Chapter 336: The Reason of History

A six-inch photo measures only 15. cm by 10. cm and weighs about 3. grams—so light that even a gentle breeze could send it tumbling aimlessly, its fate unknown.

Yet this nearly weightless photo made Li Ye's hand tremble.

Li Ye looked handsome and dashing, but in truth he possessed strength utterly incongruous with his appearance—he could snap bricks with one hand without effort and take on thirteen opponents effortlessly.

Yet such physical strength was now shaken by a single photograph.

Because the adult man in the black-and-white photo looked unmistakably like a younger version of Li Kaijian.

Li Ye slowly raised his head and calmly studied the middle-aged woman before him, confirming she was the mother in the photo.

Looking at the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl beside her, with her delicate features and painterly eyes, she bore an eight or nine out of ten resemblance to the woman—clearly her daughter.

So this photo meant Li Kaijian had an affair?

Come on.

Even if Li Ye was dense, he now understood the woman before him was deeply connected to him.

Because he and Li Yue also resembled her in some ways!

When Li Ye first transmigrated, the memories he received were sparse—he had no recollection of his birth mother at all; family members avoided the subject entirely, and he could only guess from his aunt's fragmented remarks that she had divorced Li Kaijian under special circumstances and then vanished.

Li Ye had never intended to dig into the story—after all, he was an outsider; though he had inherited this body, he had to inherit its karmic ties, but such complex entanglements steeped in historical factors were better left untouched.

Who could have imagined the power of cosmic karma was so immense that it brought him face-to-face with this woman at Lijiapo, thousands of miles away?

Just now, his hand trembled because he felt a deep, hidden quiver within his soul—a bloodline bond he could not sever.

In that instant, he almost couldn't tell whether he was Li Ye—or Li Ye.

【Could my past life and this life be the same person?】

Li Ye shook his head hard and smiled.

Even if this was karma, it was the world's gift to him as a bug—let him act as he pleased, without overthinking or clinging to it.

"May I ask, madam, what is your surname?"

"."

"I"

The woman noticed Li Ye's sudden emotional surge, then his abrupt calm—this jarring shift threw her, already agitated, into further panic.

After several seconds, she spoke to Li Ye: "My surname is Fu, Fu Guiru."

Li Ye studied her anxious eyes and raised the photo. "Ms. Fu, is this the only photo you have? Do you have any other materials? The more details, the easier it is to find your family."

Fu Guiru opened her mouth but couldn't speak—she looked even more flustered.

"Li Ye, don't just stand there! Sit down and talk properly with Ms. Fu."

At that moment, the debate team's leader, Zhou, spoke up, easing the tension.

"Ms. Fu has a deep longing for the motherland—look at all these items she donated to us."

Following Zhou's gesture, Li Ye saw a large pile of goods stacked in the corner—several televisions alone, plus countless other small appliances, undoubtedly valuable.

Looking at Fu Guiru's attire, jewelry, and the clothing of her two children, it seemed her life was reasonably comfortable.

Li Ye exhaled naturally; the trembling in his bloodline vanished by more than half.

It was strange.

No resentment, no bitterness—only relief after extreme worry.

As if a voice whispered: "So she's doing well? Then I'm at peace."

Taking advantage of Zhou's interruption, Fu Guiru regained control of her emotions.

"Xiao Ruo, take your brother out and buy some durians."

The sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl, who had been staring at Li Ye, froze at her mother's command.

But she clearly had good upbringing—though reluctant, she still pulled her younger brother's arm toward the door.

The boy, however, resisted fiercely; at the threshold, he turned and glared at Li Ye.

【Why does this kid's gaze look like he wants to kill me?】

Li Ye suddenly felt like laughing.

He'd seen this look only on two kinds of children.

One fears someone will steal his toys; the other fears someone will steal his mother.

The second kind always radiated stronger hostility.

Fortunately, this twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy was probably the first kind.

"Please sit down, Li Ye."

Fu Guiru gestured for Li Ye to sit, then fixed her gaze on his eyes and whispered: "I have another address: No. 188, Gangzhong Road, Daocheng, Dongshan Province."

Li Ye looked at Fu Guiru and saw fierce, ocean-like hope in her eyes.

Li Kaijian had served in the military for a long time.

Retired soldiers were typically assigned one of two ways: single soldiers returned to their hometowns; married soldiers could relocate to their spouse's or in-laws' registered residence.

When Li Ye accompanied Pei Wencong around Daocheng during the Spring Festival, his sister Li Yue had actually taken him around Gangzhong Road, as if searching for something.

