Ayalee: Special birthday treat: 1 full chapter unlocked from each of my translations for everyone to enjoy because it’s my birthday today! Enjoy🎉

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Chapter 26

Meng Xuan stepped off the train, dressed in military uniform, carrying only a simple bag. His tall and handsome figure immediately caught the attention of many people.

Some enthusiastic aunties even approached him to chat, asking if he was returning home or visiting relatives, how old he was, and whether he was married yet.

Although Meng Xuan wasn’t married yet, he had already developed a perfect way to handle such situations.

He calmly spoke to the few elderly women who had surrounded him.

“I’m here on a business trip and already have a partner. I’m in a hurry to catch the bad guys. Could you please let me go, comrades?”

The elderly women: “….”

“Uh, okay, okay, thank you for your hard work, soldier comrade!”

After successfully escaping from the circle of women, Meng Xuan quickened his pace and headed toward the train station.

In truth, most of what he had just said was a lie, except for one part: he was indeed here on a business trip.

However, even that wasn’t entirely true—it was more like half-truth.

He was here on a business trip, but in a way, it could also be seen as a family visit.

After all, his business trip coincidentally brought him to the same place as his family visit: the Nanjiao Brigade.

Following the address he was given, Meng Xuan set off from the city’s train station, traveling for several hours by train. He passed through the county, a town, and a commune before finally arriving at the Nanjiao Brigade.

However, as he traveled, his expression grew increasingly dark, and the worry in his brows deepened.

Meng Xuan had spent many years in the military, enduring many hardships and getting used to tough environments. But that didn’t mean that a pampered young lady, who had never even touched a broom, would be able to adjust to this kind of place.

Thinking about his younger sister, Meng Yinyin, being sent to this rural area, Meng Xuan’s heart grew heavy.

It wasn’t that he looked down on this place, it was just that he felt his sister wouldn’t be able to adapt here.

By now, she’d been here for almost a month, and he couldn’t help but wonder how she had been coping all this time.

With the scorching sun and poor living conditions, had she already been sunburned into a coal-black color and become as thin as a bamboo pole?

The closer Meng Xuan got to the Nanjiao Brigade, the deeper his worries grew.

Finally, the area of the Nanjiao Brigade appeared before his eyes.

He had arrived at the perfect time: the afternoon, just as everyone had finished their lunch break and were getting ready to work.

Wearing a military green uniform and with a face unfamiliar to the locals, Meng Xuan immediately became the center of attention when he appeared in front of everyone.

He remained calm, ignoring the looks, and directly asked the nearest man, “Comrade, could you tell me where Meng Yinyin, the Educated Youth Meng, is?”

The man was stunned for a moment, then quickly recovered and scrutinized Meng Xuan’s face. Upon closer inspection, he realized that this military comrade did indeed resemble Meng Yinyin.

This must be a relative!

The crowd also noticed this and murmurs of surprise spread among them.

No one expected Meng Yinyin to have a military relative. It seemed that her family might be doing better than everyone thought.

This morning, Meng Yinyin carried her luggage into Lu Chen’s house. After a whole morning of fermentation, almost everyone in the brigade now knew that Meng Yinyin and Lu Chen were living together.

Meng Xuan silently took note of the direction the man had indicated and then asked, “Do you know where Comrade Lu Chen’s house is?”

The man didn’t know if this was a sensitive question, but once Meng Xuan finished asking, everyone’s expressions shifted subtly.

Meng Xuan furrowed his brows.

What was going on?

Could it be that everyone knows that Comrade Lu Chen’s property and supplies were seized?

Meng Xuan’s face grew more serious.

Indeed, he had come here to visit his sister, Meng Yinyin, but he was also on a business trip to investigate the situation involving Lu Chen, a military family member.

Initially, the organization hadn’t decided who would investigate the case, but since Meng Xuan was already going to the same place for a family visit, the task naturally fell to him.

It worked out well because this way, Meng Xuan could extend his vacation, so he happily accepted the task, not thinking it would be particularly complicated.

However, seeing everyone’s strange looks now, he began to wonder if he had underestimated the situation.

What he didn’t realize was that the reason everyone’s expressions were odd wasn’t because of Lu Chen’s situation, but because they assumed Meng Xuan already knew that Meng Yinyin and Lu Chen were together.

After all, why else would he ask about Lu Chen’s house? They had directed him to where Meng Yinyin was, thinking he knew about her relationship and had come to check on her.

But it turned out he didn’t know anything about it!

“Comrade?”

Seeing Meng Xuan ask again, the local man hesitated before responding.

“Uh, it’s… it’s in the place I just told you about.”

Meng Xuan froze for a moment, processing the meaning of the man’s words.

What did this mean?

Was his sister living with Lu Chen? Had Lu Chen been treated so poorly by his family that he no longer had a home, forcing him to live at the Educated Youth point?

Meng Xuan had assumed his sister was here to work as an Educated Youth, so she naturally had to live at the Educated Youth point. He hadn’t specifically asked for its location because he knew that was where she must be.

When Meng Xuan heard the local villager’s comment, he was puzzled and asked, “Then how did Lu Chen end up staying at the Educated Youth Point?”

The others were stunned into silence, exchanging glances.

How should they answer that?

Was the question difficult to answer, or was there something inconvenient about it?

Seeing the others hesitating to speak, Meng Xuan gave up asking further. He simply thanked them and immediately began walking in the direction the villager had pointed to.

It didn’t matter if they didn’t answer. He would find out the truth on his own.

Seeing Meng Xuan walking towards Lu Chen’s house with his long legs, everyone’s eyes followed him unconsciously, and at the same time, they also thought that there should be something exciting to watch at the Lu family.

