After Zheng Jingen left, Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng did not immediately leave the house. Their whole family had suffered during this period, and Wang Cheng did not want to make his parents worry anymore. They might not be related by blood, but more than twenty years of family affection were real. He could never cut them off simply because they were not his biological parents.
In Wang Cheng’s heart, they were still the parents he respected and loved most. Even if his biological parents came to claim him, he would never abandon them. The grace of being raised by them had long since surpassed, in his heart, the mere fact that someone else had given birth to him.
Papa Wang and Mama Wang did not say anything, but both could feel what he meant and were deeply comforted. Still, when Mama Wang looked at Chu Yifeng, conflict rose in her heart again. Then she glanced at her husband, who looked relaxed now that one enormous burden had been lifted and still had no idea what was going on. The truly difficult matter was still waiting ahead.
Wang Cheng went into the kitchen, where Mama Wang was preparing lunch. He came to her side. “Mom, let me help.”
Mama Wang glanced at him. “Then dice the chicken.”
“Mission guaranteed.” Wang Cheng put the chicken Mama Wang had already washed onto the cutting board, picked up the knife, and began cutting. He had a solid foundation, so his movements were even faster and cleaner than Mama Wang’s. After a rapid series of soft knocks as the blade struck the board, the chicken was already diced.
Mama Wang poured the diced chicken into the wok. Oil sputtered as she stir-fried over high heat, and the meat gradually turned golden.
“Mom, I’m sorry about what happened before. I made you and Dad worry,” Wang Cheng said.
Mama Wang’s hand paused. “It’s fine. As long as you came back.”
Wang Cheng had known she would say that. He felt both happy and moved, but there were still things he needed to say. Just as Chu Yifeng had told him, if he did not use this opportunity to make everything clear, he might never get another one. “Mom, there’s something else. Chu Yifeng and I are serious. I still hope you can support us.”
Mama Wang stiffened.
“I know you care about me, but I’m not a three-year-old anymore. I have my own judgment. When I decided to be with him, I already imagined a lot of what we might face. I know staying together means dealing with many problems, but I still want to try. I don’t want to regret it later. And now I can’t live with a woman as husband and wife anymore. That would only ruin her life. There’s no wall without cracks. If her family found out in the future, what would they think? Knowing their son likes men but still letting him marry their daughter? If they spread the truth afterward, who would ever dare get involved with your son again? Then I really might end up alone for the rest of my life.”
Mama Wang’s expression grew worse as he spoke. The wok crackled loudly and a faint burnt smell rose from it. She snapped back to herself and hurriedly stirred the chicken. “Is there really no other way?”
Wang Cheng shook his head. “Maybe there is. Maybe there isn’t. I don’t know.”
“Can’t you really try?” Mama Wang asked with a final trace of hope.
“Mom, I’m sorry.” Wang Cheng could not bear seeing her like this. At the end of the day, she was only thinking of what she believed was best for him. But since he had already chosen this path, he could only disappoint her expectations.
“What are you two whispering about in there? Is the food ready yet?” Papa Wang walked over, completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere in the kitchen.
“Nothing. It’s almost done. Dad, go entertain the guest first. Don’t neglect him.” Wang Cheng turned with a smile and answered.
Papa Wang looked at him suspiciously before finally leaving.
Mama Wang turned off the heat and transferred the cooked diced chicken onto a plate.
Wang Cheng took the plate and was about to carry it out when he heard Mama Wang speak. “Mom won’t oppose you and Chu Yifeng anymore, but I won’t support it either. From now on, the two of you can decide for yourselves. I won’t interfere. I’ll help keep it from your father for now, but if he finds out later, you two can explain it to him yourselves.”
Wang Cheng turned back and looked at her with delight. “Thank you, Mom.” He knew this was already the limit of how far Mama Wang could retreat. Before coming home, he had not even dared expect this much.
“All right. Take the food out.” Mama Wang became uncomfortable under his stare. She had never imagined she would choose to yield either. Forget it. Children and grandchildren had their own blessings.
Lunch went relatively smoothly. Papa Wang had returned to his usual self and treated Chu Yifeng warmly. Only Mama Wang remained slightly awkward. Whenever Papa Wang brought Chu Yifeng into the conversation, she offered only a strained smile and rarely looked directly at him. Going from imagining a daughter-in-law to accepting a man taller and stronger than her own son was a considerable adjustment. Being able to sit at one table and eat peacefully was already no small achievement.
The delight between Wang Cheng’s brows did not escape Chu Yifeng. After lunch, while Papa Wang and Mama Wang were elsewhere, Chu Yifeng asked about it. Wang Cheng enjoyed acting mysterious for a moment before finally admitting he had conquered the great mountain that was Mama Wang.
