“No wonder!”
Zhang Wei felt that the strange things she said yesterday suddenly had a reasonable explanation.
“How is your physical condition now? Are you feeling any discomfort anywhere?”
“None. Apart from not recognizing people, everything else is quite fine. It’s not that I remember nothing at all—sometimes when I hear someone’s name, I can recall a little.”
“Sister Nian Xin, is this the legendary amnesia?”
“You could say that.”
“Did you come back this time to recover your memories?”
“Not exactly. I was cleaning at home and suddenly came across that agreement, which reminded me of various things that happened between me and the Zheng family in the past. Before, it was as if I had been put under a spell—my mind was muddled like thickened soup, unable to see clearly Ding Lan’s actions. I naively believed she treated me as her own and regarded her as a motherly figure. After hitting my head, I’ve actually become much clearer-minded. Uncle Zhang, you all must have thought I was like a fool before, deceived without even realizing it.”
“You were still young back then; it was normal not to see things clearly. It’s not too late to understand now. Your grandparents would be overjoyed to know.”
“After all, I hurt them too much. They’ve probably long been disheartened.”
“No way! Others might abandon you, but your grandparents absolutely would not!”
Zhang Wei spoke with exceptional certainty.
“There are some things I haven’t told you before. Yesterday, you asked me how I knew you were married. Actually, it’s because I periodically ask people to inquire about your situation. I write to your grandparents almost every month to update them about you. It’s not about monitoring you or prying into your privacy—they just want to know how you’re doing, whether you’re living well.”
“Uncle Zhang, the old me might have overthought it, but not anymore.”
She was somewhat moved.
The original host had cut ties with her grandparents many years ago and hadn’t contacted the elderly couple for nearly a decade. Her heartlessness must have inevitably hurt them deeply, yet they still quietly cared for her.
She could only sigh at how the original host had been so misguided—pushing away those who treated her well while mistakenly considering those who harmed her as her closest family.
“Your grandparents were very happy to hear you married a military officer. They also inquired about your in-laws’ family situation—they are good people. Now that you’ve become more sensible, don’t always cause trouble at your in-laws’ place…”
Zhang Wei spoke to her with sincere, heartfelt advice.
Although he knew that Nian Xin had used some underhanded tricks to marry Zhou Zhan, it had been three years since the wedding. Even with all her antics, the Zhou family hadn’t filed for divorce, proving them to be extremely tolerant people. This kind of family was precisely what Nian Xin needed.
After all, not every family would tolerate such mischief and mistreatment without driving her away.
“I understand. I’ll change from now on.”
She felt weary!
There was one thing Second Daughter-in-law wasn’t wrong about—the original host truly was a living ancestor.
……
After having lunch at the Zhang family, Wen Nianxin learned much about the relationships between Uncle Zhang, Aunt Yu, and the original host’s biological mother.
It turns out Aunt Yu was originally the elementary school classmate of the original host’s biological mother, Wen Xiaoman, and the two were also very close best friends. Uncle Zhang, on the other hand, was Wen Xiaoman’s high school classmate. This couple ended up together thanks to Wen Xiaoman playing matchmaker.
“Aunt Yu, back then, was Zheng… I mean, my dad, also my mom’s classmate?”
“No, he wasn’t.
Zheng Taiping grew up in the countryside and never attended high school. Before marrying Xiaoman, he had only been to the city a handful of times.”
“Then how did they meet? Did they start dating on their own?”
Wen Xiaoman passed away shortly after giving birth to the original host, who was merely a cannon fodder character in the book. As a result, the book only mentioned Wen Xiaoman’s name once or twice, while the Zheng family was briefly introduced in a couple of sentences.
Based on Wen Nianxin’s analysis, Wen Xiaoman grew up in the city, was the daughter of a factory director, and had attended high school—making her what could be considered a “white, rich, and beautiful” woman of that era. How could she have fallen for Zheng Taiping, the scumbag father of the original host?
Zheng Taiping wasn’t like the “phoenix men” she had seen on TV—highly educated and skilled at sweet-talking.
Not only did he have a bad temper, but he also lacked any real talent. She felt there should have been no intersection between the two of them.
“Them… how should I put it? I’m not too sure either. I didn’t even know why these two suddenly got married. By the time I found out, both families were already discussing the wedding banquet date.”
“If you want to know, I’ll tell you.”
Zhang Wei, holding a cup of hot tea, sat down on the single sofa in the living room.
“Some things, your Aunt Yu doesn’t know as clearly as I do. I promised Uncle Wen back then not to speak of it, so I never mentioned certain matters to her.”
Uncle Wen had said that if the timing was right in the future, he could consider telling Nian Xin the truth. Zhang Wei felt that now might be the right time.
She was already an adult, with her own family, and was no longer the child who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong or see people for who they were.
“What I’m about to say next, I swear to heaven is the absolute truth, and I have absolutely no intention of driving a wedge between you and the Zheng family.”
“Uncle Zhang, you’re overthinking it. I won’t read too much into it.”
Zhang Wei sighed. “Actually, you are not Zheng Taiping’s biological daughter!”
Wen Nianxin’s eyes widened in shock.
Beside her, Yu Yaqin abruptly stood up from her chair.
“No wonder!”
“No wonder Xiaoman married Zheng Taiping!
She clearly had someone she had silently loved for a long time in her heart!”
Yu Yaqin suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.
She had never been able to understand why Xiaoman would marry someone like Zheng Taiping when the two had nothing in common.
Knowing Xiaoman as she did, she believed Xiaoman would never, even in death, fall for someone as unambitious and talentless as Zheng Taiping. Yet, in the end, she married him…
If she had a child, to protect the child from being mocked by outsiders, Xiaoman might indeed have done something like finding a father for the child.
But why didn’t she marry the child’s biological father?
Uncle Wen and Aunt Lu weren’t unreasonable parents. If they could accept someone like Zheng Taiping as a son-in-law, they probably wouldn’t have opposed Xiaoman marrying that person.