Zhu Guifu felt his composure shatter completely. Yet, he remained silent, forcing out only: "Brother, our family wronged Shunyao in the past. I can compensate him."
"Compensation?" Zhu Xinfu sat down nearby with a mocking smile. "Since you bring up compensation, let us discuss how to handle it."
Zhu Guifu was stunned, unsure of his brother’s intent, but he sat down anyway. "Brother, I know Shunyao suffered. But you must understand, our situation was dire then. I had a son and two daughters to feed. That is why things happened as they did. I admit Shunyao lost out. But once our Xiangyao returns with great wealth, we will certainly make it right."
"You talk much, yet it remains an empty promise," Zhu Xinfu said, his gaze cold. "You speak of Xiangyao returning. But do you truly believe he will come back?"
"What do you mean?" A heavy dread settled in Zhu Guifu’s chest.
Zhu Xinfu chuckled, his expression full of disdain. "I will not judge Xiangyao’s character, nor do I care about his past actions toward our Shunyao’s family. I returned from the Capital. After my accident, my two grandson-in-laws rescued me and took me to the Capital. I spent over four months in the hospital there. During that time, I heard many local anecdotes. One was particularly interesting. I shall share it with you."
Seeing the crowd of onlookers, Zhu Xinfu felt no shame; indeed, shame was not her burden. "There was a girl named Liu Peipei. Jealous of our Anan, she pushed her in public, causing a premature birth. Fortunately, our Ani intervened, and Anan safely gave birth to a son. The interesting part is not this, but what happened to Liu Peipei. Knowing she had caused trouble, she could not sleep in peace. She sleepwalked and broke her leg. Her parents begged for our Ani’s help, but Ani refused on the spot. The truth came out. Her parents, enraged, sent her abroad. However, at the airport, she met a single man in her forties. she called himself Chonglou."
Zhu Xinfu glanced at Zhu Guifu, his expression signaling the main event. "Guifu, do you know who this Chonglou is?"
"Who is he?" Zhu Guifu suspected the answer but dared not ask openly.
Zhu Xinfu sneered lightly. "This Chonglou has another name—his original name. It is Zhu Xiangyao. For his own future, he changed his name to Chonglou, abandoning his ancestral surname."
"You lie! Our Xiangyao is not such a person!" Gan Juhua protested, though doubt crept into her heart. Since Xiangyao was rescued, news had been scarce after the initial messages.
Zhu Xinfu looked at Gan Juhua calmly. "I do not know if your Xiangyao is such a person. I merely share an interesting story."
She turned back to Zhu Guifu. "If Chonglou is Zhu Xiangyao, and Zhu Xiangyao is Chonglou, even if there are unspeakable secrets, she should still care for you. Yet, look at you. You still live in this old house. Compared to some, you are better off; at least it is a high flat-roofed tile house, far superior to the mud-and-straw huts our Shunyao once lived in."
Gan Juhua could not accept that Xiangyao had become Chonglou. She stared at Zhu Xinfu. "You are deceiving me, aren't you? Our Xiangyao would never do such a thing."
Zhu Xinfu remained indifferent. "If you do not believe me, I can buy you train tickets and send you to Chonglou. You can see for yourselves."
Zhu Shunyao spoke from the side. "Zhu Xiangyao is indeed Chonglou. He has discarded the name Zhu Xiangyao and uses only Chonglou. Moreover, he has married in the Capital. His wife is Liu Peipei, the one who harmed our Anan. Regardless of his past deeds, for this reason alone, Fourth Uncle, I will not forgive your family. However, you are old now, so I hold this grudge against Chonglou."
Zhu Guifu looked at Zhu Xinfu and Zhu Shunyao, his hands trembling. He could ignore other matters, but he could not ignore the lack of an heir. Xiangyao had lost his job initially to secure a son. Now, even Xiangyao was gone. If Xiangyao had truly abandoned his name and become Chonglou, Zhu Guifu’s lineage would end. "Is what you say true? Xiangyao is in the Capital, and he has changed his name?"
"There is no need to lie to you about this," Zhu Shunyao said. "The only relief is that he still has some conscience. He joined the organization. Regardless of his reasons, he did not use the name Zhu Xiangyao, which would have brought shame to our family. Therefore, I have informed the clan. Zhu Xiangyao is now considered dead. The living one is a stranger to us."
"You cannot do this!" Zhu Guifu cried, his face pale. Once the clan declared him dead, Xiangyao could never return, even if alive.
Zhu Xinfu sneered at Zhu Guifu. "Why can we not do this? Because of what your son did, we have every right." Zhu Xinfu’s eyes were cold. This twin brother, born of the same womb, had no sibling affection. To cling to such ties would only harm himself.
"I must see Xiangyao. I must ask him about this," Gan Juhua declared.
Zhu Guifu added, "Yes, I must see Xiangyao. I must ask if he truly intends to change his name and abandon his ancestors."