Chapter 66.1

After General Lu received the news, he could not stay put for a moment. He went directly to ask Lu Wei to take him to the Wen family.

The Wen family had been eagerly waiting. For the past two days, they had been stretching their necks in front of the archway of the Wen ancestral hall, looking left and right.

Just when they thought it might have been a misunderstanding, a military jeep pulled up in front of the archway.

At that time, cars were rare commodities, so the people from the Wen ancestral hall rushed out to watch.

Wen Wenkang excitedly ran back home, shouting, “Dad, Mom, Wen Nuan’s family has come! They even drove a jeep; it can’t be that they’re some high-ranking officials from the capital, right?”

For the past two days, they had been speculating about who Wen Nuan’s biological father might be. The day before, a young man had come to visit, claiming to be from Beijing and dressed in military uniform. This led them to believe he was a soldier or some sort of official.

However, they never expected that he would come in a vehicle, which surely indicated a high rank.

Mother Wen, sipping water, was suddenly startled by her son’s loud shout, causing her to choke. She began coughing so hard that she nearly lost her breath.

Wen Wenkang hurried over to pat his mother’s back, saying, “Mom, you don’t need to be so excited, right? Isn’t this what we expected?”

The force with which he patted her back was so strong that Mother Wen felt as if her lungs were about to collapse. Her coughing worsened, and her face turned red, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Rascal! Are you trying to kill me?”

Wen Wenkang did not want to argue with her and hurriedly said, “Mom, you should go see! Wen Nuan’s family has arrived in a car; you need to go welcome them!”

In their village, cars could not drive in, so the visitors had to walk. That was why Wen Wenkang was in such a hurry.

Mother Wen tried to calm her chest, her heart racing. “Old Wen, where have you gone? Hurry and bring them inside!”

As soon as she finished speaking, two tall figures walked into the room from outside.

The man in the front was in his sixties but stood tall with a formidable presence. His strong features included bushy brows that framed sharp, hawk-like black eyes, exuding an unintentional air of authority.

When Mother Wen’s gaze met General Lu’s piercing eyes, she immediately felt a chill run down her spine, followed by a recollection of the deceased woman.

And then there was Wen Nuan.

In fact, she had considered having her son pretend to recognize the girl as family, especially since the child did resemble a boy. However, she later thought about how gender was not something that could be faked.

Accepting Wen Nuan wouldn’t be a problem; she was just a girl and posed no real threat. Perhaps if Wen Nuan spoke well of Wen Wenkang to her family, it might even help him secure a good position.

General Lu’s sharp gaze turned toward Mother Wen. “Hello, you are the child’s adoptive mother, Comrade Chen Jinhua, correct?”

Mother Wen, for some reason, trembled when she heard the other party call her name. “You, hello, I am Wen Nuan’s mother. Are you Wen Nuan’s father?”

General Lu casually replied with a single word, “Grandfather.”

Upon hearing this, Mother Wen thought that being called grandfather was quite endearing and that he would likely be easy to talk to.

So she considered it for a moment and said, “Grandfather, please have a seat; I’ll pour you a cup of tea.”

General Lu frowned upon hearing this. “My surname is Lu; you can call me General Lu.”

Wen Wenkang and Mother Wen nearly faltered at that. They had anticipated that Wen Nuan’s father would be a high-ranking official, but they never imagined he would turn out to be this kind of person…

However, Mother Wen quickly regained her composure and pulled her son closer. “General Lu, this is our Wen Nuan’s most beloved younger brother; his name is Wenkang. The two of them have been the best of friends since childhood.”

Mother Wen nudged Wen Wenkang and urged, “Wenkang, quickly greet Grandfather.”

Wen Wenkang politely called out to General Lu, “Grandfather!”

General Lu looked at Wen Wenkang with some disdain, thinking to himself, *What an ugly grandson I have.*

Not wanting to waste any more time, General Lu got straight to the point. “How can you be certain that your child is the person I’m looking for?”

Mother Wen, for some reason, trembled when she heard the other party call her name. “You, hello, I am Wen Nuan’s mother. Are you Wen Nuan’s father?”

General Lu casually replied with a single word, “Grandfather.”

