Returning home from the hospital, He Yanfeng and Yang Yun were thoughtful and dazed, silent all the way.
He Qianyu was sitting on the shoe-changing stool in the entrance, reading a book. Just when she was about to turn a page, she heard movement outside the door. She immediately got up and opened the door: âMom! Youâre back!â
He Yanfeng hugged He Qianyu: âHow do you know weâre back?â
âI heard you.â He Qianyu turned her head and saw Yang Yunâs pale face. She jumped out of He Yanfengâs arms, held her hand with her own soft little hand, raised her head and asked, âMom, whatâs wrong, you havenât said a word.â
Yang Yun came back to her senses and gently rubbed her daughterâs hair: âMom is fine, just a little tired.â
He Qianyu took her hand and walked inside: âThen go upstairs and rest, I will bring you some fruit to eat later.â
A smile floated on Yang Yunâs face, and she let He Qianyu pull her in. But after a short walk, the smile on her face faded again. The living room was decorated grandly, but it seemed empty because there was no one there. She paused and asked, âWhereâs your Brother Qian Jian? Didnât he say that he invited friends to celebrate at home?â
He Qianyu: âWhen it was noon, Eldest Brother answered a call and went out. His friends also left together.â
âNoon?â Yang Yun: âHave you had lunch?â
âI ate, I ate the cake.â He Qianyu was very curious: âMom, where did you and Dad go this morning? Today is Eldest Brotherâs birthday. How come you didnât accompany him.â
Yang Yun was slightly taken aback.
Yesterday, she and He Yanfeng arrived at Yan No. 1 High School at five oâclock in the afternoon. They had been nervous all day and night, just waiting to see Jiang Chen and tell him his brith experience in the agreed way. However, it wasnât until half an hour after school ended that they learned from Jiang Chenâs classmates that after being called to the principalâs office during the fourth period in the morning, Jiang Chen left with Professor Xiang and a few people in military uniforms.
At that time, she didnât know the situation, and she was worried and anxious, so she asked her husband to contact Xiang Hong immediately, hoping to get news from him about old Mr. Xiang and Jiang Chen. However, Xiang Hong was sent to another city for a conference yesterday, and he couldnât get in touch with old Mr. Xiang at all. Even after calling home and asking Ms. Xiang, she didnât know where the old man had gone either, let alone why he came to see Jiang Chen.
It wasnât until eight oâclock in the evening that they learned from He Yanjun that Jiang Chen had gone to the 17th Research Institute of the Military Department and was safely sent home five minutes ago.
Therefore, they could only go home first.
If the original plan had been followed, today they would accompany He Qianjian to celebrate his birthday in the morning, tell him about his birth experience, and then take him to the Jiangâs together, allowing the two boys to return to their true family.
However, the plan couldnât keep up with the changes, and Jiang Chen was not at school, so they could only delay telling Jiang Chen and He Qianjian about the truth, and give He Qianjian a full birthday first.
Unexpectedly, this morning her husband had to go to the company on an urgent matter so he could not celebrate He Qianjianâs birthday with him, and she also received a call from the hotel that was supposed to hold a banquet for He Qianjian, telling her that they had found a gift boxââit was the birthday present she specially prepared for He Qianjian.
The driver took her to the hotel, and when she passed by Chengyang Square on her way home, she suddenly remembered that her husband had said that Jiang Chen and Li De had business corporations, and it seemed that he would go to Li De every Sunday. Before she realized it, she had already asked the driver to park the car.
A few minutes later, Jiang Chen came out of the Li De Building. At that time, she was still happily thinking that this might be the connection between mother and child. However, before she had time to get out of the car to say hello, she witnessed a scene that terrified her.
Yang Yun didnât want to recall the scene at all. She wanted to twitch the corners of her mouth into a smile but found it difficult. Avoiding her daughterâs gaze, she said softly: âMom originally wanted to accompany your Brother Qianjl Jian to celebrate his birthday, but on the way, because of a very important person, I was delayed.â
âMore important than Eldest Brother?â He Qianyu was puzzled: âEldest Brother didnât seem happy at all this morning. I only wished him happy birthday, and I didnât even get to give him a gift, because he looked quite scary when angry.â
Yang Yun was in a daze, and He Yanfeng caught a glimpse of his wifeâs expression from the corner of his eye. He sighed inwardly, raised his voice and pretended to be surprised: âHe lost his temper with you?â
âNo.â He Qianyu shook her little head, and thinking of something, she wrinkled her nose: âBut I have seen Eldest Brother lose his temper.â
He Yanfeng asked, âRecently?â
âNoâŚâŚâ
Originally, He Yanfeng was just asking casually, trying to distract his wifeâs attention, but now He Qianyuâs repeated hesitation made him really curious.
