"Those Zhu family members from the city are too much," Zhu Leiyao said, his anger palpable. He had never imagined anyone could be so cruel—disabling a person and then imprisoning them for over forty years.
Zhu Shunyo stood by and explained, "But things are better now. After my father was released, my two sons-in-law helped him. He has been cleared of all charges, and per the organization's instructions, he changed his name. He no longer uses the name Zhu Shenfu, but Zhu Xinfu. My parents have received their new ID cards. To compensate for his suffering, the government also grants him a vice-ministerial level subsidy, which he receives monthly."
Zhu Shunyo smiled as he continued, "So, I came here for two reasons: first, to mourn Uncle Enfu, and second, to update the family genealogy to reflect my father’s new name, Zhu Xinfu."
"That is easy," Zhu Leiyao agreed without hesitation. He went to the side, retrieved the family genealogy, and in front of Zhu Chanyao and Zhu Shunyo, circled the character 'Shen' in Zhu Shenfu’s name and replaced it with 'Xin'. He added a note in the remarks column explaining that the name change was due to someone impersonating the original name.
Seeing the matter resolved smoothly, Zhu Shunyo’s mood improved. "Now that this is done, let’s discuss Chanyao’s situation."
Zhu Chanyao knew that staying in Ganxie Village would be awkward. However, leaving immediately was difficult since he had a wife and children. After some thought, he said, "Brother Shunyo, I plan to leave for the capital to find you after my father’s seventh-day memorial. This will give me time to organize things and prepare my son’s transfer documents. What do you think?"
"Agreed," Zhu Shunyo replied after a brief pause. He understood Zhu Chanyao’s hesitation. His previous suggestion had been rash. Since Zhu Enfu had just passed away, it was proper to wait for the seventh-day memorial before departing, especially since Zhu Chanyao now had a son to care for.
"The seventh-day memorial is good. It gives me over a month to arrange things for you, such as housing and schools for the children," Zhu Shunyo added, feeling that a buffer period was beneficial.
Zhu Chanyao looked at Zhu Shunyo with gratitude. Due to his father’s death and the transfer of leadership, he was in low spirits. He worried that staying in the village might lead to suspicion. By announcing his move to the capital with Zhu Shunyo, the villagers would understand his departure.
Who wouldn’t want to develop in a big city? The capital was the heart of the nation, and many people longed to live there.
Zhu Leiyao understood the implication and laughed, "It seems I will never leave Ganxie Village in my lifetime." As the village head, leaving was not easy. Although it was a minor official position, it still tied him to the locality.
"You can come to the capital for tourism later, and I will host you," Zhu Shunyo said with a smile. He paused, then lowered his voice, "I have thought about it, and there are some things I must tell you."
"What is it?" Seeing Zhu Shunyo’s serious demeanor, Zhu Leiyao also adopted a solemn expression.
Zhu Shunyo said, "You know my two sons-in-law. They are not ordinary people; they have significant influence. After learning about my parents’ suffering, they will take action against the Zhu family from the city. Therefore, if they approach you privately, be careful. Do not let them trick you."
Zhu Leiyao remembered Zhu Shunyo’s warning. "Rest assured, I will keep your words in mind. Such things will not happen. If the Zhu family from the city comes, they will learn that although we share the same surname, we are different. They will suffer for their actions."
Zhu Chanyao sighed, "If I had Brother Leiyao’s determination back then, my father would not have fallen ill."
Zhu Shunyo patted Zhu Chanyao’s shoulder. "Do not dwell on the past. My daughter has a good saying: people must look forward."
Zhu Chanyao looked at Zhu Shunyo speechlessly. "I notice one thing, Brother Shunyo. You seem to spoil your daughter even more than before. Are you not worried about Doumiao’s feelings?"
"No," Zhu Shunyo waved his hand. "Doumiao knows his place. He knows he is at the bottom of the family hierarchy."
(⊙o⊙)… What is there to boast about? Zhu Chanyao and Zhu Leiyao exchanged glances, then silently turned away, coughing to express sympathy for Zhu Zhibin.
Seeing that matters were settled, Zhu Shunyo said, "Things here are mostly done. Before the issue with the Zhu family from the city is resolved, I will not return here often."
Zhu Leiyao was a smart man. She understood that Zhu Shunyo was worried the Zhu family from the city might use her as leverage. The person they would target was not her, but Zhu Yanyi in the capital.
"By the way, how is the Little Divine Doctor? Is she doing well in the capital?" Zhu Leiyao asked out of courtesy.
"She is doing well. In the capital, Ani is already very famous," Zhu Shunyo replied. Not only was she famous in the capital, but few people in the world did not know Zhu Yanyi.
Because of this, the villagers of Ganxie Village did not speak openly about it. It was not that they did not want to, but Zhu Leiyao suppressed them.
As the village head, Zhu Leiyao saw things differently from the villagers. Zhu Yanyi’s fame was good news for Ganxie Village, but it could also attract envy and danger. With frequent espionage incidents in recent years, Zhu Leiyao did not want such risks in her village.
Thanks to people like Zhu Leiyao and the support from Zhang Haifeng and others outside, no one knew that Zhu Yanyi was originally from Ganxie Village.
"The Little Divine Doctor has such ability. It is truly unexpected," Zhu Leiyao said. Who could have imagined that the pink, soft little girl from the past would become so renowned?
"Do not doubt it. If someone had told me this ten years ago, I would not have believed it either," Zhu Shunyo said, taking out cigarettes and distributing them to Zhu Leiyao and Zhu Chanyao. she sighed, "But that is the reality. Ani is moving too fast. To be honest, as her father, I feel I cannot keep up. In fact, I already cannot. Most of my business success is due to my daughter’s and son-in-law’s connections."
Zhu Shunyo自嘲 (mocked himself). In other families, the father earns money and the children enjoy it. In his family, it was the opposite. His children were too outstanding.