Outside, Jiazhi of the Gao family was completely stunned, standing frozen, unable to believe that he was not his parents’ child.
Then whose child was he? Jiazhi wanted to rush in and ask, but he was too timid, even afraid, so he quietly left.
For a moment, Jiazhi was at a loss, not knowing where to go.
Meanwhile, Xia Xiao had just left the Gao family’s residence and at the dormitory entrance, she encountered a woman who looked gallant, as if she had come from the military. Xia Xiao couldn’t help but take a second look, only to catch the woman’s unfriendly gaze.
The woman who seemed like she came from the military instantly made Xia Xiao think of an army commander’s daughter, but she quickly dismissed the idea, since she had nothing to do with He Xuebing, so why would any commander’s daughter come here?
Moreover, being able to meet a strange woman at the dormitory entrance, Xia Xiao also guessed who this woman might be.
"I am. May I ask who you are?" Xia Xiao feigned ignorance.
"I am Li Zhenchuan’s fiancée, Ning Hui."
Xia Xiao was taken aback. Feng Ying had just left, and now here came Ning Hui, who had an unfriendly demeanor.
Ning Hui, what a good name, suggestive of a gentle and dignified demeanor, and yet with that stern face and hostile gaze, Xia Xiao felt the name was wasted on her.
"Ning Hui Comrade, hello." Xia Xiao greeted politely.
"I hope in the future I won’t see you approaching Li Zhenchuan, he is a man with a fiancée." Having said that, Ning Hui turned around and walked into the dorm ahead of Xia Xiao.
Xia Xiao was speechless; this was clearly a warning. She too headed towards the dormitory.
At this moment, Wang Aihua, Sun Yuhua, and Yang Xuehua were all present; the dorm used to be lively and full of laughter, but now everyone was quiet.
And they looked at each other, none speaking first.
"I’m talking about your behavior, bribing people with eggs," Ning Hui added.
Xia Xiao scoffed, "I consider Sister Aihua, Sister Yuhua, and Sister Xuehua as close as real sisters, sharing both good and bad times, is that not allowed?"
The tension between Xia Xiao and Ning Hui was palpable in the dorm, while Xia Xiao was usually peace-loving, Ning Hui’s hostile demeanor provoked her to stand her ground.
"You’re just being obstinate," Ning Hui glared.
Xia Xiao retorted, "I could say you’re making trouble out of nothing."
Yang Xuehua said, "Xia Xiao, ignore her, she just wants to pick a fight."
Wang Aihua said, "Comrade Ning Hui, is there a misunderstanding between you, Yang Xuehua, and Xia Xiao? We all live in the same dorm, wouldn’t it be better to clear up any misunderstandings?"
"Misunderstanding? I don’t think so. They all cling to Li Zhenchuan. If it weren’t for you female educated youth, why would he ignore me?" Ning Hui said unhappily.
"You female educated youth," lumped everyone together, now Wang Aihua and Sun Yuhua were also displeased.
Xia Xiao was speechless; she thought that Li Zhenchuan disliking his fiancée must be due to her personality and also her lack of tact. But being straightforward was better than being superficially nice but stabbing you in the back.
Ning Hui was not unattractive, but not exactly beautiful either. However, her unlikable personality far overshadowed her looks. Her straightforwardness might have been tolerable, but her aggressively confrontational manner was annoying.
"Who is clinging to Secretary Li? If you’re not well-liked, shouldn’t you reflect on yourself instead of blaming others?" Xia Xiao wasn’t afraid of Ning Hui’s displeasure; it was clear they wouldn’t get along.
If Ning Hui had a better temperament, was approachable and graceful, Xia Xiao would truly admire her, but she had no interest in Ning Hui now.
"I’ve heard that you were clinging to him."
At Ning Hui’s words, Xia Xiao raised an eyebrow, "Who? Li Shengmei? Dong Meihua?"
"Just someone from the production team," Ning Hui was unwilling to specify.
Xia Xiao and the others didn’t press further, as none wanted to continue talking with Ning Hui. Seeing everyone ignoring her, Ning Hui left unhappy.
Soon everyone heard Ning Hui’s voice, "Who are you, skulking about here?"
Jiazhi replied, "Hello, Comrade, I’m looking for Sun Yuhua, is she here?"
"Then go find her," Ning Hui said as she walked away.
Xia Xiao called out, "Sister Yuhua, Brother Gao is looking for you."
Sun Yuhua got out of bed and went outside.
Wang Aihua said, "What kind of personality does Ning Hui have, not at all suitable for Secretary Li."
"He might be her fiancé, but she still is unsuitable," Yang Xuehua added.
Sun Yuhua soon came back and Wang Aihua asked, "That was quick?"
Sun Yuhua smiled and said, "Jiazhi actually came all the way to ask me if he looks like his family members, so curious."
"How did you respond?" Wang Aihua asked.
Sun Yuhua shook her head, "I didn’t entertain him, I was too sleepy and ready to go to sleep."
Sun Yuhua climbed into bed to sleep. Xia Xiao paused, her encounter with Jiazhi as she left the Gao family and now his questioning her was inexplicably linked.
But at this moment, Xia Xiao didn’t dwell on it further and, having just come back, everyone was resting; she joined them in resting.
Outside, Jiazhi had also left, returning home where Guoqiang and Zheng Xianghong were resting. Relieved, Jiazhi returned to his room.
He didn’t usually look in the mirror much, but now he went to Jiaxing’s room to find a mirror. Looking left and right, he felt he looked exactly like Gao family members.
Then he must be the son of the Gao family. The thought of his two great-uncles who had sacrificed themselves on the battlefield came to his mind but he dismissed it, considering he also resembled his mother.
Suddenly, Jiazhi paused sharply, considering a possibility—his maternal uncle. Thinking of the people from the Zheng family, it was indeed possible that he was the child of his maternal uncle.
But where was his birth mother?
So, when Zheng Xianghong woke from her nap, Jiazhi also came out. Seeing Jiazhi emerging from Jiaxing’s room, Zheng Xianghong said, "Xia Xiao came over to say that Jiaxing has followed Xia Xiao’s cousin to join the military."
"Oh," Jiazhi was happy for Jiaxing, but then he thought of his own origins and asked, "Mom, why did you push me to become a teacher?"
"Why are you asking this?" Zheng Xianghong didn’t give it much thought, unaware that her and Guoqiang’s conversation had been overheard by Jiazhi.