Granny Ai let out a loud exclamation as she stood up, holding onto her knees for support, staring at Granny Fang Yu as if seeing her for the first time. "What is this? What's gotten into you today, Yu Jie? Did you lose your way or something? Are you sure this is where you meant to come?"
Granny Fang Yu, breathing heavily, waved her off and said, "This doesn't concern you. Mind your business before you anger me, Ai. This is between me and my daughter."
Granny Ai sprang to her feet, flinging out her hands. "Something isn't right here! But everyone knows that Lan Yi isn't the only one having right over Zhan in this house. If you have a complaint, go find Qiren....maybe he hasn't left yet. Go to his room, tell him whatever is on your mind! But don't come here stirring trouble for us, no way! If you want Zhan sent back to where Qiren found him, then speak to him! It wasn't Lan Yi who took him in; she only raised him because her husband and her love him and wished for peace in the home. And if you're here to destroy her marriage and send her packing to your house, then we'll just say trouble has come to this house because that's what you're here for!"
Aunt Marquis was speechless, frozen, her body growing cold. She couldn't even think, let alone speak. And if she had words, she wouldn't dare say them before her mother Fang Yu...the old woman could curse her in a way no one else could. Lan Yi herself stood rooted, like she had been planted to the spot. She didn't even blink. This was the last thing she expected from her mother. She was still struggling to believe these words were coming from her mother's mouth. Was this really her mother? Her eyes were dry from sheer shock, the tears barely held back as she stared at Granny Fang Yu without moving.
Granny Fang Yu pointed a trembling finger at Granny Ai, saying, "I said stay out of this, Ai. Don't back me into a corner. Don't speak on matters of my family when you have nothing good to add. If it's because of Zhan that trouble keeps brewing in my family, then I've decided....Lan Yi must choose: either him or me. Yes, she must choose between me and Zhan."
"How can it be that because of Zhan, Shu was hurt and humiliated, and no one came to see how she was doing....not from you, not from that hypocrite who beat her? How can it be that because of Zhan, Lan Yi's children bear the weight of resentment toward Shu? It's as if no one hates anyone in this world more than Shu! And now, because of Zhan, Yibo drove his wife out of the house barely a day into their marriage...just because of Zhan! Are we supposed to believe all this trouble he's causing is somehow a blessing?"
"I see it as our mistake, taking him in, feeding and raising him until now. What schooling has he done that makes him so important? He's about to graduate college soon, so what? I won't stand by and watch my family fall apart over someone we owe nothing to except the kindness that made us take him in to begin with. I've kept quiet for 22 years, looked the other way, endured seeing Shu insulted and mistreated because of this boy. But no more."
"So whenever Lan Yi makes her decision, she can come find me. Either him or me. I won't leave this world without making this right…" With that, Granny Fang Yu stormed out of the sitting room.
Zhan, who had been standing nearby since Granny Fang Yu entered, had heard everything. He quickly turned and fled to his room, locking the door behind him and leaning against it, trying to catch his breath.
It was only then that tears finally welled in Lan Yi's eyes as she looked at Aunt Marquis, who sat with her head in her hands, muttering in her heart, What a disaster this is. Granny Ai waved her hands and widened her eyes, saying, "Trouble has come to Fang Yu. People said it starts small and ends badly. Has my sister really changed like this while I've been away? What's happened to her that she's become so harsh, so heartless?"
As Granny Ai stormed out of the sitting room, she headed straight for Hai Kuan's room. Aunt Marquis gathered her courage and said, "Lan Yi, please calm down. I know Mother spoke out of anger....she didn't truly mean what she said deep in her heart…" But Aunt Marquis couldn't finish. Tears streamed down her face as she felt deep pity for her sister.
Lan Yi clutched her head, tears brimming in her eyes, her heart aching terribly. Granny Fang Yu's harsh words kept echoing in her ears, as if they wouldn't let her rest.
Aunt Marquis moved closer, summoning all her strength to hug her. "Please, just try to stay calm, Lan Yi…"
That was when Lan Yi broke down completely, sobbing hard.
