Chapter 441: Kin?

"Thank you, old lady." Chen Yu smiled.

"This is He Lingyun. Have you two met just now?" Zhou Laotaijun asked.

"Yes. She has been grieving too deeply for her child, leading to a disharmony of the five emotions. I have prescribed medicine and performed acupuncture for her; she will be fine after a short rest," Chen Yu said.

"Good, I really troubled you. This child, she is a woman of bitter fate," Zhou Laotaijun sighed slightly. "The child had just been born, and she didn't even get to see him once before he passed away."

"Although she is not divorced from her husband, they are now like strangers. The mistress her husband found even comes to bully her from time to time," Zhou Laotaijun said through gritted teeth. "If it weren't for her family affairs, I would have taken my Dragon Head Staff and cracked open the head of that boy, Chen Anyi."

"Her husband, his surname is Chen?" Chen Yu was startled. "Is it the Shengjing Chen Clan?"

Chen Yu was shocked. His foster father, Chen Wenzhong, had given him a letter regarding his own origins, and the signature on the letter was the Shengjing Chen Clan.

Although he had torn up the letter, the words "Shengjing Chen Clan" had always weighed on his heart, making him feel almost unable to breathe.

He swore that one day, he would go to Shengjing to clear up his own origins.

Yet, regarding the woman before him, even though it was clearly his first time meeting her, he felt a sense of familiarity as if they were connected by blood.

A thought suddenly surged in Chen Yu's heart that he himself dared not believe: could He Lingyun be his biological mother? This thought was too bold, however; he would have to verify it.

"That's right, it is the Shengjing Chen Family," Zhou Laotaijun nodded. Suddenly, she gave a soft "eh" and stared at Chen Yu.

"Grandmother, what is it?" Having returned, Huang Jianzhong could not help but be slightly stunned upon seeing the old lady's expression.

"Look... don't you think little Chen and Lingyun look somewhat alike?" Zhou Laotaijun watched for a long time and said with some surprise.

"Grandmother, now that you mention it, they really do look a bit alike," Liu Xinrui glanced at Chen Yu in surprise. "His eyebrows and nose are very similar to my cousin's."

"If that child of hers were still alive, he should be about the same age as little Chen, right? Little Chen is 29 this year?" Zhou Laotaijun asked.

"Yes," Chen Yu nodded. He smiled and said, "Perhaps there is a preordained fate in the dark."

"He is the same age as her deceased child," Zhou Laotaijun sighed. "This must be fate."

"Child, little Yu..." Suddenly, He Lingyun on the sofa woke up with a start, screaming as she flailed her hands.

"Sister, are you having a nightmare again?" Liu Xinrui hurriedly stepped forward. "It's okay, don't be afraid. The old lady and I are both here."

"I dreamed of him. He spoke to me. He has grown up, and he said he is right by my side," He Lingyun gripped Liu Xinrui's hand tightly, tears streaming down her face.

Watching her like this, Chen Yu suddenly felt a lump in his throat, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Lingyun, so many years have passed; whatever knot is in your heart, it is time to let it go," Zhou Laotaijun personally stepped forward to help her up. "You cannot go on like this, you know? You must look past it."

"Thank you, old lady. I... I know," He Lingyun nodded, tears spilling out uncontrollably.

After the meal, Chen Yu left with the others.

Walking downstairs, He Lingyun suddenly turned and said, "Chen Yu, I would like to have a word with you. Is it convenient for you?"

Chen Yu hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Your name is Chen Yu, the same as the child I never got to see," in the park, He Lingyun walked side by side with Chen Yu, murmuring, "Meeting you might be a form of fate for me."

"Auntie, please grieve no more. You must try to let yourself walk out of that shadow," Chen Yu said. "Otherwise, your condition will only get worse."

"I have tried, but I cannot walk out of it," He Lingyun sighed softly. "I am afraid it will be difficult to walk out in this lifetime. Child, is your family doing well?"

"My father is still alive," Chen Yu said.

"Oh, he is also a person of bitter fate," He Lingyun gazed at Chen Yu, her tears swirling in her eyes. "I have a request. I don't know if it is convenient."

"What is it?" Chen Yu was puzzled.

