Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s Chapter 2423 - 2359: The Real and Fake Red Jade Pendant
Previously on Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s...
Yet at this point, the entire situation remains shrouded in uncertainty.
"This is Xiao Fu’s handwriting, even if it’s a tad messy," Ah Liu remarked. "The one who brought the letter said Xiao Fu simply grabbed some paper and a pen at the station to scribble it down. I trust that’s the case since Xiao Fu’s such a loyal son. Hearing about his parents’ bad health must have left him in a panic."
"So, were Uncle Xiao Fu’s parents truly sick back then?"
"Absolutely, it’s the truth. When I later dispatched folks to his home searching for Xiao Fu, they verified it. That’s why I held back from telling them about his vanishing, worried it could make their health even worse."
"And what came next?"
"I gave them some cash to cover decent medical care. But just yesterday, I checked with Grandpa, and he mentioned that within six months of my disappearance, Xiao Fu’s parents died one right after the other. Their sickness was catching, and the pair wouldn’t separate, so they left this world side by side. Grandpa covered the burial costs, and kin handled the arrangements."
Hearing this, Chiang Xiao felt a twinge of sorrow.
She picked up on the remorse woven into Ah Liu’s voice.
Maybe he blamed himself, thinking Xiao Fu vanished on his account, leaving him unable to hurry home for his parents’ burials, and thus feeling a bit indebted to Xiao Fu.
Father and daughter stayed quiet for a moment.
"If Uncle Xiao Fu’s words from that time hold up, then Dad, that token you handed to Lu Shuangshuang—which she gave back—is likely still in Uncle Xiao Fu’s possession. Once we track down Uncle Xiao Fu, everything will come to light."
"That makes sense, in theory."
"Why not just have Lu Shuangshuang display the token?"
"She keeps it on her."
"Huh?"
"It’s a pendant of red jade, with a hidden compartment inside that pops out a ring. She’s wearing it to this day."
"You mean it’s tough to verify if it’s genuine?"
"Exactly, you’re sharp as ever. That red jade pendant could be copied without a side-by-side check, but if hers is a phony, I’d spot it just by touching it, while anyone else would require the original to compare. What if it’s just Dad insisting it’s bogus?"
Without pause, Chiang Xiao replied, "They’d definitely assume Dad’s dodging marriage to Lu Shuangshuang and making up claims that the red jade pendant’s a fake."
Back then, a storm of accusations would probably follow.
After all, no one else has laid eyes on the real red jade pendant, and with the split kept under wraps, why would they buy it if he claimed otherwise out of the blue?
The moment Lu Shuangshuang shed tears and played the victim of injustice, Ah Liu would turn into the villainous Chen Shiming, who’d squandered two decades of her life and now sought to ditch her.
On top of that, her role would fuel Ah Liu’s supposed cruelty.
In that scenario, hordes of people would turn against Chen Zhu.
Just for this, Chiang Xiao refused to let it happen.
Was it worth stirring this up once more?
Drawing in a steady breath, she declared, "Dad, let’s team up to locate Uncle Xiao Fu. Got a picture of him? Share one with me."
"I’ve only got that old group shot from before, with Xiao Fu positioned at the rear, barely visible."
"No worries, we’ll give it our all. We’re bound to find him; how could someone just vanish without a trace?"
"Right, Dad will get his team searching too. I’m sharing this with you so you understand—Dad has already ended the betrothal with Lu Shuangshuang. Opinions of others don’t faze me, but you need to know the facts."