Chapter 82: The Matter Is Finally Resolved

That day happened to be Saturday. After Wen Jiajia arrived at the meeting, she didn’t immediately seek out Comrade Lu but first informed Wei Dai about the situation.

Wei Dai was savoring tea made from wild leaves picked from the nearby mountains before the Qingming Festival. He found it so good that he couldn’t resist having a cup now and then. But when he heard what was said, the tea in his mouth sprayed out in shock.

“What did you say?” He was taken aback.

Wen Jiajia, feeling anxious, pulled him into a room, explained how she had noticed something odd, and asked Lin Yunfei to investigate. Lin Yunfei, in turn, shared the news she had learned today, making sure not to omit any key details.

Wei Dai was stunned, unable to process what he had just heard. As someone who had only recently started reading novels, he couldn’t imagine that such a thing was even possible.

He said in disbelief, “Even if we hate someone in our hometown, we wouldn’t exchange their children.”

To him, such an act was beyond immoral.

Wen Jiajia didn’t comment, but only because there was no opportunity to do so. After all, how many times has the wrong baby appeared in hospitals over the past few decades? Some scoundrels even sold children, so naturally, there would be those who exchanged them too. Wei Dai hadn’t seen much of the world and found such things horrifying simply because he hadn’t experienced the flood of information out there.

“But why? He’s their own son,” Wei Dai said, struggling to understand.

It wasn’t about just family ties; even the risk of being caught seemed too great to justify such an action. After all, it wasn’t like they could avoid each other forever. Once the children grew up and were seen together, wouldn’t people start to suspect? How could something like this be hidden from the sharp eyes of those in the countryside?

In a village, there were hardly any secrets. Neighbors would know even the smallest details of your life, like how many times you got up during the night. Children always resemble their parents to some degree. Maybe you wouldn’t notice it yourself, but if the two children were side by side, the villagers would definitely spot the differences.

Wen Jiajia’s expression turned serious. “What if the girl is gone?”

Wei Dai didn’t grasp what she meant at first. After a few seconds, he realized that by “gone,” she meant dead. If the child died, it wouldn’t matter if they looked alike.

In just a few minutes, shock hit him in waves, one after another. Even someone like him, who had faced life and death, couldn’t help but feel a chill.

“I’ll go,” he said after a pause. “Don’t go yourself, I’ll handle this.”

He continued, “Li Sunming isn’t someone who can be easily fooled. If you tell him, he’ll investigate the matter thoroughly.”

Wen Jiajia replied, “That’s exactly what I want.”

She feared that Li Sunming might be foolish enough to prefer a nephew over his own daughter, so she decided to let things unfold naturally.

Wei Dai sighed. “I mean, he might investigate you too. If my mother-in-law has any connection with Comrade Lu, he’s sure to find out.”

Wen Jiajia was left speechless.

After thinking for a while, Wei Dai frowned and said, “If he finds out, so be it. There’s nothing shameful about it. But if trouble comes, don’t drag Comrade Lu into it and make things difficult for me.”

Who knows, those people might actually be afraid of trouble.

With that, Wei Dai decided to go talk to him. He didn’t even have time to eat; he quickly took off his apron and rushed to the Li family’s house.

The Li family was also having dinner when Wei Dai knocked on the door. It was Li Sunming who opened it.

Surprised and confused, Li Sunming said, “Wei Dai?”

Then he warmly invited Wei Dai inside. “Come on in, have you had dinner? Join us for a bite.”

Lu Yiyuan also agreed and got up to fetch chopsticks from the kitchen.

Wei Dai quickly stopped him and said to Li Sunming, “No need, Brother Li. I’m here to talk to you about something important.”

Hearing this, Lu Yiyuan headed back to the room, taking the child beside him by the hand. The child quickly pulled away, and Li Sunming’s face darkened.

He wanted to scold the child but restrained himself because Wei Dai was there. However, his anger was apparent, and the child recoiled in fear.

Seeing this, Wei Dai smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, you all go ahead and eat. Brother Li and I will step outside to talk.”

Li Sunming nodded, and the two men left the house one after the other.

As they walked, Li Sunming was still wondering what it could be. He and Wei Dai didn’t have much of a connection. Even if there was an issue in the army, they would only be notified after the superiors had communicated with them.

As the weather grew hotter, the days grew longer, and it was still light out, with the sunset casting a warm glow over the open space where mugwort grew.

Thinking of his pregnant wife at home, Wei Dai got straight to the point. “Brother Li, I think there’s something wrong with your child. But don’t get upset yet—”

Li Sunming’s expression changed, and Wei Dai even took a step to the side, fearing an unexpected punch.

Speaking quickly, Wei Dai continued, “The issue is that he’s probably not your child, but your elder brother’s. In other words, your brother’s daughter is actually yours.”

Li Sunming was about to curse, but after hearing Wei Dai’s words, he just stood there, frozen.

“That’s nonsense!” he finally shouted, enraged.

But Wei Dai didn’t get angry. He understood that if someone came to him out of the blue and said something like this, he’d probably think it was a joke too.

He sighed and said, “Why would I lie to you? We don’t have any particular relationship, and I only found out about this by accident. Just hear me out first.”

“Say it, say it quickly!” Li Sunming paced in circles, scratching his head furiously.

Wei Dai explained how his wife had noticed something was off, how she asked someone to investigate, and what they had discovered.

