VIP Chapter 105: The Mystery of Origins

The news struck Ye Xiaoxuan like a bolt from the blue, leaving him utterly stunned. The parents who had called him their son for eighteen years were not his biological parents at all. He was, in fact, an abandoned orphan.

Ye Xiaoxuan listened in a daze as Jiang Guihua recounted the story of his origins.

Eighteen years ago, Central Nation was undergoing an unprecedented upheaval. The entire country suffered from a shortage of food and clothing; no one had enough to eat, yet misguided policies forced everyone to subsist on communal rations. Jiang Guihua was already eight or nine months pregnant at the time, and the government’s meager food allocation was insufficient even for her alone, let alone to nourish the child within her.

Under duress, Ye’s father secretly took Jiang Guihua onto a boat and fled to the depths of Great Immortal Lake, becoming boat dwellers. The lake was still surrounded by vast reeds. During the day, Ye’s father hid among the reeds to evade the village militia’s patrols, and at night, he fished and caught shrimp to feed Jiang Guihua.

They lived this way for a month until Jiang Guihua’s labor approached. Just as Ye’s father planned to return to the village with her, they were caught in a night storm on Great Immortal Lake.

That night’s waves were unforgettable to the village elders—a once-in-a-century calamity. Ye’s father’s small boat was shattered, and both he and Jiang Guihua were thrown into the lake. They believed they were doomed, but when they awoke, they found themselves on a small island. However, Jiang Guihua had suffered a miscarriage from the shock and drowning and was barely clinging to life.

Grieving their lost child, they nearly lost the will to survive. Yet, by chance, they discovered that even the sandy soil on the island was edible. After eating it, Jiang Guihua’s health recovered rapidly.

The great waves had devastated many villages along the lake, sweeping countless people to their deaths. The stench of the drowned drew carnivorous animals, usually found only in the East Sea. Ye’s father and Jiang Guihua, exhausted and vulnerable, were stalked by sea hawks and man-eating fish. Fortunately, a giant turtle appeared and rescued them, carrying them away from Fragrant Sand Island.

They rode on the turtle’s back for a long time across Great Immortal Lake. Jiang Guihua’s body had not fully recovered; although she had lost the child, she was already producing milk.

Instead of returning directly to the village, the giant turtle led them into a dark cavern. There, they found an infant boy lying in a bundle, floating on the water’s surface in a small iron boat seemingly made just for him. Wrapped in animal skins, he looked like a child from a wealthy family.

Many had died around that time, and the child was likely sent out by his parents just before their deaths, which explained the careful arrangement.

Having just lost their own child, Ye’s father and Jiang Guihua were overjoyed by this gift from heaven. They cherished the baby and brought him back to the village.

Ye’s father had once been a private tutor and could read and write. He discovered the character “Xuan” in ancient script on the boy’s clothing and named him Ye Xiaoxuan.

To avoid repercussions from the authorities for leaving the boat without permission, Ye’s father gave the tiny iron boat carrying Ye Xiaoxuan to Yuan Desheng, the then security captain.

The boat looked very old-fashioned, almost an antique. Although made of metal, it floated on water—an oddity they never fully understood.

Ye’s father and Jiang Guihua never told anyone about their ordeal on Great Immortal Lake—not even Ye’s biological older brother. They deliberately concealed Ye Xiaoxuan’s true origins, so no one knew he had been brought from the lake.

Ye Xiaoxuan listened blankly as Jiang Guihua finished her story, with Ye’s father occasionally adding details. When the room fell silent, Ye Xiaoxuan did not know what to say.

Ye’s father sighed and said, “We’ve told you everything you wanted to know. Now you can go find your real parents.”

Ye Xiaoxuan smiled bitterly, understanding why the couple had kept the truth from him—they feared that once he learned the truth, he would abandon them to find his biological parents.

He helped Jiang Guihua to the bed, then sat down beside Ye’s father. After tidying his suitcase and clothes, he knelt before them.

“Dad, Mom, please don’t worry. No matter who my biological parents are, you two are my parents. I will take care of you in your old age.”

Ye’s father and Jiang Guihua were moved, looking at him with tears in their eyes.

“Really? You won’t go find your birth parents?”

Ye Xiaoxuan frowned. “Not for now. Even if I do, it’s only to confirm my identity. But in the end, I will live with you.”

Only then did the couple relax. Ye’s father said to Jiang Guihua, “I told you there was no harm in telling him. You were just worried. Our son is sensible—he wouldn’t do anything ungrateful.”

Jiang Guihua pointed at him angrily, “You old rascal, you always stopped me from telling him. Now you’re playing the good guy! Last time, when I saw him kissing Er Ya, I wanted to say, but you stopped me…”

The room fell silent again, the atmosphere awkward. Ye Xiaoxuan blushed furiously, rubbing his hands and avoiding Jiang Guihua’s gaze. He chuckled nervously. “Well… you saw it…”

Ye’s father grumbled, “You think that’s a secret? Your mother caught you a few times but kept quiet! When we brought you back, we had this in mind—‘why let such a fine girl like Er Ya become someone else’s daughter-in-law? Better if she marries into our family!’”

Ye Xiaoxuan felt tears welling up. “Dad, Mom, you think the same as me? You’re truly my parents, sharing my heart! I’ll tell the whole village soon that I’m not your biological son!”

Ye’s father scowled and cursed, “You ungrateful wretch!”

Ye Xiaoxuan hurried to explain, “Don’t be mad! If I don’t say it, Jia Ran won’t be with me! Would you want your daughter-in-law to marry some other brat?”

Jiang Guihua glared and scolded him, “Then you won’t marry her, you stinker! What about Yu’er?”

Ye Xiaoxuan pouted, “Am I an ordinary guy? Who says I can only marry one wife in this life? I want two! Just watch me!” With that, he puffed out his chest and strode out.

Behind him, Ye’s father and Jiang Guihua shouted, “Shameless! Careful you don’t end up with none!”

Outside the main house, Ye Xiaoxuan gazed up at the gray sky. His mood was strange—he wanted to cry aloud and laugh to the heavens at once.

He wanted to cry because the parents who had called him son for eighteen years were foster parents, and he was a child abandoned in infancy.

He wanted to laugh because, since he was adopted, there was no blood relation between him and Jia Ran. Now he could openly pursue a relationship with her.