"Who is it? Tell me quickly, we'll go find them right now, and then Brother Liunian will know if I'm lying."
Upon hearing that Uncle Yi knew the other person's identity, Zhang Qian became extremely excited, wishing he could immediately bring Zhang Liunian to that person. He wanted Brother Liunian to see for himself if he had exaggerated and if the person resembled Hua Bao.
Uncle Yi remained silent, merely looking at Zhang Liunian, awaiting his response.
Receiving Uncle Yi's gaze, Zhang Liunian hesitated for a few seconds before finally nodding, "Speak! I'm curious who it is too." The fact that Uncle Yi was so considerate of him and wouldn't reveal the name without his permission had truly piqued his curiosity.
Seeing that he had asked, Uncle Yi felt a slight sympathy for him. His expression remained calm and unruffled as he uttered a name, "Tang Shi Tong."
Tang Shi Tong? Tang Shi Kang? The names sounded like brothers. Wait, wasn't this the name of Brother Tang's third uncle?
Could it be what he was thinking?
"Is he Brother Tang's third uncle, Tang Shi Tong, from the provincial capital?" Zhang Liunian asked in a low voice, his expression solemn.
Uncle Yi stared intently at Zhang Liunian's face and replied, "It is him."
Boom!
The man who looked like his Hua Bao was Tang Shi Tong, a member of the Tang family. How could he be from the Tang family?
He had met all the Tang family members. For instance, Tang Shi Kang and Tang Shi Kai did not resemble his Hua Bao at all.
How could he possibly resemble Tang Shi Tong?
This was impossible, absolutely impossible.
Wait, he remembered that Tang Shi Kang and the others had once kidnapped his Hua Bao. If Hua Bao was truly from their Tang family, they wouldn't have failed to recognize her.
With this thought, Zhang Liunian suddenly felt relieved. He had been startled for a moment, thinking Hua Bao might be from the Tang family. It seemed he had overthought it.
However, he had clearly relaxed too soon, as the subsequent conversation made his settled heart tense up again.
"What? That man is from the Tang family? How can this be?"
If Hua Bao was his daughter, then wouldn't Brother Liunian be raising an enemy's child? Zhang Qian secretly imagined this but dared not say it aloud, fearing he might hurt Brother Liunian's feelings.
After all, the entire Zhang Village was certain that Hua Bao was not Zhang Liunian's biological daughter, because Hua Bao bore no resemblance to Zhang Liunian in any way.
As for whether the birth mother was Jiang Qing Qing, they were not clear about that, but the father was definitely not Zhang Liunian.
Now that they had encountered a man who resembled Hua Bao, and that man was Tang Shi Tong from the Tang family, Zhang Liunian's mortal enemy, if it were confirmed that Hua Bao had a connection to the Tang family, then their Brother Liunian would be in grave trouble.
Raising an enemy's daughter, he couldn't even begin to imagine what that would feel like.
Moreover, Brother Liunian doted on this daughter. If it were truly confirmed that Hua Bao was from the Tang family, the blow to Brother Liunian would be immense.
"Impossible, I've met other Tang family members, and none of them resemble my Hua Bao. Besides, Tang Shi Kang kidnapped my Hua Bao before. If Hua Bao resembled his third brother, he wouldn't have failed to notice," Zhang Liunian quickly interjected before Uncle Yi could speak, expressing his conviction that his daughter could not possibly be related to the Tang family.
Hearing this, Uncle Yi looked at him with an unutterable expression, remaining silent. He collected intelligence for the Southern City Lord, and no one knew the Tang family's situation better than he did.
Therefore, he was well aware that Hua Bao had a connection to the Tang family. However, he couldn't say it, because, to this day, he had never officially met Zhang Liunian's daughter and had no way of knowing these things.
"There's definitely no connection. Brother Liunian, now that I think about it, Tang Shi Tong doesn't resemble Hua Bao at all. I must have seen wrong just now. Don't worry, how could our Hua Bao, so lovely, possibly be involved with the Tang family?" Zhang Qian, noticing Zhang Liunian's desire for Hua Bao not to be related to the Tang family, quickly changed his statement with a wry smile.
But the more he acted like this, the more distressed and worried Zhang Liunian became. What if the daughter he cherished was truly from the Tang family?
Almost all members of the Tang family were in prison, and he had played a significant role in it. So, strictly speaking, he was indeed an enemy of the Tang family.
If Hua Bao was indeed from the Tang family, and her background was exposed, revealing that he had caused harm to her family, how would she think of him?
Would she be angry? Would she be disappointed? Would she ignore him, her father…
Zhang Liunian dared not imagine such a scenario, his expression darkening to an unprecedented level of grimness.
Uncle Yi and Zhang Qian stood in awkward silence, waiting for Zhang Liunian to speak.
They did not wait long before Zhang Liunian regained his senses and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
They were still standing outside the department store's main entrance, not a suitable place for a deep conversation. They should discuss it inside.
Although he was very reluctant to face this matter, he knew that he would have to face it sooner or later, and it would be best to be prepared in advance.
After all, Hua Bao was indeed not his biological daughter, and encountering her relatives was bound to happen eventually.
A few minutes later, Zhang Liunian sat in the office designated for the boss, his hands clasped uneasily. He looked at Uncle Yi and asked, "Uncle Yi, can you tell me about the Tang family members and their family structure?"
From Uncle Yi's earlier behavior, it was clear that he knew a lot about the inner workings of the Tang family. Zhang Liunian did not beat around the bush and directly inquired.
Was his Hua Bao really related to the Tang family?
Seeing that he was so quickly prepared to face the truth, Uncle Yi did not hide anything from him. "The Tang family's generation with 'Shi' in their names originally had six brothers. These six brothers had three mothers. The eldest and second eldest shared one mother, the third and fourth shared one mother, and the fifth and sixth shared one mother.
However, ten years ago, these six brothers first lost the younger fifth and sixth, and then the fourth went missing and his whereabouts remained unknown.
As of now, only the three we see remain: Tang Shi Kang, Tang Shi Kai, and Tang Shi Tong.
Let's talk about these three. Tang Shi Kang and Tang Shi Kai, being born to the same mother, naturally had an exceptionally close relationship.
Tang Shi Tong also had a good relationship with the others, but not as close as with Tang Shi Kang and the others. It was only later, after his three younger brothers successively met with misfortune, that he grew closer to Tang Shi Kang and the others.
It seems there was intervention from a Tang family elder. Regardless of the reason, Tang Shi Tong now feels a strong sense of belonging to the Tang family and considers his two elder brothers as his own.
Therefore, he will definitely seek revenge for his brothers and absolutely will not allow you to live a carefree life outside."
"..." Zhang Liunian twitched his lips, finding the latter part unnecessary, and continued to inquire, "Hasn't Tang Shi Tong gotten married and had children?"
"He is married, but he has no children. It is rumored that he once had a daughter, but she was lost. The time was six years ago."
As soon as Uncle Yi said this, Zhang Liunian became instantly uneasy. Six years ago was precisely when they found Hua Bao!
Could she really be from the Tang family, and even Tang Shi Tong's daughter?