Fortunately, Wen Jiajia had explained everything clearly before, and Wei Dai wasn’t a fool—he simply repeated what Wen Jiajia had told him earlier.

Wen Jiajia had laid out her suspicions logically, addressing each doubt point by point. Wei Dai did the same, speaking with such clarity that even Li Sunming, who found the situation hard to accept, began to feel uneasy.

“The police also said there’s a problem?” Li Sunming asked, his chest heaving.

Wei Dai nodded. “Why don’t you have someone look into it? My wife wanted to talk to your wife directly, but since your wife isn’t in good health, we were afraid something might happen, so I came to you first.”

He didn’t stay long. Sighing again, he patted Li Sunming on the shoulder. “I suggest you stay calm and keep this quiet, especially from your elder brother, sister-in-law, and… your parents. If the two children were really swapped, your daughter is with your sister-in-law’s family. If something happens…”

Li Sunming understood what Wei Dai hadn’t said outright. If the truth came out, his brother’s family might take desperate measures.

Li Sunming took a deep breath, his eyes dazed and his chest so tight that he couldn’t speak, as if he had lost his voice.

Instinctively, he didn’t believe what Wei Dai had said, but he also knew that Wei Dai had no reason to lie.

After Wei Dai left, Li Sunming stayed there for a long time, squatting on the ground and smoking three cigarettes. By the time he stood up again, the sky was as dark as ink.

When he returned home and saw his child making a fuss, he couldn’t help but quietly observe him.

The child didn’t look like him; he looked like his brother. The villagers had said so before, but he had just laughed it off.

There were cases where nephews resembled their uncles.

However, at this moment, he could see traces of his sister-in-law and brother in his son’s face.

Lu Yiyuan, exhausted, called out to him, “Go and take care of your son. Don’t wait for the neighbors upstairs and downstairs to complain again.”

Li Sunming asked, “Is he like this every day?”

“Yes, every day,” Lu Yiyuan replied, her eyes instantly reddening. “He keeps throwing tantrums, asking for your parents, for his uncle and aunt, or to go home, saying that I’m not his mother.”

Strangely, he only behaved this way toward her. But toward his father, he was a mix of fearful and fawning.

Lu Yiyuan suspected that people in their hometown had taught the boy to distance himself from her.

She felt guilty because she didn’t feel as attached to the child as she thought she should. But how could that be possible? This was the child she had carried for ten months, the child she had spent half her life raising. How could she not love him?

But, in truth, she hated him.

Lu Yiyuan was in great pain, constantly torn between reason and emotion.

Meanwhile, back in Beishan, after Wei Dai returned home, he nodded to Wen Jiajia, and she knew he had done what was needed.

Wen Jiajia sighed in relief. It was a burden on her shoulders. If she hadn’t spoken up, she wouldn’t have been able to sleep that night.

Her mood improved significantly, as if she had shed a heavy load.

After dinner, she busied herself with preparing this year’s harvest of mugwort.

The Dragon Boat Festival was still a month away, but the mugwort had already grown. Those who understood its value had started picking, drying, and storing it. Mugwort is also a Chinese herbal medicine known for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial properties, and for driving away cold and dampness, as well as preventing colds.

In the army, men often had problems with their feet, not to mention other parts of their bodies. Eczema and bacterial infections were common, with about one in three soldiers experiencing peeling skin.

Fortunately, Wei Dai hadn’t had such issues. If he did, Wen Jiajia wouldn’t dare let him get into bed, fearing the infection might spread to her.

Sister Bao had mentioned that her husband had a serious bacterial infection on his feet and had to go to the hospital every year for ointment, but it did little good.

This condition wasn’t life-threatening, and it wasn’t even considered a disease, but it was troublesome—like a toothache. Only those who had experienced it could understand.

Although peeling feet wasn’t as painful as a toothache, the itching was incredibly annoying. The worst part was that there was no cure, so the soldiers would soak their feet in mugwort water each year, which seemed to provide some relief.

Many women in the army also used mugwort. As it was known to dispel cold and dampness, it was beneficial for dysmenorrhea^[1]is the medical term for painful menstrual cramps that occur just before or during a woman’s period.

, a cold uterus, and other conditions. Just as one in three men had peeling skin, one in three women dealt with a cold uterus.

Mugwort was clearly a popular plant in the army.

Wen Jiajia picked up a lot of mugwort from the yard just after dinner, drying some and making others into mosquito coils.

To make mosquito coils, she separated the leaf stems from the wormwood, leaving only the leaves, which she then spread out to dry in the sun.

Looking up, Wen Jiajia saw that the sky was clear and full of stars, indicating it would be sunny the next day.

So she left the drying basket filled with mugwort leaves in the yard, not worrying about the dew, to avoid having to move it out again the next day.

After finishing, Wen Jiajia clapped her hands, took a shower, and went to bed, letting go of her worries for a dreamless night.

_

Lin Yunfei was very concerned about the follow-up to this situation. As she put it: “Even if I’m not informed of the outcome, I’ll be thinking about it until I die!”

Wen Jiajia shuddered at the thought, but it was understandable. She was also paying close attention to the developments.

According to Wei Dai, Li Sunming took leave the next day and likely returned to his hometown to investigate. He didn’t trust anyone else to look into it, so he had to do it himself.

Wen Jiajia thought the matter would be resolved within a week, but to her surprise, Li Sunming didn’t return until half a month later.

The first thing he did upon his return was send the troublesome child away. The neighbors, unaware of the true situation, were almost gleeful.