Adopted Son: Want me to persuade him?
A Certain Military District
“Did you hear? Something big happened with the Jiang family.”
“Which Jiang family?”
“Which else? The one at the top.”
“Jiang Yantang isn’t their biological child? He was switched at birth?”
“What? How could something like that happen?”
…
The story of the Jiang family’s child-switching scandal spread rapidly through the military district. It was a tale of intrigue never before heard: the Jiang family’s true biological son had been secretly swapped at birth and raised by a rural woman who beat and scolded him. Meanwhile, the son of that rural woman had been pampered and cherished by Madam Jiang, also known as Xie Yanzhi, for over a decade.
The biological child grew up uneducated, a rural “muddy-legs” farmer. His wife? A young rural girl. In contrast, the imposter—Jiang Yantang—had been treated with the utmost care, polished into a shining, scholarly gentleman.
“Hilarious! Xie Yanzhi deserves this. Serves her right!” Wang Yiping, a woman who had long been at odds with Xie Yanzhi, nearly doubled over with laughter.
Wang Yiping had clashed with Xie Yanzhi countless times over the years. Their husbands held similar ranks, and their rivalry extended to children, furniture, and every imaginable arena. Xie Yanzhi used to boast about her precious youngest son, Jiang Yantang. But now? The son she doted on wasn’t even hers!
“Xie Yanzhi is such a joke! I almost pity her—almost. It’s tragic, really. Her biological son turned out to be a simple farmer with no education, while she’s been doting on someone else’s child all these years,” Wang Yiping said with mock sympathy.
Zhang Feiqiao, another woman in their circle, smirked. “It’s a real scandal, that’s for sure. You probably don’t know the juicy details. When that woman who switched the babies was arrested, she shamelessly claimed that her biological son’s father was a high-ranking officer and demanded to be released.”
Xu Nana covered her mouth as she chuckled. “Oh, she probably thought Madam Jiang would be so grateful for giving her such an outstanding ‘son’ that she’d plead for her release. After all, Jiang Yantang is practically a gift, isn’t he?”
Wang Yiping, Zhang Feiqiao, and Xu Nana made up one of the cliques in the district. Unlike the group led by Xie Yanzhi, which was full of sycophants who showered her with flattery, Wang Yiping’s circle prided themselves on their straightforwardness. They relished any opportunity to see Xie Yanzhi stumble.
“Do you think they’ll bring her real son back soon? And that little rural daughter-in-law? I can’t wait to see the spectacle!” Zhang Feiqiao teased.
“Oh my, her eldest and second sons aren’t even married yet, and her youngest already has a wife! She’s going to be a grandma soon—we should throw her a celebration,” Xu Nana quipped.
Meanwhile, the Jiang household was in chaos.
“Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!” Xie Yanzhi muttered repeatedly, her usual poised demeanour utterly shattered. “Yantang isn’t my child? He’s my youngest son!”
Xie Yanzhi had learned about the child-switching incident but couldn’t accept the truth. The boy she had raised with so much love and care was not her own.
Could there have been a mistake? Was this just a ploy by that rural boy to steal Yantang’s identity?
Her Yantang was her son, the one she had painstakingly nurtured. Among her four children, she had always been closest to her youngest. She remembered how frail he had been at birth, born in the cold of winter, his cries weak, his body delicate.
Unlike his robust older siblings, Jiang Yantang had required her constant attention. Over the years, he had grown into a remarkable young man—handsome, refined, and highly educated, the pride of the military district.
How could it be that he wasn’t her biological son? And that her real son was some uneducated farmer, married to a rural girl? The mere thought made Xie Yanzhi’s chest tighten.
“You want to bring them back?” she snapped when her husband, Jiang Liming, told her of his plans.
Jiang Liming replied firmly, “They’re our biological children. Of course, we’re bringing them back. Don’t you want to meet your real son and daughter-in-law?”
Unlike his wife, Jiang Liming had come to terms with the truth. He felt deeply guilty for the suffering his real son had endured due to their negligence. They owed him compensation and care.
Moreover, as a man, he couldn’t stomach the idea of raising someone else’s child for over a decade while his own son suffered.
“Why rush to bring them here? They’ve been in the countryside for so long; they’re used to that life. Why disrupt everything by bringing them to the city?” Xie Yanzhi protested.
She couldn’t bear the thought of two rural people in the Jiang household. She feared they’d bring with them all the bad habits of the countryside and embarrass the family in front of their peers.
Her rivals, especially Wang Yiping, would have a field day mocking her.
“My son isn’t going to stay in that godforsaken village!” Jiang Liming said, his voice rising. “He’s our flesh and blood. As his parents, we owe it to him to bring him home.”
“Can’t we just send them some money every month and let them live their lives in the countryside?”
Jiang Liming’s hand trembled as he pointed at his wife. “That’s your son. How can you be so heartless? Don’t you want to meet him, even once?”
