Zhou Cheng was right – once the bait was set, someone quickly took it.

After pretending to be drunk and “resting” in the room for two hours, Zhou Cheng was forcefully roused by Xia Xiaolan:

“Come on, take a walk with me, you need to clear that alcohol smell, it’s awful!”

Walking with stumbling steps, yet being dragged out for a walk?

This Xia Xiaolan was truly too demanding.

Tang Chunlei silently shook his head and made a few perfunctory protests, but let Xia Xiaolan pull Zhou Cheng out the door.

Tang Ruojia couldn’t focus on her studies in her room, so she opened the window to talk with her brother:

“Big Brother, you always say Second Uncle is impressive, how did he end up with such a stepdaughter?”

Tang Chunlei had intended to follow Zhou Cheng and Xia Xiaolan outside but was detained by Tang Ruojia. Her behavior today had given him a headache. “Watch what you say. Never mind what she’s like, Second Uncle dotes on her. You might think she’s just a pretty airhead, but her mother, our new Second Aunt, is formidable!”

Liu Fen was inexplicably being regarded as a powerful figure again.

Tang Ruojia deflated like a punctured balloon.

Yes, while she saw flaws everywhere in Xia Xiaolan, her Second Uncle Tang Hongen favored this stepdaughter, and Tang Ruojia could do nothing about it.

“Big Brother, can Second Uncle only forgive our family if we find Young Aunt? I’m sure we won’t find her, and I have the college entrance exam in half a year, I…”

Can I successfully get into Huaqing University?

Tang Ruojia couldn’t bring herself to say it.

She still had her pride – how could she openly talk about using connections?

Tang Chunlei was quite fond of his youngest sister.

Besides Tang Ruojia, he had two other brothers.

However, they neither had his luck in being recommended for university nor the ability to change their fate through studying, so they were doing worse than him now.

But his little sister Tang Ruojia had been clever since childhood, showing academic promise.

Although the Tang family’s looks weren’t particularly outstanding, their features were regular, and Tang Ruojia was the best-looking among them – she couldn’t compare to Xia Xiaolan, but among girls her age, she stood out.

With her family background added, Tang Ruojia’s future would certainly be bright.

Thinking of this, Tang Chunlei softened his tone, “Don’t worry about these things. You have a few months until the exam, just focus on reviewing. Mother and I will handle everything else, we’ll make sure you get what you want.”

Tang Ruojia was half-convinced.

She couldn’t place all her hopes on others, even if that person was her brother.

Perhaps she should take the initiative to build a relationship with Second Uncle herself?

Back then, her parents were wrong, and even her brother benefited, but it had nothing to do with her!

Tang Ruojia had her plans.

Anyway, her mind was disturbed, and she couldn’t concentrate on studying.

…

Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng walked hand in hand through the village.

In the dead of winter, there wasn’t much scenery to admire. The best view was Zhou Cheng standing beside her.

Zhou Cheng wrapped her hand in his.

Xia Xiaolan worried about him, “You really did drink quite a bit at lunch, won’t your head hurt in this wind?”

“The alcohol’s worn off, don’t worry. If we didn’t come out for a walk now, others wouldn’t know how to approach us. Tomorrow when we return to the city, Tang Chunlei and the others will be around again.”

Even if someone knew something, they wouldn’t dare speak in front of the Tang family – Zhou Cheng was giving them an opportunity.

Xia Xiaolan leaned closer to him.

“How are you so good to me?”

It was the dead of winter – wouldn’t it be more comfortable staying in Beijing? Yet Zhou Cheng accompanied her to this rural area to endure the cold.

The father-in-law needed to be pleased.

But it didn’t have to go this far.

Of course, it was all for her…

Zhou Cheng smiled, “Uncle Tang cares for you so much, he dislikes me because he’s afraid I won’t treat you well, but I respect him. I’m his son-in-law, isn’t this what I should do?”

Even before she married him, Xiaolan was already handling the Zhou family’s troubles.

Zhou Yi wasn’t someone Xiaolan had to look after, but for his sake, she had invested so much energy.

Thinking of this, Zhou Cheng wanted to hold his wife and never let go.

They’d been married for several days now, but he still felt somewhat uncertain.

It was too dreamlike, almost unreal.

Just as Xia Xiaolan was about to say something, she saw a man dragging a woman toward them.

The man looked familiar.

Without Zhou Cheng’s reminder, Xia Xiaolan knew a fish had taken the bait!

“Uncle Fujun?”

Zhou Cheng greeted him first.

Tang Fujun was excited, “You remembered me?”

“Uncle Fujun, you jest – we just drank together at lunch, how long has it been?”

Tang Chunlei probably thought he didn’t care about these villagers.

Zhou Cheng cared very much indeed!

Tang Fujun was very pleased: “You’re Zhou Cheng, right? Brother Hongen’s son-in-law. Are you looking for Tang Youru?”

“Of course, at any cost, willing to offer any reward, as long as there are clues…”

Tang Fujun pushed the woman forward:

“You should call her Aunt, let her tell you what she saw back then!”

The woman must be Tang Fujun’s wife, looking older than Tang Fujun, with quite a bit of gray hair.

She also looked older than Shi Surong.

The Tang family’s decline was only relative to Tang Hongen; compared to others in the village, they lived quite well, and Shi Surong looked more presentable than ordinary rural women. So Tang Hongen just ignored the Tang family rather than deliberately making them suffer… Xia Xiaolan’s thoughts wandered inexplicably.

Tang Fujun’s wife hesitated:

“Twenty-nine years ago, on National Day during the grand military parade, I was visiting my parents’ home when I ran into Shi Surong and Tang Xianzhong with Little Ru talking to a man on the way. The man wasn’t from our village, so I looked twice. I didn’t think much of it then, but when I returned from my parent’s home, I heard Little Ru was missing.”

Zhou Cheng and Xia Xiaolan exchanged glances – Tang Xianzhong was Tang Chunlei’s father, Tang Hongen’s older brother.

Tang Fujun’s wife must have brought an important clue!

Xia Xiaolan let go of Zhou Cheng’s hand and moved beside Tang Fujun’s wife:

“Aunt, don’t worry, take your time.”

Tang Fujun’s wife didn’t dare look at Xia Xiaolan. The shame on her face seemed more genuine than Shi Surong’s supposed guilt. Keeping her head lowered, she continued: “When I returned from my parent’s home on the 4th, I heard Little Ru was missing… Later, I heard Shi Surong telling people in the village that they lost the child at Tiananmen Square during the parade, but when I saw them that day, it was almost noon.”

Xia Xiaolan’s body trembled!

Zhou Cheng’s expression also turned solemn.

This should be the most suspicious point in the whole matter.

“Aunt, when you say almost noon, what time exactly? How far was where you met them from the city, would they have had time to reach Tiananmen Square for the parade? And the man talking with them, did you recognize—”

“What are you all doing here? Mom’s calling you back for dinner!”

Tang Ruojia’s voice rang out from afar, and Tang Fujun’s wife shrank completely behind Tang Fujun.