Chapter 9: Pulling Nana's Hair for Identification

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The matter had yet to be verified, so Yun Zhi hesitated to voice her suspicions outright. After confirming that Zhang Shuying’s health was poor but that she had neither heart disease nor hypertension—ailments that easily flare up with emotional agitation—Yun Zhi dared to continue asking: “Aunt Zhang, why did Brother Qin have a heart attack over three years ago?”

Qin Xiaohu’s heart condition was inherited from Qin Tianhai, but Tianhai’s heart disease was not severe. As long as he took his medicine on time, maintained a calm mood, avoided emotional extremes, and refrained from strenuous exercise, it was manageable. Otherwise, Qin Tianhai wouldn’t have lived well into his thirties.

Zhang Shuying recounted, “That day, A Hai first went to negotiate a partnership with the food factory. They wanted to reduce their original purchase price by another ten percent, which left our pig farm with almost no profit, so the talks fell through.

“On the way home, A Hai received a call. Xiaohu had finally matched with a suitable heart donor. Originally, we had agreed with the donor’s family on a price of one million yuan, but another wealthy businessman’s child had also matched with this donor and offered ten million...

“A Hai called us, hoping that his father would sell the pig farm to raise more money to secure the heart donor.

“This pig farm was the legacy of old Qin’s generation, but for the sake of his grandson’s life, what choice did he have? No matter how reluctant, old Qin agreed to sell.

“But the pig farm could only fetch about four to five million yuan at most. Adding our savings of just over two million, it was still far from the ten million needed.

“A Hai hurried back to our home in the city, preparing to discuss selling the house and car with Xiurong.

“But when he returned to the doorstep, he slipped and suddenly had a heart attack. When his father and I rushed to the city, A Hai was barely resuscitated but remained unconscious.

“We’re both getting on in years, and with Xiaohu to care for, during the day, old Qin and I took turns at the hospital, while at night, only Xiurong stayed to watch over A Hai.

“We thought A Hai would recover quickly, but early the next morning, we received terrible news—Xiurong said that upon waking, A Hai immediately borrowed a nurse’s phone to call. He learned that the donor family had already signed a contract agreeing to donate the heart to the rich businessman’s child, had accepted the money, and the transplant was scheduled for that day. A Hai’s emotions flared again, causing another heart attack.

“This time, they couldn’t save him.”

Yun Zhi caught the key point sharply: “So, at both times when Brother Qin had heart attacks, the person by his side was Ms. Gong? Did Brother Qin say anything to her after waking? Did anyone else know?”

Zhang Shuying now clearly harbored grievances against Gong Xiurong, who had a new boyfriend and was preparing to remarry. Yun Zhi thus politely addressed her as Ms. Gong instead of sister-in-law.

Zhang Shuying understood the implication behind Yun Zhi’s question. After all, Yun Zhi was young and not skilled at concealing her emotions.

Zhang Shuying said, “Are you suspecting that Xiurong said something deliberately hurtful to provoke A Hai’s heart attack? No, that’s impossible. They had a good relationship after marriage and barely ever quarreled. When A Hai was alive, Xiurong was always gentle and virtuous. Her salary was small, but she insisted on working, saying she couldn’t rely entirely on the Qin family. She feared that if she wasn’t financially independent, A Hai would look down on her. She treated Xiaohu very well; she was a good mother with no reason to harm A Hai.

“After A Hai died, she cried more than us parents, wishing she could have gone with him. She couldn’t eat for days. Only after the funeral did she faint from low blood sugar and was taken to the hospital, where we found out she was three months pregnant.

“As for why she was so cold to Xiaohu a few years ago, it was because she resented him—believing that if it weren’t for finding a suitable heart donor for Xiaohu, A Hai wouldn’t have had those emotional episodes leading to his death.

“She couldn’t face Xiaohu for a while, so she poured all her motherly love into Nannan.

“Now, Xiurong must have been led astray by that idle, irresponsible new boyfriend of hers, willing to risk her child for money.

