Chapter 266: Chapter 258: Dispersal
October 8, 1976, is a day the entire nation would never forget, as it marks the day when the dark clouds swirling around China finally dispersed. Although this came after the painful demise of three great leaders, the nation finally saw the dawn, celebrating joyously.
Old Man and Tang Tieshan, Zhang Mingliu could not have been happier. Old Man was happy for his old comrades; with the turmoil over, their wrongs could finally be righted. They could return to live in Beijing with dignity, no longer needing to hide like turtles in this small mountain village.
Xue Wen was, of course, overjoyed too. He could finally return to the He Family openly, and truly acknowledge his daughter.
The only thing that disappointed him was that Liu Jinyi had not fallen from power. Although demoted, he was still in the Central, and given Liu Jinyi’s knack for flattery, it was only a matter of time before he rose again.
No rush, he would take his time with that beast. Those who caused Xue Wen’s family to fall apart, he would repay them a hundredfold, just hoping they lived long enough!
Right now, the most important thing was acknowledging his daughter. Even though he had been with Ah Nan all these four years, their relationship was never formalized, hindering him from providing more for her. But now, he could openly show his affection for Ah Nan; Xue Wen’s daughter deserved a princess’s life!
Old Man looked at Xue Wen with a worried and sorrowful expression. He knew this day would inevitably come, and though he had mentally prepared himself, he still felt troubled when it actually arrived.
"Old Man, don’t worry. Even if I acknowledge Ah Nan, she will still be the Tian family’s granddaughter. That will absolutely not change!"
"I know, Xue Wen, you’ve suffered these four years. Let me talk to the family first; who knows if Granny Zhao and Man Yin can accept this?"
Old Man took deep drags of his water pipe, sighing. Ah, his Ah Nan is going to be the He Family’s girl now. Oh, how his heart aches!
That night, the Tian family held a family meeting. Tian Manjin incredulously looked at Old Man. "Daddy, what are you saying? How could Xue Wen be Ah Nan’s biological father? Are you getting senile?"
"You’re confused! I’ll smack you for that!" Old Man’s frustration surged, and he slapped his son’s head.
"Old man, clear things up. What on earth is going on?" Granny Zhao also found it unbelievable.
Old Man sighed and explained the situation with the He family. "Xue Wen has kept his promise for the last four years, never revealing the true situation. Now that the world is at peace again, his wish to acknowledge his daughter is understandable!"
"No way! Why should he get to acknowledge his daughter just because he wants to? Ah Nan is my daughter, Tian Manjin’s daughter, nobody else can claim her! Daddy, I disagree, I have the final say on this!"
Tian Manjin sprang up furiously, eyes bloodshot, startling everyone around. Old Man had not expected such a severe reaction from his son, fearing that as soon as Xue Wen recognized Ah Nan, Man Yin might seek him out in fury.
"Old man, please consider talking to Xue Wen. Could we please not take Ah Nan away? If Ah Nan is taken away, my heart as Granny Zhao would be half empty. What would be the point of living then!" As Granny Zhao spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Oh, why are you all acting like this? Xue Wen only talked about acknowledging Ah Nan, not about taking her away. Why put on such a wretched expression?"
As soon as Old Man finished speaking, Granny Zhao immediately perked up, giving Old Man a white-eyed glance, "You have not made things clear, Buddha bless us, as long as Ah Nan doesn’t leave our family, that’s fine."
Although Tian Manjin was still unhappy, his expression had eased quite a bit. In his view, Ah Nan was his precious daughter, and all biological or godfathers could go away.
Tian Bajin found it amusing on the side. He hadn’t expected Ah Nan to have such an impressive family background. If this were before the liberation, she would definitely be considered a rich young lady. His family’s Xinhua was really lucky, suddenly having a rich young lady as a daughter-in-law!
"Big sister, Man Yin, actually, I think it’s quite good for He Xuewen to recognize Ah Nan back. Even if he does recognize her, in the end, she’s still one of our Tian Family, right?"
"Right!"
Everyone’s eyes lit up, right, how did they not think of that! After Ah Nan marries Xinhua, she would still return to the Tian Family! Thus, everyone happily agreed to He Xuewen recognizing his daughter.
He Xuewen thought that recognizing his daughter this time would take a lot of trouble, but unexpectedly, the next day, the Tian Family very readily agreed and it was done crisply and decisively!
The news that He Xuewen was Tian Sisi’s biological father spread quickly in the village, and everyone displayed an "ah, that explains it" demeanor. Some even said, "I knew it, if he wasn’t the biological father, why would Boss He treat Tian Sisi so well!"
Tang Tieshan was rather surprised, while Zhang Mingliu and Tang Qiubai had expressions of it being about right all along. These two cunning old and young foxes had guessed it pretty closely.
He Xuewen planned to transfer Tian Sisi’s household registration to Shanghai and restore her last name to He, considering Ah Nan was the sole heir to the He Family. It was inappropriate to keep calling her Tian Sisi.
Of course, in Yuequan Village, Ah Nan was still called Tian Sisi. This was also to consider Tian Manjin’s feelings, and Tian Sisi herself felt that having been called Tian Sisi for over a decade, suddenly being called He Sisi felt somewhat uncomfortable.
One good news followed another. News from Beijing – Tang Tieshan and Zhang Mingliu were both vindicated, notified to return early to process the relevant paperwork and collect the wages owed over the years.
Tang Tieshan immediately hugged Tang Qiubai and wept loudly, an old man crying with tears streaming was not a pretty sight, but no one could laugh about it, as everyone understood the bitterness in Tang Tieshan’s heart – his wife was gone, his children had betrayed him, the only one left by his side was his grandson. Previously, even wanting cry, he couldn’t, now let him have a good cry!
Zhang Mingliu still held up, he was luckier than Old Tang, he hadn’t suffered as much during these chaotic times, but at this moment, his face was also very excited, as if a child who had been separated from his mother for many years was finally able to return to his mother’s embrace.
Before Tang Tieshan and Zhang Mingliu left, they invited Old Man to live in Beijing, "Mr. Tian, let’s just like before, play chess, swear, and practice boxing. Although it is good here, all our comrades-in-arms are in Beijing!"
Old Man was quite moved. He too missed his comrades-in-arms in Beijing!
"Old Tang, Old Zhang, you guys go back first. Once you have settled down, my old lady and I will find time to visit you. Oh, and here is the key to my house in Beijing, help me tidy up after you get back."
Old Man handed the keys to Zhang Mingliu and saw off his two old comrades-in-arms. Not many days later, He Xuewen also took Sisi to Shanghai. The house suddenly felt empty, and Old Man’s heart felt empty all at once!