37. A Man-Made Misunderstanding

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Jun Lengche did not return until the following afternoon.

He offered no explanation, and Tong Zhenzhen asked no questions, as though nothing had happened.

Yet something subtle had changed in the way they treated each other.

That day, he kept his promise and took her to her grandfather’s home.

Tong Zhenzhen froze when she saw the two-story house before her, its weathered walls covered in ivy. Wasn’t this the ancestral home? She remembered that in the past, she had only come here with her grandfather’s family during holidays, when they needed to pay their respects to their ancestors.

“Th-this is where Grandfather and the others live?” she asked in astonishment, turning to him.

He nodded. “Let’s go in.”

She stared at the peeling wooden door, unable to believe it. Her grandfather’s family had been famous in G City for their medical-equipment business since long ago. How had they ended up living in a place that seemed to grow poorer with every passing year?

Full of doubts, Tong Zhenzhen pressed the doorbell.

“Who is it?” Before long, a warm, mellow woman’s voice came from inside, soft and slightly husky.

That voice was so familiar. Wasn’t it her eldest aunt’s?

Tong Zhenzhen’s voice trembled faintly. “It… it’s me. Zhenzhen.”

The door opened at once, and a plump, middle-aged woman rushed out.

“Oh, it’s Zhenzhen! You’re back! Come, let your aunt have a good look at you.” The woman seized both of Tong Zhenzhen’s hands and examined her eagerly from head to toe, her eyes already growing moist.

“Auntie…” Tong Zhenzhen’s nose stung despite herself.

Her eldest aunt pulled her into a tight embrace. “Zhenzhen, you’ve really grown up. We’ve missed you terribly. Why haven’t you and your mother come home all these years? Every New Year, your grandfather sighs and frets over you. And you two—on New Year’s Eve, you never even call. You only send postcards.”

Listening to her aunt’s string of questions, Tong Zhenzhen was bewildered. “Postcards? What postcards?”

Her aunt released her. “Don’t you and your mother always send postcards from different parts of the world during the holidays? You said you were saving money so you could travel everywhere. Honestly, your mother is something else—she even saves the cost of a phone call.”

Tong Zhenzhen frowned.

Life had always been difficult for her and her mother. Where would they have found the money to travel around the world?

“Oh? Zhenzhen, who is this?” Her aunt noticed Jun Lengche and asked curiously.

“Hello, Auntie. I’m Jun Lengche, Zhenzhen’s husband.” He introduced himself.

“Oh my.” Her aunt furrowed her brows and pretended to scold Tong Zhenzhen. “Zhenzhen, you got married abroad and didn’t even tell us?”

Tong Zhenzhen flushed and hurried to explain, “Auntie, I met him here in the country. We came today to tell you.”

“Here? When did you come back?” Her aunt continued, “And why didn’t you contact the family after returning? By the way, where is your mother?”

As she spoke, she craned her neck and peered behind Jun Lengche.

“Mother…” Tong Zhenzhen’s eyes reddened. “She’s gone.”

“What?” Her aunt tightened her grip on Tong Zhenzhen’s hands. “What did you say? How could that be? We received a postcard from you and your mother just last week!”

Tong Zhenzhen studied her aunt carefully. The woman’s shock looked genuine; there was not the slightest sign that she was lying.

What on earth was going on?

“Auntie, could we go inside first?” Jun Lengche said.

Her aunt closed her gaping mouth and, troubled, took Tong Zhenzhen’s hand. “Come inside, Zhenzhen. We’ll talk properly and figure out what happened.”

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Seeing the pity and grief on her aunt’s face, Tong Zhenzhen knew they came from the heart. She nodded.

When they entered the main room, her grandfather was lying in a rocking chair with his eyes closed.

He must have heard their footsteps, because he called out, “Shufen, who’s here?”

Shufen was her eldest aunt’s name.

“Father-in-law, it’s Zhenzhen. She’s back.” Her aunt’s voice broke with tears. On the way inside, she had questioned Tong Zhenzhen repeatedly and learned that her sister-in-law really had died.

“Zhenzhen?”

Her grandfather sat bolt upright. When he opened his eyes, they shone with sudden intensity.

It had been so long since they had seen each other. Her grandfather had truly aged. Tong Zhenzhen quickly compared the man before her with the one in her memories: his hair had turned completely white, the wrinkles on his face had deepened, and even his height seemed diminished. The only thing unchanged was his eyes, still filled with wisdom and kindness.

Forgetting the years of estrangement, Tong Zhenzhen hurried over and knelt before him. “Grandfather, it’s me. I’m back.”

Her grandfather’s large hand gently stroked her hair. His voice trembled with emotion and was slightly choked. “Zhenzhen, my little darling, you’re back. Thank goodness.”

Tong Zhenzhen laid her head against his knee and nodded frantically.

“Then… then where is your mother?”

She did not know how to answer. With her head lowered, she could no longer suppress the sobs shaking her shoulders.

Having endured a lifetime of hardships, her grandfather guessed the terrible truth from her reaction. His voice trembled as he asked, “Your mother… she… is she…”

Tong Zhenzhen raised her head and saw him tilt his face upward. Tears clouded with age flowed from his closed eyes.

“I’m sorry, Grandfather. I couldn’t take good care of Mother.” Tong Zhenzhen began to weep uncontrollably.

Her grandfather seemed to age all at once. His back hunched, and his body began to tremble.

