Chapter 162: 158 Father Wen also has an alt account [Three updates]

Sixteen years had passed, and in such a long stretch of time, many traces had already vanished.

Whether it was accidental or deliberate, investigating had been extremely difficult.

Especially back then when technology wasn’t as advanced as it is today, there was hardly any surveillance on the streets.

At the Ying family’s old residence, there was only a camera at the main entrance; after all, given the Ying family’s status in Shanghai City, there weren’t many who dared commit theft within the old residence.

A series of reasons led to a lengthy search before they finally found a clue.

According to people around Qingshui County, on a certain day in February 2003, they found an abandoned baby by the river.

Although the people of Qingshui County were all very poor, it didn’t mean they couldn’t tell that the clothes the abandoned baby was wearing were luxurious and expensive.

It was obvious the child was from a wealthy family, but there was nothing like a name tag that could identify her identity.

The abandoned baby was not even a year old yet and could only crawl simply, not even able to stand.

Nobody knew how she ended up there, but when she was found, there were pinch marks on her wrist.

Even the rather slow-witted people of Qingshui County sharply sensed that something was amiss.

Not wanting to get involved in this unknown dispute, they all avoided the infant as if they had not seen her.

Moreover, since the abandoned baby was a girl, in culturally backward Qingshui County, which still held onto the idea of valuing boys over girls, nobody wanted her even more.

Only Wen Fengmian, who passed by the river after work, took the baby home with him.

At that time, his wife had just taken all the money and run off with their older daughter.

The household also had a newborn baby, which was unimaginably poor.

The baby girl, abandoned by a major clan, had nothing to do with Wen Fengmian; he could have, just like the rest of the people from Qingshui County, ignored the baby, especially since he was already living hand to mouth.

But he didn’t.

He took the baby girl home and took on several temporary jobs to raise two children.

And sixteen years passed just like that.

Over the years, due to his heavy workload, Wen Fengmian’s already frail health suffered even greater damage.

But he never thought about abandoning the baby girl.

Even when the Ying family later approached him, his decision to send Ying Zijin back wasn’t because he was finally relieved of a burden, nor was it to claim compensation from the Ying family.

It was because he knew he couldn’t provide her a better environment for development, to let her future shine brightly.

But things weren’t as Wen Fengmian thought; he had not anticipated the Ying family only wanted a Living Blood Bank.

“Several brothers were dispatched to walk the few hundred kilometers from the Ying family to Qingshui County, conducting a house-to-house search,” the young man took out a stack of documents, “Persistence pays off; we actually found something.”

Fu Yunshen took them over, his gaze icy.

“At that time, there was a group of people, resting in a small inn on their journey with a baby,” the young man continued, “My lord, as you know, back then, no identification was needed to stay in a hotel, and it was easy to cover things up.”

“That inn closed down ten years ago. We found its former landlady. At first, no matter what we asked, she wouldn’t say a thing, but eventually, our brothers used a million to make her talk.”

Although too much time had passed, the landlady still had a deep impression of that incident.

The group consisted of a man and two women, who arrived at the inn with a baby in the middle of the night.

The landlady, being a married woman, could tell the women had never given birth and clearly didn’t know how to hold a child properly.

Moreover, the baby’s clothes were of a completely different caliber compared to the three people.

Most importantly, when the landlady got up to relieve herself late at night, she overheard the three people’s conversation.

They spoke of being given a large sum of money by members of a major clan, tasked with taking the baby far away to be left to her own fate, dead or alive.

Either she would die or she would never reappear in Shanghai City.

Fearing trouble, the landlady said nothing.

And as the inn’s income was poor, she didn’t open it again.

She remembered the incident over the years because it really troubled her conscience, and she even had nightmares for a while.

This was also the reason she remained tight-lipped when they found her.

In the landlady’s view, the baby had died long ago, and speaking out could be a release.

Fu Yunshen remained silent, still reading, his expression growing darker.

“These people left Miss Zijin by the river in Qingshui County, covering her with riverside grass after the deed, then they fled abroad and are now under our control,” the young man added.

“We applied some pressure, and they spilled everything,” the young man sneered, “Probably because they never imagined Miss Zijin would survive and return to Shanghai City.”

No one would have expected it.

“Hmm,” Fu Yunshen also finished reading the documents, speaking evenly, “Get ready to release everything online when the time comes.”

“When the time comes?” the young man was taken aback, “We have sufficient evidence now, my lord. Just give the order and we can arrest them straight away.”

“Wait a little longer,” Fu Yunshen’s eyes were casual, “Wait until the child has had enough fun and is happy.”

The young man: “…”

He felt that their lord, not yet old, had already developed the heart of an elderly father.