“Yes, that’s exactly it. It must be so...” Zhang Shuying murmured, as if trying to convince Yun Zhi—or perhaps herself.

Her voice grew quieter until almost inaudible; it was clear she couldn’t even persuade herself.

Her complexion paled gradually.

Perhaps Gong Xiurong hadn’t just recently come to value money over her son's health, but had always been so. The virtuous wife and good mother she once appeared to be was just a façade.

As for why she insisted on working—was it really for those few thousand yuan in salary?

If she were truly proud and self-reliant, how could she, soon after Qin Tianhai’s passing, comfortably use the hard-earned money of the Qin elders to buy property and open a convenience store? Even the one million yuan dowry from the Qin family wasn’t enough for her?

Maybe working was just an excuse for her not to constantly have to run around for Xiaohu’s health.

For years, only the Qin family had worried themselves sick over Xiaohu’s illness. Gong Xiurong rarely accompanied Xiaohu to routine hospital visits or for medication, claiming she was busy with work and overtime.

Now she had returned to playing the caring mother, likely because it brought her more benefits.

Zhang Shuying seemed like a person whose eyes had been veiled by a leaf, now suddenly uncovered.

Without Yun Zhi prompting, she had come to realize it herself.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down Zhang Shuying’s face. Covering her mouth, she trembled as she asked, “Yun girl, tell me, Nannan—is she really A Hai’s daughter?”

Yun Zhi handed her tissues again and said seriously, “Aunt Zhang, if possible, I’ll go with you to the city to see if we can get some hair strands with follicles from Nannan, and a few from you, then go to the hospital for a paternity test. If there’s suspicion, we must verify it. We can’t wrong innocent people, nor be fools supporting someone else’s child.”

Zhang Shuying seemed to find a source of strength: “You’re right, Yun girl. That paternity test must be done! Xiaohu is definitely A Hai’s son—he looks about seventy or eighty percent like A Hai did as a child. But Nannan, not so sure... She looks more like Gong Xiurong.

“Gong Xiurong doesn’t even want Nannan to get close to us grandparents. I’ve asked a few times for Nannan to come stay with us for a few days, but she always refuses.”

At this point, even without DNA results, Zhang Shuying had a premonition about a certain outcome.

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At that moment, Qin Fugui called. He asked Zhang Shuying why she hadn’t gone to the pig farm to see the newborn piglets, as she had said she would.

Zhang Shuying knew Qin Fugui disliked folk remedies and miracle cures. If he knew Yun Zhi was here for that, he would certainly harbor resentment and refuse to let Yun Zhi go alone to the city to find Gong Xiurong. He would insist on coming along.

With Qin Fugui’s irritable temper, such a move would alert others prematurely.

So for now, this matter could not be let slip to Qin Fugui. They would wait for the test results.

Zhang Shuying snapped coldly, “I suddenly don’t want to go to the pig farm anymore. I’m planning to go shopping in the city to buy some new clothes. You old fool, all you ever care about are your pigs! Hmph! Go look after your pigs then!”

She hung up angrily.

If it weren’t for this old fool’s own foolishness, how could he fail to see something was off with Gong Xiurong until an outsider like Yun Zhi woke him up to suspicion?

At the pig farm, Qin Fugui was baffled by the sudden hang-up and scolding.

“This old woman, what’s gotten into her? If I don’t care about those pigs, do you think I care about Qin Xiaohu? That ungrateful kid! I’ve worried myself sick over him. His father died from the stress, yet he only searches for his mother, calling some other man ‘dad’ so affectionately!”

Getting angrier, Qin Fugui clutched his chest: “Still, those piglets are better! I put my heart into them, and they grow fat to repay me!”

Before going out, Yun Zhi took a small jewelry box from her bag. Inside was a gold lock engraved with the characters for “Longevity.”

Yun Zhi said, “Aunt Zhang, this is a gift I prepared for Xiaohu. If I gave it to him in the city, Ms. Gong might take it away. It’s better to leave it with you for now.”