He Yanfeng: âWhen was it?â
He Qianyu thought for a while, then stood on tiptoe and whispered in He Yanfengâs ear, âIt was the time when Eldest Brother and Brother Jiang Chen were in a fight.â
He Yanfengâs eyes flickered slightly: âWhen did it happen?â
âWellâââ He Qianyu tilted her head and recalled: âDuring the summer vacation, Eldest Brother was injured at that time and Uncle Xiang helped him treat the wound.â
âSummer vacationâŚ..â He Yanfeng was thoughtful.
Yang Yun asked curiously, âWhat are you two talking about?â
He Qianyu stood on tiptoe again and whispered in Yang Yunâs ear.
âQian Jian and Jiang Chen were in a fight?â Yang Yun asked in surprise, âWhy? How do you know?â
âI saw it.â He Qianyu pouted, âEldest Brother lied when he came back, he said that Brother Jiang Chen beat him up, but in fact he attacked Brother Jiang Chen first, and I also saw him holding a stone and wanting to pull a sneak attack on Brother Jiang ChenâŚ..I saw everything, but when he came back, he said that Brother Jiang Chen hit him first, and he was lying.â
Yang Yun was stunned for a moment, and connected her daughterâs abnormal behavior of getting closer to her youngest son to this point in time, and suddenly said: âSo during that time, you suddenly didnât like to cling to your Brother Qian Jian, it was because of this reason.â
He Qianyu nodded, and said righteously: âThatâs right, Eldest Brother lied, and Second Brother said that he lied beforeâŚ..â She raised her head, and with her little hands behind her back, she said earnestly: âMom and Dad, I think you should apologize to Second Brother because itâs hard to be misunderstood. You guys have been misunderstanding him all the time, so Second Brother must be very sad. I also misunderstood him before, but I have already apologized, and Second Brother forgave me, so you should apologize to Second Brother He will definitely forgive you, and after he forgives you, he will come home.â
âWhen did you apologize to him?â
âAfter Eldest Brotherâs fight.â He Qianyu pursed her lips, and the tip of her nose suddenly stung a bit: âI said sorry to Second Brother, he looked so sad, but he still told me it was okay. Thatâs when I realized that Second Brother is like Brother Jiang Chen, he is a very, very gentle older brother. But why wonât he come back home, is it because he doesnât want me anymore, I miss him so muchâŚ..â
Yang Yun coaxed softly: âHow could your second brother not want you, he is your own older brother, and he will never not want you.â
He Yanfeng also touched his daughterâs face comfortingly, and said, âCan you tell Dad, what did you and your second brother talk about at that time?â
He Qianyu thought for a while, and recalled a little bit: âI said that Eldest Brotherâs sneak attack is just following âeverything goes in warâ. But Second Brother said that Eldest Brother is a âtreacherous villainâ and âexposing his natureâ. Then I asked Second Brother if he had treated him like this before, and thatâs why he hates Eldest Brother so much. Second Brother didnât answer me, but he looked so sadâŚ..â He Qianyu sniffed, and looked at Yang Yun: âMom, I didnât know until then that when people are very sad, they will not shed tears, but everyone who sees him will know that he is very sad. At that timeâŚ..Second Brother obviously didnât say anything, but I could feel that he was really very sad. And even though he was so sad, he still told me it was okay.â
Yang Yunâs heart seemed to be clenched by something. She couldnât imagine the scene her daughter just described, but just listening to her daughterâs description and seeing her daughterâs sad expression for her youngest son, she felt so guilty and distressed that she couldnât breathe.
For so many years, she always thought that she had done her best as a mother, but she didnât know until today that she didnât understand her children at all. Whether it was her eldest son who was switched at birth or her younger son who she thought was a bit willful, and towards even her only daughter, before today, she never thought that she could say such a thing.