Zhan stood frozen by his bedroom door for over seven minutes, unable to move. His eyes were painfully dry, and suddenly his chest felt unbearably heavy, as if a huge stone had been placed upon it. Unable to keep standing, he slowly made his way to the edge of his bed and sat down, hoping it would ease the tightness in his chest. But Zhan felt no relief from the torment inside him. In the end, he forced himself to get up, went to put on his face mask, grabbed his bag, and headed for the door.
He opened it quietly, so no sound would be heard. Peeking out into the corridor, he saw Granny Ai knocking furiously on Hai Kuan's door, pounding it without pause. Zhan closed his door again silently and leaned against it, feeling as if it was becoming harder and harder to breathe.
After a while, he heard Granny Ai's angry voice. "How can you sleep like the dead while someone's knocking like this? What kind of careless sleep is this, Hai Kuan? What if the house were on fire or something terrible had happened?"
Zhan heard Hai Kuan's sleepy reply, "What's going on?" Granny Ai pushed into the room, saying, "This isn't the time to stand around talking." Hai Kuan followed her in and locked the door. Hearing this, Zhan quietly opened his own door, slipped out, and quickly went downstairs and out into the yard. Within minutes, he was out by the main road, where he flagged down a rickshaw and told the driver where he wanted to go.
Though the place Zhan headed to wasn't far, the journey felt endless because his breathing was so labored. He was exhausted. He didn't even make it to the department entrance; not wanting anyone to see or recognize him, he settled under a tree near a gossip bench and sat there, trying to catch his breath. He stayed there for a full three hours, but none of the three cars Dr. Kexing usually arrived in appeared.
When Zhan saw that it was almost past noon, he forced himself to stand. By now, only he knew the full extent of the pain in his body and chest. He felt dizzy too. He stood at the school gate for more than fifteen minutes, unsure where to go next. Finally, he hailed a taxi and told the driver where to take him.
After nearly thirty minutes, the taxi stopped at his destination. Zhan paid the fare and slowly walked toward the gate of the house. He leaned against it for almost five minutes before knocking. He kept knocking, growing weary, as there was no sign anyone would open. At first, he wasn't even sure if anyone was inside. He was so tired and unwell, only sheer will kept him standing in the blazing heat.
There was nowhere nearby for him to sit, and he hadn't seen anyone else on the street since he arrived, which made him feel more at ease standing there. From the next street, he could hear the afternoon prayer service at the church. He leaned against the gate and closed his eyes. Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes, he heard the gate being unlocked. He straightened up, stepping back quickly, his heart pounding...he had no idea who he was about to face.
At last, the gate opened. Dr. Kexing stared at him in shock, just as Zhan...his face hidden behind a mask....stared back at him. Dr. Kexing looked up and down the street, baffled, then said, "Zhan!"
Zhan said nothing, dropping his gaze. Dr. Kexing quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, locking the gate behind them. He removed Zhan's mask and studied his face. Seeing how unwell he looked and how his breathing was strained, he asked urgently, "Are you okay?"
Zhan just shook his head.
Without another word, Dr. Kexing held onto his hand and hurried him toward the house. But before they even reached the entrance of the sitting room, Zhan felt the world spinning around him....and then he knew no more.
***
Yibo stood there, glaring at Aunt Marquis, his voice sharp with frustration. "Aunt, I don't think it's anyone's business what happens in my house or with my wife. Even if I decided to divorce Min, that's my decision. I'm old enough to make choices for myself....no one else has a say in it. No one advised me to marry her in the first place, so no one can tell me how to handle my marriage except my mother or father. What right does Granny Fang Yu have to interfere in my home, to the point of blaming Zhan for everything? I don't believe that's the only reason she came here and caused this mess. There's definitely more to it."
"And if she claims Mama won't take care of Zhan anymore, we will. He's our brother today and always, and this is our father's house. Even if Zhan lives in my house, no one will question that. My reasons for sending Min back home are between me and her. That's personal, and Zhan has nothing to do with it."
Hai Kuan stood nearby, arms crossed, his face hard with anger. He refused to say a word. Aunt Marquis kept wiping tears that wouldn't stop, completely lost for what to say. Lan Yi had already left for Granny Fang Yu's house, and now it was noon... she still hadn't returned. Who knew if she'd go there and agree to whatever Granny Fang Yu wanted, like cutting ties with Zhan just to satisfy her?
