The beast himself, Si Konghuai, stared at the village entrance and fell into recollection—he still had some vague memories of this place.
He truly had stumbled in here in a dazed state back then.
People in this era went to bed early, reluctant to burn lamp oil, basically sleeping as soon as darkness fell.
When Si Konghuai entered the village, he knocked on several doors, but received no response. Dragging his heavy head, he kept moving forward, hoping to find a household with lights still on.
Thus, entirely by accident, he ended up entering the Qiao family’s home and went into Xia Mingyu’s room…
“Aunt Chunhua, you’ve mistaken him for someone else. This is a high-ranking official from Jing Shi who has nothing to do with us.”
“The only connection is that he helped find Tuantuan, so we invited him for a meal. He’ll be leaving soon.”
Xia Mingyu emphasized with a furrowed brow.
She instantly regretted bringing Si Konghuai back to the brigade after hearing Aunt Chunhua’s exclamation. Once people saw his appearance, they would definitely let their imaginations run wild.
Even if Si Konghuai wanted to stay and help her deal with Qiao Hongye, she should have had him remain at the Gongshe. She’d really been muddled by that letter of guarantee!
“What? No relation? That can’t be right! They’re carved from the same mold—if they’re not father and son, then what could they be!”
“Exactly! I’ve never in my life seen unrelated people look so alike. This is pure nonsense!”
Everyone chimed in agreement, convinced that Si Konghuai was the man from that night who had taken advantage of Xia Mingyu’s drugged state to assault her!
He was Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan’s father!
Xia Mingyu massaged her temples in frustration.
“That’s not true… He’s from Jing Shi and has never been here before. It’s really just a coincidence.”
“He’s a high-ranking official, everyone. Please don’t spread rumors.”
Xia Mingyu struggled to explain, trying to make people believe her.
“Right, right, we’re from Jing Shi.”
The atmosphere grew awkward, and Lu Ning chimed in to smooth things over.
Si Konghuai was snapped out of his thoughts by the surrounding chatter. Just as he was about to speak, everyone awkwardly fell silent.
Since Xia Mingyu had identified Si Konghuai as a high-ranking official, nobody dared offend him. Regardless of what they actually thought, they no longer dared voice their opinions.
Thus, Si Konghuai’s words got stuck in his throat.
Xia Mingyu shot him a meaningful look—Leave quickly!
Now that he was already here, making him leave immediately would make her seem guilty. Better to quickly take him to team leader Zhao Jianguo’s home, get the meal over with, then have both him and Lu Ning depart.
Once they were gone, the gossip would probably die down in a couple of days.
Xia Mingyu tried to find consolation in her distress, unaware that Si Konghuai was planning to put down roots in the brigade.
“Team leader, this is the high-ranking official from Jing Shi…”
Xia Mingyu led the group back to team leader Zhao Jianguo’s home. The moment Zhao Jianguo saw Si Konghuai, his eyes went wide.
He stood frozen in place, unresponsive.
Xia Mingyu had to reiterate Si Konghuai’s identity once more.
“Oh, oh! Hello, Head! You must be exhausted from your long journey!”
Zhao Jianguo snapped back to reality. Not daring to say anything inappropriate, he buried his doubts deep in his heart and hurriedly ushered Si Konghuai inside.
Si Konghuai gave a slight nod, putting on an air of dignified authority.
Xia Mingyu decided out of sight was out of mind and went to the kitchen to help prepare the meal.
“Tuanbao, Yuanbao, play in the yard and don’t go outside. Mother will call you when dinner’s ready.”
Xia Mingyu instructed.
She was still feeling somewhat traumatized and didn’t dare let the two children leave her sight.
“Okay, Mom!”
“We’ll be good and won’t go out.”
Tuantuan and Yuanyuan curved their eyes sweetly as they smiled and promised Xia Mingyu.
“Good children.”
Both children were very obedient, so Xia Mingyu felt reassured as she entered the kitchen.
As soon as Xia Mingyu entered the kitchen, Tuantan very seriously pulled Yuanyuan to the farthest corner, his short little legs moving rapidly.
He glanced at Si Konghuai, who was being flattered by Zhao Jianguo, then looked toward Xia Mingyu busy in the kitchen.
He asked quietly.
“Yuanyuan, have you noticed anything strange?”
