Ch 95: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Shen Yunxuan didn’t respond immediately but scrutinized the visitors with a hint of suspicion. In her past life, her background had never been an issue.

The middle-aged woman, Lin Yanwan, stepped forward, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m Lin Yanwan. I was once a sent-down youth in Qingshan Brigade. Back then, I got pregnant a little over a month after Fang Fang, but I went into premature labor. The baby was born between life and death—a stillborn with deformities. I was in critical condition and nearly died. My family managed to get me back to the city. But…” Her voice broke as she pointed at Shen Yunxuan. “But I saw your story in the newspaper. You look so much like my grandmother when she was young. You… you’re Fang Fang’s daughter, and she treated you poorly. I suspect you… you’re my daughter…”

She fumbled to pull out a photograph from her jacket pocket and handed it to Shen Yunxuan, her tearful gaze locked on her face as though drinking in her every feature.

To her astonishment, Shen Yunxuan realized she did bear an 80% resemblance to the person in the photo. Could it be true? Could she not be Fang Fang’s biological daughter?

She glanced at the group again. Their eyes were fixed on her, the older ones showing restraint amidst their excitement, while the younger ones displayed curiosity and politeness.

“Come in,” she finally said, inviting them into the courtyard. She then leaned against the wall and called out, “Mom, we’ve got guests! Come and help entertain them.”

“Coming!” Yu Hong responded, running over and peeking over the wall. She was startled by the number of people and quickly called over Xiao Zhijun, eldest brother Xiao, and sister-in-law for support.

Lin Yanwan’s heart trembled when she heard Shen Yunxuan call someone “Mom.” It took her a moment to realize it wasn’t directed at her. The pang of pain in her chest deepened as she imagined all the years of separation and hardship her daughter had endured at the hands of the Shen family. It was unbearable, and bitterness filled her heart.

The Xiao family ushered the guests inside, serving them tea and exchanging pleasantries while asking about their visit. Upon hearing they might be Shen Yunxuan’s true family, the Xiao family was shocked. This kind of situation was unheard of.

Before long, Xiao Jun returned. His first reaction was happiness for Shen Yunxuan—this could finally sever her ties with the Shen family. But he carefully observed these new visitors, wary that they might turn out to be no better than the Shens.

He laid out the breakfast he’d bought and invited everyone to eat. “Let’s talk while eating. Can’t let Yunxuan go hungry. Here, have some too.”

Lin Yanwan was the first to take a bun, forcing a smile despite her trembling emotions. “Thank you. I’ll help myself.” She didn’t know if her daughter would acknowledge her, but if not, this might be the only meal they’d share. She was determined to cherish it.

Shen Yunxuan had only been briefly surprised at first but quickly calmed down. Having lived through one life already, this revelation about her lineage didn’t hold much weight. She focused on eating her breakfast, as hunger had taken precedence.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jun asked many questions, piecing together the story. Lin Yanwan recounted her past: she was from Haicheng and had been sent to Qingshan Brigade as a youth. She stayed for three years before realizing she couldn’t return to the city and eventually married a man named Shen Cheng, a well-respected and hardworking orphan in the brigade. He was an adopted son of the Shen family.

Shen Cheng adored his wife, often doing household chores to let Lin Yanwan rest. However, this kindness earned the ire of Grandma Shen, who frequently criticized Lin Yanwan for not respecting her elders. Lin Yanwan disliked the interference and shut herself away with her husband, prompting even more gossip.

Fang Fang, Shen Cheng’s sister-in-law, was jealous and dismissive of Lin Yanwan, frequently making snide remarks about her being childless and saying they were doomed to wither away. Shen Cheng’s older brother, Shen Weiguo, often lectured Shen Cheng to act more like the “head of the household,” further souring relations.

Despite this, Shen Cheng and Lin Yanwan built a brick house after earning money from her writing and his work. This fueled the Shen family’s envy, leading to more hostile comments. Lin Yanwan, who was pregnant, chose to ignore them, attributing their good fortune to the baby.

Tragedy struck when Shen Cheng joined a hunting group to capture a wild boar that had wandered into the village. He was killed in an accident, leaving Lin Yanwan devastated. The grief and shock caused her to go into premature labor. The village was in chaos, with multiple injuries and the doctor attending to other patients. Grandma Shen assisted with the delivery but was untrained, and Lin Yanwan suffered greatly.

After giving birth, Lin Yanwan was told her child was stillborn and had deformed legs. She fainted from the shock. A kind friend wrote to her family, who rushed to take her back to the city under the pretense of a severe illness.

She had lost her beloved husband and child, drifting through life in a daze. Just before she left, she heard Fang Fang had given birth to a daughter the day after her own delivery. It was said Fang Fang had been startled by the events, but her due date had been near, so it wasn’t surprising. Out of gratitude to Grandma Shen for assisting during her delivery, Lin Yanwan visited and gave the baby a red envelope, wishing her a healthy life.

