Identity: Who exactly is stealing whose identity?
“It’s Jiang Yantang?!” Before anyone inside the room could respond, a loud exclamation from outside shattered the silence like thunder, snapping everyone out of their stupor as if waking from a dream.
This wasn’t a dream?
What they had just heard was real?
Wasn’t today’s event about Xie’s family splitting their property? How did it suddenly escalate into such an explosive and shocking revelation?
Even in novels, such dramatic twists wouldn’t be written.
Thinking about Jiang Yantang’s identity and family background, how could Sun Mei, an ignorant rural woman, switch her own child with the Jiang family’s?
Among the onlookers were several older villagers who vaguely remembered past events. Xie Lao Wu wasn’t born in Qiao Xin Village; he was brought back by a pregnant Sun Mei and Old Man Xie after traveling elsewhere.
It was said that during their visit to their ancestral home in Xiejia Town, Sun Mei gave birth prematurely to Xie Lao Wu, and they brought him back to the village.
When he was little, Xie Lao Wu was fair, tender, and exceptionally beautiful. Rumour had it that since he was born elsewhere, he had access to better nutrition than village kids and had even drunk powdered milk.
At the time, many villagers joked that Sun Mei and Old Man Xie must have had their family’s ancestral graves blessed with smoke rising to produce such a radiant and adorable child. Yet Sun Mei didn’t seem happy to hear those comments.
“She even seemed a bit angry,” someone recalled.
“I still remember some things from back then, and now they don’t add up. If he was really her biological child, why wouldn’t she be happy? She didn’t seem confident at the time. I even wondered if she had secretly had a child with another man, but then thought, in our tiny village, who could she have gotten involved with to produce such a child?”
“Exactly! Who could’ve guessed she didn’t steal a man—she stole a baby.”
“No wonder! I always felt something was off. Just look at how Xie Lao Wu was treated as a child. If I had a child like that, I’d pamper him like a treasure. But Sun Mei, with her toad-like eyes, ignored him to fawn over Xie Weiqiang. It’s as if she was kicked in the head by a donkey. Turns out it’s because he wasn’t her own!”
“What a pity, the life Xie Lao Wu had as a child.”
“This malicious woman, how could she do such a thing? She swapped the commander’s child? How dare she!”
“Why wouldn’t she dare? Other people steal gold and silver, and she steals children. Think about how dignified Jiang Yantang looked when he first came to our village. It’s obvious what kind of luxurious life he must have led before. And then look at Xie Mingtu—once a fair, radiant child, he turned into a mistreated, beaten-down young man. He’s the one who truly belonged in that privileged family, but Sun Mei dragged him to the countryside and treated him like dirt, not even letting him go to school.”
“Ha, did you hear what she said earlier? She said she wanted to strangle him when he was just a baby.”
“This woman is terrifying! What she did is a crime!!!”
…
Because of the Xie family’s property dispute today, their courtyard and the surrounding area were packed with people eager to witness the commotion. Some had initially been reluctant to attend, dismissing it as “just another petty fight over property,” but those who did come found themselves drawn into the shocking drama unfolding before their eyes.
…This was more thrilling than watching a play during the New Year.
“What? That’s impossible.”
Zhang Lili, who had recently completed a half-month term of labour re-education, had returned to the village and heard about the Xie family’s dispute. Life had been tough for her since her return. Most villagers looked at her with disdain, shocked by her actions. Even the fellow educated youth who used to associate with her now kept their distance.
Feeling miserable and regretful, Zhang Lili held resentment toward He Liang and Su Xiaoman. When she heard about the Xie family’s property split, she deliberately cleared her schedule to watch the drama unfold.
She came to witness Xie Lao Wu and Su Xiaoman being humiliated and kicked out of the Xie family.
Smiling bitterly to herself, she thought about how stingy and biased Sun Mei was. There was no way Sun Mei would grant Xie Lao Wu and his wife a fair share. Su Xiaoman was destined for hardship.
Perhaps there might even be an intense showdown between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. What a show that would be!
As Zhang Lili wandered near the Xie family home, pretending to be disinterested, she overheard the discussions about the hidden wealth Sun Mei had hoarded and how she was reluctant to share it with Xie Lao Wu. Yet Xie Jianping tried to help his younger brother secure a fair share.
A whole five hundred yuan—asking for that was practically peeling off Sun Mei’s skin.
Outsiders thought Xie Jianping was naive, oblivious to his mother’s partiality.