Since it was confirmed that Qin Xiaohu was indeed Qin Tianhai’s son, the gift was necessary. It would also reassure Zhang Shuying that Yun Zhi truly came to repay a debt—who else would bring nearly twenty thousand yuan worth of gold on a first meeting?

After some decline, Zhang Shuying accepted the gold lock temporarily, thinking that if the miracle cure was real, she would properly thank Yun Zhi later.

Zhang Shuying thought about the pair of fine jade bracelets in her dowry, worth around one or two million yuan. She had intended to save them for her granddaughter Nannan. As for Qin Xiaohu, if no suitable heart donor was found, he probably wouldn’t live to adulthood and have a wife or descendants.

If Yun Zhi’s cure saved Qin Xiaohu and helped expose Nannan as a fake granddaughter, those bracelets would be Yun Zhi’s thank-you gift.

Unaware of Zhang Shuying’s calculations, after tidying up, Yun Zhi and Zhang Shuying set off. Zhang Shuying got into the red BMW driven by Yun Zhi, heading to the city.

An hour later, they arrived at Longquan Garden, a residential complex in N City.

It was a mid-to-upper-tier neighborhood with a pleasant environment, and a commercial street right at its entrance.

Gong Xiurong’s convenience store was located on that street.

Zhang Shuying said, “It’s daytime now; they’re probably not at home but in the store. Yun girl, let’s go have a look.”

On the way, Yun Zhi told Zhang Shuying not to reveal her identity or mention the miracle cure.

If Qin Nannan really wasn’t Tianhai’s daughter, Gong Xiurong would likely not want Qin Xiaohu’s heart disease cured.

Though Qin Xiaohu was presently closer to his mother, it was only because he had long been deprived of maternal love—what is missing is always craved.

He couldn’t be completely indifferent to the grandparents who had cared for him so long.

If his health recovered, the pig farm would naturally be inherited by Qin Xiaohu.

When he grew up, married, and had children, no matter how wealthy he became, he wouldn’t share much with his mother, who had remarried.

As for Qin Nannan, if Qin Xiaohu discovered she was his half-sister from another father, any sane mind would refuse to use the grandparents’ hard-earned money to support her.

Zhang Shuying agreed with this reasoning.

They approached Huihao Convenience Store.

Sure enough, Gong Xiurong and her two children were there.

Inside, a female cashier whom Gong Xiurong had hired was manning the store.

Gong Xiurong was mainly outside in the small plaza by the store, playing with her daughter and son.

The two-and-a-half-year-old Nannan sat on a rocking car by the entrance, swaying happily.

Gong Xiurong stood nearby. She looked to be in her early thirties, slightly plump, with fair skin and delicate features—not exactly beautiful but possessing a certain charm, and a warm smile.

As for Qin Xiaohu, he was wearing brightly colored roller skates, playing roller skating with some children in the plaza.

Seeing this, Zhang Shuying clutched her chest involuntarily.

She wanted to shout for her grandson to stop immediately, but Yun Zhi whispered, “Aunt, if you suddenly shout, what if Xiaohu gets scared? Let him stop on his own.”

Qin Xiaohu liked his mother and new father and disliked staying at his grandparents’ because, besides the city environment being better than the small town, children naturally crave closeness with their parents.

Moreover, Qin Fugui and Zhang Shuying often spoke in commanding tones, forbidding this and that. In contrast, Gong Xiurong and her boyfriend did their best to satisfy Xiaohu’s every wish, speaking softly and sweetly.

Yun Zhi had already explained this to Zhang Shuying on the way.

They understood the reasoning, but habits and temperaments formed over many years couldn’t be changed overnight.

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Zhang Shuying took a deep breath and decided to leave Qin Xiaohu alone for the moment.

If he really had a heart attack, it was his own doing.

She pulled Yun Zhi and walked toward the convenience store.

