his heart.
It wasn’t until that recruitment drive that everything finally erupted.
The truth was so cruel.
After learning the truth, Fan Minghua’s heart grew calm instead.
That kind of calmness that came from knowing it was indeed so.
Afterward, he carried on as usual.
Of course, this was merely superficial.
In secret, he had already begun making preparations.
He was determined to search for clues about his biological parents, no matter how difficult it might be.
Unfortunately, apart from a surname, he had no leads whatsoever.
He knew nothing—not even his mother’s surname, her hometown, or the reason she had sent him to the countryside to be fostered.
Even his own name had been given to him from a young age.
From what he gathered, it was his mother who had chosen the name.
His name had even been embroidered on his swaddling cloth.
It was a swaddling cloth made of red silk, with his name embroidered on it.
Old Woman Fan explained that she had embroidered it herself.
But he suspected it was likely his birth mother’s work. He knew all too well what Old Woman Fan’s embroidery skills were like—she couldn’t even stitch a shoe upper properly.
That swaddling cloth eventually became the swaddling cloth for Fan Xiaohua’s son.
But after it was used to wrap Fan Xiaohua’s son for just a few days, he managed to steal it back.
It was the first time he had ever stolen something, and he knew it was wrong, but why should his mother’s belongings, his own swaddling cloth, be given to Fan Xiaohua?
It was the only keepsake his mother had left for him.
He was curious—since they had the audacity to swap him, why hadn’t they let the biological son take his name?
If they had used his name, he, being so young at the time, would have been powerless to resist.
Later, the recruitment office came to Jiangtaiba twice to recruit soldiers. Both times, he found opportunities to slip away and enlist.
But each time, Old Woman Fan stopped him.
He didn’t know where she got her information, but no matter how he tried to hide it, she always found out and ruined his plans.
In the end, the leader of the armed forces department told him not to try enlisting again. As an only son, he didn’t meet the recruitment requirements in the first place. With the elders at home opposed, he couldn’t become a soldier.
At that time, he grew to hate the two members of the Fan family.
A hatred he had never felt before.
Those two were determined to ruin him.
They wouldn’t let him join the military. Later, a carpenter master took a liking to him and wanted to take him on as an apprentice.
Learning a trade was such a rare opportunity—it meant a chance to work in a city furniture factory. But in the end, this opportunity was also ruined by the Fan family.
After that, a mason also took an interest in him, but again, it was ruined.
After too many incidents, Fan Minghua finally understood—the Fan family simply didn’t want him to leave the countryside.
In the end, he stopped trying and resigned himself to staying in the countryside, all while looking for ways to break free from the Fan family.
But a series of subsequent experiences made him realize that someone was watching him.
Whenever he had thoughts of leaving the countryside or the Fan family, something would always happen to him.
Although he managed to avoid danger each time, it was impossible to stay on guard forever.
The feeling of being choked by someone was far from pleasant.
So, Fan Minghua, contrary to his previous sharpness, slowly settled down.
He was looking for opportunities but no longer revealing his intentions.
Unless absolutely necessary, Fan Minghua wouldn’t act rashly.
Because of his low profile, that powerful force gradually faded away.
Whether it was because they thought he wouldn’t cause trouble anymore or because that person was busy and forgot about him, he didn’t know.
He began secretly searching for the Gu family and gathering information about them.
Unfortunately, despite searching for so long, he still had no leads.
The only piece of information he had obtained was the news about Gu Shouzhang sent by Editor Liu—that Gu Shouzhang from the Public Security Department.
Thus, Fan Minghua’s heart burned with anticipation.
Now, with news of the military exercise and the surname-Ming leader, regardless of the outcome, Fan Minghua wanted to give it a try.
“You really want to inquire about the military exercise?” Clerk Liu suddenly said. “I have a classmate who is serving there. If you want to learn about the situation over there, I can introduce you.”
Fan Minghua’s eyes lit up. “Would that affect your classmate?”
Clerk Liu waved his hand dismissively. “No, as long as it doesn’t involve military secrets, my classmate is easy to talk to. Come on, he happens to be treating me to a meal today. I’ll take you along.”