Chapter 186: Chapter 186

In the following days, Mr. Li visibly lost weight at an alarming rate, making Li Xianglu as anxious as ants on a hot pan. He stubbornly refused to eat, and any attempt to persuade him would only provoke his anger, causing the whole family to feel agitated.

It was March, and school was about to start in a few days, but Mr. Li showed no signs of improvement. Mr. Xun specially invited a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to visit. After checking his pulse, the diagnosis was liver qi stagnation and a lack of appetite. Qin Shouren also visited twice, using a stethoscope and a sphygmomanometer to check everything. Only his blood pressure was a bit low; everything else seemed fine.

This situation deeply worried everyone. What exactly had happened? Privately, Li Xianglu and Qin Xi speculated. The phrase "shouldn’t bear the Li surname but the Zhou surname" had crushed the old man. What on earth had happened?

However, they couldn’t get any answers out of him. The old man had been eating less for several days and had become increasingly lethargic, spending his days in a state of silent reminiscence.

Worried, Li Xianglu directly called Hong Kong. Coincidentally, Xu Xi was there, and he was stunned to hear about Mr. Li’s illness. After hearing the strange reason, he didn’t speak for a long while, only saying to wait while he contacted Miss Su.

Li Xianglu couldn’t wait any longer. Over the next two days, Mr. Li was bedridden, vomiting everything he ate, even his medicine, which scared Li Xianglu to tears several times.

It was the 8th, and school had already started. Qin Zhen left three days ago, and Qin Xi was sent off by Li Xianglu in the morning to pick up his books and register, while she stayed at home.

After cooking millet and red date porridge, she sat by the bed, looking at her grandpa whose cheeks had sunk in, tears dropping down as she spoke: "Grandpa, do you not want me anymore?"

Li Huai Ren, lost in his memories, was startled by his granddaughter’s words and gave a bitter smile: "How could that be? Grandpa will get better soon."

Li Xianglu sobbed, "They don’t want me anymore, they want to sell me for money, and now you don’t want me either."

Mr. Li struggled to sit up and pulled his granddaughter into his embrace, "Oh, how could that be, silly child, what are you talking about?"

Li Xianglu persisted, "Actually, I’m not really their child, so I’m not truly a Li Family child."

This statement sounded baffling, but Li Huai Ren immediately understood: "What did you say? You’re not a Li Family child?"

With tearful eyes, Li Xianglu said, "The Li Family’s child has long been dead, I am not the Li Family’s child. Grandpa, don’t you want me anymore?"

Li Huai Ren didn’t fully grasp what she meant by ’not a Li Family child’, but he had his suspicions. Hearing Li Xianglu speak this way, something clicked inside him. Could such bizarre things really exist in this world?

He listened as Li Xianglu continued to cry, "Grandpa, even if I’m not a Li Family person, I’m not a Li Family person, we both are not Li Family people, so please don’t overthink it."

Alright, they were waiting for him. Mr. Li gave a bitter smile, realizing that the children had guessed it.

Mr. Li sighed, "Yes, I am not Li Huai Ren."

Li Xianglu’s eyes widened, "Then who is Li Huai Ren?"

Cupping water from the bedside, Mr. Li took a sip to moisten his throat before saying, "He was sacrificed."

Li Xianglu could hardly believe it, could Grandpa be living someone else’s life? Switched identities?

Mr. Li saw his granddaughter’s eyes rolling around and knew she was overthinking it. Angrily, he patted his granddaughter on the head before saying, "It was an organizational request, I can only be Li Huai Ren in this lifetime."

Ah? The more I hear, the more complicated it gets.

Mr. Li leaned back, his eyes listless as he looked into the distance: "Back then, Li Huai Ren was carrying out a liaison task, passing messages between both sides. Then, he was accidentally killed in a gunfight."

"The mission was interrupted, and no one realized he had been killed. After the organization learned about it, they sent me to replace him, and I continued until the war ended. Later, when I wanted to revert to my original identity, it was difficult. All my records and military service were under the name Li Huai Ren, there was no turning back."

Li Xianglu’s eyes widened: "So that’s what happened. But, that day, why did that old man say your surname was Zhou?"

Li Huai Ren nodded bitterly, "Yes, my original surname is Zhou, Zhou Haitian."

Li Xianglu put down the bowl she was holding, climbed onto the bed, and lay next to her grandfather. She gently patted his stomach and said in a soothing tone, "Don’t worry, Grandpa, you still have me. I will always be filial to you. Nowadays, women can also ’hold up half the sky,’ you can treat me like your grandson."

Seeing his granddaughter , Mr. Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He patted her head and said, "Then you are my grandson now. What about Qin Xi?"

Li Xianglu blinked and said, "Qin Xi is your granddaughter-in-law, that’s nice, isn’t it?"

Mr. Li chuckled quietly, feeling somewhat relieved to speak out, but it was a sad fact that as a member of the Zhou Family, he couldn’t go home. In this lifetime, until death, he could only be Li Huai Ren. Even in death, he would be buried in the Li Family’s tomb, and his tombstone would also bear the name Li Huai Ren. It’s like dying someone else’s death.

Li Xianglu didn’t quite understand the depth of Mr. Li’s thoughts, but she could understand his feelings. Wasn’t she also living under someone else’s name and body?

"Grandpa, a name is just a label. Whether you are Zhou Haitian or Li Huai Ren, it’s all you. Your way of doing things, your habits, no matter which name you use, they won’t change. You are you. Using the name Li Huai Ren won’t make you into him. Look at me, do you think I’m Li Xianglu? Yes, my name is Li Xianglu, but I could have any name, as long as I like it - my essence won’t change even if my name does. I am still me."

Li Huai Ren was thoroughly confused by his granddaughter’s ’I am me’ theory, but he understood what she meant. He let out a long sigh, "Alright, Grandpa understands. Come on, get up, you’re crushing me. This girl, how come you’re so heavy? Xiangxiang, should you consider losing some weight?"

Li Xianglu rolled up from the bed, flabbergasted, "Grandpa, am I really that heavy?"

Mr. Li nodded earnestly, "Indeed, you’ve gained quite a lot!"

Mr. Li picked up the Xiao Mi and red date porridge from the bedside and started drinking it, his appetite returning.

Watching her grandfather eat, Li Xianglu felt better. She was about to go get him a steamed sponge cake when suddenly she remembered something, "Uh oh, Grandpa, Grandma Su might be coming!"

Li Xianglu giggled foolishly, "Well, seeing you’ve not been well lately, I got a bit worried, so I phoned Xu Xi, and then he said Grandma Su might come."