Chapter 13
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Looking again at the bank statements, Wang Chuanze noticed that the extra card had a sum of money deposited into it at regular intervals. He racked his memory and finally unearthed a fragment of past recollection. It seemed to be during a New Year in middle school when he had another argument with his father. At that moment, his stepmother had casually placed a card beside him while he was still upset, soothing him by saying, "Don’t be angry, father and son can’t hold grudges overnight. This money is your father’s allowance."
In the impulsive years, with pride as towering as the sky and having just quarreled with his father, how could he possibly accept his father’s money? He tossed the card aside, declaring he didn’t want money from him, and left.
That card must have been the monthly allowance his father sent. All these years, he hadn’t spent a single penny of his father’s money, nor even known about the card’s existence, yet the money kept coming in. It was infuriating.
That stepmother probably thought she had fulfilled her role by giving the allowance, but whether he knew about the money or used it wasn’t her concern, so she just kept sending it without a word.
Originally, he didn’t want to bother with those three people—water and well don’t mix—but thinking of the original owner, he just couldn’t swallow that anger anymore.
***
After class, Meng Shengsheng was blocked by a man on the road. At that moment, all she wanted was to curse. She recalled that it was around this time the Yang family had come looking for her. Now she had fled all the way to the capital city; how on earth did these people still manage to find her?
But now was not the time to argue. Meng Shengsheng stared at the man—he was her brother. The book had said he cared deeply for Yang Yinyi, and indeed, that was true. In the first life, after she returned home, he was always distant towards her. Whenever she and Yang Yinyi had conflicts, he seemed impartial but always sided with Yang Yinyi. In his eyes, she was less a returned sister and more an intruder encroaching on their family’s territory.
He looked at Meng Shengsheng with a complicated expression. At first, he didn’t believe it, but standing before him, seeing her resemblance to their mother in her youth, even if he didn’t want to admit it, his sister had indeed been switched at birth.
Neither spoke. Luo Shu gently tugged Meng Shengsheng’s sleeve and whispered, “Sister, who’s that? He seems to be looking at you. Your boyfriend doesn’t look like that, right? Did you find a new one? Not bad quality, though none as good-looking. Teach me, how did you do it?”
Meng Shengsheng’s complex emotions instantly dissipated, and she replied speechlessly, “No, stop guessing. I don’t know him either.”
“Don’t know him? Oh, we’re blocking the way.”
Yang Tuo glanced at the girl who resembled his mother, shot her a look, and then pulled his friend around to avoid him.
Yang Tuo stepped forward to block her and asked, “Is your name Meng Shengsheng?”
Without lifting her eyelids, Meng Shengsheng said, “Sorry, you have the wrong person.”
Frowning, Yang Tuo pretended not to hear her and said, “I’m here to find you.”
Feigning ignorance, Meng Shengsheng asked, “Find me for what? I don’t know you.”
Yang Tuo replied, “This isn’t the place to talk. Class is over, right? I’ll treat you to lunch.”
Meng Shengsheng considered that if she didn’t clarify, this man would probably keep bothering her. Might as well go.
Luo Shu wanted to follow but was deterred by Yang Tuo’s glance.
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Luo Shu eyed Yang Tuo like a wary bystander, then quietly whispered to Meng Shengsheng, “Isn’t this guy a con? If you don’t hear from him soon, I’ll call the police.”
Meng Shengsheng found it amusing, reassured her roommate, and entered a restaurant with Yang Tuo, choosing a quiet corner.
Meng Shengsheng spoke first. “Speak. Who are you and what do you want from me?”
Yang Tuo looked at her with a complicated expression before saying, “...You look very much like my mother.”
Had Meng Shengsheng not grasped his meaning, she might have called him crazy by now.
She remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
Yang Tuo went on, “...Some time ago, I accidentally discovered that my sister’s blood type doesn’t match our family’s. Her friend came to the capital during the National Day holiday and said she met a girl here who looks a lot like my mother…”
He was likely referring to the woman he and Xie Jieyu had encountered previously.
Meng Shengsheng knew that Yang Tuo must have confirmed her identity to come looking for her, but she truly did not want to return to that trouble-filled place.
“...The family doesn’t know the children were switched at the hospital back then, and they have always doted on Yinyi as the youngest. She has never disappointed our expectations and has been excellent all her life…”
Meng Shengsheng was annoyed. She hadn’t come to listen to Yang Yinyi’s fan club rave about his sister. “Stop. I don’t care about irrelevant people. So what exactly do you want from me?”
Yang Tuo frowned. “After you return, she will be your sister. How can she be irrelevant...”