Gong Xiurong finally noticed them and was surprised. “Mom, what are you doing here? And who is this?”

She looked Yun Zhi over. The girl was too young and beautiful, like a wealthy heiress from a TV drama.

With such looks, she could be a top-tier star in the entertainment industry.

How could the old matriarch of the Qin family be seen walking with such a rich young lady?

Zhang Shuying introduced, “This is Yun Zhi, the youngest daughter of my cousin’s family whom I hadn’t contacted for many years but recently reconnected with. The young lady came to check on me on her mother’s behalf.”

Yun Zhi cooperated, “Yes, my mother misses Aunt Zhang a lot, but she’s ill and can’t come, so she sent me.”

Gong Xiurong smiled, “Oh, so you’re cousin Yun. Just call me Sister Xiurong.”

Unexpectedly, the Qin family had such wealthy relatives. It seemed some things couldn’t be done too absolutely.

Zhang Shuying said, “Since I don’t have to take care of the kids every day, I just remembered that your father and I haven’t bought new clothes in years. I thought I’d come to the city to shop for some. Yun girl came along for company.”

Her tone carried a hint of complaint toward Gong Xiurong.

Since Qin Tianhai passed, this woman had often demanded money from them in the name of raising the daughter well but never came home to accompany them or ask if they needed anything. Even when she recently came to pick up Xiaohu, she returned empty-handed and left within ten minutes.

Her husband gone, the daughter-in-law had no obligation to care for the in-laws, but at least don’t enjoy their hard-earned money!

Gong Xiurong looked embarrassed and quickly changed the subject, “Mom, I’ve been busy taking care of Nannan and running the store these years, so I neglected you and Dad. I’ll order some new clothes and shoes for both of you online soon.”

This was not at home; she still kept some face.

Yun Zhi looked at Nannan on the rocking car and said, “Sister Xiurong, this is your and Tianhai cousin’s youngest daughter, right? She’s so cute. May I hold her?”

At that moment, the rocking car’s music ended, and it stopped.

The little girl looked at Yun Zhi curiously and didn’t resist her reaching out to hold her.

Gong Xiurong said, “Of course, you can.”

Having her daughter get close to such wealthy relatives could only be beneficial.

Zhang Shuying pressed on, “If you really want to buy clothes for your father and me, then take out your phone now. Let me pick the styles I like so you won’t forget later.”

At this point, Gong Xiurong couldn’t just say it to please them; she pulled out her phone and opened the shopping app.

While holding the little girl, Yun Zhi discreetly plucked four or five strands of hair.

The girl puckered her lips and was about to cry. Zhang Shuying timely reached out, “Let Grandma hold Nannan too.”

Nannan cried, but Gong Xiurong only thought she disliked Zhang Shuying’s embrace.

The little girl stretched out her hand toward Gong Xiurong, saying, “Want... mommy...”

Gong Xiurong hastily shoved the phone into her pocket and quickly took her daughter back.

She explained, “Nannan isn’t used to being held by strangers...”

Yun Zhi felt a bit guilty, having upset the little girl.

But there was no choice. To help the child have a better life, Zhang Shuying and Qin Fugui couldn’t be taken advantage of forever.

Having obtained the hair samples, Zhang Shuying no longer insisted on picking out clothes.

“Hmph, you as a mother never once brought Nannan to stay at the old home even for a day, so no wonder the granddaughter treats me like a stranger.”

Gong Xiurong found this hard to answer and pretended not to hear.

As for Qin Xiaohu, upon recognizing his grandmother, he immediately skated swiftly in the opposite direction, keeping his distance as if avoiding some terrifying monster, afraid Zhang Shuying had come early to take him home.

Zhang Shuying noticed but said nothing, sighing wearily. “Yun girl, let’s go.”

For a brief moment, not only was the so-called granddaughter likely a fraud, but even her own grandson didn’t want her care.

Yun Zhi said, “Alright, Aunt Zhang, I’ll accompany you shopping.”