“Sun Mei doesn’t like Xie Lao Wu, who in the village doesn’t know? Even now that he’s become so handsome, she still doesn’t show him any kindness.”
“It’s strange, isn’t it? They’re all born from the same mother, yet how can she treat one so poorly?”
“There’s an old saying, ‘The emperor loves his eldest son, while commoners dote on the youngest.’ But Sun Mei is an exception. She dislikes the eldest and despises the youngest to an extreme.”
“It’s like he’s not even her biological child.”
“She’s worse than a stepmother!”
As Zhang Lili listened to these discussions, her eyes gleamed with amusement. She thought to herself that Xie Lao Wu was effectively raised by a stepmother. Otherwise, why would he be forced to marry Su Xiaoman?
Then came the dramatic turn of events: Sun Mei and Xie Lao Wu’s wife got into a heated argument, and some people began to criticize Sun Mei’s actions. However, others argued that no matter how bad she was, she was still the elder and deserved respect.
“Did they start fighting?”
“Xie Lao Wu hit the second brother? Oh my, is this really the same timid Lao Wu?”
“They’re fighting! Sun Mei is inside screaming for the police—I could hear her from here.”
“The Xie family’s property split—what a drama! Let’s see how they clean this up.”
The gleam of glee in Zhang Lili’s eyes intensified, but before she could fully relish the scene, another earth-shattering twist unfolded.
Xie Mingtu was a swapped child!!
Sun Mei had swapped someone else’s child!! She had even wanted to strangle him as a baby!!!
… And Sun Mei’s biological son was Jiang Yantang!!!
“Impossible! Su Xiaoman and the others must be lying!!” Zhang Lili exclaimed. DNA test? That had to be fake. Even if it was real, it could only prove that Xie Mingtu wasn’t the Xie family’s child. To link this to Jiang Yantang was utterly ridiculous!
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you all out of your minds? How could you believe such a thing?”
As someone reborn into this life, Zhang Lili refused to believe this development. In her previous life, Jiang Yantang, as an educated youth sent to the countryside, had been entangled with Su Xiaoman. When he eventually returned to the city, he was still the Jiang family’s son. Xie Mingtu never factored into his story.
If not for her schemes in this life delaying Su Xiaoman and forcing her to marry Xie Mingtu, Zhang Lili wouldn’t even remember this invisible figure of the village.
Now they were claiming he was the Jiang family’s son? Preposterous.
Su Xiaoman must have lost her mind—driven by her unfulfilled dream of marrying into a family like Jiang Yantang’s. Having no choice but to settle for Xie Mingtu, she had likely spiralled into delusion and decided to claim that Xie Mingtu was the Jiang family’s child.
Who would believe her?
“Why wouldn’t they believe it?”
“Now that I think about it, Jiang Yantang does look awfully similar to Xie Weiqiang.”
“Yeah, they do look alike, but we never connected them before. Xie Weiqiang doesn’t exactly exude righteousness.”
“But Jiang Yantang? His face could definitely pass as one of the Xie brothers.”
“And all these years, we never noticed that Xie Lao Wu wasn’t really one of the Xie family.”
“Who would’ve thought, looking at what he used to be like?”
At the educated youth point.
While many of the educated youths had gone to watch the Xie family drama, Jiang Yantang and Lin Baijun stayed back, busy tidying up farming tools. As they worked, they chatted casually.
“So the Xie family’s splitting up today. Half the village has gone to watch.”
“Of course. With Sun Mei’s infamous favouritism, even a fool could predict today’s theatrics.”
“Can you believe Xie Huadong’s wife even had an abortion over this whole thing?”
“Zhao Qingqing was up early, dragging people to watch. Should we go see what’s happening?”
Jiang Yantang shook his head slightly, a faint smirk on his lips. “There’s no point in watching.”
Thinking of the Xie family, Jiang Yantang couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.
That family was beneath notice—backward, ignorant, and crude. When would the country finally spread the light of education to such places, enlightening these spiritually impoverished people?
Jiang Yantang had looked into the Xie family before. Old Man Xie was a soft-spoken old smoker whose opinions carried no weight, often mocked in the village during his younger years. Sun Mei? The ultimate petty tyrant. Her blatant favouritism toward Xie Weiqiang was notorious, and the outrageous things she’d done could fill a basket.