At the time, the infant was too young to show distinct features, and Lin Yanwan didn’t notice any resemblance. After returning to Haicheng, her family lived cautiously during the politically tumultuous years. When a suitable opportunity arose, they moved to Hong Kong to start a business and eventually prospered.

Recently, observing the changing policies in mainland China, they began exploring whether they could return to invest and do business. In discussions of entrepreneurship in the mainland, it was impossible to overlook Shen Yunxuan, a trailblazer of economic reform. When they saw her photo in a report, they were stunned!

Lin Yanwan repeatedly revisited the events from twenty years prior, finding them increasingly suspicious. She speculated that Fang Fang might have given birth at the same time or even earlier than her. After all, Fang Fang’s pregnancy had reached full term, whereas she had endured a difficult, premature delivery. Perhaps Fang Fang had given birth to a stillborn and, fearing gossip and disgrace, Grandma Shen used the opportunity to switch the babies while assisting with Lin Yanwan’s delivery. To avoid suspicion, they likely spread the story that Fang fang’s baby was born the following day.

It had never crossed Lin Yanwan’s mind that her baby could have been swapped. Overwhelmed by grief, she had been bedridden and oblivious, unable to question anything. That period of her life had been her darkest, but now it seemed that human malice might have been at play.

Their family rushed to Jianlin City as soon as they pieced everything together. Though arriving unannounced was impolite, their desperation left them no choice.

Looking at Shen Yunxuan, Lin Yanwan choked out, “If you truly are my daughter… it was my negligence that caused you to endure twenty years of suffering at their hands. I’m so sorry!”

Father and mother Lin chimed in, “It was our lack of vigilance. We didn’t notice anything unusual…”

If the baby swap truly happened, Shen Yunxuan didn’t blame the Lin family. After all, in 1961, information was scarce, and people were straightforward in their thinking. No one could have imagined the Shen family capable of such deceit. Growing up in the village, not a single person had ever suspected her lineage.

She also understood why the Lin family had never appeared in her past life. They had lived in Hong Kong for years, and by the time they returned to the mainland, she had already left for military compound and never returned to her hometown. The Shen family had also moved, making it impossible for the Lins to encounter her even if they visited the village.

Moreover, for Lin Yanwan, the Qingshan Brigade represented the most painful chapter of her life. In her past life, she might not have returned at all.

With her thoughts clear, Shen Yunxuan decisively took the Lin family to the police station to report the matter.

Wang Zhijun was astounded, holding the photo of Lin Yanwan’s grandmother. He repeatedly compared it to Shen Yunxuan’s face, looking back and forth ten times.

“This… the resemblance is uncanny! They’re practically the same person!” Wang Zhijun exclaimed, realization dawning on him. “No wonder the Shen family treated you so horribly. You weren’t even their biological child! What a despicable family!”

Having always regarded Shen Yunxuan as a younger relative, Wang Zhijun was furious at the revelation. He personally led a team to Qingshan Village to apprehend the suspects.

Back in the Shen household, the family was preparing a meal. They had stewed meat to celebrate Shen Jie’s return from school, the conclusion of their detention, and to ward off bad luck.

Just as they were about to eat, loud banging erupted at the door, startling Grandma Shen. She slammed her chopsticks on the table and cursed, “Who’s the fool banging on my door? If you scare me sick, can you afford it?”

Fang Fang went to open the door and turned pale upon seeing four police officers standing outside.

Wang Zhijun sternly announced, “Lin Yanwan has filed a report accusing you of maliciously swapping her child, Shen Yunxuan. You are required to come with us for investigation. Take them away!”

With a wave of his hand, the three officers behind him stepped forward, seizing everyone except Shen Jie.

Grandma Shen’s eyes widened in shock, her words stammering, “Lin… Lin Yanwan?”

The commotion stunned their neighbor Aunt Ma, who exclaimed, “Lin Yanwan? She’s back? The Shen family swapped her child? What does that mean? Yunxuan is Lin Yanwan’s daughter?!”

Fang fang shrieked, “No! No! Shen Yunxuan is my daughter! I gave birth to her! Lin Yanwan’s baby was a freak—a deformed stillborn!”

Aunt Ma’s mind raced as she recalled past events. “I remember when you were near term, people said your baby wasn’t moving much. You claimed the baby was just sleeping a lot. Wasn’t that because it was already dead? A stillborn wouldn’t move! Did you really swap Lin Yanwan’s baby?”

As people pieced things together, everything suddenly seemed plausible. Another neighbor watching the commotion chimed in, “How could Lin Yanwan, who had such good nutrition, have a stillborn? And a deformed one at that? It must have been swapped! Why else would the police be here?”

