ebookland Chapter 182 Old Black Recognizes His Relatives
Chapter 182 Old Black Recognizes His Relatives
Old Hei pulled Xin Wu Hui into the house. Looking at Xin Wu Hui's familiar yet unfamiliar face, he was filled with emotion.
Xin Wu Hui was baffled, wondering what this uncle wanted from him.
"What's wrong? Do you know how to easily find someone?"
Old Hei shook his head, feeling sorry for Xin Wu Hui's disheveled appearance, and couldn't help but pat Xin Wu Hui's head, "No rush, take your time."
After saying that, Lao Hei told him to wait in the room, and then he fetched a bucket of water and came back.
"Wash it."
Xin Wu Hui was baffled, but he did as instructed anyway.
When he came out after washing up, his handsome face looked even more refined. His recent trip out had made him lose weight in his face, but he appeared much more energetic.
"What is this?" Xin Wu Hui was puzzled and didn't understand what Lao Hei wanted him to do.
Old Hei didn't answer immediately, but looked at Xin Wu Hui and smiled: "How old are you this year?"
"She's probably twenty, I only know roughly." Xin Wu Hui nodded in response, though she was somewhat puzzled.
Old Hei took a few deep breaths, turned his back to suppress the tears welling up in his eyes, and asked again, "What's your mother's name?"
"I don't know, I only know that his surname is Xin." Since he had already said it, a few more words wouldn't make a difference. Xin Wu Hui sat down in the old dark room and answered whatever was asked.
"Your name is Xin Wu Hui. It's a very special name. Is there any significance to it?"
“Hmm…” Xin Wu Hui thought for a moment, “It seems that my mother said she didn’t regret giving birth to me, or she didn’t regret anything, so that’s what I was called.”
“Okay, okay…” With each reply, Xin Laohei became even more excited.
Then he pulled a pocket watch from his pocket, inside which was a photograph. The girl in the photograph was smiling sweetly at the camera.
"Look, is that her?"
Xin Wu Hui took the photo with a puzzled look and examined it carefully. She was surprised, doubtful, and delighted. Finally, she nodded affirmatively: "It's her, it's my mother!"
"Why do you have my mother's photo? Who are you?" Xin Wu Hui put down the photo and looked at Lao Hei. Xin Wu Hui was a little excited, with some questions in her heart and an eagerness to be acknowledged.
Old Hei raised his hand and subtly wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes, giving him a reassuring answer, "You can call me Uncle. As for Old Hei, that's what outsiders call me. My real name is Xin Mingshan."
Xin Wu Hui's eyes widened, tears welling up uncontrollably. She wanted to get closer but was afraid of being deceived. In the end, her longing for her family prevailed, and she stammered uncertainly, "Uncle... Uncle?!"
Old Hei nodded with satisfaction, a smile finally appearing in his eyes, and softly agreed, "Okay..."
Then he explained to Xin Wu Hui, "Don't worry, it can't be wrong. I made you wash your face just now so I could see what you look like. You look at least 60% like your mother. The mole under your left ear is exactly the same as mine and your mother's."
Old Hei turned his head to let Xin Wu Hui see; hidden beneath his thick stubble, on his left ear, there was indeed a mole the size of a sesame seed. Xin Wu Hui had an identical mole in the exact same spot and size.
He became agitated and stammered, "Then, how did you get separated from my mother? Why haven't you come looking for us all these years?"
Old Hei patted Xin Wu Hui's head and then began to recount what happened back then. "Your mother was my younger sister. I lost both my parents when I was young, and your mother and I depended on each other for survival. In those years at the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were frequent wars. While I was fleeing for my life, I was thinking about how to save my son, so I often left your mother with farm families. She was so scared that she often drank to bolster her courage, and later she became addicted to alcohol. Then she disappeared."
"Missing?"
Old Hei nodded, filled with endless regret. "Later, after making inquiries from various sources, I finally learned that she and your father had left. I went to find her, but she refused to leave no matter what. She only sent me a letter after you were born. Then something happened to me, and I was separated from your mother forever. I could never find her again."
After saying that, Old Hei sighed again: "I thought I would never see her again in this life, but I never expected to meet you today. Child, did your mother never tell you about her family?"
Xin Wu Hui was stunned. "I..."
He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "My mother is often drunk, and she's only sober for a few days at a time. Of course, she wouldn't tell me about her family. I thought she didn't have any family at all."
Old Hei patted Xin Wu Hui on the shoulder. For so many years, he had been like a motherless man, which must have been tough for him. "How have you managed all these years?"
“I worked in Huangjiazhuang, Shaoxing. The master of that family was a good man. He took in my mother and me. When I was old enough to work, I farmed in the village. Later, the village head said that it was a waste for me to farm because I was tall and strong, so he sent me to learn to drive and then used his connections to get me a job as a driver for the eldest son of the Huang family.”
"Then what are you doing at the Lü family's place now?"
Xin Wu Hui was still angry when she talked about it. "It's a long story. Master Huang is a good man, but his son is a scoundrel. When he tried to harass Miss Lü, he pushed her into the river. To get away with it, he pinned it on me and even threw me into the river, hoping to make sure there was no way to prove anything! Luckily, I was blessed with good fortune and floated ashore."
Unfortunately, I ran into human traffickers again and was sold to the Wushan coal mine. If it weren't for Miss Lü's kindness in redeeming me, I'd probably be buried in the coal mine pile by now.
Old Hei felt quite apologetic, "I'm sorry you had to suffer, I'm late."
Xin Wu Hui lowered his head in embarrassment. Apart from the old manor keeper, no elder had cared about him for a long time.
"Uncle, what about you? How did you get yourself into this state?"
Old Hei stroked his stubble-covered face and gave a sarcastic smile. "Me? I offended someone and was in prison to avoid my enemies. It wasn't until I met Master Lü that he got me out. In a way, my son and I owe him a favor."
Xin Wu Hui nodded repeatedly, "That's right! I've decided to work for the Lü family for the rest of my life and repay them properly."
Old Hei chuckled, "Don't you want to be the boss yourself?"
Xin Wu Hui was very self-aware. "Alas, I can neither read nor have any skills. Apart from doing manual labor for others, I can't do anything else."
Old Hei laughed, "Don't worry, just follow me and learn from me. I won't let you do manual labor for the rest of your life."
Xin Wu Hui looked at Lao Hei suspiciously. Was he really that powerful?
Old Hei smiled but didn't say anything, his mind preoccupied with something else.
"By the way, there was a kid named Song Fu who probably mistook me for his uncle. Luckily, we've now reunited, so things are clear now."
Xin Wu Hui quickly hugged Lao Hei tightly, "Why is someone trying to take my uncle away?" This was his uncle whom he had just met, and he couldn't let someone else take him away.
Old Hei chuckled and patted his head. "You can't take it away, don't worry. I just think that kid is quite pitiful, so let's treat him like a brother."
Xin Wu Hui instinctively disliked anyone who dared to steal his uncle. However, not wanting to appear petty, he quickly agreed.
"Okay, let's just consider him another friend. I won't make things difficult for him."
Seeing that Xin Wu Hui was sensible, Lao Hei's excited heart gradually calmed down. His eyes looked into the distance, where tiny, shimmering lights twinkled.