Seeing that Zhou Zhimo was still frowning, Li Fengxia said with a kind face, "I only know so much about this matter."
"If you want to know anything else, you have to find someone else."
Zhou Zhimo nodded: "Okay, I understand."
He stood up and thanked Li Fengxia: "Dr. Li, thank you for bothering me so much today."
Zhou Zhimo left Dr. Li's house without taking a car. He walked on the road, thinking about the conversation just now.
He and his aunt's mother-in-law haven't seen each other for several years. Since his aunt passed away, except for the ocean, there have been fewer interactions with other people.
Zhou Zhimo didn't remember his aunt's mother-in-law very much. He always felt that there was a calculating look in her eyes, which made people uncomfortable.
With this thought in mind, Zhou Zhimo walked home all the way, found a bucket of instant noodles in the kitchen, and dismissed himself.
He decided to visit his aunt's hometown early tomorrow morning and ask about her mother-in-law.
The child was obviously lost at that time, why did she hide it and not let anyone know?
Are you really worried about your aunt's health?
If it was for the aunt's sake, in the following years, the aunt's health became worse and worse, and the doctors said she was overly worried. Why didn't her mother-in-law tell her about the loss of the child?
If she told her aunt, maybe the child would be back.
Even if the child is not found, the aunt still has a thought in her heart. If she has a better life, she will not die of illness early.
In the dead of night, Zhou Zhimo turned off the lights and looked out the window, feeling mixed emotions in his heart.
Although he didn't want to admit it, the fact was before his eyes. That white skeleton might be the daughter that my aunt lost back then.
That was the cousin Zhou Zhimo had never met before. He didn't expect to meet her in such a way.
After standing on the balcony for a long time, Zhou Zhimo fell on the bed, but couldn't fall asleep.
I tossed and turned and couldn't sleep well all night.
After dawn, he got up early and took a hot bath, hoping to make himself feel less uncomfortable.
After signing in at the work unit, Zhou Zhimo took Liang Yinuo and drove to his aunt's hometown.
I haven't been there for a few years, and the roads are now getting better and better. On the asphalt road, I sometimes encounter oncoming vehicles.
Zhou Zhimo sat in the passenger seat, pursed his lips tightly, frowned slightly, looked ahead, and said nothing.
Taking advantage of the wide road ahead and no traffic, Liang Yinuo glanced sideways at him: "Master, what's wrong with you?"
Zhou Zhimo said weakly: "I feel a little confused."
Liang Yinuo concentrated on watching the road, but still asked with concern: "Master, I feel uncomfortable holding it in my heart, why don't you say it out?"
Zhou Zhimo raised his hand and rubbed his temples, and said slowly: "I just found out yesterday that my aunt gave birth to a daughter that year."
Liang Yinuo's heart skipped a beat: "Could it be that..."
He didn't ask any more, and Zhou Zhimo continued: "My mother said that my aunt's child died after she was born."
"However, when I went to find the attending doctor who delivered the baby, she said that the child had disappeared in the hospital."
Liang Yinuo drove at a steady speed: "What does missing mean? Lost?"
Zhou Zhimo leaned against his back: "Yes, it's lost."
"My aunt's mother-in-law said that when she came back, her child was missing when she went shopping."
"The doctor said that at that time, my aunt's mother-in-law knelt down and begged everyone to help hide it."
"In short, the news that my aunt and all the family members received is that the child died after birth."
"Auntie's health has been getting worse and worse since then, and she's been overwhelmed by worry."
"Everyone also believed that the child died after birth, and no one mentioned it again."
There was a turn ahead, and Liang Yinuo turned the steering wheel gently: "Her mother-in-law hasn't said anything about this in all these years?"
"You didn't even think about looking for that child?"
After turning the corner, what came into view was a large lotus pond with lotus leaves. The lotus flowers had withered, leaving only a few late-blooming lotus flowers.
Zhou Zhimo sighed softly: "No."
"So, I wanted to figure out why."
"She keeps saying she's an aunt, but I always feel like she can't justify it."
"Besides, the doctor's words also reminded me."
Liang Yinuo asked him: "Did the doctor find anything fishy?"
Zhou Zhimo said: "Not sure."
"She felt that in that era, there were not many mothers-in-law who could be so considerate of their daughters-in-law."
"But, the doctor also said one more thing."
"At that time, the reform of the family planning policy had just been implemented."
"Especially for working staff, they can only have one child."
"My aunt works in a textile factory. According to regulations, they can only have one child."
"The economic conditions at that time were not good and it was difficult to feed children."
"Many people throw away the daughters they gave birth to in order to have a son."
"So, whether in the hospital or outside, there is no shortage of baby girls."
"I have some doubts, as the doctor said, why would anyone take the risk to steal a girl?"
Zhou Zhimo said, his brows furrowed tighter and his eyes far away.
Liang Yinuo asked him tentatively: "Do you suspect that she deliberately lost the child in order to have a grandson?"
Zhou Zhimo sighed in a low voice: "I'm not sure either."
"So, now I especially want to know what the truth is."
"If that body is really the child who was lost back then, I would like to know what she went through."
Liang Yinuo listened to the sadness in Zhou Zhimo's tone and comforted him: "Master, don't be sad."
"It's almost there. We'll know the truth soon."
Passing through the cement road among the dense bamboo forest, we quickly arrived at the place.
Parking the car in a wide area on the roadside, Zhou Zhimo led Liang Yinuo towards a two-story building.
There was an old lady sitting under the locust tree in front of the door. Zhou Zhimo stepped forward and said hello with a smile: "Grandma, I am Zhou Zhimo, come to see you."
The old lady stood up and looked at them with a smile: "Zhimo, I almost don't recognize him."
"Why are you free to come home today?"
The old lady asked them to sit down and looked at Liang Yinuo: "Come and sit down, this young man is so handsome."
Liang Yinuo responded with a smile.
The old lady was going to pour water, but Zhou Zhimo stopped her quickly: "Grandma, sit down, we don't want to drink water."
He helped the old lady sit down: "I'm here to ask you something today."
The old lady put her hands on her knees, looked at him and asked, "Tell me, what do you want to know?"
Zhou Zhimo pursed his lips: "Grandma, do you remember where the child my aunt gave birth to for the first time went?"
The old lady was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "Where did this kid hear this?"
"Your aunt gave birth to the ocean."
Zhou Zhimo was a little embarrassed, but continued: "I'm talking about the child that my aunt gave birth to before giving birth to Haiyang."
He looked at the old lady: "Grandma, you won't forget, right?"