After all, judging from Meng Xuan’s expression, he seemed completely unaware of the relationship between Meng Yinyin and Lu Chen. It made everyone curious about how he would react when he learned that Meng Yinyin and Lu Chen were together.

Ah, how they wished they could go watch, but unfortunately, they had to go back to work.

Because Meng Xuan was curious, he walked quickly and soon arrived at the door of Lu Chen’s house.

Of course, as he arrived, he couldn’t help but glance at Lu Dashan’s house next door.

It was surprising to see such a spacious yard in such a small place.

He quickly turned his gaze back and focused on the old house in front of him.

The house is okay, the most important thing is that it is spacious and has several rooms, so it should be able to accommodate a group of educated youth.

But soon, Meng Xuan discovered that this yard did not seem like a place where a group of people lived, because he did not see any signs of group living.

Was the number of educated youth in this brigade really so small?

Just as Meng Xuan was about to call out to someone, he saw Lu Chen come out of the room, already packed and ready to go to work.

But before heading off, Lu Chen was planning to check on Meng Yinyin and ask what she’d like to eat in the afternoon. He was going to the mountains and could bring something back for her.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he saw a strange soldier standing outside his yard.

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment, then he immediately reacted and walked quickly towards the person outside the door.

He recalled the letter he received a few days ago, which mentioned that someone would be sent to investigate his father’s belongings. So the soldier standing in front of his house must be the one assigned by the army to look into this matter!

Lu Chen wasn’t one to show his emotions, but his hurried steps revealed his eagerness.

He hadn’t expected the army to send someone so quickly. Could it be that the truth about his father’s past was about to be revealed?

As Lu Chen walked toward the door, Meng Xuan, with narrowed eyes, observed Lu Chen carefully.

From Lu Chen’s attire, Meng Xuan initially thought he was a local villager. But his looks and demeanor were not like those of an ordinary villager.

So for a moment, Meng Xuan couldn’t figure out who he was.

Just then, Lu Chen walked up to him and opened the gate, introducing himself. That was when Meng Xuan realized that Lu Chen was the person he was looking for.

“Comrade, hello. I’m Lu Chen.”

It was just a simple introduction, but Lu Chen looked at him quietly, as if waiting for Meng Xuan to explain.

Meng Xuan had already gathered some information about Lu Chen from the army leadership. He knew that Lu Chen’s life had not been easy, but since he had sought help from them, Meng Xuan didn’t think he was a fool.

Now that he met him in person, Lu Chen seemed to be even more impressive than he had imagined. Calm, composed, and confident.

At least his appearance was striking.

Meng Xuan nodded at him and introduced himself.

“Comrade Lu Chen, I’m Meng Xuan, a special envoy sent by the organization to investigate the truth of the events from back then. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

As he spoke, Meng Xuan extended his hand.

Though Lu Chen wasn’t used to shaking hands with strangers, he knew that Meng Xuan was here to help, and he was a respected soldier of the army, so he didn’t hesitate. He quickly reached out and shook Meng Xuan’s hand.

The two men, both with similar builds and height, stood at the door exchanging greetings.

After a brief introduction, Meng Xuan finally asked the question he was curious about.

Naturally, he wanted to know why Lu Chen had come to stay at the Educated Youth Point. Was his house also occupied by that uncle?

But before he could even ask his question, the creaking sound of a door opening was heard.

As soon as he looked towards the place where the sound came from, he found that Lu Chen in front of him was moving even faster than him.

The two men simultaneously looked toward the slowly opening door.

And then, out walked Meng Yinyin, stretching and yawning.

Having just woken up from her nap, her small face was flushed, and her cheeks still bore the marks of sleep. It was obvious that she had a good sleep.

After yawning, she finally opened her eyes, and remembering the voices she had heard earlier, she glanced toward the door.

And that’s when she saw the two men staring at her, one of whom was Lu Chen.

As for the other…

Meng Yinyin’s eyes went wide in disbelief, and she rubbed her eyes, then called out in surprise.

“Brother!”

The word “brother” finally brought a smile to Meng Xuan’s face.

It also froze Lu Chen, who was standing next to them, in place.

Brother…? Is he her brother?

At this moment, Lu Chen was stunned by the sudden revelation and couldn’t regain his composure.

Meanwhile, Meng Yinyin, seeing her long-lost brother, immediately opened her arms and ran toward him, then threw herself into his embrace.

“Brother, you’re finally here! I missed you so much, woo woo woo!”

Meng Xuan felt comforted and reassured, but since there was someone else present, he wasn’t used to acting affectionate in front of others. He could only pretend to be annoyed and said to Meng Yinyin,

“Alright, alright, get off me. Can’t you see there are outsiders here?”

With that, he grabbed her by the back of her collar and pulled her out of his arms. Meng Yinyin, though reluctant, stood aside, muttering in dissatisfaction.

“There are no outsiders here!”

Lu Chen is so big that she can’t see? It doesn’t make sense that she would have problems with her eyes after only being in the countryside for a month, right?

Meng Xuan gave her a faint glance, not wanting to point out Lu Chen right in front of him. He casually asked,

“Is it just the two of you at this Educated Youth point? Where are the others?”

To his surprise, the moment these words left his mouth, the bright smile that had been on Meng Yinyin’s face just a second ago suddenly froze.

Her facial expression changed so obviously that Meng Xuan couldn’t help but notice.

As her brother, he knew her too well. When she made that face, it meant she was hiding something from him, and it was likely something serious.

At this thought, Meng Xuan’s expression darkened.

“Meng Yinyin, you’re hiding something from me.”

His tone was firm and certain.