Her eldest aunt, standing nearby, also let out a muffled sob.

“All right, all right, Zhenzhen. You’ve suffered enough all these years. Tell Grandfather what happened to you.” In the end, her grandfather was the first to regain control of his emotions. With his rough palm, he wiped away her tears.

At that moment, Jun Lengche also came to Tong Zhenzhen’s side and handed her a handkerchief.

“And who are you?” Her grandfather noticed him.

“Grandfather, how do you do? I’m Jun Lengche, Zhenzhen’s husband.” Jun Lengche replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. His eyes were bright and steady as he met the old man’s scrutiny without flinching.

Her grandfather gave an almost imperceptible nod. “Good. Help Zhenzhen up. Don’t let her grieve too much.”

“Yes, sir.” Jun Lengche bent down and gently supported Tong Zhenzhen. “Little one, don’t make Grandfather sad as well.”

Since childhood, Tong Zhenzhen had rarely cried in front of outsiders.

And this time, she had actually broken down in front of her enemy. She felt ashamed of herself.

She took the handkerchief from him, wiped away her tears, and forced herself to regain control.

He helped her sit in the chair beside her grandfather.

“All right, Zhenzhen. We received a postcard from you just last week, saying that you were vacationing in Cyprus. How could…” Her grandfather did not finish the sentence. His brows drew together, and the pain in his eyes could not be concealed.

Indeed, her grandfather had always loved her mother and her. How could he possibly have abandoned them when they were in trouble?

Tong Zhenzhen felt that she had been so foolish. Why had she never thought to come and ask him face-to-face?

Fortunately, it was not too late.

Without thinking, she turned her head and glanced at Jun Lengche. He was watching her with concern.

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Tong Zhenzhen quickly looked away and began telling her grandfather about everything that had happened over the years, including the few times she and her mother had tried to contact the family.

“Those bastards! Those absolute bastards!” When her grandfather heard that it had been her second uncle who answered the phone each time, he angrily slapped the arm of the rocking chair.

“Grandfather, don’t get angry.” Seeing his face flush with fury, Tong Zhenzhen hurriedly rose and gently patted his back.

“Zhenzhen, your second uncle is a real piece of work!” Her eldest aunt launched into the story.

Back then, her second aunt had given birth to another son. Everyone in the family had been delighted, and all their attention had shifted to the newborn.

By the time they remembered to call Tong Zhenzhen and her mother, her second uncle claimed that he had already done so and that everything was fine.

Not long afterward, her grandfather’s company ran into a crisis.

Her second uncle had secretly sold the company’s medical equipment to someone else, then replaced it with inferior counterfeit equipment and supplied it to hospitals that had maintained long-standing partnerships with the company.

The substandard equipment resulted in three medical accidents.

Eventually, the investigation led back to her grandfather’s company.

The company was ordered to pay enormous compensation and nearly went bankrupt.

It was a grueling period. Her grandfather and eldest uncle spent their days rushing about trying to settle the compensation claims, exhausted in both body and mind.

Even so, her grandfather would occasionally scrape together a little money and have her second aunt transfer it to her mother’s overseas account. Looking back, the money must have been pocketed by her second aunt.

Putting all the pieces together, her eldest aunt suspected that the second uncle and his wife had deliberately driven a wedge between Tong Zhenzhen, her mother, and the rest of the family, cutting off their contact. At the same time, the couple had been able to seize the money her grandfather intended for them.

It was outrageous! Was this what family affection amounted to?

Tong Zhenzhen’s face reddened with anger. “Where are Second Uncle and his wife?”

Her eldest aunt curled her lips. “Them? They ran off with the company’s money. No one knows where they went. That’s why we’ve had to move…”

“Shufen, don’t bring up the past.” At that moment, a man entered from outside and interrupted her complaint. “Oh, our Zhenzhen is back. That’s wonderful.”

Tong Zhenzhen looked up and saw that it was her eldest uncle.

Once upon a time, he had been a handsome man, elegant and striking. But now, his face was drawn with exhaustion, and silver had already appeared at his temples. He must have spent too many years worrying.

Even without hearing the rest of her aunt’s explanation, Tong Zhenzhen understood. Her second uncle’s selfishness had caused the company to fall into crisis once more, forcing her grandfather’s family to move back into the ancestral home. They could not even afford to hire one or two servants.

Tong Zhenzhen’s heart ached, but she did not want her grandfather to see the pity in her eyes. Her grandfather and the others, like herself, had their pride. They would never be willing to accept anyone’s sympathy.

“Uncle, you’re getting more handsome by the day. You’re absolutely the most dashing uncle around.” Tong Zhenzhen adopted a lighthearted tone and teased him as she ran over and threw herself into his arms.

“What nonsense, Zhenzhen. Your uncle is old now. You, on the other hand, have grown into a lovely young woman.” Her eldest uncle’s eyes crinkled with laughter as he stroked her head.

In truth, he had returned some time earlier and overheard part of the conversation. Though he was grieving, he did not want to bring up his sister and make everyone sad, so he had stayed away.

That evening, Tong Zhenzhen and Jun Lengche stayed for dinner at her grandfather’s home.

The familiar flavors and beloved relatives made Tong Zhenzhen feel fortunate after all. At least she had not lost her family. In this world, she was not alone.

After dinner, her grandfather called her into the inner room and handed her a box.

“Zhenzhen, open it and have a look.”

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