“My apologies, I didn’t mean to doubt you.”
“No worries, I completely understand. As a woman traveling alone, it’s wise to be cautious. Are you heading home or going somewhere else? I can take you there.”
“I still have some matters to attend to. I’d like to find a guest house near the textile factory to stay for now.”
She didn’t ponder why Zhou Zhan had arranged for someone to meet her at the station. Instead, she was pleased to have someone guide her to her destination, saving her the trouble of asking for directions.
Yang Bo glanced at his watch. “The bus won’t be running for about forty more minutes. We’ll probably have to walk there.”
“I’m fine with walking. I’m more concerned about troubling you, Comrade Yang.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re all friends here.”
Wen Nianxin walked beside Yang Bo at a steady pace toward the guest house. She initially wanted to ask him about Mingzhao City, but Yang Bo didn’t seem particularly talkative. After a couple of attempts at conversation, she gave up and focused on keeping up with him.
After walking for about seventy to eighty minutes, they stopped about fifty meters from the guest house.
“That building ahead is the closest guest house to the textile factory. There’s a Supply and Marketing Cooperative and a State-Run Restaurant nearby.”
“Comrade Yang, are you in a hurry? If you’re not rushing off, let me treat you to breakfast at the State-Run Restaurant.”
She couldn’t bring herself to take his help for granted just because they were connected through mutual friends, especially since this was Zhou Zhan’s favor. He had waited for her early in the morning at the station and walked such a long distance to accompany her.
“No, thank you. I need to get back to work at the train station. You go ahead and check in at the guest house. I’ll wait until you enter before I leave.”
“Thank you.”
“Not a problem.”
Wen Nianxin waved goodbye to him. When she reached the entrance of the guest house, she turned back and waved again. Only then did Yang Bo leave.
Entering the guest house, she found the front desk staff with half-closed eyes, looking as if they hadn’t fully woken up yet.
“Hello, do you have any available rooms?”
“Yes.”
She handed over her identification and introductory letter. The staff member took them and softly read her name aloud.
“You’re not from Mingzhao City?”
“I am from here.”
“Then why aren’t you going home? Coming to stay at a guest house so early in the morning?”
“I don’t remember where my home is.”
The staff member’s hand paused abruptly while filling out the registration form.
“May I ask one more question? Don’t worry, I mean no harm. It’s just that your surname is quite unique. I used to know someone with the same surname.”
Wen Nianxin hesitated for a moment before offering a partly truthful explanation: “A few years ago, my father and stepmother tricked me into going to the countryside as a Zhiqing. I suffered a head injury there and can’t remember some things. I only know that I grew up in the Textile Factory Family Compound, and my grandparents used to work at the textile factory.”
“You’re Director Wen’s granddaughter!”
The staff member exclaimed excitedly, slapping the pen down on the table.
“You knew my grandfather?”
When she first entered, Wen Nianxin had discreetly observed the staff member—a person around fifty years old. People in this era didn’t change jobs frequently like in later years; they typically worked one job until retirement. Since this guest house was near the textile factory, she assumed the staff might know her family, which was why she had shared more information.
“Know him? I owe my job at this guest house to Director Wen! If it weren’t for his help back then, I might have ended up doing farm work in the countryside.”
“Do you know where my grandparents are now?”
The original host’s grandparents had two children: the original host’s mother Wen Xiaoman, and a son named Wen Yingrui who was not biologically related but was the son of the original host’s grandfather’s cousin.
The cousin died young, and his widow remarried, leaving behind a young child whom both families passed back and forth, unwilling to raise him. Ultimately, it was the original host’s mother Wen Xiaoman who took pity on her cousin and asked her parents to adopt him, registering him under their family name.
When Wen Xiaoman was nineteen, her parents arranged for a live-in son-in-law marriage. Eight months later, Wen Xiaoman gave premature birth to the original host.
Unfortunately, during childbirth, she experienced uterine atony and, compounded by her pre-existing mild coagulation disorder, suffered a postpartum hemorrhage. She never left the delivery bed alive.
The original host’s grandparents had only one biological daughter. After their daughter’s tragic death during childbirth, they transferred all their love and affection to the original host—their granddaughter who had lost her mother at birth. They doted on her excessively, granting her every wish.
Sadly, the original host lacked clarity of judgment. Under the deliberate instigation of her stepmother, she not only viewed her grandparents as enemies responsible for her mother’s death but also brazenly demanded money and possessions from them.
The grandparents generally fulfilled their granddaughter’s material requests but only gave her small amounts of pocket money. They knew that if they bought things, she might actually use them, but if they gave cash, it would likely never benefit her and would only fuel the greed of her family, making her a tool for extorting wealth from the Wen family.
When even making scenes at their doorstep failed to extract money, the original host—egged on by her stepmother—resorted to a severance agreement, threatening suicide to sever all ties with her grandparents and refusing to see them again. This utterly shattered their caring hearts.
It had been nearly ten years since she last saw her grandparents.
“I really don’t know exactly where they are now. Director Wen retired several years ago. He stayed here for a year or two after retirement, but later, when his son was transferred for work, the whole family moved south. Don’t worry—settle in first. The current director of the Textile Factory, Zhang Wei, used to be Director Wen’s assistant. He’ll definitely know where the family is now.”
“Is the current director on good terms with my grandfather?”
“They have an excellent relationship. Zhang Wei was essentially promoted by Director Wen himself, though of course he’s very capable—otherwise Director Wen wouldn’t have valued him so highly back then.”
Learning this, Wen Nianxin began forming alternative plans.
“Thank you. May I ask how I should address you, Uncle?”
“My surname is Ma. You can call me Uncle Ma.”
“Uncle Ma, could I ask you to keep my return confidential for now? My memories of the past are still hazy, and I’d prefer my father and the others not know I’m back yet.”
“Don’t worry—I’m very discreet. I won’t say a word.”
Old Ma finished registering her information and handed her the room key.
“Go rest upstairs. If you need anything, just come find me. I’m on duty here during daytime hours from Monday to Friday.”
“Alright, thank you, Uncle Ma. I’ll head up now.”