Chapter 302 - 300: A Secret Parentage

Chapter 302: Chapter 300: A Secret Parentage

SLAP!

Just as Lin Yan’s words left Lin Qiao’s family dumbfounded, Lin Qiao’s grandmother, Liu Xiaoya, stepped forward, slapped Lin Yan hard across the face, and snapped, "Shut your mouth."

She paused, then added in a poorly veiled attempt to cover things up, "If you’re angry that your Second Uncle won’t help, then be angry. What are you doing spouting all this nonsense here?" She then looked up at Lin Fu, whose expression had changed, and said, "Don’t take a child’s nonsense seriously."

Lin Yan, clutching her face, stared at Liu Xiaoya in disbelief. Shocked, hurt, yet defiant, she retorted, "How am I spouting nonsense? It was you and Grandpa who told all of us that Second Uncle isn’t your biological son! You told us we didn’t need to be too close with his family in the future. Have you forgotten?"

"You’re still spouting nonsense..." Liu Xiaoya’s eyes went red with anger. She raised her hand to strike again, but seeing Lin Yan’s tear-streaked face, she hesitated, unable to bring her hand down. ’She was her own flesh and blood, wasn’t she? How could she wrong her own child for someone else’s?’

Lin Fu saw Liu Xiaoya’s hesitation. In that instant, he suddenly recalled that throughout his childhood, his mother had rarely, if ever, laid a hand on his other siblings. It was always him who was disciplined at the slightest provocation. Yes, only him. After he grew up, got married, and had children, it was his kids who were the least favored... He had never thought much of it in the past, always assuming he must have done something wrong or not been good enough. But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case at all... ’Is blood really that important? If I remember correctly, I’ve been living with my parents since before I can even remember. After all these years, have they really never once thought of me as their own son?’

Lin Fu gave a bitter smile, an expression so painful it was hard to look at.

"Heh, hehehe—"

He suddenly burst out laughing. Even though he already knew the answer in his heart, he stared intently at Liu Xiaoya and asked seriously, "Mom, is what Yan Zi said true?"

"Of course it’s true..." Lin Yan threw caution to the wind. ’What’s there to be afraid of now that it’s all out in the open?’ Fearing Lin Fu wouldn’t believe her, she started to shout. This terrified Lin Qiao’s aunt, who clapped a hand over her mouth to stop her from saying anything more. Lin Yan still struggled, letting out muffled sounds, "MMPH, MMPH," until her mother pinched her hard, finally silencing her.

"What’s true? Are you really taking a child’s nonsense seriously? There’s no such thing." Liu Xiaoya averted her gaze, unable to look Lin Fu in the eye. She fidgeted uncomfortably, tugging at the collar of her shirt. When she realized she couldn’t hide her agitation, she finally grew annoyed. "Fine. If you don’t want to help, then so be it. My son’s all grown up and doesn’t listen to his mother. We don’t see eye to eye anymore, so what can I do? I won’t stay here and make things difficult for you."

With that, she turned and hurried out the door. Seeing her mother-in-law leave, Lin Qiao’s aunt didn’t dare to linger. She quickly dragged the trouble-making Lin Yan out with her.

Lin Fu watched them leave without trying to stop them. But his legs began to feel weak, and he slumped into a chair, staring blankly at the doorway, his thoughts a mystery.

"Honey, are you all right?" Lin Qiao’s mother stepped forward and asked with concern. In her heart, she didn’t actually think this was a bad thing. On the contrary, she was secretly delighted at the prospect of completely cutting ties with her in-laws. But she couldn’t dare show that delight right now. ’After all, I have to consider my husband’s feelings, don’t I?’

Lin Qiao and her two younger sisters felt much the same. Right now, though, they were all looking at Lin Fu with worry. Even Lin Qiao’s youngest sisters had understood what happened. The only one in the family who was truly oblivious was probably their little brother, still sound asleep in his room.

"I’m fine. What could be wrong? It’s just... years of suspicion have finally been confirmed." Lin Fu gave a bitter smile. ’If I was going to be sad, I would have been sad long ago.’ But despite his words, an unavoidable tightness still gripped his heart.

"You girls go back to your room for now," Lin Qiao’s mother said to the three sisters.

"No need. We don’t have to hide this from the children." Lin Fu waved his hand dismissively, then lowered his head and covered his face with his hands. "Heh, I just never imagined they could be so heartless. To actually go out of their way to tell everyone else not to get close to our family. No wonder. No wonder we could never get close to them, no matter how hard we tried all these years."

"..."

Lin Qiao’s mother, Lin Qiao, and her sister Lin Long didn’t know what to say to comfort Lin Fu. Only Lin Qiao’s youngest sister, Lin He, ran over, climbed onto Lin Fu’s lap, and hugged him, exclaiming, "Dad, we’ll all be a family together! The worst that can happen is we just won’t be close to them from now on."

She was young, but her personality was innate. In fact, among the three sisters, it was the youngest, Lin He, who had the most commanding character.

When his youngest daughter climbed onto him, Lin Fu froze for a moment. Fearing she might fall, he was forced to wipe his hands over his face, erasing the faint dampness of tears and the look of utter anguish. He reached out to steady her, and her words made him pause. Then, a smile slowly spread across his face. "You’re right. I still have all of you. Our family is still together."

Seeing their father smile, even if it was just for a fleeting moment, Lin Qiao and Lin Long secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Only then did Lin Qiao’s mother also relax, sighing. "It’s always just been our family anyway. What have those people ever done besides cause us trouble? Ah, now it all makes sense. No wonder when other families had boys, your parents always gave them something. But when our Zhuangzhuang was born, months went by and they couldn’t be bothered. They didn’t even have a proper reaction. They even drank reluctantly at his one-month celebration, as if they were terrified we’d ask them for money or gifts."

"...No. I still have to go ask them about this," Lin Fu said firmly after another long silence. He suddenly set Lin He down and stood up. "Even if I’m not their child, I must have come from somewhere. I need to ask them where I came from, and what happened to my birth parents."

"I’ll go with you." Lin Qiao’s mother took a step forward.

"No need. If Zhuangzhuang wakes up later and doesn’t see you, he’ll cry." Lin Fu shook his head, his thoughts still on his son.

"It’s fine. We just fed him before dinner. He usually sleeps until eight or nine. We can have Qiaoqiao and the girls keep an eye on him." Seeing Lin Fu still hesitate, Lin Qiao’s mother said worriedly, "I don’t feel right about you going alone."

"Dad, just let Mom go with you. We’ll watch our little brother at home. We don’t feel right about you going alone either," Lin Qiao added. Beside her, Lin Long and Lin He both nodded in agreement.

"What is there to worry about?" Lin Fu shook his head with a bitter smile. But his wife and daughters’ words were a great comfort to him, so he nodded. "Alright, let’s go together."