Chapter 299 – Recognition of Relatives
“So, you came today to confirm if that girl is indeed Miss Zhang’s family member?” After listening to Wang Xuelai’s explanation, Jiang Wenxu understood.
He also understood why Zhang Linglan was so excited.
“Yes, we originally planned to apply for permission from you to search classroom by classroom, but now…”
“You don’t need to search classroom by classroom anymore,” Jiang Wenxu waved his hand and smiled.
“President Jiang, so you know who that student is, right? You’ve seen her, and she really looks like me? That’s why you said I looked familiar,” Zhang Linglan cleverly deduced.
“Yes, you’re right. I’ve seen that girl, and I know who she is. To be honest, she really looks a lot like you, at least 80% similar. She is around 17 or 18 years old and is a first-year student at Beijing University. Her name is Xu Jinning. She and her sister, Xu Fanghua, were the top scorers in our entrance exams for the past two years.”
“Sister? She also has a sister studying here!”
Zhang Linglan’s eyes reddened slightly. Could it be that she would be able to see two of her relatives?
Xu, not Zhang?
Could they be her sister’s children?
Zhang Linglan remembered having a sister who treated her very well and cooked delicious meals.
She remembered her surname was Zhang, so if they were her brother’s children, they should also have the surname Zhang. Since they were surnamed Xu, they must be her sister’s children.
Even though she hadn’t met them yet and hadn’t confirmed anything, Zhang Linglan was inexplicably certain that those two girls were her relatives, definitely her sister’s children.
“They must be my sister’s children,” Zhang Linglan shared her speculation with Wang Xuelai and Jiang Wenxu.
“If that’s the case, you don’t need to search classroom by classroom. Xu Jinning and Xu Fanghua are currently in class. Why don’t you wait here while I have someone bring them over?”
“Alright, thank you very much, President,” Zhang Linglan said gratefully.
*
Xu Jinning was in class when suddenly someone appeared at the door, prompting the teacher to step outside.
The person seemed to say something to the teacher, and then the teacher turned back to the classroom, his gaze accurately landing on Xu Jinning.
“Xu Jinning, please go to the president’s office. The president seems to have something to discuss with you.”
Xu Jinning was puzzled. The president wanted to see her? Although she didn’t know why the president was looking for her, she got up and went.
As she walked halfway, she ran into a familiar figure—her sister, Xu Fanghua.
“Big sister, weren’t you in class? Where are you going?”
“Ningning?! What about you? Why are you out here too?”
Both sisters were surprised to see each other. After a brief conversation, they realized they were both summoned by the president.
“Why would the president want to see both of us?” Neither Xu Fanghua nor Xu Jinning could figure it out.
But they’d know soon enough.
The sisters quickly arrived at the president’s office door.
The office door was open, and it seemed there were more people inside than just the president. Two people were sitting with their backs to the door.
Xu Fanghua glanced in, then knocked on the door.
As she knocked, President Jiang Wenxu, who was sitting side-on to the door, looked up.
“Ah, you’re here. Come in quickly. Someone wants to meet you. This might be a surprise for you.”
Hm?
Xu Fanghua and Xu Jinning exchanged puzzled glances.
Nevertheless, they both walked in.
As they entered, the two people who had been sitting with their backs to them stood up.
Xu Jinning hadn’t initially looked to the side; she was the type of person who didn’t like to glance around when she arrived somewhere. However, the gaze from beside her was too intense to ignore.
Curious, Xu Jinning turned to look.
When her eyes followed the direction of the gaze, they widened in shock at the sight of the owner.
She… she…
“Ningning, she looks so much like you,” said Xu Fanghua, who, after greeting the president, also turned to look in the same direction as her sister.
They both saw the woman who bore a striking resemblance to Xu Jinning.
Xu Jinning was initially stunned by the similarity.
But soon, she had a guess.
She quickly remembered what her grandmother had said.
‘Ningning, your aunt who was abd*cted looks almost exactly like you.’
Looking at the woman in front of her and considering her age, Xu Jinning was quite sure.
At that moment, Zhang Linglan, upon seeing the two sisters, especially Xu Jinning, felt her eyes well up with tears.
So similar, very similar!
Could this mean they were her relatives? Could they really be her sister’s children?
Zhang Linglan was so emotional that the moment she saw Xu Jinning, she wanted to rush over and hug her, to ask if they had a relative named Zhang Linglan.
But… but…
Perhaps it was a feeling akin to being nervous when approaching home after a long absence.
Even though she could just ask and find out, Zhang Linglan found herself inexplicably hesitant.
She had been mentally preparing herself, telling herself that even if it was a mistake, it wouldn’t matter, and that she would eventually find her family.
But now…
Zhang Linglan realized she couldn’t bear to face the possibility of disappointment. She desperately wanted to find her relatives, but now, as she stood there, she was afraid—truly afraid.
She wanted to walk over and confirm it with them, but she couldn’t muster the courage. She stood there, teary-eyed and rooted to the spot.
Just as Zhang Linglan was inwardly cursing herself for her cowardice, she saw the girl who resembled her walking towards her step by step.
Zhang Linglan’s heart began to race with excitement. What was she going to do?
Xu Jinning indeed walked towards Zhang Linglan, seeing her aunt’s mix of excitement and fear.
But this was her aunt, her elder, who had been abd*cted for so many years. It was only natural for her to be emotional upon finally seeing her family again.
As the younger one, Xu Jinning felt it was her duty to understand and bridge the gap.
So, she walked closer and stood before Zhang Linglan, looking up at her.
Standing together, everyone could see how strikingly similar they looked, reinforcing the belief that they were indeed related.
“Auntie,” Xu Jinning said softly.
“You are my aunt, Zhang Linglan, right?”
Then, Xu Jinning added a third sentence, “Auntie, welcome home.”
At that moment, Zhang Linglan’s emotional dam broke.
She reached out, hugging Xu Jinning tightly, and began to cry, her voice choked with emotion but eager to speak. “Yes, I am Zhang Linglan. I remember. My father’s surname is Zhang. I remember my parents, my brother, and my sister. I remember my sister’s cooking. I remember my sister-in-law treated me like a daughter. I remember my mother loved to hold me and point to the lilies in the yard, saying, ‘Your name Linglan is just like this flower.'”
“Mother said, ‘Our Lanlan is as beautiful as these lily of the valley…'”
