northernbook Chapter 39 Will Shen Yao accept the family recognition?
Chapter 39 Will Shen Yao accept the family recognition?
Not only Shen Wancheng had this suspicion, but Shen Yao's hand, which was holding Shen Wancheng's wrist, was trembling with fear.
Shen Wancheng glanced at Shen Yao and reassured her with her eyes: It's okay, we'll talk about it when we get back.
Shen Wancheng looked up again and smiled at Xu Pingtao, saying, "I had a bit of a cold yesterday, and I seem to have a bit of a problem with this suckling pig; it's too oily."
"Then remove all the greasy dishes."
Xu Pingtao, unsuspecting, ordered the waiter to remove all the greasy dishes.
After that, the atmosphere at the dinner table became both harmonious and inexplicably eerie.
Liang Muchao was very talkative and could always bring up different topics. With Xu Pingtao, who was over sixty, always ready to chime in, there was no topic they couldn't keep up with. They could also subtly steer the conversation towards Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao.
The meal allowed the three men present to get to know Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao better, and it also made Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao feel at home, without feeling awkward or neglected.
But Gu Jinxing remained silent, and everyone tacitly avoided bringing up the topic of him, which made the atmosphere at the dinner table feel both harmonious and strange.
After finishing their meal, Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao immediately said goodbye to Xu Pingtao and Liang Muchao.
Xu Pingtao arranged for a car to take Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao home.
Shen Yao initially wanted to refuse, but Shen Wancheng shook her head at her, so they accepted.
The driver was Xu Pingtao's driver, and Shen Yao kept all her words to herself in the car.
After getting out of the car, the two went straight upstairs.
Shen Yao spoke out like a torrent of beans.
"Sister, how can we let old man Xu send us back? Wouldn't that let them know where we live? We'll never be able to shake them off again."
"And another thing, old man Xu clearly has designs on you. I work at the horse farm, and he comes over every few days just to curry favor with me so he can get close to you. At his age, he could be our grandfather, yet he's setting his sights on you! Bah! So what if he has some money? Who cares!"
"And what's more, Liang Muchao is actually that wild man's friend. What terrible luck I've had today! What kind of monsters have I run into?"
"puff."
Shen Wancheng laughed out loud.
Shen Wancheng's heart was already heavy, but she found Shen Yao's scolding amusing.
Shen Yao still looked anxious.
"Sis~ How can you still laugh? I was so worried."
Shen Wancheng pulled Shen Yao to sit down on the sofa.
"Haste makes waste; things must be dealt with one at a time."
Shen Yao looked sullen, but put on a show that she was willing to listen to the details.
Shen Wancheng said patiently, "I didn't expect to run into Gu Jinxing again. Maybe Hong Kong is too small. But since we've run into him, let's just play it by ear. He can't eat us alive."
"But it's annoying. You can tell he won't let you go easily. Actually, he's not bad-looking and seems to be very rich. Marrying him would have been a good idea, but now he's crippled and blind. Who knows if he'll recover?"
“Today we had Xu Pingtao’s driver take us back. The driver will definitely tell Xu Pingtao and Gu Jinxing where we live when he gets back. We won’t be able to avoid them anymore.”
Shen Wancheng said, "Even if we go home by ourselves today, whether it's Xu Pingtao or Gu Jinxing, they will have someone secretly follow us and they will definitely know where we live. It's no different from telling them openly, and it saves us the travel expenses."
Shen Yao sighed, "Fine, it's my fault, I didn't have enough people to help me."
Shen Wancheng was amused by Shen Yao again.
"Yes, you are no longer the eldest daughter of that mighty general."
Shen Yao was speechless. "What time is it? You're still in the mood for jokes."
Shen Wancheng stopped smiling and asked Shen Yao seriously.
"Yaoyao, if an elder suddenly appeared in our lives, would you accept it?"
Shen Yao frowned and thought for a while before saying, "Actually, it doesn't matter whether I accept it or not. I'm not the real Shen Yao. I just want to live well in this world and cherish the opportunity to live another life."
Shen Yao and Shen Wancheng had the same idea.
Shen Wancheng initially wanted to come to Hong Kong Island to reunite with her relatives because she felt that reuniting with Xu Pingtao would allow them to live an easier life.
She has plenty of money to do what she loves and earn even more money.
This world is inherently unfair; for some, the starting point is already the end point of someone else's entire life.
Many people in inland rural areas died in living conditions that were even worse than those of ordinary people in Hong Kong Island.
Shen Wancheng felt that it was not wrong for her to want a higher starting point.
Thinking of Xu Pingtao's deliberate attempts to get close to her these past few days, Shen Yao suddenly stood up, her eyes wide like saucers. "You mean, Xu Pingtao might be some kind of elder of ours?"
Even after asking the question, Shen Yao still found it hard to believe and said doubtfully, "It doesn't make sense. The Shen family can't even afford a house in the county town, how could they possibly have relatives in Hong Kong?"
Shen Wancheng grabbed Shen Yao's hand, trying to calm her down again.
"It's Xu Pingtao, he's our maternal grandfather."
Shen Yao was a little confused. "Huh? Grandpa? Didn't he die a long time ago?"
In Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao's memories, there was never any image of their maternal grandfather. They had asked him about it out of curiosity, but Xu Lan always coldly replied that he had died long ago.
So, their maternal grandfather actually didn't die?
Xu Pingtao lived a good life in Hong Kong Island and was a wealthy man, enjoying a life of luxury, while his wife and daughter were poor and destitute in the mainland.
Xu Lan and her mother were poor and looked down upon as orphans, which is why they were arranged to marry Shen Datian, who also had parents but was like an orphan.
Now that Shen Yao knows that Xu Pingtao doesn't have any ulterior motives towards Shen Wancheng, and recalling Xu Pingtao's attention to her and Shen Wancheng these days, she feels that this person seems to really want to acknowledge them as sisters.
But what was he doing all this time? He didn't just get rich recently.
"Sister, are you really sure Xu Pingtao is our maternal grandfather?"
Shen Wancheng nodded, "I'm sure. Actually, I've heard Mom mention it before. She said that Grandpa went out to work and never came back, so they told everyone he was dead."
"Oh, Hong Kong Island is so great, of course I don't want to go back to my hometown to find a rural wife."
Shen Yao made sarcastic remarks about Xu Pingtao.
Shen Wancheng was feeling down because of something on her mind, but Shen Yao's words made her laugh.
Shen Wancheng not only didn't speak up for Xu Pingtao, but also exposed Xu Pingtao's past misdeeds.
"Not only did he not return to his hometown, but he also married into the wealthy Ho family in Hong Kong. Now he is the head of Ho Manufacturing, serving as both president and chairman."
Shen Yao blinked twice. "A live-in son-in-law?"
Shen Wancheng nodded.
"Damn, I never would have guessed he was a gigolo. No wonder he's afraid to go back to his hometown. If people find out he has a wife and kids, he'll lose all his wealth and status."
"Yes, that's roughly Xu Pingtao's situation."
"Then why is he acknowledging both of us now?"
Shen Wancheng picked up a magazine from the table and pointed to the headline on the cover.
"Last month, the entire family of four, including the next heir of the He family, died in a car accident."
Shen Yao paused for a moment before speaking.
"Xu Pingtao's son and grandson are all gone, his lineage is cut off, and he finally remembered that he used to have a daughter."
"Ah."
Shen Yao pursed her lips and remained silent.
Shen Wancheng didn't disturb her and waited for her decision.