The Stunningly Beautiful and Delicate Darling in the 1980s Military Compound - Chapter 66

Qin Shuang walked up to Song Mingyue and realized she did not recognize these two girls. However, one of them was staring at her quite blatantly, which annoyed her deeply.

Dressed in a rather rebellious and flashy style, Qin Shuang spoke with noticeable impatience: “Who are you? What do you want with me?”

Before Song Mingyue could speak, the little girl beside her pointed at her and replied, “Sister Qin Shuang, she says she is your distant relative.”

Qin Shuang looked Song Mingyue up and down. Certain that she did not know her, her attitude flared up immediately: “What distant relative? You’re just scammers, aren’t you? How dare you try to scam me!”

Zhang Jingjing, seeing Qin Shuang get angry, immediately lost her nerve. She hid behind Song Mingyue, not even daring to lift her head, which only made them look even more like con artists.

Song Mingyue had remained silent only because she hadn’t yet composed herself. Was the person standing before her truly Qin Shuang in her youth?

Only when she heard Qin Shuang threatening to have them arrested did she explain: “Your mother is Chen Cuicui, and your father is Qin Jiawang. Your family is originally from M City, and you only came here after fleeing from the famine.”

Qin Shuang was genuinely surprised that she knew so many details. However, already convinced they were scammers, she retorted angrily: “You actually investigated my background! It seems this isn’t your first time pulling a stunt like this.”

“I am the granddaughter of your great-uncle (your mother’s second eldest brother). My grandfather entrusted me to come and find you. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your mother.”

There was no need to ask. Qin Shuang knew that this great-uncle truly existed, and Song Mingyue knew it too, as it was the greatest regret of Chen Cuicui’s life.

In that era, there were five or six children in the family. They were so desperately poor that only she and her second eldest brother survived. With an age gap of over a decade, her brother had doted on her as if she were his own daughter.

Later, when her second aunt died of a heart attack, their already destitute home became even poorer. When the famine struck, the family was torn apart, scattering to the ends of the earth, and they eventually lost contact.

In those days, there were many families like Chen Cuicui’s—loved ones lost to time without ever being able to reach each other again. It was the tragedy of that generation.

Until the day she died, Chen Cuicui had never been able to find her brother. Even on her deathbed, she would still murmur his name.

Song Mingyue claimed to be the granddaughter of that great-uncle to comfort Chen Cuicui’s heart; even if it were a fabrication, it provided a sense of hope.

Hearing that she was the granddaughter of her great-uncle, Qin Shuang turned and ran toward her house.

Chen Cuicui was in her forties at this time, in the prime of middle age. With two thick, stiff braids and wearing a dacron blouse, she was cooking when she saw her daughter, Qin Shuang, rush in in a flurry. Unhappy, she chided, “When will you ever be steady? You’re always so impulsive. You don’t even wear proper clothes—look at these pants! Is there any other girl in this alley who dresses like you?”

“Mom,” Qin Shuang said, ignoring the scolding and panting for air, “There’s a girl at the door who says she’s the granddaughter of your second eldest brother.”

The ladle in Chen Cuicui’s hand dropped. She wiped her hands and followed Qin Shuang outside.

Song Mingyue felt equally emotional. She had never expected to see her grandmother at forty-five. Even though she was no longer young, her facial features remained strikingly beautiful, and her eyes were captivating. Qin Shuang, and the Song Mingyue of her previous life, both resembled her, which was why they were all so attractive.

Qin Shuang watched as Song Mingyue embraced her mother, nearly in tears. Although she felt this girl was suspicious in many ways, she knew that emotions could not be faked. From her every gesture, it was clear that her joy at seeing her mother was sincere.

Could she really be the descendant of that great-uncle she had never met?

Song Mingyue had heard her grandmother tell the family story many times as a child, so she told it with ease—even mentioning details like hiding in a basket to avoid being beaten by her parents for being mischievous.

After the conversation, Chen Cuicui was convinced that the person before her was indeed her brother’s granddaughter; others would not know such details unless they came from his side.

Chen Cuicui hugged Song Mingyue and wept uncontrollably, as if all the grievances and sadness accumulated over the years were finally being poured out.

When Qin Jiawang returned home, he saw this scene: his wife was hugging a strange girl and crying. As a worker at a state-owned factory, he had worked hard all day and just wanted a hot meal. Seeing this inexplicable scene, he asked Qin Shuang unhappily: “What exactly is going on?”

“The granddaughter of your second brother-in-law (Great-Uncle) has come. Look at how excited Mom is.”

Qin Shuang did not share her mother’s heart at all; she felt it was unnecessary—completely unnecessary. She had never been treated with such affection herself.

Hearing her husband’s voice, Chen Cuicui finally regained her composure, wiped her tears, and asked Song Mingyue, “You must be hungry after such a long journey, right? I’ll go cook. This is the friend traveling with you, right? Sit down; I’ll go make a meal. It’ll be ready in a moment.”

Song Mingyue had never met this grandfather; Qin Jiawang had passed away not long after she was born.