Sweat poured down Shen Weiguo’s forehead as he struggled to speak, but Wang Zhijun cut him off, saying sternly, “Save it for the station. Remember, confess for leniency, resist and face severity. Don’t even think about playing tricks in front of the police!”

The village head arrived just in time to see the police escorting the Shen family away. He slapped his thigh in frustration and sighed, “Can’t the Shen family go a single day without stirring up trouble?”

Shen Jie, pale with fear, collapsed onto a stool, his legs too weak to hold him. At sixteen years old, an age when one could already support a household in those days, his cowardly behavior drew shakes of the head from the villagers, who quickly dispersed. However, news of the arrest spread like wildfire through the village. Even without solid evidence or knowledge of the photo’s existence, people immediately concluded that the Shen family must have swapped the children. How else could they explain their cruel treatment of Shen Yunxuan?

Unlike her cousin Shen Xuewei, who was also a girl, Shen Yunxuan excelled in her studies. Yet, the Shen family denied her an education, overworked her, and pampered Shen Xuewei like a spoiled princess. Clearly, this was the difference between a stolen child and a biological one!

Shen Jie, panicking, ran to the Xing family to find Shen Xuewei. She was equally stunned and even began doubting her own reality. Was she really reborn? Had she traveled to a parallel world? Or had her so-called previous life been nothing more than a nightmare? Otherwise, how could things have deviated so drastically? How could Shen Yunxuan possibly not be her biological sister? If she wasn’t, then why had she once advised the family to sever ties?

Shen Xuewei was desperate to know the truth and immediately decided to accompany Shen Jie to the police station. However, Xing family locked her in a room and chased Shen Jie away with a broom before heading to the city to call Xing Kai.

Meanwhile, Xing Kai’s children, peeking through a window, taunted Shen Xuewei with sneers. “Your family has disgraced itself, stealing someone’s child. That’s a serious crime. Your entire family is doomed. Your reputation is ruined, and you’re unworthy of my dad. He’ll definitely divorce you!”

Shen Xuewei snapped, “Shut up! You ungrateful brats! I’ve given you so much—new clothes, good food, school supplies—and this is how you repay me? Get lost!”

Despite her harsh words, her heart pounded with anxiety. Background checks for political examinations were notoriously strict. If her parents were convicted, she’d be tainted by association. Would Xing Kai really divorce her? No, he wouldn’t—she hadn’t committed any crimes herself. Besides, the alleged incident happened twenty years ago, before she was even born. Surely that wouldn’t be held against her—it wouldn’t be fair!

Her baby began crying inside the room, further aggravating her. She shouted at the child, “Shut up! I’m already stressed out, and now you’re adding to it? Quiet!”

Outside the window, the older children yelled back, “You’re a bad woman! You’re mean to your own baby and even worse to us! We don’t want you as our stepmom. Go back to your family!”

The argument grew louder, attracting the attention of neighbors who shook their heads and lamented, “The Xing family finally has an official, but his wife and kids are so unruly.”

While chaos unfolded at the Xing household, the Shen family was petrified at the police station. Their last memory of Lin Yanwan was as a frail, bedridden woman in utter despair.

But the sight of the Lin family now left them speechless. Eight well-dressed individuals, radiating an air of wealth and authority that surpassed even the city mayor, silenced their protests. Deep-seated feelings of inferiority and fear rose within them.

Lin Yanwan, spotting Grandma Shen, stormed forward and delivered two loud slaps, her handprints blazing red on the old woman’s cheeks—a testament to the force behind her strikes. As the police pulled her back, she pointed at Grandma Shen and cursed, “You heartless wretch! May you rot in the eighteen layers of hell, climb knife mountains, and be boiled in oil every day! Reincarnate as a beast!”

Such curses were the harshest imaginable for Grandma Shen. She burst into wails, but Wang Zhijun barked, “This is a police station! No shouting! Take her in for questioning!”

The officers yanked Grandma Shen away, leaving Fang fang and Shen Weiguo too frightened to look at the Lin family. Heads bowed, they followed obediently into the interrogation rooms.

The three were interrogated separately, with the most skilled and stringent officers questioning them. Initially, they adamantly denied switching the children, but being simple farmers, they were no match for professional interrogation tactics. As questions were repeated and rephrased, inconsistencies arose, and their stories began to unravel. Under the officers’ sharp rebukes, panic set in, and they fell into chaos.

By the end of a grueling overnight interrogation, the truth finally emerged: Shen Weiguo had been present during the wild boar hunt. When a boar charged at him, he had quietly shoved Shen Cheng in its path. The boar fatally struck Shen Cheng, splattering blood all over Shen Weiguo, who only escaped by being pinned under Shen Cheng’s lifeless body.

The scene had been utter mayhem. In the darkness, no one noticed the specifics of what happened. All they knew was that Shen Cheng had died, and the boar injured several others before being killed. Shen Weiguo, terrified and covered in blood, rushed home. Fang Fang, upon seeing his bloodied figure, screamed in shock and fell, triggering early labor.