Xie Jianping, always absent, left his wife and children to suffer under Sun Mei’s thumb. Xie Weiqiang, shifty and lecherous, had a wife who lazed about and a brat, Xie Yaozu, whose arrogance reached the sky. Then there was Xie Huadong, a man obsessed with having a son and vocal about his disdain for his two daughters.
And as for Xie Lao Wu…
He was the best of a bad lot, but that wasn’t saying much. Born into such a family, his prospects were limited. Without a good education, his worldview would forever be confined to the small plot of Qiao Xin Village.
Operating a tractor, which he probably found worth boasting about, was already the pinnacle of his achievements.
Though Jiang Yantang believed in equality, he couldn’t help but view these ignorant, uneducated farmers as a lesser breed—though he’d never voice such a thought aloud. Poverty-stricken peasants might boast of their roots, but everyone knew that most aspired to urban life. Becoming state-sponsored teachers or doctors represented the ultimate social leap.
Thinking about the Xie family, Jiang Yantang shook his head again. Their plight was beyond his ability to change. One’s birth was immutable.
“Something big just happened! Something huge!!”
Commotion outside the youth point drew their attention. Several people ran breathlessly toward the gate, eager to share shocking news.
“Lin Zhi, didn’t you go watch the drama? What’s the hurry now?” Lin Baijun teased with a smile.
Lin Zhi waved his hand, his flushed face fanning as he caught his breath. “It’s huge! Huge news!”
“Lin Baijun, you don’t know yet. Once you hear this, your jaw will drop.”
“Something with the Xie family?” Lin Baijun asked, intrigued.
“It’s about the Xie family, but it’s more than that.” Lin Zhi’s throat was parched, and despite his eagerness to share, he couldn’t form the words without a drink.
Lin Baijun handed him a glass of water. “Did they start fighting during the split?”
Lin Zhi gulped down the water. “It’s worse than that…”
When he still didn’t spill the details, another returning youth jumped in. “Xie Lao Wu isn’t the Xie family’s biological son.”
Lin Baijun froze. “Huh?!”
Could it be Xie Lao Wu was adopted? No wonder Sun Mei treated him so poorly. He wasn’t even her real child.
“He was swapped at birth.”
“And they’re saying Jiang Yantang is actually Sun Mei’s son!”
Lin Baijun stared in shock. “Jiang Yantang? Jiang who? From where?”
“Our Jiang educated youth!”
Lin Baijun burst out laughing. “You must be joking! Jiang Yantang? Do you know who his family is? How could he possibly…”
But then Lin Baijun’s laughter abruptly stopped.
He suddenly remembered Sun Mei’s strange behaviour—her sneaky visits to the youth point, her inquiries about Jiang Yantang’s background, and the frequent sightings of her hanging around after Jiang Yantang returned from work.
Oh. My. God.
Lin Baijun’s eyes reflected a mix of disbelief and uncertainty.
At first, he didn’t believe it, but now he couldn’t be sure because everything seemed too coincidental.
“Is there any evidence?” he asked.
A nearby educated youth replied, “The word’s already out. Even without evidence, just look at Jiang Yantang and Xie Weiqiang. If you stand them together with the Xie brothers, they’re practically cut from the same mold.”
“Ha—” Lin Baijun let out a few dry laughs, almost amused to death by the thought that Jiang Yantang resembled the Xie brothers.
Suddenly, a vivid image popped into his head: Jiang Yantang and Xie Weiqiang standing side by side—one refined and well-dressed, the other looking somewhat scruffy. Lin Baijun involuntarily shivered.
Good heavens!
It would’ve been fine if no one mentioned it, but now that they had, the resemblance was undeniable.
Could all this really just be coincidence?
“I’m the youngest of the Xie family? I was swapped with Xie Lao Wu on purpose?” When Jiang Yantang first heard this, he found it utterly laughable—absurd to the extreme.
Leaving aside the stark contrast between the Jiang and Xie families, how could he, the much-praised Jiang educated youth, possibly have any connection with the Xie family?
This claim was so ridiculous it didn’t even try to be convincing.
Jiang Yantang came from an exceptional background. As the celebrated youngest son of the Jiang family, he was his mother’s pride and joy. How could he possibly have anything to do with the Xie family?
And yet, hearing this, a strange unease began to rise within him.
He was his mother’s favorite son because of his refined demeanour, his gentle and courteous manners. His mother often said he was just like the children from her family, entirely different from his unruly siblings who had been sent off to the military.
Jiang Yantang was special. He was the child who made his mother most proud.
His mother could only be the elegant Madam Jiang—Xie Yanzhi.