But Li Ye said: "Daocheng? That's easier—the 'Ten Thousand Miles to Find Family' initiative's organizer, Lanhai Publishing, is based in Daocheng."

Fu Guiru's breath hitched, then she asked anxiously: "You don't know this address?"

Li Ye slowly shook his head. "My sister told me I lived in Daocheng for a few years as a child, but when my father lost his job, we returned to our hometown to live with my grandfather."

"."

Fu Guiru stared blankly, then whispered, barely audible: "Did I still drag him down?"

Li Ye asked: "What did you say, Ms. Fu?"

Fu Guiru startled, then smiled: "Nothing. Don't you remember anything about Daocheng?"

"I was too young—barely old enough to remember. Even my sister doesn't recall much," Li Ye suddenly shifted tone. "Are you from Daocheng?"

Fu Guiru nodded slowly. "I was, but over ten years ago I moved to Malaysia and never returned. After settling down, I wrote several letters to my hometown, but received no replies."

Li Ye frowned. "You're not from Lijiapo?"

Fu Guiru shook her head and smiled. "No. I lived in Johor, Malaysia. I only learned there were people from my hometown in Lijiapo after seeing TV and newspapers."

Li Ye smiled too. "Life is hard abroad—didn't you suffer greatly?"

Fu Guiru looked at him curiously. "Not too badly—I had relatives here. At first it was hard to adapt, but now I've adjusted."

"You have relatives here?"

Li Ye was surprised. Knowing his grandfather Li Zhongfa as he did, if Fu Guiru had overseas connections, the shrewd old man would never have approved this marriage.

Fu Guiru: "."

She had looked into Li Ye's eyes for the umpteenth time, yet still couldn't tell whether this child recognized her—or not.

Fu Guiru closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then said: "I didn't even know I had relatives here—until suddenly, a letter arrived in Dongshan, triggering a chain of events."

Listening to Fu Guiru's account, Li Ye mentally pieced together some clues.

Before the late 1950s, Luohu Port wasn't closed—communication between the mainland and the outside world was relatively easy, and no one foresaw the severe consequences to come.

After sharing a few details about herself, Fu Guiru asked Li Ye: "After I left, I never knew what happened at home. I heard there was a turbulent time—your father lost his job. How did you manage?"

Li Ye fell silent for several seconds, then answered honestly: "At first, it was terrible. My grandfather's job was unstable too, and with so many mouths to feed, my father struggled alone to raise me and my sister for over a decade."

"Alone for over a decade?" Fu Guiru gasped. "Then… what about your mother?"

"I don't know," Li Ye's emotions were stirred—he exhaled a long-held breath. "I grew up in the hometown. My grandfather was tight-lipped; no one in the family knew the details. Later, I asked my father—he said it was… due to historical reasons. We got separated."

"Historical reasons… got separated."

Fu Guiru's eyes darkened with unbearable pain; tears welled silently. Before she realized it, they spilled down her cheeks.

Fu Guiru's gaze grew painfully strained; tears quietly filled her eyes, and by the time she realized it, droplets had already traced her cheeks.

Fu Guiru quickly pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it to her eyes.

Zhou, watching nearby, was startled and moved to approach—but Li Ye waved him off.

Li Ye felt Fu Guiru's inner turmoil and suffering. Though she claimed to have relatives here and lived comfortably, how could anyone truly thrive under someone else's roof?

Think of that girl just now—and that boy who looked ready to kill.

Think of that girl just now, and that boy who wanted to kill with a knife.

"But things are much better now," Li Ye continued. "A few years ago, my father and grandfather both got new jobs. My grandfather became an official in the grain system; my father—"

"My father remarried four years ago—he married my stepmother. Life is manageable now."

Fu Guiru froze, wiped her eyes, and asked with flickering eyes: "Manageable? You're no longer affected?"

"Yes!" Li Ye smiled. "I even got into university—I'm an active Party member!"

"Heh~ That's good, that's good! Our old Dongshan saying is right—no obstacle is insurmountable. Better days lie ahead!"

"Heh~, that's good, that's good! As we old folks on Dongshan say, what obstacle can't be overcome? The best days are still ahead!"

Li Ye watched the gloom slowly lift from Fu Guiru's face, feeling something indescribable inside.

Li Ye watched the gloom clinging to Fu Guiru slowly fade, and a strange feeling stirred within him.

If they were to recognize each other now—with Li Ye kneeling, weeping, and kowtowing—it would be unbearable for him.

Even the original body's owner hadn't seen Fu Guiru after childhood—how much less could Li Ye?

Though blood ties can never be erased, Li Ye's situation was simply too extraordinary.

Although blood ties can never be erased, Li Ye's situation was truly extraordinary.