âMomâŚ..â He Qianyu hugged Yang Yunâs waist, raised her head and said, âDonât be sad, Second Brother is very soft-hearted, he forgave me as soon as I cried a bit, so after you and Dad apologize to him, he will be quick to forgive you too.â
As she said that, she turned her head to look at He Yanfeng, and confirmed: âDad, you will apologize to Second Brother, right?â
âOf course.â He Yanfeng concealed the emotions in his eyes, rubbed his little daughterâs head, and said with a smile: âDad said before, if you do something wrong, you have to apologize. You and your brother did a good job, and Dad and Mom must also do the same.â
âSo Second Brother will come home soon!â He Qianyu said happily: âHe seems to be with Brother Jiang Chen all the time recently, letâs invite Brother Jiang Chen to play over at home too! If we only play for a dayâŚ..it wonât delay Brother Jiang Chenâs studiesâŚ.â
He Yanfeng and Yang Yun looked at each other. Yang Yun shook her head gently, He Yanfeng rubbed He Qianyuâs head and said, âDad promises that your second brother will definitely come back home next week, but Mom and Dad still have something to discuss, so you go play by yourself for a while, okay?â
He Yanfeng and Yang Yun returned to their room.
âYou should rest for a while.â He Yanfeng helped Yang Yun to sit on the bed.
âMy mind is in a mess now, and I canât sleep at all.â Yang Yun turned to look at He Yanfeng: âI donât understand Qian Jian more and more now. When we came back yesterday, I thought he would question us about the cancellation of the party, but he didnât say anything, and what Qian Yu said todayâŚ..I really donât know whether we have misunderstood Qian Min or we just donât understand Qian JianâŚ..â
He Yanfeng was silent for a moment, then got up and said, âI want to show you something.â
Not long after, He Yanfeng came in with a laptop, put it in front of Yang Yun, opened a folder, and clicked on the video inside.
âWhatâs this?â Yang Yun asked, moving her eyes to the screen, and within a few seconds, she saw a familiar figure: âThat isâŚ..Qian Min? Next to him are Yun Long and the othersâŚ..where is this?â
âIâve been hesitating for a long time whether I should show you this video.â He Yanfeng said slowly: âI once thought about showing it to you after the investigation into the matter became clearer, but with the current situationâŚ..I think it is best to let you know.â
âWhatâââ Yang Yunâs voice stopped abruptly, and after a few seconds, her voice trembled: âWhat is this?â
âThis is the truth about the last time Qian Min came back with bandages on his hand.â
When the video was replayed, Yang Yun looked away. Her eyes were red, but her face was as white as paper.
She trembled and said, âHow could the cup over there turn into a knifeâŚ..is this real?â
He Yanfeng put his hand on his wife comfortingly, but his tone was very sure: âItâs real.â
âSo, what Qian Min said before may very well be true.â He Yanfeng sighed deeply, and pulled Yang Yun into his arms: âWe really misunderstood him.â
âQian Min saidâŚ..those were all done by Qian JianâŚ..is it true?â
He Yanfeng shook his head: âIâm still investigating this matter.â
Having been married for so many years, Yang Yun knew very well what He Yanfeng meant by saying that.
Thinking of what her daughter said just now, and thinking of He Qianmin crying and asking her why she refused to believe him, Yang Yunâs breathing became stagnant, tears fell like broken beads, and she covered her face, âItâs me who wronged Qian MinâŚ..â
âNo one could have thought of such a thingâŚ..â He Yanfeng comforted softly: âItâs not your fault.â
Yang Yun buried her face in her knees: âXiao Chen, Qian Jian, Qian MinâŚ..for the first time, I feel that I am such a failure as a mother. Itâs like I donât know anything, I canât do anything well, and everything has gone wrongâŚ..â
He Yanfeng sat down beside Yang Yun, hugged her and said in a low voice: âDonât be sad, we still have the opportunity and time to get to know them and make up for the mistakes we made before, donât we?â
You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )
Yang Yun raised her head and laughed at herself: âHow can I make up for it? My own son was switched at birth, but I have never found out in the past eighteen years. My own son has been showing up in front of my eyes for half a year, but I need an outsider to tell me the truthâŚ..I have always known the conflict between Qian Jian and Qian Min but I pretentiously thought the best way to resolve this matter was to brush it off, and I didnât know how much Qian Min suffered because of it. I thought Qian Min had a bad temper and Qian Jian was gentle and sensible, but gradually I found that the truth may be completely opposite to what I thoughtâŚ..â
âI never understood my kids, as a mother, am I really not a failure?â