Xia Dongxue was indeed willing to listen. She choked back her sobs and said, "I’m sorry, Mom really can’t control herself."
Yunyi naturally understood. "It’s a good thing we’ve found each other. We should be happy."
Xia Dongxue agreed, "You’re right, we should be happy."
But as she spoke, the tears began to fall again.
Luckily, with Ye Wenhao, Yunyi’s second brother, cracking jokes on the side, Xia Dongxue finally managed to stop crying.
Only then did Ye Bingyu formally make the introductions. "Yunyi, I am Ye Bingyu, your biological father, and this is your mother, Xia Dongxue."
Pointing to the person next to him, he continued, "This is your eldest brother, Ye Wenhui, and this is..."
Before he could finish, Ye Wenhao interjected, "I’m your second brother, Ye Wenhao!"
Ye Bingyu then pointed towards Shi Jingfang and said, "This is your second aunt, Shi Jingfang."
Shi Jingfang looked at Yunyi, her face full of guilt. "I never expected we’d have this kind of connection. We met a few times but always seemed to miss a proper introduction due to unfortunate circumstances. If even one of those encounters had been less hurried, maybe we could have found you sooner."
Yunyi comforted her by patting her hand. "Perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, it’s all fate. There’s no need for self-reproach. In this vast sea of people, it’s already wonderful that we could reunite."
Xia Dongxue, also concerned that her sister-in-law might continue to blame herself, added, "Jingfang, Yunyi is right. It’s all the work of fate. If it hadn’t been for you, we might not have found out at all. From now on, let’s treat her well and make up for everything she lacked before, twice over."
Though the family reunion had its twists and turns, it ultimately felt complete.
After learning that her elder sister-in-law had been taken away by the police, Zhang Baoxiang called Ye Bingkun back. "Bingkun, my sister-in-law indeed made a mistake, but the child wasn’t actually switched by her hands. Having selfish motives is a common flaw. Considering the comradeship your elder brother and you had with my elder brother, please help my sister-in-law.
"She really can’t afford for anything to happen to her. If she were really to be locked away, what would that mean for Qiang Jun and the others? How could they ever hold their heads up in the village again?"
Fearful that Ye Bingkun wouldn’t help, she quickly added, "And for our Wenqing to have such an aunt... it wouldn’t sound good if word got out."
Ye Bingkun’s expression was very grim. "I can’t help you with this. I don’t have the face to ask my elder brother and sister-in-law for help."
Zhang Baoxiang, seeing that Ye Bingkun was unmoved, urged anxiously, "When your elder brother and sister-in-law bring the child back, I’ll have my elder brother give them a sum of money as compensation. For the sake of the comradeship you shared, and for our family connections, please, could you help?" For origınal chapters go to 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
Ye Bingkun threw what he was holding onto the ground. "Zhang Baoxiang, she knew what happened and didn’t report it—that alone is inhumane! And then she even made contingency plans! The most despicable part is that she personally took that child away and abandoned her. How do any of you have the nerve to ask for favors?"
Outside the door, Ye Wenyue’s complexion turned ghostly pale when she heard their conversation. She had thought it was just a child swap; she hadn’t expected that aunt to actually abandon the child. She couldn’t bear to listen any longer, covered her face, turned, and ran away.
It wasn’t until she was far away that she stopped. She didn’t know what to do next. She dreaded returning to the Third Branch family and facing her biological parents. She was also terrified of seeing her cousin, who was the true daughter of the parents who had raised Ye Wenyue. She knew she owed her, but she was afraid to see her possessing everything she herself once had. She was afraid she would become jealous.
As she was lost in her thoughts, she heard someone calling her, "Wen Yue, what’s happened to you?"
Hearing the familiar voice, she turned around to see her aunt, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, and called out with a hint of grievance, "Auntie."
Ye Binglan was a female soldier who had been away on a mission. She was completely unaware of the family’s recent turmoil. "Who has upset our Wen Yue? Don’t cry, sweetheart. Tell your auntie, and see if your auntie doesn’t teach them a good lesson."