“Yes! This uncle who looks exactly like us – the uncles and aunties all say he’s our real father!”
Yuanyuan also nodded with a serious expression, his round little face tense, his big eyes focused and bright.
“Brother, you weren’t home last night, so you don’t know.”
“Mom said the current bad father isn’t our real father!”
Yuanyuan hugged Tuantuan, tugging at Tuantuan’s ear as he very quietly shared this secret that was no longer really a secret.
“What!”
Tuantuan was greatly shocked, his dark eyes instantly widening.
He clapped his hands forcefully, his eyes shining startlingly bright.
Now he understood!
This uncle must be their real father, no wonder he was so good to him back in Jing Shi!
That kind old man always wanted him to call him Great-Grandfather too!
Moreover, this uncle had saved him, so his mother should be very grateful to him, but he felt his mother’s attitude toward this uncle was quite cold.
This wasn’t right!
Tuantuan was very smart – though only four years old, he had matured early.
Facing his mute mother, paralyzed and mean grandmother, and soft-hearted younger brother, Tuantuan had developed a protective instinct from a very young age – to protect his mother and younger brother.
He even learned to speak quickly, learning from neighbors before teaching his brother.
So he understood many things, and with just a little thought, he grasped the general situation.
“Yuanyuan, let me tell you…”
Tuantuan immediately tugged Yuanyuan’s ear too, whispering to him.
Although Si Konghuai was speaking with Zhao Jianguo, his expression remained indifferent as his attention stayed focused on the two brothers.
The brothers’ bond was truly strong, even hugging while sharing secrets.
And whatever they were discussing made both brothers’ eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
The baby fat on their faces bounced like extremely elastic white dough balls, making one want to pinch them.
Si Konghuai felt his fingers itching, so he stood up.
“Captain Zhao, there’s no need to be so polite. I just did what I should have, lending a helping hand.”
“Moreover, these two children look so much like me – it’s fate. I won’t keep you company further, I’ll go spend time with the children.”
Si Konghuai stated decisively, his handsome face expressionless.
Then he turned to instruct Lu Ning.
“Lu Ning, we can’t just sit waiting for food while the host works. Go help in the kitchen too.”
It would be too conspicuous if he entered the kitchen himself, and Zhao Jianguo wouldn’t agree either.
But Si Konghuai couldn’t bear watching Xia Mingyu working busily in the kitchen, so he could only send Lu Ning to help lighten Xia Mingyu’s burden.
“Alright.”
Lu Ning completely understood Si Konghuai’s intentions and immediately stood up, entering the kitchen with efficient movements.
“This won’t do! How could we let guests cook!”
“And the meal is almost ready! Here’s what we’ll do – all of you go out and play, my wife and I will handle the preparations.”
Zhao Jianguo stood up hurriedly, a sudden inspiration helping him grasp the crux of the matter. He too rushed into the kitchen and shooed both Xia Mingyu and Lu Ning out.
“Captain…”
Xia Mingyu didn’t want to go out and face Si Konghuai. She frowned, standing reluctantly at the kitchen doorway.
Zhao Jianguo hadn’t become the production team captain for nothing – he was quite perceptive. Even if Si Konghuai and Xia Mingyu said nothing, how could he fail to notice the truth?
Zhao Jianguo earnestly advised Xia Mingyu. “As a woman, you really shouldn’t be so stubborn. He’s someone important – even if you don’t like him, you can’t afford to offend him. Besides, you need to think about the children, don’t you?”
“Never mind other things for now. First beg him to deal with Qiao Hongye, then other matters will be much simpler.”
Zhao Jianguo genuinely had Xia Mingyu’s best interests at heart. Having no alternative, Xia Mingyu had no choice but to follow his advice and come out.
After the meal, she would take Si Konghuai to the Public Security Bureau and have him help handle Qiao Hongye.
If possible, she not only wanted to obtain a divorce certificate but also make Qiao Hongye pay the price he deserved – to completely ruin his future prospects!
Moreover, he should compensate her for mental distress, nutritional expenses, and hardship costs!
She couldn’t let these five years of suffering be in vain!
Xia Mingyu lowered her eyes, a fleeting shadow passing through them.
In just those few seconds she was lost in thought, Si Konghuai in the courtyard and the Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan brothers had all disappeared.
Had Si Konghuai abducted both brothers?!