“You can be taught.” Chu Yifeng rubbed his head.
Wang Cheng slapped his hand away, then glanced nervously toward the doorway. Only after confirming his parents were nowhere nearby did he relax. If Mama Wang heard that, all his effort might be wasted.
“Don’t talk nonsense or get handsy in my house. If my dad sees us, there’ll be another round of trouble. He may be an honest man, but honest people can get stubborn too.”
“Relax. Your mom says she won’t help, but once your dad finds out, she’ll definitely help persuade him.” Chu Yifeng saw things more clearly. Mama Wang was essentially hard-mouthed but soft-hearted. There was probably still some lingering unwillingness in her heart.
Wang Cheng agreed. That was exactly why he said Mama Wang had already been handled. Once she yielded, there was no need to fear she would return to opposing them. Still, there was another account to settle. Wang Cheng narrowed his eyes at Chu Yifeng. “Tell me the truth. You already knew Zheng Jingen approached me because he suspected I was his younger brother, didn’t you? You deliberately lied and said he might be interested in me.”
“Not at first,” Chu Yifeng admitted. He had met Zheng Jingen before. Although the two men did resemble each other from certain angles, variety shows often featured ordinary people who looked like celebrities, and Chu Yifeng had seen similar coincidences in real life. At first he had not connected them at all. Only after Zheng Jingen began contacting Wang Cheng repeatedly did Chu Yifeng start to suspect something. Later, after doing a little investigation, he learned the Zheng family had once lost an infant. From that point on, he understood Zheng Jingen’s purpose. But he chose not to say anything. Wang Cheng was living well. Even if his origins were going to come to light eventually, there had been no need to force the issue then.
Wang Cheng thought about it and decided to let it go. It was already in the past. There was no point pursuing it further.
That afternoon, the two did not stay long before leaving.
Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng went directly to Chengping. Guan Jiahe and Uncle Liang had driven the delivery truck into the city that morning, so only Guan Ying and Song Hai were at the shop. Papa Wang had not come in for several days, which meant those two had been minding the place together.
“Brother Cheng?” Song Hai looked delighted when Wang Cheng walked in.
They had all heard about what happened to Wang Cheng. The distance was too small for gossip not to travel, and even if Guan Jiahe had never told them directly, they still heard enough. They could only sigh. After working in the jam shop, they had seen how close Papa Wang and Wang Cheng were. Who could have imagined the two were not related by blood?
Wang Cheng said, “You two didn’t slack off while I was gone, did you?”
They looked at each other. Judging by his manner, the incident did not seem to have affected him much. Song Hai answered, “Of course not. By the way, Brother Jiahe and Uncle Liang left this morning. I heard the apartment you found is beautiful. I’m jealous. I want to go too.”
Wang Cheng smiled lightly. “Don’t worry. There are several rooms. If you perform well, you’ll get your chance too.”
“Mm-hmm. I’ll definitely work hard.” Song Hai clenched his fist.
“I’ll work hard too,” Guan Ying added from the side. She also wanted the chance to go out and try something new.
Song Hai took her hand. “We’ll work hard together.”
Guan Ying blushed.
Wang Cheng found the scene amusing, but ambition was a good thing. After taking the previous month’s account book, he returned to the city with Chu Yifeng.
“Song Hai, that Mr. Chu is Brother Cheng’s friend, right? They seem really close. Didn’t they just come from Guanjia Village together?” Guan Ying watched them leave and thought about the tall, striking man walking beside Brother Cheng. Uncle Wang had mentioned him before, and supposedly he was wealthy.
“No idea.” Song Hai shrugged and went back to work. A rough man had a rough man’s instincts. He was nowhere near as perceptive as Guan Ying.
After returning, Zheng Jingen told Papa Zheng about Wang Cheng. Earlier, he had suggested that Wang Cheng come to the capital to meet their parents, but Wang Cheng had refused. Accepting the truth was one thing. He was not yet mentally prepared to meet his birth parents. He also knew Papa Wang and Mama Wang worried that he might leave and never return once he went, so he asked Zheng Jingen to give him time to think.
“He refused, but I think he’ll agree eventually,” Zheng Jingen said. He would not claim to understand Wang Cheng deeply, but he could roughly guess how he thought. Papa Zheng did not say much after hearing this. He was disappointed, but the result was still within expectations. He sighed. “As long as he believes we weren’t the ones who abandoned him, that’s enough. We’ve waited twenty-five years. A few more days don’t matter. But don’t tell your mother or your sister yet.”
“I understand, Dad.”
The relationships within the Zheng family were complicated. They wanted Wang Cheng back, but some people certainly would not. The more people who knew, the greater the chance the information would leak. Father and son shared an unspoken understanding not to mention those people.