Reborn in the 80s, Get Rich by Eating Melons

Chapter 270: Chapter 270: Yuan Caizhen’s Husband is Also Named Si Weimin

Wen Yun continued chopping vegetables without pause, assuming Tong Yao was merely making small talk, and replied without much thought, "If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have completely forgotten about it. Her husband is indeed from Li City, his name eludes me. Caizhen’s parents bought them a house elsewhere, so they don’t live here. Caizhen comes more often, her husband is rather busy and only comes when necessary or during the holidays. I heard that Caizhen’s husband now owns a clothing factory, and business seems to be doing well." _{n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com}

Wen Yun wasn’t much for gossip and only occasionally heard snippets from neighbors; she couldn’t ascertain the accuracy of these bits of information. Still, given that they were being circulated, they couldn’t be far off.

After all, there seems to be little reason for neighbors so close to spread falsehoods.

Tong Yao blinked and changed the subject: "Mom, I heard Ahchen has a younger uncle; do you know about this?"

Wen Yun was taken aback, as if suddenly remembering something, and responded, "Si Chen’s father’s accident was handled by his younger uncle and your grandma-in-law together in Kyoto. After they accompanied him back, I haven’t heard anything more about his younger uncle’s affairs. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten that he even had a younger uncle. Why didn’t I see him at your wedding?"

From her daughter’s tone, it seemed that she hadn’t met Si Chen’s younger uncle either. Could something have happened to him?

Not much time had passed, but it had been over a decade. There’s a possibility that Si Chen’s younger uncle might have passed away.

Over the years, Wen Yun hadn’t asked too much about the Si family’s affairs. Her husband handled most of it and would occasionally share some information about the Si family in his free time. However, all he really talked about was Si Chen; thus, she didn’t know much about the rest of the family.

Originally, she thought Wen Yun would know something about the younger uncle, but even she didn’t know anything. Tong Yao tore off vegetable leaves, shaking her head thoughtfully and said, "I haven’t met him either. Xiaohui said that his younger uncle left with a traveling circus over a decade ago and never returned. Mom, do you know his name?"

Wen Yun racked her brain for quite a while before answering hesitantly, "I think his name is Si Weimin. He was a decent young man in his early twenties when he came here. By the way, Xiaohui actually resembles him quite a bit."

In Wen Yun’s eyes, it was completely normal for a niece to resemble her uncle. After all, they were blood relatives. The same would apply if a nephew resembled his uncle. However, upon hearing this, Tong Yao shuddered, blanking out for a few seconds with shock.

While she had already guessed that Si Weimin was Si Chen’s younger uncle, the confirmation still took her aback.

Logically, Si Chen should have been overwhelmed with joy and tears upon seeing his long-lost uncle, right?

Why did he seem so resistant to acknowledging his younger uncle?

Did he harbor resentment towards his younger uncle for the lack of contact over the years, or was there another underlying issue?

It was as if there was a secret about to surface. Tong Yao didn’t dare to speculate any further. After all, if Si Chen knew about her suspicions, he would get angry no matter how much he loved her.

Seeing Tong Yao remain silent, Wen Yun asked curiously, "Why are you suddenly interested in his uncle’s affairs?"

Lost in her thoughts, Tong Yao blurted out, "Yuan Caizhen’s husband is also named Si Weimin."

"What?" Wen Yun paused in her chopping and asked incredulously, "Yaoyao, you don’t think Caizhen’s husband is Ahchen’s younger uncle, do you?"

If that were truly Si Chen’s younger uncle, it would be an astonishing coincidence and a joyous occasion. Even the usually serene Wen Yun couldn’t help but feel excited at the prospect of going to find Yuan Caizhen and confirming this.

Seeing through her mother’s intentions, Tong Yao quickly interjected, "Mom, let’s not meddle in this. Today when Ahchen saw Si Weimin, his mood wasn’t right. I think there must be something we don’t know about. Let’s not get involved."

If things were really as she suspected, their involvement would only complicate things.

This wasn’t something to be proud of. With the new year approaching and Si Chen’s career flourishing, Tong Yao didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.

On hearing her daughter’s opinion, Wen Yun calmed down and asked, "So we should act as if we’re unaware?"

Tong Yao nodded, "Since the new year is just around the corner, let’s keep it that way for now!"

Seeing her daughter’s thoughtful demeanor, Wen Yun felt a sense of comfort. Her daughter had indeed matured, thinking about others and considering the implications of her actions. This was a far cry from her previous cluelessness.

In fact, Tong Yao’s insistence on not getting involved in this matter also stemmed from another consideration. Si Weimin had been constantly looking at Si Chen previously, probably recognizing him but unsure. He was likely back home at this moment, asking her parents about Si Chen, just like her.

Given their close proximity as neighbors, it wouldn’t take much to find out the truth. The question was whether Si Weimin would take the initiative to identify himself to Si Chen.

That said, if things were indeed as she suspected, whether Si Weimin would dare to identify himself to Si Chen remained unclear.

From Si Chen’s reaction, it seemed evident that he knew something.

The reality, however, was that Tong Yao was only half correct. While Si Weimin had indeed been asking about Si Chen and had confirmed he was his nephew, he was caught between joy and panic. He wished to acknowledge the relationship but was too afraid to, stuck in a dilemma.

On the other hand, Yuan Caizhen was very elated. On finding out that Si Chen was her husband’s nephew, she couldn’t wait to acknowledge the relationship. Si Weimin, however, fearing the abruptness of acknowledging the relationship after having left them for so long, decided to postpone it until after the new year.

Despite her husband’s disagreement about revealing their relations at present, Yuan Caizhen still felt the need to establish good relations first. During the New Year, she excitedly dragged Si Weimin, laden with gifts, to visit Tong Yaohui and his wife. Tong Yaohui immediately recognized Si Weimin, and they had a private talk in the study. When they emerged, they both appeared to have been through a fight and were looking rather displeased.

Their original plan was to sit down and discuss things after the New Year celebrations. However, work got busier for Si Chen soon after the new year, and when he wasn’t working, he spent all his time studying.

In this era, only a few thousand people were admitted to national postgraduate programs, resulting in a fierce competition akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

The issue of recognizing kinship continued to be delayed till May. Instead of finding time for a gathering, they received news of Zhang Lijuan’s pregnancy.

In a somewhat amusing turn of events, Zhang Lijuan was almost three months pregnant when she discovered it. It was during sex that she had a bout of stomach pain. She thought she was ill, but after tracking the days with Chen Jinlan, they realized that she was pregnant.

Chen Jinlan scolded her son-in-law, and promptly took Zhang Lijuan for a check-up at the hospital. As expected, Zhang Lijuan was pregnant. When this news reached Lin Fengying, she was overjoyed, her interest in Tong Yao and Si Chen’s affairs increasing significantly.

Her youngest son’s wife became pregnant within two months of their marriage, while her eldest son’s still had no such news. Could there be a problem?