A large part of the reason for his death was the frustration caused by Qin Shuang. He had lived an upright and honest life, but his daughter had ended up with an older man who already had several wives. Qin Jiawang couldn’t handle the scandal, and combined with some work-related illnesses, he was eventually driven to his grave.

True enough, Qin Jiawang was tall with thick brows and large, handsome features. It was a family of high-looking people.

Chen Cuicui took out all the meat she had been curing in the jar and prepared a large platter of red-braised pork. Even though their family condition was decent, such a large bowl of pork belly was rarely seen even during the Chinese New Year.

During the meal, it was even more exaggerated. Chen Cuicui barely touched the food in her own bowl, instead constantly picking out choice pieces for Song Mingyue and occasionally for Zhang Jingjing as well.

Zhang Jingjing remained completely dazed. She simply ate whatever anyone put in her bowl, but the whole “family reunion” drama left her confused. Moreover, she remembered Song Mingyue being from Pingcheng—how had she suddenly become a person from M City?

At the table, idle conversation was inevitable. Qin Jiawang asked, “Mingyue, is your main purpose for coming here to find your aunt?”

“Not exactly. I have some business to attend to, and I happened to remember that my aunt lived here. I just tried to ask around on a whim, but I didn’t expect to actually find you.”

Hearing this, Chen Cuicui began to tear up again. She picked up the largest piece of meat and placed it in Song Mingyue’s bowl. “You have no idea how long your aunt has waited for this day. Next time you have time, take me back home to visit.”

Qin Shuang didn’t like her mother acting this way. She took over her father’s questioning: “What business do you have? You wouldn’t be planning to stay at our house, would you?”

They lived in a narrow alleyway with only two small rooms; there was no space for a third person.

Chen Cuicui scolded Qin Shuang, “It’s not about where Mingyue stays. She and her friend are staying at our house tonight.”

“No, thank you. Jingjing and I have already booked a guesthouse. I’ll come by again when I have time.”

Her refusal made Qin Shuang feel slightly embarrassed, as if it made her look stingy. She offered the first polite thing she had said all day: “Well, if you need anything, feel free to come find us.”

One could tell from Qin Shuang’s attire that she was fashionable. In this era, jeans were only just beginning to become popular in places like Beijing and Shanghai.

Song Mingyue said, “Actually, there is something I would like your help with.”

Qin Shuang: “What is it?”

“To be honest, we came here mainly to wholesale some clothes to take back and sell. Jingjing and I have opened a shop together in Mo City.”

For now, Song Mingyue’s backstory for Chen Cuicui was that she had left her hometown, married, and moved to Mo City with her husband. Because her father’s family was too poor, she had been adopted into her mother’s family, which was why she went by the surname Song instead of Chen. It sounded perfectly logical, and Chen Cuicui believed her.

She worried, “Why does a good woman need to run a shop? Is money at home tight?”

Qin Shuang immediately interrupted her mother: “You want to wholesale clothes? Never mind all of Shanghai, but in these few streets, I definitely know more than anyone. You really came to the right person.”

Seeing her arrogant and domineering demeanor, Song Mingyue couldn’t help but laugh.

Qin Shuang thought she was mocking her, and displeased, she said, “If you don’t believe me, go ask anyone. Who else knows more about clothes than Qin Shuang?”

“No,” Song Mingyue said.

Qin Shuang: “Not what?”

I’m not laughing at you; I just never expected you to have such a cute and confident side.

Song Mingyue nodded: “Then please, I’ll have to ask you to take us to see.”

“Wait!” Qin Shuang stopped her. “Don’t call me ‘Aunt’ (表姑). Do I look older than you? I’m not your elder. Just call me Qin Shuang.”

Song Mingyue wished she could persuade Qin Shuang to turn back before it was too late and never encounter that scumbag father of hers. She would rather never have been born than watch her mother follow the same path. Time was tight; she had to find a way to sabotage that relationship.

Judging by the timeline, Qin Shuang would be meeting that man soon.

After the meal, Chen Cuicui was determined not to let Song Mingyue leave; she still had so much she wanted to ask. But Song Mingyue insisted, and since the house was indeed too small to accommodate everyone, Chen Cuicui had no choice but to let them return to the guesthouse with reluctance.

Qin Shuang, who was accustomed to roaming the streets, saw them leave and quickly changed into another outfit. She followed them, calling out loudly: “They aren’t familiar with the roads! I’ll go send them off.”

She was very familiar with the area and frequently ran into acquaintances along the way. Seeing that Song Mingyue and her friend were about to take the bus, she stopped them: “Didn’t you say you wanted to wholesale clothes? I know a place. If you aren’t in a hurry, you can come with me and take a look.”

Zhang Jingjing tugged at Song Mingyue’s clothes and asked, “Mingyue, is it really okay for the two of us to be out at night like this? Maybe we should go tomorrow.”

Song Mingyue knew she shouldn’t waste such a good local resource. She trusted Qin Shuang and comforted Zhang Jingjing: “This is a big city; there are plenty of people out at night. Don’t worry.”

Qin Shuang stood in front of them, impatient with their hesitation, and asked again, “Are you coming or not?”

“We are coming. Sorry to trouble you for the directions.”

Qin Shuang led them away.