Meng Shengsheng sighed. Whenever it came to Yang Yinyi, this man seemed to lose his mind.
“I have no relationship with that person before, nor will I in the future. Not to mention what you told me is one-sided. I never intended to believe you. Even if what you say is true—that I’m the daughter the Yang family switched at birth—I’ve never used a penny of your money, nor received any care from you. I owe you nothing... I’m grown up now, an adult. I make my own decisions. I have my own life. I have no intention of disturbing your family. As for going home with you—that’s nonsense.”
Yang Tuo was speechless. Since learning about the baby mix-up, he had worried that the sister raised outside would not get along with Yinyi, upsetting her. He never imagined she would refuse to recognize them or even return.
“What nonsense are you talking? You don’t want to go back? Don’t you know what the Yang family is? How many people work their entire lives and still can’t compare to what slips through our fingers...”
Meng Shengsheng cut him off impatiently, “What does your wealth have to do with me?”
As their argument escalated, Yang Tuo’s phone rang. After two words, his face changed dramatically. He hung up and hurriedly told Meng Shengsheng he would come find her again, then left quickly.
Meng Shengsheng felt irritated. Could things not get any better? She had run so far to escape them, yet still couldn’t avoid this plotline. Did she have to play this foil role perfectly?
She called Wang Chuanze, venting about her crazy older brother, only to hear he had just discovered a kind-hearted but stern stepmother in their own family. This cheered her up—everyone who transmigrated had a messy family.
Meng Shengsheng laughed, “Go for it. Bring those things back and I’ll help you celebrate.”
“Celebrate? Usually celebrating means having a wife, right? I think I need one right now.”
Meng Shengsheng said, “I can’t rush over. Why don’t you find someone local?”
The man on the other end quickly pledged loyalty, “Better to have none than the wrong one. Of the three thousand rivers, I take but a single ladle.”
After some light-hearted banter, they hung up. Meng Shengsheng’s spirit revived. She packed up the barely touched food and headed back to her rented apartment.
***
Returning to her neighborhood on the way to school, she pondered the fact that the Yang family had found her. More troubles were surely coming, and those people seemed to have eyes on top of their heads—sometimes incomprehensible. While she still had time, she had to prepare. Later on, to control her, they might try to sabotage her.
Riding her bike toward school, she suddenly saw a crowd gathered ahead, forming a circle around someone who seemed to have fainted.
“What’s going on?”
“Someone passed out.”
“Hurry, call the second spirit!”
Meng Shengsheng stopped and approached. Observing the man lying on the ground, she noticed his slurred speech, numb limbs, sudden collapse, and crooked mouth. Her intuition told her he was probably having a stroke—in modern medical terms, a cerebral thrombosis.
The man’s son stood there helplessly until someone reminded him, and trembling, he dialed emergency services.
Seeing the man’s head bleeding from hitting a nearby flowerbed, Meng Shengsheng frowned and knelt to press acupressure points to stop the bleeding.
The old man’s son, anxious, turned to see Meng Shengsheng kneeling beside his father and asked sharply, “Who are you? What do you want?”
Understanding the urgency, Meng Shengsheng explained, “I’m a student at the Capital University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Your father is having a stroke and head injury. The current situation needs bleeding stopped.”
At that moment, the young man noticed the dark red blood slowly oozing from the back of the old man’s head.
The son, overwhelmed, knelt beside his father and apologized to Meng Shengsheng, though his tone was forced due to his distress.
Tong Shengrong immediately recognized the kneeling figure as the freshman who always pestered him with questions in class. Seeing Meng Shengsheng’s competent handling, he didn’t intervene.
Hua Deyong stood among the crowd, observing Meng Shengsheng’s bleeding control technique and the man on the ground. Hearing her diagnosis, he listened as Tong Shengrong, his fourth disciple, said, “This girl’s skills are quite good.”
“Do you know her?” Hua Deyong asked.
Tong Shengrong replied, “She’s a student in our class, just a freshman this year, very diligent. She seems to have memorized the pharmacopoeia you compiled.”
Hua Deyong recognized the technique and knew she had studied his pharmacopoeia, but her movements were awkward, indicating little practice. Now hearing she was a freshman, it made sense.
Tong Shengrong, seeing the teacher’s interest, added, “I’ve been observing her for weeks. She probably had no prior exposure to this field but is hardworking. In just four weeks since school started, she’s memorized several pharmacopoeias.”
Hua Deyong was genuinely intrigued. His pharmacopoeia was comprehensive. If she had truly memorized it in a month, she either worked incredibly hard or was extraordinarily gifted.
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