Chapter 347: Chapter 347
Grandma Li was overwhelmed with grief, feeling that it might be better to end her own life—once and for all.
But whether to speak or stay silent was a dilemma.
If she spoke, it would expose her disgrace, something too shameful to admit; if she stayed silent, she couldn’t knowingly allow Li Fei to make such a grave mistake.
Li Guofu, unaware of the inside story, seized the chance while Zhang Meihua wasn’t around to persuade his mother: "Mom, I know your illness this time is because you’re angry with us! But honestly, we haven’t done anything wrong! Fei’er found a boyfriend who’s well-off, and that’s just her good fortune. Even if she has to suffer a little in the future, that’s her fate!
What can I do? Your son here doesn’t have the ability to provide her with a great legacy, but I promise you, Mom, things will definitely get better from now on! You just wait and enjoy the good times!"
With my elder brother gone, it looks like the old lady, in her later years, will end up depending entirely on me. But if she ever becomes seriously ill, who will pay the bills? Who will take care of her?
Counting on Li Si is out of the question now; she’s staying far away, and can’t even be found when trouble arises.
Li Guozhi is helpless—sure, she might contribute a bit of money now and then, and occasionally help out. But in the end, the heavy burden falls on me, the son.
That’s why Li Guofu feels it’s crucial that the old lady stays healthy.
Grandma Li burst into tears, incapable of speaking. She felt she had sinned; if only she had known! If only she had made different choices back then.
How could she have foreseen that two seemingly unrelated individuals would fall in love?
She had tried to open her mouth several times to reveal the truth, but the words were impossible to say.
Yet, imagining the situation that might unfold once the two got married and the secret exploded afterward, how could she face Li Guofu’s family?
Summing up her courage and gritting her teeth, Grandma Li finally opened up and told Li Guofu the truth.
Back in the day when educated youth were sent to Bashan Village to the countryside, there had been a young man staying at her house. After finishing up the farm work, a group of them would often gather at her place for fun.
Han Baogui was a handsome young man and quite humorous. At that time, the eldest son, Li Guoqiang, was just three years old and was curious about everything. Han was patient and answered all his questions—it garnered more respect from her.
Mr. Li Sr. was mild-mannered and ineffectual, not contributing much aside from farm work. Handling all the comings and goings fell solely on her shoulders.
In the course of their interactions, the two developed unspoken feelings for each other—a man full of youthful vigor and a woman consumed by loneliness. Secretly, they did something that shouldn’t have been done.
Later, Mr. Li Sr. might have sensed something, and the two gradually ceased their relationship.
Not long afterward, she became pregnant. At the time, she didn’t even know whose child it was and could only wait for the birth.
Thankfully, when Li Guofu was born, he resembled her greatly, which completely eased her worries.
It wasn’t until years later, after Mr. Li Sr.’s passing, that she accidentally discovered Li Guofu’s blood type—it was different from the rest of the Li family. That was the moment she truly confirmed that he was Han Baogui’s son.
If Han Mingxue’s arrival had been as exhilarating for Li Guofu as a shot of adrenaline, then his mother’s revelation now felt like being drenched in a bucket of ice water, chilling him to his very core. When he processed what she had said, his emotions erupted—rage, disdain, resentment—all intertwining at once.
He exploded completely: "How could you have done such a thing?" She betrayed his father, making him wear the shame of her betrayal for so many years. The old man was gone, resting in peace, but what was he, alive and left to deal with the fallout, supposed to do?
What about his daughter? Earlier, she had left with Han Mingxue’s arm linked in hers, smiling with such happiness. But now, how was he supposed to tell her the truth? Find the newest release on novel~fire~net
How could he say, "Your grandma was unfaithful, having an affair and giving birth to your father—and now you’ve found a boyfriend who’s actually your blood relative and older than you. You can’t be together?"
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like killing himself. Just when he thought life could take a turn for the better, chaos engulfed him again.
Grandma Li only cried and cried. She couldn’t utter another word—crying was all she could do now.
She hated her younger self with a passion. If she had held herself back, no matter what, she wouldn’t have brought such calamity to Li Guofu’s family.
When Zhang Meihua returned home humming a tune in a cheerful mood, she saw the sobbing elderly woman and Li Guofu squatting on the floor, yanking at his hair in frustration.
"What’s going on here?" Hadn’t the old lady been in relatively good health? Why was such a scene unfolding now?
Li Guofu looked up and saw Zhang Meihua’s expression. There were things he simply couldn’t say, but when he thought about his daughter and how her boyfriend might share her bloodline, he realized he couldn’t stay silent.
Grandma Li kept her head down, not daring to meet their eyes—she could already feel the contempt and hatred in their gazes.
After hearing the whole story, Zhang Meihua dropped her bag heavily to the floor. How could such a thing even be possible?
Although her mother-in-law had some eccentricities, she didn’t seem like the kind of person who would act so disgracefully. Why would she betray her morals and do something so shameful?
And now the crux of the problem was that Fei’er had finally found a boyfriend she truly liked, only for there to be such a hidden connection.
So what did everything she had done up until this point amount to?
"Could it just be a coincidence of names? We’ve been speculating here at home, but what if it isn’t true?" Zhang Meihua remained quiet for a long time before deciding it couldn’t be real. Huaxia was vast—there were bound to be people with the same name.
Li Guofu didn’t want to believe it either—it was just too coincidental.
From childhood, the old lady had always favored him. Among the three siblings, he had always been the one she doted on most. With their father passing early, it had been Grandma Li who raised them.
So when he learned his actual identity, his initial shock gradually gave way to numbness.
Not that he cared about anything else—this was his biological mother. But whenever he thought about his daughter’s situation, he clung to a slim hope and secretly prayed it wasn’t true.
Grandma Li also hoped it was merely a coincidence. The three of them discussed it and decided to tread carefully, hinting for Li Fei to subtly gather information from Han Mingxue about Han Baogui—his profession and residence, to ensure the truth before proceeding with anything else.
Li Fei and Han Mingxue had just landed and switched their phones back on when her mother called. After a few casual pleasantries, Zhang Meihua quickly maneuvered the conversation, asking Li Fei to inquire about Han Mingxue’s uncle.
Han Mingxue felt puzzled by Li Fei’s questions but didn’t think much of it, directly answering that his uncle was easy to find—the Zijin Flower Hotel in North City belonged to him.
Thus, the Li Family didn’t even celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival the following day. The three of them left the house to investigate, all secretly hoping the truth wasn’t what they feared.
But when Grandma Li, accompanied by Li Guofu and Zhang Meihua, finally saw the man stepping out of the Zijin Flower Hotel, her heart broke completely. Even her last shred of hope was shattered.
Zhang Meihua saw the look on the old lady’s face and immediately understood—it was him. She wanted to cry too, but now wasn’t the time. She quickly exchanged a glance with Li Guofu.
Li Guofu, still unwilling to accept it, gave a cigarette to the guard at the hotel entrance and struck up a conversation, asking casually about the hotel owner.
The guard, pleased by the gesture, directly told him that the owner had just left—it was the man in the red Tang suit. The realization completely gutted Li Guofu—it was truly the worst Mid-Autumn Festival.
Meanwhile, at home, Li Guozhi and Wu Dachuan were wondering aloud what Li Guofu’s family was up to. Li Guozhi picked up the mooncakes she had bought to deliver to Grandma Li and check on her condition, only to find no one was at home.
Wu Dachuan didn’t give it much thought either. He figured Li Fei had gone out, and the others were probably off doing something. He decided it could wait for another day when they had time—there was no need to worry about it. (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please visit Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)