Could it be that before losing his memory, this guy was some kind of patriot?
Thinking this, Liu Meiling softened slightly.
She waved her hand grandly and declared, “From now on, this child will live here. Anyone has a problem with it? Keep it to yourself—I don’t want to hear it!”
Qin Xiangru, hiding in the room, was anxious to the point of panic. Didn’t Li Mingliang promise that if he brought back the money today, she could get the job? Why was there still no news?
Seeing Li Mingliang’s flushed, angry face, Qin Xiangru felt extremely awkward. Didn’t he say he had no feelings for Liu Meiling? Why did he care so much about who she had children with?
Could it be that Li Mingliang was regretting something?
She could no longer sit still. “Sister-in-law, this is—”
Li Mingliang met Qin Xiangru’s gaze and awkwardly lowered his head.
Xiao Yuncheng glanced left and right, sniffed, and slammed the table. “Ha! I said my mom brought me back, and you old wall lamp got all excited? Turns out you’re my mom’s little uncle!”
He turned to Liu Meiling, serious. “Mom, did Dad leave some inheritance that this old wall lamp is after? You can’t give it to him—you have a son!”
Liu Meiling was a bit surprised. “How do you figure he’s your uncle?”
Xiao Yuncheng pointed at Qin Xiangru, then at Li Baoguo. “He just said don’t let me scold Dad. Isn’t this old wall lamp his dad? And isn’t this big aunt his mom? Their eyes even look the same!”
The words hit hard. Li Mingliang’s pupils shrank, his breath nearly stopped. Then came fury and humiliation. “Nonsense!”
Qin Xiangru also panicked briefly. “Sister-in-law, don’t listen to him rambling—maybe the kid just got his grandmother’s looks!”
“Yes! Baoguo takes after his grandmother!”
Li Mingliang stepped off the table, suppressing a burst of anger. He quickly tried to change the topic. “Alright, Meiling, don’t linger. Let this brat… this child stay at home for now.”
Liu Meiling walked up to Li Baoguo, looking him over seriously. Sure enough, he took after Qin Xiangru: phoenix-shaped eyes, distant-arched eyebrows. How had she never noticed before?
She glanced at Li Baoguo, then Qin Xiangru.
Both of them stiffened, hearts in their throats.
Qin Xiangru swallowed and forced an awkward smile. “Baoguo’s grandmother has this eye shape. My grandmother and aunt have similar features—it’s natural for there to be some resemblance.”
Liu Meiling gave a small “oh,” patted her clothes, and touched the thick bundle of cash in her hand. Half of her mind was relieved.
Of course—who would doubt a child born from their own womb?
Even now, she couldn’t understand how Qin Xiangru had swapped the two children.
And… the two children were about the same age. If Qin Xiangru’s were really her biological children, Li Mingliang would have been quite busy.
Her memory had always been sharp. Li Baoguo had always had these eyes; there was no chance he had been swapped mid-way…
Could it have happened the day she gave birth? But how could Qin Xiangru ensure it happened on the same day? Too strange.
Setting aside these thoughts, Liu Meiling looked at the sun. Nearly noon already—she wondered if Ma Jie had been waiting impatiently.
“I’m heading out for a bit. Rest at home—I’ll bring you something to eat when I return!”
She patted Xiao Yuncheng on the shoulder, not daring to waste a moment, and quickly headed to the state-run restaurant.
Inside, Ma Xiulian’s husband, Yu Yuan, checked his watch for the fifth time, anxiously looking outside.
“Xiulian, do you think she’s backing out?”
Ma Xiulian shook her head, sipping her tea. “Unlikely. I know Meiling—she’s always as reliable as a nail driven with a spit. I haven’t wronged her; she won’t play games with me.”
She said it, but her eyes never left the door.
Five minutes later, Yu Yuan sighed, and a thin, dark-haired girl lowered her head. “Mom, if it doesn’t work out, fine. I have to return to the brigade, or next time visiting home I won’t be able to come!”
Yu Tao had almost resigned herself. Recently, she had been interacting with the brigade leader’s son. If she couldn’t return to the city, that place would be her final home.
Just as the family felt despair, Liu Meiling appeared, wearing a navy Zhongshan jacket, a military green bag slung across her shoulder. She strode up in three quick steps.
“Oh dear, I’m late, Ma Jie! Sorry, ran into a bit of trouble right as I left.”
Ma Xiulian was too excited to feel upset, rising quickly and rubbing her hands in her pockets. “No problem, no problem. Tao’er, call her Aunt Ling!”
Yu Tao smiled shyly. “Aunt Ling.”
Liu Meiling’s eyes widened—this girl was so thin, like the two mistreated children back home.
“My goodness, no wonder your mom was worried. Last time I saw you, you were chubby and round. How did you get so thin this time?”
Yu Yuan’s eyes reddened. If not for his daughter’s suffering in the countryside, they wouldn’t have been so worried night after night.
Ma Xiulian wiped her tears and held Liu Meiling’s hand. “When Tao’er was born prematurely, people said seven might survive, eight might not. I feared she wouldn’t make it. After all these years of raising her, her health finally improved, but the trip to the countryside nearly ruined her!
Meiling, I have no other choice. Can you handle this today? Otherwise, she’ll have to stay at the brigade for a while longer before returning!”
How could Liu Meiling refuse? She had no desire to go to that class again—if not for the household troubles, she would already have bought a small cart to sell marinated meat.
It’s not that working was bad—the job was secure, especially now. But in her second life, Liu Meiling knew the inconveniences. She planned to divorce Li Mingliang later.
Don’t even think about whether Li Mingliang would agree—the leadership wouldn’t allow it. Divorce was a big deal; if any unit allowed it, reputations would be ruined.
Moreover, she feared future complications. If Li Mingliang caused trouble at her workplace, better to handle things now—sell the job and seize the opportunity.
Perhaps later, she could even secure a better retirement home.
She remembered, in her previous life, near her death there was a large retirement home. Wu Chunhua went there and lived well. Expensive, yes—but if not for Wu’s eldest son being a regiment commander, she couldn’t have stayed.
Back to the present, Liu Meiling immediately nodded. “Let’s go now!”
Yu Yuan and Yu Tao froze, but Ma Xiulian understood her personality.
“Finishing this meal isn’t urgent.”
Liu Meiling waved her hand. “When isn’t it meal time? Better to handle this now and all of us can be at ease.”
Yu Yuan quickly instructed Ma Xiulian to take Yu Tao to the textile factory.
“Go quickly. I’ll wait here. Liu sister, you’ve really helped us. After it’s done, you must come over—we’ve already reserved the meal!”
The mother-daughter pair went to Ma Xiulian’s cleaning office, handed over 1,800 yuan, and Liu Meiling finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Now she had 6,800 yuan in hand—enough to buy a small courtyard in the capital!
She hadn’t expected that on their way to the textile director’s office, they would run into Li Mingliang.
Li Mingliang’s first words: “Why are you here? Didn’t you say you had business and took the day off?”