Chapter 30 What a sin

Seeing Tang Wanning in this state, it was obvious she had deep feelings for Xu Zhenhua. “Ah, what a mess… truly a tragedy,” Jiang Hongmei thought. Tang Wanning, emotional, grabbed Jiang Hongmei’s hand. “Sister, could you please take me to see him?”

“I can… but…” Jiang Hongmei hesitated. She really couldn’t bear to tell Tang Wanning the harsh truth—otherwise, the girl would be devastated. But Tang Wanning had already learned that Xu Zhenhua was alive. Even if Jiang Hongmei didn’t take her in, she would find another way. Since she would find out sooner or later, it was better to tell her now—short pain is better than long pain.

Tang Wanning could tell what Jiang Hongmei was hesitating about. Seeing her so upset, it was clear Jiang Hongmei couldn’t bear it either. But today she had to go in—and confront Xu Zhenhua in front of his superiors and comrades to expose his true nature. Her voice trembled, thick with nasality, “Sister, I beg you… please take me to see him.”

Seeing her daughter like this, Su Meijuan’s heart ached. This silly girl, clearly still so fond of Xu Zhenhua, yet a few days ago had acted so indifferent in front of them. Of course, one can’t suddenly stop liking someone they’ve loved since childhood. Tang Wanning was upset, but not for Xu Zhenhua—she was upset for herself and her family. If it weren’t for her perceived duty to the Xu family, she wouldn’t have been tied to Xu Zhenhua’s parents her whole life, wasting her own life and dragging her family along.

Seeing Tang Wanning crying so desperately, Jiang Hongmei scolded Xu Zhenhua in her mind. No, she couldn’t let this girl sink deeper. She had to help her see Xu Zhenhua’s true face early. Though painful, she was still young; everything could be recovered from this.

“Stop crying. I’ll take you in,” Jiang Hongmei said, wiping Tang Wanning’s tears. “But before we go, I need to tell you something.”

Tang Wanning immediately stopped crying, her whole body trembling with excitement. “Really? Sister, you really will take me to see him?”

Jiang Hongmei smiled. “Of course, I will. Once I say something, I always follow through.”

“Sister, thank you. Thank you so much. You’re a good person,” Tang Wanning said sincerely. Indeed, without someone guiding her, she couldn’t enter the military compound alone without proper identification. Seeing Tang Wanning so excited, Jiang Hongmei thought it was a cruel fate. Better not tell her about Xu Zhenhua’s wedding today—given her current state, even if Jiang Hongmei told her, Tang Wanning might not believe it and think she was trying to cause trouble.

“No need to thank me. It’s nothing,” Jiang Hongmei said, greeting another military wife before gathering her child and preparing to lead Tang Wanning into the compound.

Tang Wanning, feeling slightly embarrassed, held Jiang Hongmei’s hand and hesitated. “Sister, this is my mother…”

Jiang Hongmei glanced at Su Meijuan but didn’t mind. Whether one person or two, it was the same to her.

“Come on, let’s go in together.”

Hearing this, Su Meijuan, who had been nervous, finally relaxed.

“Thank you, thank you,” she said.

“You two follow me first. Xu Zhenhua is probably busy right now,” Jiang Hongmei said.

“Alright, thank you,” Tang Wanning and Su Meijuan obediently followed Jiang Hongmei. Once they finally entered the compound, they exhaled in relief. The hardest step was over; now they just had to wait until noon.

After about five minutes, Jiang Hongmei spoke. “This is my home. You two can rest here for a bit.”

“Thank you for the trouble,” Tang Wanning said.

It was an independent courtyard. The east side had some vegetable patches, and the west side had a stone table and stools. Though smaller than a rural courtyard, it was tidy. Jiang Hongmei gestured for them to sit. “Sit down. I’ll make you some tea.”

“No need, we’re not thirsty,” Su Meijuan said, offering a bag of peach pastries and two cans of fruit to Jiang Hongmei. “Little sister, thank you for helping us today. This is just a small token of our gratitude.”

Jiang Hongmei laughed broadly, showing genuine delight. Though she wasn’t helping Tang Wanning for gifts, it was still nice to be appreciated.

“No need, really. It’s nothing,” she said, pushing the gifts away.

“Please take it,” Su Meijuan said earnestly. “Without you, we wouldn’t even know what to do.”

Tang Wanning added, “Yes, sister, please accept it. It’s not worth much, just a token of appreciation.”

“Alright then, I’ll accept it,” Jiang Hongmei said, taking the items and becoming slightly more familiar with them. “Wait here. I’ll make tea for you.”

Soon, Jiang Hongmei returned with two cups. “You must be tired from the journey. Drink some tea to soothe your throat.”

“Thank you,” they said.

Jiang Hongmei smiled at them. “Little Tang, you said Xu Zhenhua hasn’t called back in six months. Is that true?”

Hearing Xu Zhenhua’s name, Tang Wanning’s eyes instantly welled up. “It’s true. Ever since he was urgently recalled last year, the only news we received was reports of his death. Since then, we’ve had no news about him.”

“And his parents… they didn’t know he was still alive either?”

Tang Wanning nodded firmly. “No. If they knew, the elderly couple wouldn’t have thought about going out to adopt a boy to raise.”

Seeing Tang Wanning so certain, Jiang Hongmei was even more puzzled. What on earth was Xu Zhenhua hiding that even his own parents were kept in the dark? Or perhaps he had told them, but for some reason, the family chose to keep it hidden from the villagers. In fact, that was possible. But why? Jiang Hongmei looked at Tang Wanning with curiosity and confusion. Seeing her red, swollen eyes, she pushed the curiosity aside. No need to ask now—soon, Tang Wanning would meet Xu Zhenhua and learn the whole truth.

So, the three chatted and drank tea together, and time passed surprisingly quickly.