Shen Chi returned home after more than half a month, with only a few days left before the start of the semester at Capital University.
"Why have you gotten so much darker?" Lin Xiaoguai got quite a shock upon seeing him suddenly.
"It’s nothing." Shen Chi put down his heavy bag and lifted the charging Little Niangao, weighing him and saying, "The climate is different here, I’ll be back to my normal color in a couple of days." He had plenty of experience with this.
Lin Xiaoguai then realized that getting darker isn’t always due to sun exposure. She remembered getting a lot darker on a trip to H Province in her previous life. She was puzzled since she was sure her skin didn’t tan easily, and then she lightened up after a few days once she got back. It was only after her friends mentioned it that she understood.
"Got anything to eat? Fix me something, I’m starved." Shen Chi said pitifully, rubbing his stomach.
"Why didn’t you buy some food on the train?" Since it wasn’t mealtime, Lin Xiaoguai could only prepare some noodles for him, lucky that there was some beef soup in the fridge, which was perfect for making delicious noodles.
"Don’t even mention it," Shen Chi complained as he wolfed down some flaky pastry from the table. "The train only had instant noodles and fast food, not to mention they were expensive and terrible; I’d rather chew on steamed buns. I couldn’t take it after two days."
Shen Chi was quite traditional, only liking rice and meat. He didn’t care for things like instant noodles, eight treasure porridge, or canned goods, which most people nowadays considered nice food.
Lin Xiaoguai worked quickly, and a big bowl of beef noodles was placed in front of him shortly. Shen Chi couldn’t be bothered to talk, he just dug in earnestly.
"There was some trouble while you were away," Lin Xiaoguai spoke up when he was nearly done eating.
"What happened?" Shen Chi glanced over his wife and son, making sure they were both intact before asking.
Lin Xiaoguai briefly recounted what happened with the Han Family recently and concluded, "General Han Kuang just got discharged from the hospital yesterday. What are your plans?"
"What can I plan? The man’s out of the hospital already," Shen Chi said indifferently.
"Shouxin, have you gotten any news about your brother?"
Hearing Han Kuang ask once more about the progress in finding his youngest son, Han Shouxin and Han Shouzhen exchanged a glance, hesitating whether they should tell him about Shen Chi.
It was Zheng Cuicui who couldn’t stand by any longer and spoke up softly, "Dad, actually Shoulu found him a long time ago."
She didn’t realize that Han Shouzhen and Han Shouxin’s hesitance stemmed from concern that Shen Chi would be unhappy, thinking they still bore resentment against Han Kuang, which prompted her to speak.
"What did you say?" Han Kuang was startled and turned to look at his son and daughter-in-law, noticing the change in their expressions, he realized he hadn’t misheard.
"Don’t beat around the bush with me. Tell me what’s going on," he commanded, his usually easy-going demeanor now replaced with an intimidating presence.
Seeing they couldn’t dodge the issue, Han Shouxin sighed and nodded, "Shoulu was indeed found, but whether he’ll acknowledge you as his father is another matter."
Han Kuang, who had always been assertive, started to frown reflexively but then remembered his current situation and asked a bit roughly, "What does that mean?" The idea of a son not recognizing his father was unheard of to him.
"I forgot to tell you, initially it was Liu Yuzhi who threw Shoulu into the stream. If not for his adoptive parents, he wouldn’t have survived," Han Shouxin said with a blank face.
You could read the old man’s thoughts from his expression. Even though he didn’t say it out loud, how could he not guess what the old man was thinking?
How could one not survive being thrown into a stream?
Han Kuang didn’t connect the dots at first, but then it hit him; his youngest son went missing during the New Year when the weather...
A cold sweat broke out on his body as anxiety seeped into his voice, "How is Shoulu now? He didn’t suffer any mishap from the cold, did he?" Many tough men were rendered disabled from freezing during the war. Even he had some minor ailments in his legs, which hurt whenever it rained.
His youngest son was only three years old back then. Even if his life was saved, if he ended up crippled...
Han Kuang thought his hatred for Liu Yuzhi had peaked already, but it seemed he had underestimated his capacity for resentment.
"That toxic woman!" Han Kuang had always had self-control, rarely wasting words when angry, usually just giving stern looks and settling scores later on.
But this was unprecedented.
"It’s not only that. Somehow, she found out Shoulu was still alive and went to him, calling him an illegitimate child, talking about how his birth mother shamelessly seduced you, and then died from childbirth complications. And how you despised him, not wanting to bring him home, and finally, how he was thrown into a stream by his uncles and aunt who were discontent after his maternal grandparents died." Han Shouxin knew how to kick someone when they were down if necessary, but only did so when the situation called for it.