NOVEL NEXT Vol. 1 - Ch. 373 - Returning Home
HuMing followed Ye QiuXue back to her rural hometown.
To be honest, this wasn't his first time here—but every time he came, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
As Mo QingXia put it: visiting your future in-laws always makes you a little uneasy inside.
Speaking of Mo QingXia, ever since Gu ZhaoChuan disappeared, she had been completely unsettled.
And it turned out, Gu WeiJun knew his wife all too well. The moment he revealed HuMing's true identity, Mo QingXia practically forgot all about Gu ZhaoChuan's disappearance.
Of course, at first, she thought her husband was joking. But then she remembered—he was never the type to joke about something like this. That's when she realized something was truly off.
Once she heard the whole story, Mo QingXia felt like the world had become completely fantastical.
So HuMing… was actually her son. And even more shocking—he had known all along.
Gu ZhaoChuan had tried to harm HuMing from the start. It had begun back when HuMing was still living with the Han family.
To Mo QingXia, it was almost too much to believe.
She had raised Gu ZhaoChuan for over a decade. She always thought of him as well-mannered and well-educated. Maybe not as outstanding as HuMing, sure, but never the type to even think of murder.
And now someone was telling her—Gu ZhaoChuan was a planted pawn, inserted into the Gu family to take it down from within.
That revelation shattered her.
But at the same time, it proved something else: her instincts had been right all along. HuMing really did have a deep connection with them. No wonder she'd felt such a strange familiarity the very first time they met—he even reminded her of Gu WeiJun.
And when she saw the paternity test… she burst into tears.
Throwing her arms around HuMing's shoulders, she cried uncontrollably, murmuring "I'm sorry" over and over again.
You could see the guilt written all over her face.
HuMing was stunned at first, but eventually reached out and returned the hug.
Something inside him, something that had been locked away, seemed to suddenly release.
Though Gu ZhaoChuan's disappearance had hit Mo QingXia hard, in that moment, recognizing HuMing as her son became the only thing that mattered.
Truthfully, she didn't care whether Gu ZhaoChuan was her biological child or not. After all, she had raised him for so many years—of course she had feelings for him. But what she couldn't accept was that he had tried to hurt HuMing.
And even worse, he'd gone after her second sister too.
That woman had treated him so well. Yet he helped outsiders go after her?
That—that crossed her bottom line. It was the one thing she could never forgive.
As for Gu ZhaoChuan, it was as if he'd been quietly erased. Even if people mentioned his name outside, the Gu family always avoided the subject.
Time passed.
And little by little, people stopped asking.
…
HuMing arrived at Ye QiuXue's hometown by car.
He carried bags in both hands—clothes, toiletries, everything he needed for a stay. Ye QiuXue came up to greet him and led him down the muddy path toward her house.
The ground was a mess of puddles and potholes, hard to walk on.
"Shouldn't the path near the entrance be fixed up? It doesn't seem safe for Grandma to walk here. Even I can barely see where I'm going in the dark."
Ye QiuXue glanced back at him, helpless.
"There's no money. What, you think we're rolling in it? Grandma never wants to spend any—she says she's saving it all for me."
HuMing's eyes lit up.
He scooted over, grinning.
"So… how much is in this dowry of yours, huh? Have we talked about who gets what?"
"What?" Ye QiuXue couldn't help but shout. Her voice startled a few of the neighbors, who all came out to greet them with cheerful smiles.
This all went back to HuMing's first visit here.
That time, Mo QingXia had insisted on preparing a ton of gifts, saying it was important to make a good impression on the neighbors.
Ye QiuXue had strongly opposed it, of course. But there was no stopping Mo QingXia once she'd made up her mind.
Thanks to that first visit, everyone learned that Ye QiuXue had a boyfriend from the city. And not just any boyfriend—a wealthy one. That made a difference.
After waving to the neighbors, Ye QiuXue tugged HuMing toward her house.
The whole way, she kept talking.
"Just so you know—I'm not touching Grandma's money. That's for her retirement. As for a dowry? I'll earn it myself once I start working. I'm not getting married anytime soon anyway."
Her tone was firm and crystal clear: Grandma's money would never be touched, and she would earn her own dowry.
"Come on, I was just joking. Besides, even if you only brought a quilt when you marry me, I wouldn't care. I'm not that hung up on tradition. Honestly, I should be the one giving you a bride price."
"HuMing, bride price is something both families agree on. If you give it to me, what am I supposed to do with it?"
"You have no idea—if people outside heard you say stuff like that, they'd be so jealous of me. 'Wow, he's marrying a wife who understands traditions so well!'"
"Pfft. A wife like me? You think you'll find another?" Ye QiuXue rolled her eyes, then turned and stepped inside.
HuMing, grinning like a fool, trailed after her.
…
Inside, Grandma was sitting in the corner, weaving a basket. When she saw Ye QiuXue and HuMing walk in, her whole face crinkled up in a delighted smile.
"Aiya, my good granddaughter and HuMing are back! Why didn't you let me know? I would've gone to town to buy a chicken to cook for you."
Ye QiuXue turned to HuMing and said,
"No need for that, Grandma. HuMing already brought food back. You go ahead and rest—we're going to tidy up the room."
"Tsk, look at you. Coming home and immediately putting HuMing to work. He came all this way, he must be exhausted. If you'd just told me earlier, I would've had everything ready and you two wouldn't be so tired now."
Grandma lightly scolded her granddaughter, but it was clear she just didn't want her to overexert herself.
Ye QiuXue sat next to her grandma, while HuMing quietly went to their room.
It wasn't big. A bed, a wardrobe, and a desk—that was all.
On the desk sat a framed photo of him, Ye QiuXue, and Grandma.
That was from the first time he met her.
And now, seeing it again—he was certain.
A woman who raised someone like Ye QiuXue must be extraordinary herself.
She had raised Ye QiuXue alone. She was the most important person in her life.
And though she often scolded her granddaughter, HuMing could tell—no one was prouder of Ye QiuXue than Grandma.
…
"HuMing, I'm heading out with Grandma to visit my aunt. Can you tidy things up here?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
Once radiant and untouchable, HuMing was now doing something entirely ordinary—like any other person.
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