“Now—” Fu Yunshen slowly lifted his eyelashes leisurely, his voice gentle, yet the words spoken were harsh enough to shock, “As long as they don’t end up dead, it’s fine.”

The young man’s expression turned grave.

If not dead, that’s crueler than death itself.

He hesitated, “If it hadn’t been for finding out the truth, I really wouldn’t have thought she did it.”

After they wrung the confession out of those one man and two women, his worldview shattered.

But with the evidence in front of him, believing it was not a matter of choice.

Fu Yunshen was unsurprised, noncommittal, “Not strange.”

He had always known the dark side of wealthy families was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Brothers fighting each other, mistresses taking power, these were all common occurrences.

Families like the Nie family and Mu family were just too rare.

“Young master, there’s one more thing.” The young man suddenly remembered, “While investigating this matter, we incidentally looked into Mr. Wen Fengmian’s wife.”

Fu Yunshen’s peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly, “Pass it to me later.”

**

Evening.

Old Master Zhong went to the Wen Family alone.

Seeing Wen Fengmian again, he still felt an indescribable sense of familiarity, yet he couldn’t remember why.

Old Master Zhong felt somewhat frustrated.

As one ages, memory fades.

He needed to see a doctor, to prevent senile dementia.

Dinner was made by Wen Tinglan.

Four dishes and one soup, not too much food, just enough for four people.

Old Master Zhong picked up his chopsticks, thought for a long while, and couldn’t help but ask, “Fengmian, have you ever been to the Imperial Capital before?”

His words caused the actions of the three family members—father, son, and daughter—to pause.

Wen Fengmian raised his head, his expression unchanged, “Why does Master Zhong ask that?”

“Sigh, it’s just that you look familiar to me,” Old Master Zhong didn’t hide it, “You’ve never been to Shanghai City, and I’ve only stayed in the Imperial Capital for a long time, so I was wondering if we had met there.”

“Master Zhong might be mistaken,” Wen Fengmian said with a smile, “I am a local from Qingshui County. I’ve never been to any big cities for half my life, let alone the Imperial Capital.”

“But—” Old Master Zhong had just said two words when Ying Zijin handed him a glass of water.

“Grandpa, drink some water.”

Wen Tinglan looked at Wen Fengmian, then at Ying Zijin, before placing a piece of Cola chicken wing onto Old Master Zhong’s plate.

He didn’t like to talk, but his intentions were clear.

Old Master Zhong: “…”

Very good.

Worthy of being siblings.

While eating the chicken wing and drinking water, he complimented, “Xiao Lan, your cooking skills are really good. You should teach your grandpa sometime.”

“No need,” Wen Tinglan finally spoke up, “You’re clumsy.”

Ying Zijin: “…”

Old Master Zhong: “…”

Wen Fengmian was vexed, but helpless, and also a bit sad.

Children with autism find communication difficult; they often sit by themselves all day long.

It was already a great improvement that Wen Tinglan could talk to someone besides him and Yaoyao.

Of course, Old Master Zhong understood. He smiled warmly, “Xiao Lan, your sister will perform on stage tomorrow. Do you want to come with grandpa to watch?”

Perhaps he was indeed overthinking it. With so many people in the Imperial Capital, it wouldn’t be strange for someone to look alike Wen Fengmian.

Wen Tinglan remained silent for a while before nodding.

“Zijin, we’ll go choose a gown tomorrow afternoon,” Old Master Zhong turned to say, “and you’ll need to get your hair done as well.”

“Grandpa, there’s no need,” Ying Zijin picked up a piece of braised pork, unhurried, “I’m planning to wear a burlap sack.”

“…”

**

It was nighttime in Shanghai City, while it was afternoon in Jade Ice Cui.

The sun blazed fiercely, flowing slowly over the ground like flames.

In this age of rapid technological development, Jade Ice Cui, a city with ancient charm, was no exception.

Skyscrapers rose up everywhere.

Lights flashed, wine flowed; the traffic was endless.

There was just one estate that still maintained the look of the 17th century.

Lorentz Castle stood within this estate, covering a vast area.

Here, they even maintained the tradition of sending and receiving letters.

Today, the butler of the castle received a batch of mail delivered by the postman.

Over a dozen letters, far fewer than the previous day, yet one caught the butler’s attention.

There was nothing special about the envelope, and it didn’t state the recipient’s name.

The only unique thing was that it was sent from Hua Country.

The butler pondered for a moment but couldn’t think of anyone from Hua Country who might know the family members.

He sighed, stood up with the letters in hand, and as always, began to toss them into the furnace one by one, following orders.