Chapter 39: The Truth Can’t Stay Hidden

During this sensitive time, once someone was labeled a capitalist, the lightest consequence would be social isolation and a ruined future; the worst would be being sent down to the countryside for labor reform.

Though Mother Song didn’t exactly live a life of luxury at home, Shen Nanqing couldn’t bear to imagine her mother living in a shabby cowshed, exposed to wind and sun, toiling day in and day out.

She quickly stepped up to Xu Ruyan, grabbed her arm tightly, and frowned. Her voice was no longer calm and composed but filled with urgency as she demanded, “Say that again?”

Xu Ruyan was startled—she had never seen Shen Nanqing look so fierce before, as if she might tear her apart any second.

Instinctively, she tried to pull her arm away, but Shen Nanqing only tightened her grip, leaving her completely immobilized. Eyes darting nervously, Xu Ruyan stammered, “Song Huaiwen doesn’t like you anymore.”

“Not that one. The sentence before it.” Shen Nanqing’s grip tightened further, her fingers digging into Xu Ruyan’s skin.

Originally, Xu Ruyan had just wanted to kick someone while they were down, to see Shen Nanqing make a fool of herself. But now, she was genuinely scared. She stammered, “Your mom… she’s the daughter of a capitalist… she’s under political investigation… the Shen family’s in serious trouble.”

This time, Shen Nanqing was sure she hadn’t misheard. She slowly let go of Xu Ruyan, her expression turning grave.

She didn’t have time to think about anything else—only one thing filled her mind: she had to call home and confirm the situation.

Like someone possessed, Shen Nanqing sprinted toward the communications office. By the time she picked up the phone, her clothes were drenched in sweat. She couldn’t tell if it was from heat or panic—either way, the fabric clung to her skin uncomfortably.

One of the female comrades at the communications office saw her holding the receiver in silence and handed her a glass of water with concern. “Maybe you should take a break before making the call. Your face is completely red—are you suffering from heatstroke?”

Shen Nanqing shook her head, indicating she was fine. But her slender fingers trembled with every number she dialed.

The factory’s family compound had a switchboard that could place and receive calls, but it was a bit of a hassle. Worried no one might be home at this hour, Shen Nanqing directly called the mechanical factory’s office instead.

The call was picked up quickly. As soon as the person heard it was Shen Nanqing, they guessed it might be about Song’s mother, told her not to hang up, and ran off to find Shen Nanru to take the call.

News of what had happened to the Song family had spread quickly through the compound. Many believed it was all a big misunderstanding.

Ye Qilan had always been known as kind and gentle, never raising her voice at anyone. Shen Wenbo was a model worker, conscientious and upright. Even in his position as factory director, he’d never shown favoritism and treated all employees equally.

How could such a couple possibly be exploitative capitalists?

At least among the workers at the mechanical factory, no one believed it.

“Hello? Nanqing?”

A familiar voice came through the receiver, slightly out of breath—it was obvious the person had rushed to answer the call.

Shen Nanqing recognized her second brother’s voice, and only then did the tight knot in her chest loosen a bit. At least her second brother was safe.

“Second Brother!” Shen Nanqing anxiously licked her dry lips. “Is Mom… is she okay?”

She spoke cautiously, clinging to hope that she’d hear the answer she longed for.

“She’s fine.” Shen Nanru glanced around the office. The person who had answered the phone earlier was tactful enough to sense that the siblings might want to talk privately, so he quickly found an excuse to leave them the space.

Shen Nanru’s face darkened. “Who told you about this?”

When the Revolutionary Committee came knocking, they didn’t say a word and simply took Mother Shen and Father Shen away. Though Shen Nanru himself hadn’t been affected, he had still been thrown into a panic.

Mother Shen had never told him anything about her past, but deep down, Shen Nanru had always had some suspicions.

From her mother’s knowledge, refinement, and bearing, it was clear she wasn’t someone from an ordinary family.

When her brothers got married, their mother gifted the daughters-in-law jade bracelets and gold jewelry—high-quality items that were obviously not cheap trinkets. But her mother acted like it was nothing special, not even blinking an eye.

The brothers had noticed it too and silently came to an understanding. No one ever brought it up.

Now that the truth had come to light, he realized he had no leads or ideas on how to rescue their parents. If he had known, he would’ve forced the truth out back then, even if it meant pushing hard for answers. At least they wouldn’t be in such an awkward situation now.

Since his eldest brother and sister-in-law were transferred to Liangzhou, they had been more or less out of touch. They only contacted the family occasionally, and now the only one he could consult with was their third brother.

The third brother, Shen Nansu, was a doctor at the 301 Hospital. It was a military hospital, so he might have some useful connections.

As soon as Shen Nansu received the call, he started making inquiries through his contacts. But the moment he heard it was the Revolutionary Committee who had taken action, everyone he asked simply shook their heads, saying they were powerless to help.

There was no choice. Life these days was so tense that any involvement with the Revolutionary Committee could cost a person dearly. Most people preferred to steer as far away as possible.

Not long ago, someone in their hospital had been falsely accused and lost their job. He had once been a prestigious lead surgeon, but not only was his family’s property confiscated, he was sent to clean toilets.

Some people, not wanting to see Shen Nansu go down the same path, advised him to publicly sever ties with their parents.

Even if it was only for show, Shen Nansu would never do such a thing. His parents had given birth to him, raised him, and supported him. He would never betray them just to save his own skin. If it came to it, he’d give up being a doctor—wherever his parents went, he would go too.

When the two brothers met and exchanged information, they found that neither of them knew anything about their mother’s past.

All their older relatives were long gone, so they went straight to the Revolutionary Committee, hoping to see their parents. But they were turned away under the excuse that it was a classified matter.

Shen Nanru and Shen Nansu were like headless flies, running around all afternoon without gaining a single piece of useful information.

It was Su Hua who couldn’t bear to see her husband so defeated and tentatively suggested, “Why not try asking your little sister? Didn’t Mom say she’s dating a military officer? Maybe he has some connections.”

“No.”
Both Shen Nanru and Shen Nansu rejected the idea in unison, their tone firm and unwavering.

Ever since their parents were taken, the brothers had a tacit agreement not to mention Shen Nanqing. They didn’t want their little sister dragged into this mess or to suffer along with them.

But paper can’t wrap fire forever—secrets wouldn’t stay hidden long.

Zheng Wan, who was an elementary school teacher with a sharp and delicate mind, noticed her sister-in-law’s suggestion had been shot down. She tried to smooth things over:
“I understand you’re worried about dragging Nanqing into this, but even if you don’t say anything, she’ll find out eventually.”

“I mean, if… if things really do reach the worst-case scenario, and Nanqing didn’t do anything, don’t you think she’d blame herself?”

“And besides, weren’t you two always worried about whether the guy she’s seeing was really reliable? Well, they say true character shows in adversity—this is the perfect chance to find out what kind of person he really is.”

“If you’re completely out of options anyway, why not give it a try? If that Song Huaiwen guy runs away at the first sign of trouble, then he’s clearly not worth trusting. But if he steps up to help, even if he can’t solve the problem, at least we’ll know he’s someone dependable. Then we could feel at ease entrusting Nanqing to him.”

Su Hua looked at Zheng Wan with admiration. That was exactly what she had meant, but she lacked the eloquence to express it so clearly.

Shen Nanru and Shen Nansu exchanged glances. They could both see the conflict in each other’s eyes, but in the end, they agreed to follow Zheng Wan’s suggestion.

As the eldest, Shen Nanru decided he would be the one to make the call. He had just gotten up to head to the message room when he saw Uncle Zou the gatekeeper leading a man over toward them.