Just because something has been told countless times doesn’t make it true.

Shi Surong maintained a look of innocence.

Xia Xiaolan didn’t follow the usual script, her first question seemed completely unrelated:

“Aunt, Young Aunt has been missing for almost 30 years now, do you ever dream about her?”

Shi Surong was taken aback, “Dream about her?”

Xia Xiaolan nodded matter-of-factly, “Yes, Young Aunt got lost while watching the military parade with you and Uncle Tang, you must feel extremely guilty and have had nightmares about it over the years, right?”

Xia Xiaolan looked sympathetic.

Shi Surong hadn’t expected this question and responded vaguely:

“Of course, I feel guilty, and I’ve dreamed about it a few times. But no matter how guilty I feel, nothing can be done. She’s gone missing, even the police couldn’t find her back then, how could we find her now?”

Lies.

Xia Xiaolan couldn’t detect a trace of guilt in Shi Surong.

She sighed softly, “I also think we won’t find her, but my mother said since Uncle Tang Senior has passed away, finding Young Aunt would be a comfort to Uncle Tang. At least if we search quietly, Uncle Tang would be happy knowing we tried.”

Shi Surong’s eyelid twitched.

No wonder Tang Hongen became mayor and remarried a self-employed woman.

If nothing else, that woman knew how to please men.

When they returned for the funeral after Tang Hongen’s incense was knocked away, he didn’t say anything, but that woman got angry first.

She even taught her baggage how to please Tang Hongen.

She was indeed calculating.

It wasn’t difficult to take advantage of the previous wife surnamed Ji, but the new wife was too shrewd. Shi Surong wasn’t as optimistic as her son Tang Chunlei.

However, precisely because that woman was so shrewd, the baggage she brought to the Tang family seemed rather dim-witted.

How could someone like her get into Huaqing University?

Tang Hongen must have arranged it…

Thinking of her daughter Tang Ruojia’s dream of attending Huaqing, Shi Surong felt that if someone like Xia Xiaolan could get in, it would be unreasonable for Ruojia not to. Of course, with so many students taking the college entrance exam, although Ruojia’s grades were good, there wasn’t 100% certainty. If Tang Hongen could help, any university in the country would be within Ruojia’s reach.

With ulterior motives in mind, she had to cooperate.

Shi Surong answered whatever Xia Xiaolan asked, though her tone wasn’t pleasant.

Xia Xiaolan repeatedly asked about certain details, until Shi Surong’s scalp tingled and her voice grew harsh:

“How many times do you need me to repeat this?”

“Aunt, I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch it earlier, could you say it one last time?”

Xia Xiaolan was thick-skinned, seemingly oblivious to how foolish she appeared.

Shi Surong grew increasingly resentful.

She didn’t believe someone this dim-witted wasn’t forced into Huaqing University by Tang Hongen!

Tang Ruojia stood at the doorway for a while, shaking her head.

What good qualities did Xia Xiaolan have besides good looks?

Her personality wasn’t good.

She wasn’t particularly intelligent.

She abandoned her drunk husband.

Perhaps Second Uncle didn’t even care for this stepdaughter, since he hadn’t let her take the Tang surname.

If she had taken their surname, that would have truly brought shame to the Tang family.

Tang Ruojia returned to her room and took out her textbooks, but couldn’t focus on studying.

People are like this – without external help to rely on, most would accept their fate and depend on themselves. Knowing there’s external help available inevitably leads to anxiety, especially for Tang Ruojia, whose grades were above average. She wasn’t content with attending an ordinary university and aspired to prestigious schools, setting her sights on Huaqing, Jing University, and Zhongke University.

Huaqing was her carefully chosen first choice.

Based on previous years’ admission scores, her mock exam results still fell short of Huaqing’s admission line.

No matter how hard she worked in the remaining half year, she probably couldn’t bridge this gap, unless… The second Uncle helped.

Tang Ruojia was anxious too – could the family really repair their relationship with Second Uncle in the half year left?

Couldn’t they approach the Second Uncle directly instead of having to endure his stepdaughter?

Naturally, Xia Xiaolan was unaware of Tang Ruojia’s thoughts.

She didn’t care what Tang Ruojia thought at all. Her repeated questioning of Shi Surong wasn’t because she couldn’t remember the content, but to make Shi Surong tell the story over and over, trying to find inconsistencies in her words.

After annoying Shi Surong thoroughly, she was given a basin of hot water and told to go take care of the drunk Zhou Cheng.

Xia Xiaolan carried the washbasin into the room, seeing Zhou Cheng lying down with his eyes closed. Of course, she found her husband handsome no matter how she looked at him. She wrungx out a towel to wipe Zhou Cheng’s face, but as soon as she reached out, Zhou Cheng gently pulled her down, and Xia Xiaolan found herself lying on his chest.

“Don’t fool around, you’re still pretending to be drunk, stay in character!”

Although they were alone in the room at the Tang house, Xia Xiaolan still felt somewhat embarrassed.

Lying on Zhou Cheng’s chest, she could hear his heart beating strongly.

Zhou Cheng held back his laughter, “Where’s your mind wandering? Wife, I feel you’re becoming less and less innocent. Don’t think crooked thoughts, I’m not trying to do anything bad, I just want to ask what you’ve discovered! Shh, don’t move, they’ll hear us talking if we’re not close.”

That was the logic, but why didn’t she believe it?

He was doing it on purpose…

Xia Xiaolan suppressed her wandering thoughts: “There are inconsistencies in Shi Surong’s story. When I asked her the fifth time, she got impatient and revealed flaws, the details don’t match up. It’s probably as we suspected, Young Aunt Tang didn’t just get lost, but rather—”

Zhou Cheng also felt this position was testing his self-control.

He took the towel from Xia Xiaolan’s hand and wiped his face.

“The people Tang Chunlei invited today are Tang family clan relatives, all villagers with the Tang surname. They say 29 years ago when Young Aunt Tang went missing, the whole village searched for her. Shi Surong isn’t telling the truth, perhaps the older villagers still remember the circumstances from back then. I haven’t wasted this drinking session – I hinted while pretending to be drunk that any request could be fulfilled if Young Aunt Tang is found. I saw several villagers Tang Chunlei invited were quite interested… We’ll stay at the Tang house tonight, someone should come seeking us out.”

Zhou Cheng wasn’t being underhanded, this was an open strategy, like fishing with bait.

To Tang Hongen, these Tang family relatives and distant clan relatives made no difference.

To gain benefits, they needed to show some real sincerity.

Zhou Cheng would offer rewards to anyone who could provide clues about Young Aunt Tang’s disappearance, whether they were Tang family members or not! But since he and Xia Xiaolan were young and others didn’t know their background, the villagers wouldn’t believe however much he promised.

But when attributed to Tang Hongen, if these were Tang Hongen’s promises?

Xia Xiaolan planted a firm kiss on his face:

“I knew my husband was the smartest. It’s fine to stay at the Tang house tonight, but be careful of people sneaking into your room at night.”

Hmph, did they think she was blind? That seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl was staring at Zhou Cheng so obviously.

Indeed, parents who could report and criticize their brother, who had an opportunistic son and an arrogant daughter with improper thoughts – it wasn’t surprising.

A little girl like Tang Ruojia? Xia Xiaolan could handle a dozen like her.

As for the other Tang family members, whether ghost or human, under this bright sky, everything would eventually come to light… Heaven might be patient, but Xia Xiaolan wasn’t – she had to uncover the truth with her own hands!