Chapter 62: Bad News

Ji Yanting smiled and nodded, “How have you been these past years?” Time really doesn’t wait for anyone!

When they were sent down to the countryside, they were all young and full of vigor. Now, their faces are marked with the passage of time.

“I’ve been fine. Do you have time now? Come to my house and sit for a while.” Qin Hai invited him.

He hadn’t seen the young intellectuals who had been sent down to the countryside together for many years.

 Now that he saw Ji Yanting, it reminded him of that time. Back then, he had come here with a heart full of passion, wanting to build this land and contribute his strength.

 But the harsh reality had worn down all his ideals. He had been here for twenty years.

Ji Yanting was also thinking the same thing. He turned to Ji Yuanming, who was beside him, “Yuanming, I’ll go to your Uncle Qin’s house with you.

You wait for me in the car.” Yuanming wasn’t at ease leaving him alone, so he came along.

“Okay, Dad.” Ji Yuanming nodded in response.

Qin Hai looked at Ji Yuanming in surprise, “Is this your son?” If he remembered correctly, Ji Yuanming had only returned to the city for a dozen years.

Had he already married and had a son before he was sent down to the countryside? Then why did he still marry Ling Xuemei?

“He’s my adopted son. Yuanming, say hello to Uncle Qin.” His three sons were all the orphans of his comrades-in-arms.

When he adopted them, they were already sensible, so he never hid their origins from them.

“Uncle Qin!”

“Hello!” Qin Hai smiled and looked at Ji Yuanming, feeling a sense of admiration for his excellence.

“Yuanming, bring the golden wine I brought.” Ji Yanting instructed Ji Yuanming. He had brought some gifts back this time.

 He had to inquire about Xuemei and the others.

Naturally, he had to give gifts first. If the other party was happy, they would naturally tell him everything.

All these years, although he was paralyzed, he had never stopped thinking about Xuemei and the others. He didn’t believe they were dead.

 So, he had been secretly having people investigate their whereabouts.

He found many people with the same name and surname, but none of them were them.

This time, Zhou Yu came to claim kinship with the jade pendant.

He knew immediately that she wasn’t his daughter, but he still kept her and pampered her in front of his father.

 He just wanted to make his father reveal a flaw.

As expected, he succeeded. Unfortunately, his father still refused to reveal Xuemei’s whereabouts.

But that was enough. He had learned some truth from his father’s mouth. He would find them.

Qin Hai took Ji Yanting to his house. As he pushed open the door, a big yellow dog rushed over and barked at Ji Yanting.

“Don’t bark.” Qin Hai scolded it.

The big yellow dog immediately stopped barking. It whimpered twice, walked back under the eaves, lay down on the ground, and wagged its tail.

A middle-aged woman wearing an apron peeked out of the kitchen.

 Seeing Qin Hai lead Ji Yanting in, she wiped her hands on her apron and walked out.

“Qin Hai, who is this?” Liu Juan thought Ji Yanting looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen him.

“He’s Ji Yanting. He’s the young intellectual who was sent down to the countryside with me. We even went to his wedding with Ling Xuemei.”

“So it’s him?” Liu Juan scoffed coldly and turned back to the kitchen. She and Ling Xuemei had grown up together and were very close.

When they grew up, they both married young intellectuals one after the other.

 But she was much luckier than Xuemei. At least her husband had been by her side all these years.

Unlike Xuemei, she had to raise her children alone, acting as both mother and father.

“She’s always had this temper. Don’t mind her.” Qin Hai led Ji Yanting to the main room, “Have a seat. I’ll get you a cup of tea.”

“No need to bother. I’ll just sit for a while and leave.” Ji Yanting stopped Qin Hai, “I came here this time to ask you about something.”

“What is it?” Qin Hai sat down next to Ji Yanting.

“Do you know where Xuemei and the others are?”

Qin Hai’s eyes flickered slightly, “They died many years ago.” He didn’t want to deceive Ji Yanting, but he couldn’t tell him the truth.

Someone had warned them before, telling them that no matter who asked about Ling Xuemei’s whereabouts, they should all say that she was dead.

Otherwise, they would bear the consequences. For the sake of his family, he could only lie to Ji Yanting.

“Impossible.” Ji Yanting shook his head in disbelief. His face was as pale as paper.

After a long silence, he said in a trembling voice, “Where’s their grave?” He didn’t believe it unless he saw Xuemei’s grave with his own eyes.

“What are you doing putting on this act for? If you hadn’t abandoned your wife and daughter, would Xuemei have died?”

 Liu Juan walked in with a cold face. She really felt sorry for her friend. How could she marry such an irresponsible man?

“It’s my fault. I’m sorry to them. You can scold me however you want, but can you tell me where they’re buried?”

Ji Yanting looked at Liu Juan, his voice filled with sadness and pleading.

He had come to Yuncheng this time with a decision already made. If Xuemei and his daughter were still alive, he would take them back to Beijing with him.

He would give Xuemei a grand wedding and announce her and his daughter’s identities. He would make up for the years he had wronged them.

If… they were really gone, then he would also bring their remains back and let everyone know that they were his wife and daughter.

Liu Juan took a deep breath, “Their grave was washed away by the flood.”

These words were like a sharp knife, piercing straight into Ji Yanting’s chest, making him heartbroken.

 He swayed, almost falling, “Why? Why would they do this to them… Why…”

Tears rolled down his cheeks. His voice was hoarse and dry, as if it was squeezed out of his throat.

Why were they so cruel to Xuemei and his daughter? Why did they even have to suffer such a fate after death? Why?

Qin Hai quickly stepped forward to support Ji Yanting, “Ji Yanting, try to think positively. The dead cannot be brought back to life.”

Liu Juan sighed and turned to leave the main room. If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep the truth from slipping out.

Ji Yuanming waited and waited, but Ji Yanting didn’t come back. He asked the villagers and found Qin Hai’s house.

 As he walked to the door, he saw Qin Hai leading Ji Yanting, who was pale and sad, out.

He quickly went to greet them and supported Ji Yanting, “Dad! What’s wrong?”

“Your father learned about Xuemei’s death and couldn’t accept it for a while.” Qin Hai had been struggling inside.

 He also wanted to tell the truth, but he couldn’t. He had a family, and he couldn’t hurt them.

“Dad! Let me help you back to the car.” Ji Yuanming helped Ji Yanting towards where the car was parked.

This was also why he had been stopping his father from coming to Yuncheng. He knew he wouldn’t be able to accept it.