Chapter 39: We Were Just Making Things Up Casually

In the end, it was Qin Hongfei who reacted a bit quicker. She noticed that when Tang Jinnan mentioned Qin Yan’s name, the spoon in Shou’s hand clattered straight into his bowl. Qin Hongfei herself was cunning enough to stay alert, but these two—could they really be Qin Yan’s relatives, as foolish as they were?

“It seems his name is Qin Yan. Do you two know my brother?” she asked.

Tang Jinnan nodded slightly. “If it’s the person I know, then yes, we do. Not only do we know him, we’re quite familiar with him. We all came from that place together.”

Qin Fei was stunned. Impossible, right? We’d just made that up—how could you actually know my brother?

“But Qin Yan only ever said he had one younger sister, not two,” Shou suddenly interjected.

“Shou,” Tang Jinnan cut him off, then turned to Qin Hongfei. “Shou was very young when he was taken away. You probably hadn’t been born yet.”

“No need to comfort me,” Qin Hongfei replied, unconcerned by Shou’s remark. “I wasn’t born yet when my brother was taken. After that, he only contacted the family three times. It’s perfectly normal that he wouldn’t know I exist.”

By her calculations, back then Qin Yan was about two, Qin Fei had just been born, and as for her… she was probably still waiting in line to be born.

Those taken by the state would be compensated with resources and money, but to prevent any leaks of confidential information, the authorities would sever all ties with their families—household registrations would be relocated, and for over a decade, Qin Yan had never sent word home. At eighteen, upon adulthood, he’d sent a single photograph. Beyond that, there was nothing. That was simply how cold and merciless things were. Qin Yan was already among the more fortunate ones for maintaining even that tiny bit of contact; some people, after being taken away, would spend decades marrying and having children elsewhere, with no contact at all, as if their past had been completely erased.

The three siblings, in truth, shared no real bond. After all, even knowing of each other’s existence came from what their elders told them, and having had no interaction or communication since childhood, any claim of affection would be nothing but a lie.

Qin Hongfei felt rather speechless. She and Qin Fei had simply been making things up to fool Qin Yun, yet these two actually knew her brother. Of course, whether it was really her brother or just a coincidence remained to be seen, but at least Tang Jinnan and Shou now had plausible identities. At the very least, Qin Yun—the ultimate fool—truly believed them now. He even looked a bit excited, as if he were meeting distant relatives.

Tang Jinnan gazed at Qin Hongfei for a long moment. When she noticed his stare and looked up to meet his eyes, she asked, “Is there something on my face?”

He couldn’t help but smile, replying gently, “No. Actually, you do resemble Qin Yan a little, right, Shou?”

Shou glanced at Qin Hongfei, reluctant to agree, but still grunted his assent. “You’re alike—just as sharp-tongued.”

Qin Hongfei simply responded with an “oh” and, turning to see Qin Yun’s excitement, reminded him, “Brother Qin Yun, don’t mention anything about my eldest brother when we get back—to anyone.” She was deadly serious.

Qin Yun had been planning to announce this major news when they returned, but hearing her words, he asked, “Why not?”

Qin Hongfei replied calmly, “There’s no special reason. If we can only hear news of him but never see him, then no matter whether it’s Grandpa, Grandma, or my mother… it’s not good news for anyone. Besides, since my eldest brother serves the country now and hasn’t reached out to us himself, it’s a matter of secrecy. Us learning about him is already a rare accident; if word spreads, it won’t be good for anyone.” Not for their family, not for the elders, and certainly not for Qin Yan.

If all they could do was yearn for someone they could never see again, perhaps it was better to pretend they’d never heard anything at all. Otherwise, there would be no avoiding the pain and longing that would follow.