Xie?
The shared surname had to be a coincidence.
Even when the hysterical Sun Mei appeared before him, Jiang Yantang still found the situation utterly absurd.
“They want to steal your identity. They want to steal your identity. You can’t let them succeed.”
At this point, Sun Mei was rambling in desperation. Her mind was in chaos, utterly devoid of any coherent solution. What could she do? Xie Mingtu already knew he wasn’t her son. He also knew he and Jiang Yantang had been swapped. He knew he was the Jiang family’s child.
That wretched Xie Mingtu was surely going to claim her son’s rightful identity.
She couldn’t let that happen.
But Sun Mei had no idea how to stop it. Too many people had witnessed the scene at the property split. This revelation didn’t need further broadcasting—by the end of the day, the entire village, even the surrounding townships, would be buzzing with this extraordinary tale.
Everyone would know.
It was like a bomb detonating in an open field.
In her panic, Sun Mei’s last shred of maternal instinct compelled her to warn her “son” Jiang Yantang. She had to prepare him.
She couldn’t let Xie Mingtu steal her son’s identity.
Sun Mei, unhinged, rushed into the educated youth point, with Xie Weiqiang trailing closely behind. All the youths came out to watch the spectacle.
Most of the youths had already heard the news. Even those who hadn’t would understand the situation just from seeing Sun Mei and Xie Weiqiang here together.
“That’s Sun Mei.”
“And Xie Weiqiang.”
The youths huddled together, whispering. They didn’t want to believe the story, but the evidence was hard to ignore. The Xie family’s drama had reached such a crescendo that it was impossible to dismiss.
Either the Xie family had collectively lost their minds, or…
Xie Weiqiang followed Sun Mei to the youth point, and when he stood in the same frame as Jiang Yantang, it was as if time stopped.
“My god—” A gasp emerged from the crowd of youths.
“They really do look alike!”
Standing apart, the differences in their demeanour masked the resemblance. But now, side by side, their facial features were unmistakably similar. They looked like brothers.
At that moment, everyone watching understood: the claim that Jiang Yantang was Sun Mei’s son wasn’t baseless.
“You can’t let them steal your identity!!” Sun Mei clung to Jiang Yantang’s sleeve, her voice trembling. Beyond this repeated plea, she couldn’t muster any other solution.
All she knew was that she had to warn him. As long as the Jiang family didn’t find out, her son’s identity would remain intact.
Those despicable thieves—this was all jealousy of her son’s status. Yes, it had to be Su Xiaoman. She was the one who schemed for higher status. She had orchestrated this.
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Looking at the dishevelled, crazed woman before him, her rough, dark hands gripping his sleeve, Jiang Yantang felt only disgust. He wanted to push her away.
They want to steal your identity?
Who was stealing whose identity?
More people gathered around—youths and villagers alike. Listening to Sun Mei’s rambling, they all watched silently, their thoughts inscrutable.
Jiang Yantang’s face turned ashen. His composure, carefully maintained by years of refined upbringing, was on the verge of collapse. He turned to look at Xie Weiqiang. Seeing his face and recalling Xie Mingtu’s, he felt as though he’d fallen into an icy abyss.
Unbidden, his mind returned to Xie Mingtu’s face. There had always been an unsettling familiarity about it, though he hadn’t thought much of it before. Now, he didn’t dare to think further.
Why did he resemble Xie Weiqiang? And why did Xie Mingtu…
Jiang Yantang’s body stiffened. “What do you mean by ‘steal identity’? Whose identity?”
If Xie Mingtu had been swapped at birth, the rightful Jiang family son was him. The one robbed of his identity was also him. Yet here was this deranged woman, raving about not letting them take her son’s identity.
It was like a thief accusing the rightful owner of stealing.
This shameless woman—could she truly be his mother?
“If Xie Mingtu is the Jiang family’s child, then this identity rightfully belongs to him.” Jiang Yantang was still unwilling to believe the truth, assuming Sun Mei was just causing trouble in a fit of madness. He followed her words, testing the waters with a probing statement.
If Xie Mingtu was truly the Jiang family’s child, then who was stealing whose identity?
“I fought for this identity for you! If it’s yours, you can’t let anyone take it away.” Sun Mei, uneducated and having lived her entire life in the village, had no concept of reason. Her understanding of logic boiled down to who could shout louder and hit harder.
She was accustomed to twisting the truth. As long as it served her interests, she would insist the dead were alive—and she truly believed it herself.
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