Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s
Chapter 81 - 079 Recognizing godparents

Chapter 81: 079 Recognizing godparents

Old Man kept puffing on his water pipe silently, his mind tumultuously turning. The doubts that had plagued him for days were finally being answered. If his guess was correct, He Xuewen must be Ah Nan’s biological father. No wonder he insisted on settling in Yuequan Village and treated Ah Nan so well. Now he even eagerly wanted to establish a formal familial tie, obviously to look after his daughter close by! However, why wouldn’t he acknowledge Ah Nan as his own? Old Man was still puzzled about this.

"Fugao, ask He Xuewen to come see me," he spoke to Zhong Fugao after pondering for a moment, "Tell him I have a few questions to ask him. If his answers satisfy me, we will agree on the familial ties."

Tian Manjin was anxious, this was not the time for family ties; He Xuewen was about to take his daughter away from him. If they recognized the relationship, he didn’t know how far He Xuewen would push him aside. Old Man glanced at Tian Manjin signaling him to stay calm, and Tian Manjin had no choice but to forcefully swallow the words that had reached his throat.

After receiving the message from Zhong Fugao, He Xuewen felt a shock of apprehension. Could Old Man have figured something out? He took a deep breath, decided to take things step by step, and if necessary, he would reveal the truth to Old Man, believing that with the latter’s love for Ah Nan, he would not let her fall into danger.

Old Man led He Xuewen into the room and asked everyone else to wait outside. Although Tian Sisi appeared calm, she was immensely worried, fearing that He Xuewen might have upset Old Man in some way.

After He Xuewen entered the room, Old Man gestured for him to sit down and stared at him for a long while. With a smile, He Xuewen said, "Mr. Tian, what would you like to ask me? I will withhold nothing and hide nothing from you."

Old Man chuckled, then suddenly asked, "Your lost biological daughter, she’s Ah Nan, isn’t she?"

Despite being mentally prepared, He Xuewen was still startled by Old Man’s blunt question. His complexion changed as he collected his thoughts on how to respond. Old Man spoke again, "No need to think of excuses, I’m certain Ah Nan is definitely your daughter. No one would treat a stranger so well without reason. I should have suspected earlier. He Xuewen, tell me, what are your plans?"

He Xuewen forced a smile, "Mr. Tian, I won’t lie to you, Ah Nan is indeed my biological daughter whom I lost ten years ago. She looks very much like my wife. The first time I saw her in town, I was suspicious, so I followed her to Yuequan Village. Later, when I saw the silver bracelet from the He Family on Ah Nan’s wrist, I was completely certain she is my daughter."

"I have been searching for Ah Nan for ten years, dreaming of her every day, suffering deeply in my heart. She looks exactly like the girl in my dreams. You don’t know how happy I was when I found Ah Nan; I would have died contently right then," He Xuewen said, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Why then don’t you acknowledge Ah Nan and even came up with this formal familial tie?" Old Man clearly saw He Xuewen’s sincere feelings but still wanted to understand his intentions.

"I dare not acknowledge Ah Nan, for my enemies from the He Family still thrive. As long as they haven’t obtained our family’s treasure, they will not rest. I can’t put Ah Nan in danger, but I also want to love her openly and genuinely, hence the idea of the familial tie," He Xuewen shared the tribulations faced by the He Family.

"Old Man, rest assured, I have no intention of taking Ah Nan from you. I’m truly grateful for your family’s care and love for my daughter. I just thought of staying by her side these few years, watching her grow up, and that would be enough for me," He Xuewen spoke earnestly.

Old Man had no idea He Xuewen was the heir to the famous He Family Wine. Oh, how glorious the He Family Wine was back in the day! Now to see his family shattered — it’s a cruel world indeed! It seems He Xuewen was very fortunate to survive. Old Man felt deep compassion for He Xuewen’s plight. He then recounted the circumstances under which Tian Mantong had encountered Ah Nan, and produced the jade bracelet and the swaddling clothes from Mu Xiulan that were on Ah Nan.