"My deceased child was also named Chen Yu, about your age, and I feel very close to you when I see you. So, could you... call me 'Mother' in his place?" He Lingyun said with a trembling voice. "Just once is enough, will you?"

Chen Yu's tears swirled in his eyes. He forced himself to hold back from crying out loud and nodded. "Mother."

"Child..." He Lingyun's tears burst forth. She stepped forward and hugged Chen Yu tightly, weeping.

Chen Yu's tears fell uncontrollably. He held He Lingyun, as if he were holding the mother he had never met...

At night, in that same small tavern, Ning Ruoxue and Chen Yu sat face to face.

"So you think she is your biological mother?" Ning Ruoxue looked at Chen Yu with some disbelief. "Does such a coincidence really exist in the world?"

"I am not sure, but when I see her, when she holds my hand, that sense of intimacy as if connected by blood, that warmth—the feeling cannot be wrong," Chen Yu downed all the wine in his hand.

He said with some pain, "Although I occupy this body, I can feel his joys, angers, sorrows, and happiness. The Chen Yu of the previous life is already dead. I am using his body, so I am him now. She is his biological mother, and therefore mine."

"So, are you going to investigate your own origins?" Ning Ruoxue asked.

"Yes, I am going to investigate my origins," Chen Yu nodded. "She said her child passed away just days after birth; she didn't even get to see her own child once."

"But I feel that there must be a reason for this. The first thing we must determine is whether or not I truly have a blood relation to her."

"Go get a strand of her hair, or some blood," Ning Ruoxue said.

Chen Yu took out a plastic bag containing a few strands of hair; these were what he had quietly taken from He Lingyun.

"Leave it to me," Ning Ruoxue took the items, then took a drop of Chen Yu's blood and carefully put it away.

"If it is confirmed that she is your mother, what do you plan to do?" Ning Ruoxue asked.

"Of course, I will do my utmost to protect her, find out what happened back then, and furthermore, find out who exactly is toying with my fate," Chen Yu said coldly.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside the bar, accompanied by cheers.

"My turn. Let's see how hard his head is."

Chen Yu and Ning Ruoxue stood up and walked outside.

There, a large man nearly two meters tall stood in place.

He was burly and dressed in ordinary clothes, but his face bore a look of determination.

A sign hung in front of the large man, on which was written: "Punching bag, 10 yuan per turn, weapons allowed."

A bar patron had already paid the money. This patron was big and burly, looking quite fierce; he must have practiced some form of combat.

"Friend, I've paid the money, so I'm going to hit you."

"Go ahead," the large man grinned. "Hit me as hard as you like. If I let out a single groan, I'll pay you a hundred."

"I've practiced boxing. I'm afraid you won't be able to take a single punch," the patron warned.

"Come on," the large man stood firm.

"Alright." The customer clenched his fist and smashed it over.

This customer had indeed trained; if it were a normal person, he could knock them down with a single punch.

But the big man before him must have practiced a type of Hard Qigong like the Golden Bell Shield, for when he punched, the big man did not budge at all.

"Haha, Lao Wu, have you eaten?" someone laughed.

"You've got some skills; I was holding back my strength just now, you'd better be careful next," the customer laughed.

"Use your full strength," the big man still smiled and said.

The customer let out a roar, gathered all his strength, and smashed a punch over, bang...

His punch carried no light force, and his fist was fierce; a normal person would likely have been knocked unconscious by this punch.

However, the muscles on the big man's body bulged, and he still did not budge.

A burst of laughter suddenly erupted from those around: "Lao Wu, you said you've boxed, was that a lie?"

"Yeah, look, the guy is just standing there letting you hit him and you can't even move him, you're just bragging."

This customer often came to this bar to drink, and being unable to move him after two punches, he could not save face; he let out a roar, attacked with both fists, treating the big man like a sandbag he used for training, and his fists attacked like a storm.

Bang, bang, bang—after a fierce barrage of smashing, the big man remained standing there without moving at all, while the customer was left quite exhausted.

He panted heavily, looked speechlessly at the big man whose expression hadn't even changed, and then gave a thumbs up, saying: "I admire you, I admire you."