CHAPTER 688: CHAPTER 683: THE BIG REVEAL OF FAMILY ORIGINS

(Today there will be at least two updates, Si Ye plans to update three times, but if the third update isn’t posted by 7 p.m., don’t wait for it, it means there will only be two.)

At that time, Luo Dashan admittedly had some difficulty letting go of Xiutao, but because he had long known that Xiutao’s heart wasn’t with him, nor in this barren countryside, he seemed to have already anticipated this day would come. Moreover, based on his understanding of Xiutao, once she left, she would definitely not return.

Thus, he didn’t object to the arranged marriage with Zhou Yunmei; he agreed to it quite easily. However, even though he agreed to marry Zhou Yunmei, after she joined the family, there was no affection between them.

Going through the motions, after marrying Zhou Yunmei, she quickly became pregnant. Despite lacking affection for her, Luo Dashan was nevertheless overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a father for the first time.

With some trivial domestic affairs added to the mix, Luo Dashan managed to put his past with Xiutao behind him and decided to wholeheartedly support Zhou Yunmei, awaiting the arrival of the child.

Initially, everything was peaceful, just waiting for Zhou Yunmei to give birth to their first child, and Luo Dashan could rejoice in becoming a father. However, when Zhou Yunmei was over seven months pregnant, one night, Luo Dashan’s sister suddenly came to find him in secret, saying there was an urgent matter that required his presence at her house.

Only after Luo Dashan got there did he find out that Xiutao had been pregnant with his child when she left Luojia Village. At that time, it was very complicated for an unmarried girl to get an abortion. Without an official referral, hospitals wouldn’t perform such surgery, so Xiutao had no choice but to secretly give birth to the child, deceiving everyone.

But as an unmarried woman, she could not possibly raise a child on her own. Moreover, with her numerous fantasies about the outside world, Xiutao would not let a child hinder her progress.

Nevertheless, being her own flesh and blood conceived after ten months of pregnancy, she couldn’t abandon the child. After pondering, she thought the best course of action was to secretly bring the child to Luo Dashan.

When she arrived at Luojia Village and found out that Luo Dashan was married, she even worried that Luo Dashan’s wife would mind this issue, so she left the child with Luo Dashan’s sister, asking her to pass the child to Luo Dashan.

Holding the child, Luo Dashan had a mix of emotions; he couldn’t say he was overjoyed, because even though he felt joy at first becoming a father, he was very clear that this child was a problematic matter.

At that time, Zhou Yunmei had already shown her extremely harsh personality, and Luo Dashan knew well that she would never accept a child he had with another woman.

So, Luo Dashan and his sister deliberated for a long time, planning to leave the child with his sister to raise. They would claim to outsiders that Luo Dashan’s sister found an abandoned child by the roadside and, taking pity on the poor thing, decided to take it in and care for it.

At home, only Luo Dashan’s sister and her husband were in the know; his brother-in-law was an honest person who would never speak out of turn.

The initial plan was always to let the child be raised in Luo Dashan’s sister’s household, with Luo Dashan providing some living expenses on the side in secret.

Luo Dashan’s sister was kindhearted and fond of her brother and readily agreed.

Originally, it was thought to be well handled, with the child well-raised and Zhou Yunmei kept in the dark. However, coincidence would have it that around the eighth month of Zhou Yunmei’s pregnancy, she went into premature labor and gave birth to a boy who, after being born, tragically died.

Upon learning this, Zhou Yunmei seemed unable to accept reality, constantly crying or screaming in the house, and appeared to have suffered a complete mental breakdown, repeatedly crying for her child.

It just so happened that one day, Luo Dashan’s sister brought her child to visit Zhou Yunmei. As soon as Zhou Yunmei saw the little one, barely a month old, her eyes lit up, claiming emphatically that this was her child, refusing to let go no matter what, and even nursing and taking exceptionally good care of the baby.

Initially, the family thought she was merely confused at the moment, mistaking someone else’s child for her own. They decided to let her remain confused for a few days, and when she’d come to her senses, the child would be returned to Luo Dashan’s sister.

Who would have known, after nearly half a month of Zhou Yunmei taking care of the child, not only did she not grow distant from him, but their bond even became stronger. And since she had been looking after the baby all by herself during that time, the child no longer wanted anyone else to touch him, crying uncontrollably whenever he was handed to another person.

Seeing this, Luo Dashan discussed with his sister and decided to boldly leave the child behind, allowing Zhou Yunmei to raise him as if he were her own, since no one else knew of the circumstances.

At the time when Zhou Yunmei gave birth and lost her child, to avoid upsetting her, no one apart from Luo Dashan’s parents and siblings was made aware of the baby’s death. Now, leaving this month-old child with her and once the child was past a month of age, there wouldn’t be too much of a difference between one and two months old. Besides, even if others became suspicious, they wouldn’t connect it to this actual situation.

Initially, Luo Dashan’s parents disapproved, but upon learning that the child was indeed Luo Dashan’s own son, they were overjoyed and immediately agreed to keep the child.

Thus, it was a situation that benefitted both sides - a win-win for the family. So the child remained with Zhou Yunmei and Luo Dashan, being treated as their biological son and the Luo Family’s eldest legitimate grandson.

Naturally, this child was Luo Zhiyong.

Originally, had things continued this way, the family would have lived in harmony, enjoying peaceful days together.

But when Luo Zhiyong was just over two years old, Zhou Yunmei became pregnant again; this time with Luo Cuilan. After giving birth to Luo Cuilan, Zhou Yunmei suddenly recalled everything that had happened before and came to understand that Luo Zhiyong was not her biological son.

Moreover, because the family had discussed these matters openly, assuming she wouldn’t comprehend due to her confusion, Zhou Yunmei was practically privy to all the details of the affair.

Once she came to her senses, naturally, her heart was not at ease. She quarreled with Luo Dashan, constantly probing about his affairs with Xiutao.

After finding out the truth, Zhou Yunmei had intended to immediately send Luo Zhiyong away, but coincidentally, a dispute over splitting up the household arose amongst the brothers at home. The division of the house was to be based on the number of male heirs in the family; if she refused to recognize Luo Zhiyong as her child, then their family would only have Luo Cuilan as a daughter, and they might end up with nothing.

Moreover, Luo Dashan kept assuring Zhou Yunmei that no one outside knew about the situation and that everyone thought Luo Zhiyong was her biological son. Zhiyong himself would surely believe he was born of Zhou Yunmei, displaying filial piety as a son would to his birth mother. All things considered, Zhou Yunmei wouldn’t be at a loss.