Xie Yanzhi hesitated, her mind torn. She couldn’t reconcile the idea of losing Jiang Yantang while accepting this unknown child in his place.
Seeing her hesitation, Jiang Liming dropped a stack of documents in front of her. “Look at this. Read what your real son has endured and how that vile woman treated him while we raised her child like a prince.”
But Xie Yanzhi couldn’t bring herself to read them. She feared the truth even as she clung to denial.
Her thoughts remained with Jiang Yantang, the son she had loved and nurtured. Blood ties or not, he was her child in every way that mattered.
The guest, Mo Xuanyi, also tried to comfort Xie Yanzhi. “Auntie Xie, you’ve raised Yantang for over ten years. No matter what, he can still be considered half your son.”
“He’ll definitely repay your kindness and take care of you in the future.”
“Why not formally adopt him? He could still be considered your child with Uncle Jiang.”
Xie Yanzhi froze for a moment. “Adopt him?”
Her breath caught as a glimmer of hope lit her heart. This idea seemed feasible—formally adopting Jiang Yantang as her foster son would still keep him as part of the Jiang family.
Though that vile woman Sun Mei had swapped the children, she had inadvertently given Xie Yanzhi an outstanding son. Over the years, Xie Yanzhi had felt immense pride in having such a remarkable child.
The thought of Jiang Yantang suffering in the countryside was unbearable. Adopting him as her foster son would effectively mean she had five children instead of four.
However, when Jiang Liming heard of the idea, he firmly shook his head. “No way. That’s absolutely out of the question. He’s that woman Sun’s son.”
“Why not? Sun Mei’s actions were hers alone—they had nothing to do with him. He was just a child. In fact, I feel grateful to her in a way; she gave me such an excellent son.”
“How can you even say such a thing? Have you read the files? How can you not feel heartache for your biological son? Did you ever consider how adopting Jiang Yantang might make your real son feel?”
“Why wouldn’t he accept it? He and his wife have already been brought to the city, which is far better than the life they had in the countryside. If we arrange jobs for them, what could they possibly resent?”
Xie Yanzhi saw no problem with the arrangement. To her, Jiang Yantang was already part of the Jiang family after living with them for over a decade. Formalizing this as adoption was just a formality.
As for her biological son, she believed giving him and his wife city jobs was more than generous.
“You’re too stubborn! Do you realize this will only sow discord in the family?” Jiang Liming shook his head. “How can you be so heartless toward your biological son?”
“Jiang Liming, Yantang has called you ‘father’ for over ten years. Can’t you fulfil some fatherly responsibility toward him? Even if he isn’t our biological child, can you really bear to see him return to that wretched family?”
“We’re not struggling financially. What’s wrong with raising one more child?”
“You need to send Jiang Leiyan to fetch both Xie Mingtu and Yantang. If Yantang refuses to come, they can all stay where they are!”
When Jiang Liming relayed his wife’s demand to Jiang Leiyan, he was met with outrage.
“Ridiculous! If he doesn’t want to come back, why should I force him? My mom must’ve lost her mind. Is she insane? She’s still clinging to someone else’s son while ignoring her own!”
“How can you talk about your mother like that?”
“I’m not going to persuade him! I’ll bring back my little brother and his wife, and if we’re not allowed in the house, so be it. I’ll just take them to see Grandpa and Grandma.”
After hanging up, Jiang Leiyan sneered. His mother’s obsession with Jiang Yantang disgusted him.
Clenching and unclenching his fists, he vented his frustration by punching a tree before heading toward the Su family’s old home to pick up Xie Mingtu and Su Xiaoman.
At the Su family, Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu were getting ready to head to the Jiang household. They had informed the Su family, as there were things to arrange in their absence—like tending to the vegetable garden and caring for the chickens and ducks.
“Don’t worry,” Liu Shufeng reassured her daughter. “Your eldest sister-in-law and I will take care of everything while you’re gone.”
“And don’t forget about Xiao Hei,” Su Xiaoman added, referring to the small black puppy Xie Mingtu had recently brought home.
Liu Shufeng hugged the puppy, delighted. “I’ve always wanted a little dog like this! Such a cute little guy. Xiao Hei, is it?”
Before leaving, Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu had lunch with the Su family. Liu Shufeng took the opportunity to remind them to stay vigilant.
“I don’t know what kind of people the Jiang family are,” she said, worry evident in her voice. “If things don’t go well, just come back.”
Though her son-in-law had gone from a poor rural boy to a cadre’s son, Liu Shufeng couldn’t shake her unease. What if the Jiang family rejected them? What if they only acknowledged their biological son and refused to accept Xiaoman as their daughter-in-law?
Her husband, Su Guodong, scoffed at her fretting. “Kids will carve their own paths. You worrying won’t help. Xiaoman’s grown a lot since getting married. Have some faith.”
“But now our daughter’s married into such a family—I’m scared.”
“What’s there to fear? If they mistreat her, let her divorce him. Xiaoman is beautiful and capable. There’s no shortage of men who’d want to marry her.”
