After everyone took their seats, all eyes turned to Huang Meiying.
A trace of nostalgia appeared in Huang Meiying’s eyes. "I was the daughter of a fallen landlord. By the time I met your father, my family was gone. Those times were chaotic. I married your father with only the property your grandfather—your paternal grandfather—had left me. After I became pregnant, the national war broke out fully, entering its most intense and final stage. Your father had his own beliefs and wanted to join the army. I agreed and let him go."
Zhu Yanyi handed a piece of fruit to Huang Meiying. Huang Meiying smiled warmly at Zhu Yanyi, her face full of kindness, and took a bite. "Your father wrote letters while she was in the army. But then the letters suddenly stopped. Soon after, news came that she had gone missing and had defected to the enemy.
When I heard this, I knew something was wrong. I knew your father’s character. He valued his beliefs deeply. He would never just disappear, nor would he become a deserter and betray the country. By then, I had already given birth to you. I was anxious but helpless, so I asked people to inquire. The last piece of information I got was that your father seemed to have returned home with a comrade. That comrade was from Zhu City and invited your father to visit Zhu City first. After that, he disappeared."
Tears welled up in Huang Meiying’s eyes as she spoke. Her face was filled with hatred, directed at the Zhu family in Zhu City.
"After getting this news, I decided to find your father. Our bond was deep. I felt your father wasn’t dead, but was in trouble and needed help.
But you hadn’t even reached your first birthday. I couldn’t take you with me to wander. So, I left you with your grandfather’s younger brother. I thought that as your uncle and your father’s twin, he wouldn’t mistreat you, no matter what. I also left five small gold bars, hoping they would last until you grew up. To hide my true purpose, I told everyone I had news of my natal family and was going to find them. The Zhu family in Zhu City heard this and spread rumors that I was climbing the social ladder to marry someone richer."
A glint passed through Huang Meiying’s eyes. "I’m not stupid. The Zhu family in Zhu City cared so much about my affairs; they must have had motives. So, while others weren’t looking, I secretly went to the Zhu family in Zhu City. The most dangerous place is often the safest. The Zhu family never expected me to live right under their noses.
After arriving in Zhu City, I secretly investigated them. I discovered Zhu Yongfu talking to someone who looked very much like your father. Shen Fu was my husband, so I naturally recognized at a glance that this person was fake. It wasn’t your father. While looking alike is normal, I heard Zhu Yongfu call him Shen Fu. That’s when I knew something was wrong."
Huang Meiying licked her lips. Zhu Yanyi handed her a cup of tea.
Huang Meiying took the tea, drank a sip to moisten her throat, and continued seriously. "I pretended to be a beggar woman, begging in Zhu City while secretly observing the Zhu family. Slowly, I found that this fake Zhu Shen Fu disappeared. Later, I learned that the fake Zhu Shen Fu had gone to Xiangjiang. At the same time, the news spread that your father, as a deserter, had also gone to Xiangjiang."
Huang Meiying took another sip of tea. "I knew that since someone was using my husband’s identity, my husband was likely in grave danger. But I refused to give up. I wanted to see him alive or dead. If I didn’t see his body, I wouldn’t believe he had been killed."
"I lived in the Zhu family’s territory in Zhu City, pretending to be a deaf and mute beggar. I secretly watched Zhu Yongfu and noticed that every seven days, he would take some water and food to the ancestral hall. If he were just making offerings, it would be fine. But I realized he wasn’t making offerings. I knew there must be a secret in the ancestral hall. So, I found an opportunity. On Zhu Yongfu’s birthday, when everyone was drunk, I entered the ancestral hall and searched carefully, but found nothing. Just as I didn’t know what to do, Zhu Yongfu came to the ancestral hall, drunk. I hid under the table covered by the altar cloth. This allowed me to discover a secret.
It turned out that a brick under the candle stand nearby was actually a switch. Pressing it revealed a passage. I guessed it led to a secret room."
Huang Meiying took a deep breath. Tears shimmered in her eyes, ready to fall at any moment. "After Zhu Yongfu left the ancestral hall, I followed her method and entered the secret room. That’s where I found your father. her eyes had been gouged out, her tongue cut, and her legs broken. she could only lie in bed. I went to her, and she wrote in my palm to tell me that Zhu Yongfu was plotting something, but your father didn’t know what the plot was."
"I didn’t know what Zhu Yongfu was planning, but I had to save your father. I knew I couldn’t stay in the secret room forever. So, using the opportunities of cleaning and begging, I secretly determined the location and started digging a tunnel from outside the village to that destination. It took twenty years to finish. During these twenty years, I could only visit your father secretly every few days.
Once the tunnel was complete, I originally wanted to take your father away. But in his condition, I couldn’t take him out. Moreover, your father said he needed to find out what Zhu Yongfu was doing, so he asked me to endure. I could only secretly care for your father. Another twenty years passed. Later, I learned that the Zhu Shen Fu in Xiangjiang had been using your father’s name to do things, and Zhu Yongfu had spread the news that this Zhu Shen Fu was your father. I was eager to tell you this news, but we didn’t know how to find you. Later…"
Huang Meiying looked at Zhu Yanyi. "Later, I accidentally learned that the Little Divine Doctor Zhu Yanyi was your daughter. They were trying to deal with you and even tried to bribe Zhu Enfu to voluntarily give up her status as the direct heir. That’s when I knew I could come find you. At least now, you can save your father."
"Mother." Zhu Shunyao heard this and, without hesitation, knelt before Huang Meiying. Xie Xinlian also knelt down, followed by the others.
"Get up quickly." Huang Meiying hurriedly pulled them up, one by one, and told the rest to stand. Then she said to Taishu Yuanxiang, "Son-in-law, don’t let your wife kneel. She is pregnant." Huang Meiying meant it sincerely.
"Yes, Grandmother." Taishu Yuanxiang nodded with a smile and helped his wife up.
"Mother, you and Father suffered so much." Tears filled Zhu Shunyao’s eyes. He had once resented his parents for not loving him enough. Now he realized they hadn’t lacked love; the situation they faced was too dangerous, making it impossible for them to show it.