CHAPTER 424: CHAPTER 426: SHE NEVER CONSIDERED HERSELF PART OF THE FAMILY

"You all judge for me, when my brother died in battle, Guoqiang was also on the battlefield, and I was pregnant with Jiazhi. Early one morning, I woke up, opened the door, and saw a child outside with a fever and not a single note. If I hadn’t seen the child when he was born, I wouldn’t even know whose Guo this was. Moreover, the child was only a few days old with a high fever, and even though I knew some medicine, I couldn’t treat him.

That was my brother’s child who just died like that. And this so-called sister-in-law abandoned her son at my doorstep because she wanted to remarry and couldn’t even dare face me. A child born no more than a few days ago, left outside to catch cold, how could he not get a fever? How could I not despise her to death? If she had disappeared for life, I might have let it go, but after more than thirty years, she shows up claiming Jiazhi is her son, what a joke. The son I, Zheng Xianghong, painstakingly gave birth to has suddenly become her son. She might as well be dreaming."

Zheng Xianghong now absolutely refuses to acknowledge that Gao Jiazhi is her brother’s child, after all, if Gao Jiazhi were Zheng Xiangwei’s son, then his last name would have to be changed to Zheng.

By that time, it wouldn’t just be Xue Baozhu’s issue; there’d also be the problem with the Gao family, and the Zheng family would want to claim kinship as well.

After all, the Zheng family is also a clan. Zheng Xianghong’s father had passed away, but her stepmother and half-siblings were still around, along with some uncles and cousins.

Zheng Xianghong didn’t want any involvement with that side at all, nor did she want them to know that Gao Jiazhi was Zheng Xiangwei’s son. After all, Zheng Xiangwei was a martyr, interred in the Martyr Garden, not hidden in the Zheng family’s land.

When her father betrayed them, no one in the clan stood up for them, mother and daughters; instead, they even urged her own mother to be more magnanimous. Her mother refused and was criticized for her lack of generosity, eventually being angered to death.

Since her eldest brother enlisted, Zheng Xianghong left home and never thought of returning. After joining the army and completing medical training, she met Gao Guoqiang and married him straight away.

Even after her marriage, her natal family had arranged another match for her. If it hadn’t been for her being in the army and married to a military man, with the army’s protection, her natal family wouldn’t have let her off so easily.

Zheng Xianghong no longer spared Xue Baozhu any face, so as soon as everyone heard that Xue Baozhu had abandoned her child for more than thirty years, they had no sympathy whatsoever; they even felt she deserved it.

Initially, everyone had some respect thinking of her as the regiment commander’s wife, but now it was full of contempt.

Xue Baozhu and Yu Zhen couldn’t show their faces, and even Li Shengmei was spoken ill of by everyone. The crowd was lambasting Li Shengmei, feeling that she shouldn’t defend Xue Baozhu and her son like this. It was clearly Xue Baozhu’s wrongdoing.

Apart from Sun Yuhua, no one doubted that Gao Jiazhi was not Zheng Xianghong’s son, after all, Gao Jiazhi looked similar to Zheng Xianghong. As for Gao Guoqiang favoring Gao Jiaxing more, that was not a bother to everyone. After all, not all fingers are the same length; parental partiality is quite normal. Moreover, most parents favor the youngest or the eldest child, which is very common.

Besides, Gao Guoqiang had always treated Gao Jiazhi well, even allowing him to finish high school, not to mention that after Gao Jiazhi got married, Gao Guoqiang and Zheng Xianghong were busy helping inside and out, barely letting Sun Yuhua do any work. And Gao Guoqiang and Zheng Xianghong were very affectionate towards little Weilin. If he wasn’t their own son, if she wasn’t their own granddaughter, how could they be like this?

When Xia Xiao and the others arrived, Xue Baozhu, Yu Zhen, and Li Shengmei left in disgrace. Xue Baozhu looked at Gao Jiazhi and still couldn’t believe he was Zheng Xianghong’s son.

But now, Xue Baozhu could only leave first with Li Shengmei and Yu Zhen. Zheng Xianghong, full of frustration, had no mood to stay in the canteen anymore.

Zheng Xianghong went home with Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing and Gao Jiazhi Sun Yuhua, and said to Gao Jiaxing and Xia Xiao, "Didn’t you say you needed to go into the city? Hurry up, don’t delay."

Xia Xiao shook his head, "We can leave tomorrow, there’s no rush for that one day."

Zheng Xianghong said nothing more, just sighed deeply in her heart.

Returning home, Xia Xiao had Weilin and a few other children accompany their grandmother, hoping it would keep Xianghong from dwelling on the matter of Xue Baozhu.

Fortunately, DNA testing wasn’t available at that time, so Xue Baozhu had no evidence to prove that Gao Jiazhi was her child, it was just a gut feeling.

Moreover, Gao Jiazhi likely didn’t have any birthmarks or distinctive features, otherwise Xue Baozhu would have brought it up long ago.

Seeing the state of affairs at home, Sun Yuhua was also troubled and went to vent at the Youth Point with Wang Aihua.

Before she reached Youth Point, Sun Yuhua happened to run into Li Shengmei, Yu Zhen, and also Xue Baozhu. In an instant, Yuhua was invited by Yu Zhen to the He family’s home.

It was Sun Yuhua’s first visit to the He family, which was more spacious and grander than the Gao family’s home.

Meanwhile, as Sun Yuhua was sitting at the He family’s house, Zheng Xianghong summoned Gao Jiazhi into the room and simply looked at him without speaking.

"Mom," Gao Jiazhi called out, "do you need me for something?"

"What are your thoughts on what has happened these past few days with Jiaxing?" Zheng Xianghong asked.

"I haven’t thought much about it. I don’t believe her nonsense," Gao Jiazhi shook his head.

Zheng Xianghong watched Gao Jiazhi, internally conflicted. She wanted to keep the truth from him for life but, thinking of her deceased brother, she felt it wasn’t right to keep his real father a secret from the child.

But at that moment, Zheng Xianghong couldn’t bring herself to speak the truth, as she thought of Gao Guoqiang, so she let Gao Jiazhi leave.

By evening, Sun Yuhua exited the He family’s place. Naturally, Xue Baozhu hoped Yuhua would persuade Gao Jiazhi, even offering conditions: She would try to find a way for Gao Jiazhi to join the military and could transfer the household registrations of Sun Yuhua and Gao Jiazhi to the military as well.

Leaving the He family home, Sun Yuhua looked over the entire production brigade. She had been there for over ten years but still disliked the place. She didn’t want to stay there for life, nor did she want to keep living there.

Back at home, Sun Yuhua naturally pleaded with Gao Jiazhi to seriously consider the offer and that acknowledging his birth mother could lead to joining the military.

Of course, this led to a huge argument between Gao Jiazhi and Sun Yuhua, alarming Zheng Xianghong, Gao Guoqiang, Gao Jiaxing, and Xia Xiao. It was the first time they saw Gao Jiazhi so angry.

At night, Gao Jiazhi simply stayed at the old house, and little Weilin cried wah wah wah, spending the night with Zheng Xianghong and Gao Guoqiang.

"Yu Hua seems to be someone I recognize less and less," Xia Xiao sighed deeply.

Jiaxing said, "She’s always been blind to reality. She’s been married to my brother for so many years but has never thought about this family. You heard her arguing with my brother just now. Your dad, your mom, your brother—she never truly considered herself a part of this household."