“At worst, we’ll support her ourselves. She can live with us for the rest of her life.”
When it was time to leave, Su Guodong and the Su brothers had a word with Xie Mingtu, warning him not to stray or hurt Xiaoman.
“If you start looking at other women, don’t drag Xiaoman down with you.”
“Even if you’re part of the Jiang family now, you’d better treat her right.”
By the time Su Xiaoman fetched her husband, Xie Mingtu was already making heartfelt promises.
“Xiaoman, don’t worry. I’ll always be good to you. You’re the only one in my heart—no one else will ever matter.”
“Manman, don’t leave me. We’ll only marry once in this lifetime. When I turn twenty, we’ll register our marriage, and we’ll never divorce. If the Jiang family treats you poorly, I won’t go back to them either.”
…
Su Xiaoman couldn’t help but laugh, but her heart felt warm. “What on earth did my dad and brothers say to you to get such a reaction?”
“Why are you worrying so much about the future? We can’t predict everything. Let’s just focus on the present.”
“Mingtu, you don’t need to make so many promises to me. Saying you’ll treat me well for a lifetime sounds nice, but a lifetime is long. It’s not your words that will convince me—it’s your actions.”
Xie Mingtu held his beloved close, his gaze locked onto hers. His lips gently kissed her temple, her forehead, her cheeks, and even her petite nose before softly brushing her lips.
“Manman, I’ll spend my entire life proving it to you,” he said earnestly, his peach blossom eyes brimming with sincerity and emotion.
Su Xiaoman felt as though she were falling under a spell cast by his eyes. In that moment, she truly believed him.
But a lifetime is a long time. They were only eighteen or nineteen now. Could a young man’s promises really stand the test of time?
Would they grow old together as a loving couple or become bitter adversaries after years of conflict?
Closing her eyes, Su Xiaoman pushed those thoughts aside. “Mingtu, let’s not talk about forever just yet.”
“Manman…” Xie Mingtu’s eyes widened, worried that she might not believe him. He had sworn to love her forever, to always treat her well.
Su Xiaoman kissed him lightly on the lips. “I believe you—for now. But saying you’ll love me forever is a long and daunting promise. It’s not something that can be achieved in an instant.”
“Doggie brother, let’s set a small goal first, okay? Let me happily wear the wedding dress I’ve sewn myself and marry you.”
“Okay,” Xie Mingtu replied, his voice a little hoarse. He lowered his head and captured her lips in a tender kiss.
Their intimacy still stopped at kisses and embraces. Su Xiaoman knew how much he struggled but admired that he never forced her. If his emotions got the better of him, he would either endure it quietly or go take a cold shower.
With the weather growing colder as winter approached, Su Xiaoman couldn’t bear to see him suffer. She thought that once they returned from the Jiang family, she might finally give in.
With Jiang Leiyan’s leave being short, their departure was swift. Before leaving, Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu visited her second brother, who worked at a factory in the county.
The second brother didn’t have much time to chat but managed to meet his brother-in-law.
In just a couple of months, this brother-in-law’s life had undergone a seismic shift. From a poor rural boy, he had become the child of a cadre family.
Su Xiaoman’s second brother was happy for her.
“Take good care of Xiaoman,” he said firmly to Xie Mingtu, who nodded solemnly in response.
With only a few words exchanged, they left for the train station.
At the train station, aside from Jiang Leiyan, another person joined them: Jiang Yantang.
Jiang Yantang had come on his own. With Jiang Leiyan’s blunt temperament, he certainly hadn’t gone back to the educated youth point to persuade him. Perhaps it was Lin Baijun’s words that had swayed Jiang Yantang to return to the Jiang family.
To Jiang Yantang, this was an opportunity to put an end to his connection with the Jiang family. Additionally, he wanted to escape the chaos of Qiao Xin Village, particularly the entanglements with the Xie family. If he had to remain a sent-down youth, he wanted to be stationed far away from them.
Old Man Xie and Xie Weiqiang had been pestering him, hoping he could find a way to get Sun Mei released.
Jiang Yantang had no intention of fulfilling such a request.
“But she’s your biological mother!”
“She sacrificed everything for you to have a better life!”
“She made mistakes, but it was all for you!”
“If you have any sense of gratitude, you’ll help your mother. She’s your flesh and blood. Now that you’ve found a wealthy family, how can you forget your real mother?”
Jiang Leiyan hadn’t expected Jiang Yantang to join them voluntarily, but it came as a relief. His task was now complete—both individuals were heading to the Jiang family.
However, the atmosphere among the group was far from harmonious. They travelled in silence, each keeping to themselves.
Jiang Yantang had little to say to Jiang Leiyan. His relationship with the Jiang family was already strained.
As for Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu, they had no intention of engaging with Jiang Yantang. Jiang Leiyan had initially wanted to chat more with the couple, but Jiang Yantang’s presence made it awkward.
In this peculiar silence, they arrived at the Jiang household.
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