Granny Ai approached, hands on her hips, saying, "Look, if you're going to talk to your father, be clear about what's happening. No more of this hiding things from him this time. Jie Yu came here early this morning, before we were even out of bed, threatening that she'd curse Lan Yi if she didn't send Zhan away. The moment Jie Yu left, Zhan was nowhere to be found....vanished completely. He must've heard everything that was said in this house. That's all there is to it. But I know Zhan will come back, no matter where he ran off to. He's got no mother's or father's people to turn to. He left because of his young age and hurt pride, but he'll realize the truth and return. That's why I'm not too worried."
"The last time he ran off, he thought he had no one. And what happened? He came back at dawn. Who knows, maybe he even spent the night on the street. You'll see...he'll come back again soon, stumbling in. People with family can't survive long out there, let alone a boy like him, who was found abandoned and raised by us. And let Qiren know it was Shu who ruined Zhan's marriage prospects. If he wants to take her to court, fine....he's got a lawyer in the family who can fight for him. And as for Lan Yi, ever so obedient, let's see her throw Zhan's belongings into the street like her mother wants. We'll see how far that gets her."
"Qiren has every right in his own house....not Lan Yi or her mother. He and his children alone can look after Zhan. And I'm willing to care for him myself, either. I'll even move back from Yantai and bring the rest of my things here if I must. As for Marquis, stop sitting here dabbing at tears...once we leave this sitting room, she'll throw on her headscarf and run after her sister to their mother's house. All this weeping is nothing but hypocrisy. For now, Zhan's support is Qiren, me, and all of you. That's it."
Hai Kuan left the sitting room and went to the guest room where Qiren was. He found their father sitting there alone. Since Lan Yi had left the sitting room to go to Granny Fang Yu's house, Qiren hadn't moved from where he was seated. Lan Yi hadn't hidden anything from him about what was happening. He never imagined things would turn out this way in the end. If they had known, they wouldn't have hidden the truth about Zhan from him...they wouldn't have kept it secret that Zhan wasn't their biological son. At most, they would have simply said his parents had died in an accident and that they had found him alone in the car. They could have explained that despite their best efforts, they hadn't been able to trace his relatives. If only they had done that from the beginning, everything might have gone more smoothly.
All this time, Qiren had been avoiding looking at Zhan because he didn't even know how he could face him anymore. He felt like both he and Lan Yi had failed Zhan....they had let him down. Zhan had grown up believing he was their son, and now, in just one day, that belief was shattered. And now Zhan was suffering because of them. It weighed heavily on Qiren. Even in the future, if someone wanted to marry Zhan, that stain of being "without known origin" would never fade. Qiren was trying to act as if everything was fine, but deep down, he felt deeply sorry for Zhan and regretted their choices. He could see how hard Zhan was trying to hold himself together, knowing him to be a strong boy from the start...but now there was this new problem that Granny Fang Yu had stirred up.
As for Lan Yi, no one else's opinion mattered to her in the world beyond her husband's and her mother's. Her mother came first in everything. True, if it hadn't been for Granny Fang Yu, Zhan might have ended up in an orphanage that day they found him, along with the local authorities. Even though Lan Yi had begged for them to keep him, Qiren had refused....until Granny Fang Yu stepped in and convinced him.
After a while, Qiren lifted his head to look at Hai Kuan as he entered the room. Hai Kuan found a seat, and Qiren said nothing at first. After a few seconds, Hai Kuan finally gathered the courage to speak. "Where do we start looking for Zhan now?"
Qiren let out a quiet sigh and calmly replied, "He'll come back. He has nowhere else to go."
Hai Kuan stood up, his voice tense. "But it's been over three hours since he left the house. Who knows what condition he's in right now?"
Qiren leaned his head back against the chair as if he wouldn't respond, but after a pause, he said, "Sit down, Hai Kuan."
Hai Kuan sat back down. Qiren took a deep breath, his voice low and steady. "There's something I want to ask of you, Hai Kuan."
Hai Kuan looked up at him, waiting. Qiren exhaled slowly, and said, "I want you to marry your brother, Zhan. I know you'll protect him....as your brother, as your partner, and as the orphan he is..."
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