With the doctor occupied tending to the wounded and Shen Weiguo too guilt-ridden to seek help, Grandma Shen had to deliver Fang Fang’s baby herself. To their horror, it was a stillborn with deformities.

At that moment, Shen Weiguo collapsed to the ground, feeling as though retribution had finally caught up with him. He had caused Shen Cheng’s death, and now it seemed like divine justice was at hand. Fang Fang, on the other hand, was trembling with fear, terrified that her husband and mother-in-law would cast her out of the family. Having given birth to a stillborn with deformities, she knew she would face condemnation wherever she went.

The commotion outside grew louder, and Grandma Shen went out to investigate. She saw someone informing Lin Yanwan to claim Shen Cheng’s body and then relaying other messages. When Shen Laotai opened the door, she saw Lin Yanwan faint on the ground, overwhelmed with shock, and enter premature labor.

The night was pitch black. Gritting her teeth, Grandma Shen dragged Lin Yanwan back inside to help with the delivery. Lin Yanwan, unconscious from a difficult labor, allowed Grandma Shen to smoothly switch the two babies. Then, acting frantic, Grandma Shen ran outside to call for help, claiming Lin Yanwan had given birth to a deformed stillborn. By the time Lin Yanwan woke up, several people had already gathered to comfort her, while the Shen family kept their house quiet, avoiding suspicion amidst the chaos.

The next day, Grandma Shen deliberately made noise at home, boiling water and changing bed linens, then announced to everyone that Fang Fang had given birth to a daughter.

The village was preoccupied with mourning Shen Cheng’s death and tending to the injured. Each family turned inward during this somber time, and the matter of childbirth faded into the background. Meanwhile, Lin Yanwan fell gravely ill. The Shen family waited for her to die, intending to bury all traces of the truth while taking anything of value from her household. To their surprise, Lin Yanwan’s parents arrived and took her back with them.

Their departure came as a relief to the Shen family. Haishi was in the south, while Qingshan Brigade was in the north—chances of them crossing paths again were slim. They thought their secret was safe forever.

But as Shen Yunxuan grew up, Shen Weiguo was plagued with guilt over Shen Cheng’s death, often haunted by nightmares, which explained his cold treatment toward Shen Yunxuan. Fang Fang, consumed with jealousy toward Lin Yanwan, projected her resentment onto Shen Yunxuan. Abusing Shen Yunxuan became a way to symbolically attack Lin Yanwan, giving Fang Fang a twisted sense of satisfaction. From an early age, Shen Yunxuan was forced to do hard labor.

Grandma Shen initially thought Shen Yunxuan might bring fortune to the family, as Lin Yanwan’s pregnancy had coincided with her literary successes and the building of a brick house. Shen Yunxuan’s survival against all odds—despite being a “seven-month baby”—seemed to confirm this. However, when the Shen family saw no significant improvement in their fortunes, and Fang Fang gave birth to another daughter the following year instead of a son, Shen Laotai began to believe Shen Yunxuan was a curse. She concluded that Shen Yunxuan’s presence had brought misfortune, including Shen Cheng’s death and Lin Yanwan’s illness, and frequently beat her in an attempt to “suppress her evil aura.”

This also explained why the Shen family readily agreed to sever ties with Shen Yunxuan after only minimal opposition—they felt no deep familial bond with her. But when Shen Yunxuan became successful, they plotted to bind her to them indefinitely, intending to drain her wealth.

The family often marveled at their luck that Shen Yunxuan didn’t resemble either her biological mother or father. Over the years, no one in the village suspected anything. They never imagined that Shen Yunxuan would bear such a striking resemblance to Lin Yanwan’s grandmother—so much so that a single photograph could serve as undeniable evidence.

In truth, if they had resolutely denied everything, it would have been hard to prove. At the time, paternity testing wasn’t available in China. However, their guilt, ignorance from a life confined to the village, and the uncanny likeness between Shen Yunxuan and the photograph broke their psychological defenses, leading them to confess.

Even Grandma Shen and Fang Fang didn’t know that Shen Cheng’s death was orchestrated by Shen Weiguo.

When Lin Yanwan learned that Shen Cheng had been murdered, a flood of rage overtook her. Storming into the interrogation room, she grabbed Shen Weiguo and began to beat him mercilessly. Her elder brother, who had accompanied her, followed suit, along with their parents, sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews. The entire Lin family swarmed into the room, raining punches and kicks on Shen Weiguo.

The police were momentarily stunned by the chaos. Wang Zhijun turned his head, coughed a few times, and said, “Looks like I’ve been yelling too much today—my throat’s gone hoarse.”

A nearby officer quickly fetched him a glass of water. “Captain Wang, have some water. Don’t strain yourself.”

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