Upon hearing this, Mother Wen thought that being called grandfather was quite endearing and that he would likely be easy to talk to.

So she considered it for a moment and said, “Grandfather, please have a seat; I’ll pour you a cup of tea.”

General Lu frowned upon hearing this. “My surname is Lu; you can call me General Lu.”

Wen Wenkang and Mother Wen nearly faltered at that. They had anticipated that Wen Nuan’s father would be a high-ranking official, but they never imagined he would turn out to be this kind of person…

However, Mother Wen quickly regained her composure and pulled her son closer. “General Lu, this is our Wen Nuan’s most beloved younger brother; his name is Wenkang. The two of them have been the best of friends since childhood.”

Mother Wen nudged Wen Wenkang and urged, “Wenkang, quickly greet Grandfather.”

Wen Wenkang politely called out to General Lu: “Grandfather!”

General Lu looked at Wen Wenkang with some disdain, thinking to himself, ‘What an ugly grandson I have. ‘

Not wanting to waste any more time, General Lu got straight to the point. “How can you be certain that your child is the person I’m looking for?”

Mother Wen began to passionately recount Wen Nuan’s life story, moving from her childhood to her marriage to Gu Qinghan a few years prior. Several times, she managed to squeeze out a few inexplicable tears.

She wiped the corners of her eyes and said, “Wen Nuan was so eager to marry Zhang Mazi. We loved her so much; how could we just let her marry anyone? So, her father and I made a fool of ourselves and found her a good family.”

Wen Wenkang chimed in, “Isn’t that a good thing? My brother-in-law is a combat pilot; how many people have even seen a pilot? Grandfather, my sister married well.”

General Lu listened to Mother Wen’s words with a stern expression. Aside from the fact that Wen Nuan married Gu Qinghan, everything else could have easily been about Wen Wenkang instead, and it wouldn’t have felt out of place.

General Lu had no interest in her fabricated stories and shifted the conversation to Wen Nuan’s biological mother. Mother Wen briefly recounted the circumstances under which she had met her but omitted the part about the few dozen dollars.

Her aim was to portray herself as a kind-hearted person who, upon learning of the mother’s death, took in Wen Nuan. This way, General Lu would genuinely appreciate their family for raising Wen Nuan and feel a sense of gratitude for her upbringing.

General Lu sighed and then asked, “Where is my daughter-in-law’s grave? I want to bring her back and bury her with my Tengjun.”

Mother Wen was taken aback by the fact that General Lu seemed unconcerned about Wen Nuan and instead wanted to visit his wife’s grave.

However, they had never paid their respects there, and in recent years, with the “Four Olds” campaign, Wen’s father had buried her near their deceased child. Now, the grass around her grave was probably three meters high.

However, Mother Wen and Wen Wenkang still steeled themselves to lead General Lu on a visit.

But when they arrived in the forest, they discovered that the area seemed to have been tidied up, likely by Wen’s father, who had not been seen for quite some time.

General Lu looked at the grave, which was clearly a freshly mounded pile of earth and could hardly be called a grave at all.

He stood in front of the mound for a long time. Along the way, he had seen countless white bones carelessly discarded in various parts of the forest. This place, to put it bluntly, was a mass grave. After so many years, where could he possibly find Tengjun’s wife?

Finally, General Lu steeled himself and said, “Let her rest here.”

He then bent down and, with his bare hands, began to clear away the fresh dirt. He dug into the hard soil underneath and forcefully grabbed a handful, placing it into a bag he had prepared in advance.

When they came out of the forest, Mother Wen thought General Lu would come to her house for a while longer and inquire in detail about Wen Nuan’s situation over the years, along with her current status and so on.

However, General Lu headed toward the jeep in the distance, showing no intention of visiting their home.

Mother Wen exchanged glances with Wen Wenkang, who immediately began to cry out, “Mom, ever since Third Sister went to Northern City, I haven’t seen her in over a year. I miss her so much!”

Mother Wen comforted him, saying, “Don’t worry, dear. Our Xiao Nuan is doing well now. Your brother-in-law is an Air Force pilot; he even flies fighter jets, so they are living comfortably.”

Wen Wenkang said, “But I haven’t seen her in a long time. I want to go to Northern City to see her.”

