Chapter 29 – He Yuandong Talks with the Zhang Family

“Alright, come with me.” Zhao Han looked at the greedy expressions on the elderly Zhang couple and felt a wave of disgust. But since she wanted to know whether He Yashu was truly her daughter, she had to swallow that disgust and bring them to see He Yuandong.

In the Commander’s Office—

“Commander, please, we’re begging you for help!” As soon as Zhang Fugui entered the office, his expression changed, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Looking at the two people responsible for making his daughter suffer so much, He Yuandong stared at them with silent authority.

“What’s the matter?” He Yuandong asked coldly.

“We raised our daughter with so much effort, and now that she’s married into a good family, she wants to abandon us. How is that fair?” Zhang Daya looked at He Yuandong with a pitiful expression, her legs trembling slightly—this was her first time meeting such a high-ranking official.

“And how do you want this to be handled?”

“Our precious grandson, Tie Niu, is in prison—he was wrongly accused! Please help us, Commander. As for our daughter, don’t let her embarrass the army. She’s been married for four years and hasn’t even had a child. I’ve let down the Zhong family. Let that good-for-nothing husband of hers divorce her. We won’t take her back either.” Zhang Daya spoke fervently, as if she could already see He Yashu being forced back home, ready to ruin her life.

“I heard He Yashu isn’t your biological daughter, but someone you picked up?” He Yuandong tried to remain composed, though her venomous words made him want to lash out.

“Yes, sir, but I treated her like my own! Even during the famine, I didn’t abandon her.” Zhang Fugui tried to curry favor.

“That’s because you didn’t want to lose a free laborer. She worked like a slave for your family and never received kindness in return. Even after getting married, you made her go back and haul grain for you. If you had a real daughter, she would’ve been far worse off.” He Yuandong scolded.

“Commander, you’ve misunderstood us! That’s not true!” Zhang Fugui shouted, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“You think the army is a place to mess around? When He Yashu applied to live with her husband in the military, we thoroughly investigated you.” He Yuandong didn’t want to waste more time. He picked up the phone.

“Hello, this is the military district. We’ve found two suspected child abductors. Please send someone to take over.”

“We didn’t abduct anyone! Sir, we found the child alone during a famine and took her in!” Zhang Fugui quickly protested in fear.

“Are you sure? I advise you to confess. The more you resist, the worse the consequences.”

Zhang Fugui recalled how their family had found He Yashu on the road during the famine. She had been chubby and cute, and they initially thought to find her parents and maybe ask for money. But after an hour with no one coming for her, they decided to take her home instead. Zhang Daya always beat and scolded her. He knew that but didn’t care. He figured if they beat her into submission, she wouldn’t run away and could become a permanent meal ticket through marriage.

“We waited a whole day and no one came! Is it a crime to take her home and raise her?” Zhang Daya shouted in desperation. But this wasn’t a village—no one sympathized with them here.

“You waited a whole day? I’ve already found He Yashu’s biological parents. When they returned for their child, she was gone. Considering how you treated her all these years, you’ll be spending quite a few years in prison.” He Yuandong didn’t reveal that he was He Yashu’s real father.

“We raised her for so many years—if not for merit, then at least we worked hard! Her family are all ungrateful wolves. Instead of thanking us, they want to send us to jail? What a joke. If I’d known this, I’d never have let her step through my door.” Zhang Fugui and Zhang Daya cursed nonstop. They couldn’t even run—they were truly desperate.

They could only watch helplessly as the police handcuffed them and led them away.

When the military wives saw the police arrive, they immediately asked what had happened. Following a gesture from He Yuandong, a young soldier who had gone to the village to gather information explained the situation. The wives were furious and condemned the Zhang family for being so cruel. Many felt deeply sorry for He Yashu. Some, feeling guilty for speaking ill of her earlier that morning, brought her fresh vegetables from their gardens as an apology.

He Yashu was amused and a little embarrassed—she wasn’t sad at all.