He Xuewen’s tears couldn’t be held back when he saw the gleaming green bracelet. This bracelet was also an heirloom of the He Family, meant for the mistress of the house. Although his marriage to Mu Xiulan was arranged by their parents, their relationship was very good. Thinking of his wife whose life and death were uncertain, he felt excrucially tormented. Considering the circumstances then, it was highly likely that his wife had fallen into the hands of that group. He dared not contemplate what fate his wife might have met, feeling as if his heart was being sliced by knives.

"Don’t feel too bad; perhaps your wife has met some good fortune, and one day your family might reunite." Old Man tried to console He Xuewen, but even that consolation seemed too pale, and he himself didn’t believe in it.

He Xuewen nodded slightly. Although he knew the possibility was slim, he still harbored a glimmer of hope. Old Man took a few puffs of his cigarette, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Come by tomorrow to acknowledge your kin. From here on, interact with our family as god kin. However, you must not reveal your true identity to anyone else. It’s best if only I know of this."

He Xuewen was over the moon and nodded repeatedly. Old Man thought for a moment and added, "Don’t tell Ah Nan either; let the little girl grow up happy without any burdens."

"I understand, I won’t speak of it," He Xuewen said, feeling a bit guilty. He didn’t dare reveal that he and Ah Nan had already recognized each other, feeling it was wrong to deceive such a venerable old man.

After Old Man left, he announced to the family the decision to acknowledge kin. Everyone was delighted, except Tian Manjin; however, the minority must follow the majority, and irrespective of his displeasure, he had to go along with it. The kin acknowledgment ceremony the next evening was very lively; the Tian Family all attended. He Xuewen bought many dishes (actually, it was all taken out from the store by Tian Sisi), and invited Zhong Boqiang’s family and Tian Bajin’s family for a meal to stir up the fun. Originally, He Xuewen wanted to invite the whole village for dinner but was glared at by Old Man.

"Do you need to show off that much? In these times, keep it low-key as much as possible, don’t draw attention."

It was then that He Xuewen gave up, but still, he didn’t want to wrong his daughter. The hush money he gave to Tian Sisi was a very thick red envelope, which made everyone envious. This godfather sure was wealthy! Ah Nan was just lucky to casually acknowledge such a wealthy godfather who adored her so much.

He Chengsi was very pleased and intentionally went in front of the sulking Tian Xinhua to provoke, "From now on, Sisi will be my sister, hmph!"

Tian Xinhua glanced at him sidelong and lazily replied, "She’s your god sister. I’m her real brother. Can a god relation compare with a blood relation?"

He Chengsi didn’t care; he wasn’t concerned about whether it was a god relation or a blood relation. As long as she is considered a sister, he could proudly call Sisi his sister, and look at what this pretty boy could possibly object to.

Since acknowledging the god kinship, the interactions between He Xuewen’s family and the Tian Family became even more frequent. Once his new house was constructed, he invited the whole village for a meal, officially settling down in Yuequan Village. He Xuewen decorated his new home elegantly; he planted many flowers and plants in the front yard at the request of Tian Sisi, while the Tian Family courtyard was filled with vegetables. Naturally, his own daughter dictated the design of his yard.

As such, He Xuewen’s front yard was planted with wild roses transplanted from the mountains by Tian Sisi, along with osmanthus, pomegranate, orange, plum, and peach trees; while the backyard symbolically had some vegetables, all taken care of by He Chengsi. He Xuewen had never engaged in farming, and certainly not Tian Sisi, so it was up to He Chengsi to handle it.

He Xuewen reserved the best room on the second floor for Tian Sisi, personally decorating the room with pink bedding and curtains, making it look like a princess room. Tian Sisi fell in love with it at first sight. She had always dreamed of sleeping in a pink princess room, but her mother, the Iron Lady, would never engage in such things. The rooms her mother prepared were always simplistic. In her mother’s view, a bed was merely for sleeping, why bother with frills? As long as the bed was warm and conducive to a good night’s sleep, that was sufficient. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)

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