General Lu listened to their conversation, paused in his steps, turned around, and looked at them.

Seeing this, Mother Wen quickly pulled Wen Wenkang forward and said, “General Lu, I hope you don’t mind. Wenkang has been very close to Wen Nuan since childhood. Now that Wen Nuan has gone to the army with her husband, this child has been missing her and suddenly threw a little tantrum. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”

She did not lie about this. Before Wen Nuan got married, that girl definitely cherished her younger brother the most. Whatever was good, she would think of him.

But for some unknown reason, in the period leading up to going to Northern City, that girl had changed completely and completely didn’t care about their family!

After a while, General Lu smiled and said, “It’s rare; having grown up together, they surely have feelings for each other.”

When Mother Wen heard this, she knew there was hope and said, “That’s right! Their bond has been the strongest since they were young. Ever since Wen Nuan went to Northern City, Wenkang has been begging to visit his sister every day.”

“Don’t rush it,” General Lu said lightly. “It’s not that easy to go to the army; there are all sorts of approvals, which are troublesome. Don’t worry, since you are Wen Nuan’s family, you are also my family. I will never mistreat you.”

With General Lu’s words, Mother Wen and Wen Wenkang immediately breathed a sigh of relief; they would be General Lu’s family in the future!

Mother Wen then said, “General Lu, why don’t you stay for a meal? I can tell you some stories about Wen Nuan from before.”

General Lu then said, “No need, I have other matters to attend to. I appreciate your help today.”

Mother Wen did not insist any longer; as long as General Lu recognized their family, that was enough. As for the meal, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Wen Wenkang watched as General Lu got into his jeep and drove away, anxiously turning to Mother Wen. “Mom, why didn’t you ask him for some money? Who knows if he’ll come back?”

Wen Wenkang had been delaying the issue of the betrothal gifts with his partner for over six months, and General Lu’s appearance was just timely.

Not only could he help solve the betrothal gift issue, but his partner’s family would surely look at him differently!

For the first time, Mother Wen felt a flicker of disdain for her son and shot him a glare. “No wonder your father says you’re foolish. With such a good connection to General Lu, why are you worried about not benefiting from it in the future? Do you understand the principle of fishing with a long line?”

Besides, even though Wen Nuan was the one related to General Lu, she had raised Wen Nuan to adulthood and found her a good husband. A person as esteemed as General Lu would certainly not forget his gratitude.

If Wen Nuan and her family were truly ungrateful, she wouldn’t hesitate to create a scene in the army; after all, she wasn’t one to lose face!

Wen Wenkang frowned. “But about my partner…”

This time, Mother Wen could no longer hold back. “From now on, you’ll be General Lu’s godson. What partner would you not be able to find? You should just hurry up and dump that girl of yours. She’s lazy and looks down on everyone as if she’s better than anyone else!”

Wen Wenkang thought about it too; they would be General Lu’s family from now on. What partner would he not be able to find?

“But before my sister went to Northern City, I was caught bullying her by my brother-in-law. Isn’t that a problem?” he asked.

Mother Wen sighed. “There’s no rush about that. Your sister is such a forgetful person; she probably has already forgotten. Even if she hasn’t, you can just say you lost your mind.”

Wen Wenkang was left speechless.

However, the Wen family still happily bought wine and slaughtered a chicken to celebrate in advance. They told everyone that they had made a good connection with a high-ranking official as their relative.

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, General Lu went straight to the train station.

While waiting for the train, Lu Wei asked, “Uncle Lu, Wen Nuan must be your granddaughter, right?”

General Lu had been stern-faced until that moment when he finally relaxed. “Yes, I knew I hadn’t recognized the wrong person.”

The items that Mother Wen had kept were all verifiable, but there was one thing missing: a gift that he and his late wife had prepared for the child a long time ago.

However, that gold pendant had probably been sold or hidden away by the Wen family long ago; it was likely lost for good.

Lu Wei then asked, “What about the Wen Family?”

General Lu let out a cold laugh. “Let them enjoy a little verbal advantage; I’m in a hurry to see my granddaughter. You should head back to the island now; you’ve worked hard these past few days.”

Lu Wei smiled and replied, “It’s no trouble at all.”

—o—o—o—