Mrs. Zhou hadn’t even finished listening before she stood up abruptly, looking at him in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief. She pointed at him with a trembling finger and asked, "How do you know Liu Xizhi? Has she come to find you? Do you know everything now? Then why did you return to the Zhou Family?"
Zhang Guoqing stopped his mother-in-law from getting too close and signaled for her to stay silent. Lin Lishan looked at them in confusion; she had just come out of the inner room to see the old lady in such a state.
"I found out when the old clan leader was still alive," Zhou Xiaozheng said, not mentioning that he still hadn’t found the person. He initially joined the military to find Liu Xizhi, having a gut feeling that she was significant to him. But decades passed with not even a shadow found.
"Mother, sit down, let’s talk slowly. Back then, I was still young and only remember the old clan leader patting my head and whispering how unfortunate and pitiful it was; those eyes, I still remember.
By the time I learned the name Liu Xizhi, the old clan leader had already passed away, and I couldn’t ask anyone anymore. Whose hands is the Zhou Family’s genealogy record in? As soon as Jiao Jiao was born, I asked father to put her on the family registry. Is Zhou Jiao in it?"
Mrs. Zhou took a deep breath, sat down, and looked at him, saying, "You’ve long suspected that you weren’t born to us? But you’ve never mentioned it to me before."
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled bitterly at her, "How could I say it? How could I not know how you treat me? What’s the difference between being born and being raised? If it weren’t for the injustice Jiao Jiao suffered, and you being so troubled, I wouldn’t even want to mention it now. But I’m old too, and I want to know who my parents are.
Why is it that whenever we return home and the topic of ancestor worship or the family registry comes up, father changes his expression and does everything to prevent it? Just like this time, I didn’t even speak of ancestor worship upon my return. Logically speaking, having narrowly escaped death and with Jiao Jiao giving birth to a son, I should go to offer incense, but who exactly am I? To whom should I offer incense?"
"No, you should offer incense. I’ve done it for you. If you are not a Zhou Family flesh and blood, who has the right to say they are part of the Zhou Family?"
Zhou Xiaozheng stepped forward, squatted in front of her, and met her gaze, "Mother, since I am of Zhou blood, whose child am I really? Why does no one in the clan know? Is Liu Xizhi the one who gave birth to me? Is the amulet from her? Is that why you insisted I mustn’t lose it, saying it might be needed someday? I investigated; when I was fifteen, I left and looked into it, but found nothing. The amulet was sought from Jiangnan’s Lingyin Temple; the outer pouch isn’t from the temple but is made of rare material, using Su Embroidery, a technique not done by you."
Mrs. Zhou patted his head, looking into his hopeful eyes, and nodded, "Decades have passed, and if you wish to know, it’s time to tell you. Originally, it was because we were indebted to you, and we owed you this explanation.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space