Chapter 18: The Good Son's Heart-breaking Spy Case Revealed
"She was just a maid, only about 17 or 18 years old at the time. How could she be so bold as to kidnap and sell her own master? Is there someone behind this?"
Song Mingchen finally said a long sentence.
"Also, what was Li Xiaocui's motive for trafficking my mother? A maid who depended on her master for a living, how much hatred did she have to have to have such a vicious mind?"
Song Mingchen had a very sensitive sense of touch and immediately grasped the key point of the problem.
Zhuang Luming is having a headache because his son is too smart and the father is under tremendous pressure. What should he do?
Zhuang Luming took a deep breath and decided to tell all his not-so-glorious past.
He didn't want his son to be suspicious of him.
But it is still very difficult to actually speak.
"That Li Xiaocui was originally a maid who served your grandmother. Before I married your mother, your grandmother sent her to my yard. Well, at that time, the country had not yet been established. According to the rules, such a maid was to do, that, to do——"
"and then?"
Song Mingchen spoke in a dull tone, interrupting his father's words.
Zhuang Luming coughed in great embarrassment.
He stole a glance at his son's face, and seeing that he seemed okay, he continued.
"Your mother and I are in love with each other, and of course we don't want to abide by those old customs. So, I didn't listen to your grandmother's arrangements."
Zhuang Luming paused again, as if considering how to phrase his words.
"Well, later on, in order to put an end to your grandmother's thoughts and Li Xiaocui's thoughts, I assigned Li Xiaocui to the gardener at home."
"Maybe Li Xiaocui is not satisfied with this marriage, so she hates me."
"Or maybe your mother didn't allow me to take a concubine. She felt that your mother was targeting her on purpose and she holds a grudge against your mother."
Zhuang Luming was too embarrassed to tell his son that Li Xiaocui took advantage of his drunkenness to climb into his bed and almost made him make a mistake.
Xianxian misunderstood this and almost divorced him.
What he regretted most was not driving Li Xiaocui out. His kindness led him to keep a poisonous snake by his wife's side.
"In short, it was you who caused the trouble, but it was my mother who suffered, right?" Song Mingchen gritted his teeth and interrupted him.
Zhuang Luming also felt aggrieved. How could he take the initiative to provoke other women?
Until now, the only person living in his heart is his Xianxian, okay?
Song Mingchen didn't want to eat this meal at first, but when he saw the braised pork, squirrel fish, sweet and sour pork, hot and cold beef with mustard greens, Nanjing pressed duck, and Daokou roast chicken in front of him, he couldn't resist.
Grit your teeth and eat! It’s a waste if you don’t eat it!
Then, his appetite, which was comparable to that of a glutton, shocked his father, Chief Zhuang.
Song Mingchen stuffed the fish and meat into his mouth without even raising his head.
Zhuang Luming didn't eat a single bite and just watched his son chewing the food.
The two of them didn't say a word until they finished their meal.
The eight dishes on the table, a pound of rice, and a large plate of steamed buns all fell into Song Mingchen's stomach.
"Do I have any half-siblings?"
Song Mingchen wiped his mouth elegantly with a handkerchief and asked another question that made his father feel troubled.
"You have a younger brother named Zhuang Mingyang. He is nineteen this year. One year ago, he and your grandfather were sent to Songjiawazi for labor reform."
"Will she accept me?"
Song Mingchen asked another question that had no beginning or end.
Zhuang Luming instantly understood who he was referring to.
"After your grandfather got into trouble, Yang Ge'er's mother was afraid that it would affect her family, so she asked for a divorce, and I agreed."
Song Mingchen felt inexplicably relieved.
Although he knew that he seemed a bit gloating, he couldn't help but feel relieved.
"Songjiawazi? They were sent to Songjiawazi? Why Songjiawazi?"
"I used my connections to arrange this. Over the years, I have also found some clues that the mastermind behind your mother's murder has appeared in the Songjiawazi area. So, I want your grandfather to take advantage of the opportunity of being sent down to see if he can catch the culprit."
"Your father was labeled as one of the five black categories, so why are you still sitting in this position? Won't you be investigated?"
Song Mingchen was a little confused.
No one is unaware of how tense the current political situation is.
"In order to avoid implicating me, your grandfather wrote a document to sever the father-son relationship. I disagreed, and your grandfather used family law. In order to collect evidence outside to vindicate your grandfather, I had no choice but to agree."
When Zhuang Luming mentioned this matter, his heart felt as if it was stabbed by a knife.
Song Mingchen was silent.
He couldn't understand Zhuang Luming's choice. In his opinion, a person who abandoned even his own father in difficult times was worse than a pig or a dog.
But he couldn't arbitrarily say that Zhuang Luming was wrong to do so.
If Zhuang Luming rejected Mr. Zhuang's proposal, then it seemed that the Zhuang family would be completely wiped out.
Severing the father-son relationship is indeed the best stopgap measure in such a harsh environment.
Zhuang Luming was also praised by his superiors for taking the initiative to draw a clear line between himself and bad elements and putting the interests of the country above his own.
Song Mingchen found it ironic.
It could be the natural blood bond, or it could be that Song Mingchen has never felt the fatherly love and family affection from Song Fugui in his twenty years of life.
In just one day, he gradually accepted the fact that he was the descendant of the banker.
"Can you tell me more about your mother?" Zhuang Luming's tone was extremely sad.
"I have never seen her since I was born, so I have no impression of her. I only heard from the elderly in the village that she was a very beautiful and kind woman."
After a while, Song Mingchen added, "She was sold to Songjiawazi. She tried to escape several times, but was caught and beaten by the Song family. Maybe it was because of me that she was able to hold on for so long."
Zhuang Luming's eyes turned bloodshot and he slammed his fist on the table, causing dishes to clink.
"When I catch that damn culprit, I will skin him alive with my own hands."
"What have you found out? There were no witnesses when she disappeared? Or any useful clues?"
"When I knew your mother was missing, I went to look for her immediately. You know that was before the founding of the People's Republic of China. We were still at war, and there was chaos and disorder. Every day people were shot to death or disappeared inexplicably."
"When I found out about your mother's rickshaw driver, he had been poisoned to death. That was the end of the clue. Over the years, I have never stopped looking for your mother."
Zhuang Luming's heart was bleeding.
More than 20 years have passed, but the pain of losing Xianxian has not diminished at all, but has become more and more intense.
"Then have you found out who is behind this?"
"It's related to a research topic your grandfather was studying. According to your grandfather, he was targeted by spies, who wanted to kidnap him and force him to hand over the experimental data."
"But your grandfather was under strict protection by our party's underground workers. The spies temporarily changed their target to your mother, trying to threaten your grandfather with your mother's life."
"They successfully kidnapped my mother. Did the agents get the data they wanted?"