Chapter 133: Chapter 133 Unable to Accept
Third Aunt took Song Xiaoruâs hand and said, "Xiaoru, weâve kept this secret for more than twenty years, and now itâs time to tell you."
"What exactly is it?" Song Xiaoruâs heart was pounding ceaselessly, her voice trembling, and her face so pale it had not a trace of color.
Second Uncle sighed and picked up where she left off, "Actually, Xiaodong is not your biological brother."
"What?" Song Xiaoruâs eyes went wide, staring at Second Uncle.
Third Aunt emphasized, "Your Second Uncle is right, Xiaodong was found by your parents."
"This... this... how is this possible? It absolutely canât be!" Song Xiaoru shook her head vehemently.
Third Aunt said, "Xiaoru, why are you so worked up about this? Xiaodong was found, but your parents always treated him like their own son. Since your parents are gone, havenât you always treated him like your real brother? You never treated him poorly; weâve all seen it. In the hardest times, you always saved the best for him."
"Is this... Second Uncle, youâre not joking with me, are you?" Song Xiaoruâs mouth twitched twice in quick succession, her gaze looking quite helpless.
Third Aunt continued, "We couldnât possibly joke about this. When your parents passed away, if it were just you, weâd all certainly be obligated to take care of you. But Xiaodong is not our own flesh and blood, so naturally, we felt somewhat uncomfortable about it."
Seeing Song Xiaoru remain silent, Third Aunt patted the back of her hand and said, "Years ago, I wanted to discuss this, to spare you the hardship of taking care of him, but everyone told me not to say anything, so I endured. But now that Xiaodong has become so capable, Third Aunt thinks, since your affection for each other is so strong, and you are not blood siblings, why not just be together? Then you would truly be a family."
At this point, Second Auntie joined in, "I also think what Second Aunt said makes sense. No matter how good the siblingâs bond, it canât last a lifetime. When you both marry others, that bond will fade, but if the two of you marry, that would be quite nice."
Song Xiaoru shook her head vigorously, then raised both hands to rub her forehead, saying, "Let me have a moment to calm down, this... I just canât digest this all at once."
Second Auntie said, "Xiaoru, whatâs there to be upset about? You are your parentsâ own child."
Song Xiaoru paused for a moment, feeling like Second Auntieâs words actually made sense, but then she smiled bitterly and said, "The key is that in my heart, Xiaodong has always been my own brother. Now that this has come up... I really donât know how to face Xiaodong, let alone how he would react if he found out... Ah! No, no, we absolutely canât let him know."
Upon hearing this, Third Aunt became anxious, "You donât want him to know, but how will you explain your relationship to him?"
"Our relationship? What about our relationship?" Song Xiaoru asked, puzzled.
Third Aunt smacked her lips, shook her head, and said, "You child, didnât you listen to what I just said? Since youâre not siblings, of course, you can marry. Xiaodong is so capable; naturally, he canât marry someone from outside. Wouldnât it be perfect if you were together?"
Song Xiaoruâs expression turned to one of extreme horror, "Third Aunt, thatâs impossible. Even if Xiaodong isnât my biological brother, in my heart, he is still my own brother."
"Yes, yes, this is adding kinship to kinship."
"No, no, thatâs... thatâs absolutely nonsense. Right, right, please donât tell Xiaodong about this, or he will definitely not be able to accept it."
"You..."
Third Aunt still wanted to persuade her, but Song Xiaoru firmly shook her head and said, "It doesnât matter whether Xiaodong was picked up or not, it wonât affect the sibling love between us at all. Stop talking about it, Iâll pretend this conversation never happened."
Second Uncle nodded and said, "Xiaoru is right about this. Letâs just drop it. Arenât things fine as they are now? Xiaodong has always been protective of Xiaoru. Even if he marries someone else in the future, he will definitely take care of Xiaoru."
Third Aunt, however, was somewhat reluctant and said, "Itâs still not the same. Having oneâs own family is more convenient."
After exchanging a few words with He Wenbai, Song Xiaodong was somewhat surprised to find that this man, in his fifties, had already grasped some of the principles in such a short time.
You have to know, when Song Xiaodong was a student, out of more than a hundred elites, only Song Xiaodong achieved success; the rest were completely clueless, which really shows that this matter truly depends on oneâs fate.
Song Xiaodong couldnât help but give He Wenbai a new level of respect and said, "Old He, it seems you really have a destiny with this Cultivation Technique. I estimate that if you keep practicing this way, you will certainly make achievements."
"Mr. Song, is that true?" He Wenbai suddenly became excited.
Song Xiaodong nodded and said, "Apart from fate, I feel that you have always studied Traditional Chinese Medicine. You have a better understanding of the meridians in the body, which probably makes it easier for you to understand."
He Wenbai rubbed his hands together excitedly and said, "Does that mean I could eventually, like Mr. Song, use silver needles to treat patients?"
Song Xiaodong smiled faintly and said, "I canât guarantee that, but I think after a year or two, you probably can. And who knows, over time, you might achieve an even greater prowess."
"Ha... Mr. Song, you really flatter me. If I could reach even half of what you can, no, no, no! Even one-tenth, my life would be worthwhile."
Song Xiaodong appreciated He Wenbai and discussed further with him. He Wenbai completely adopted the attitude of a disciple when consulting Song Xiaodong, and Song Xiaodong felt that he too gained a deeper understanding through their conversation.
After chatting with He Wenbai for a while, Song Xiaodong returned to the obstetrics and gynecology department and saw Song Xiaoru and others chatting in the corridor, although Song Xiaoruâs face looked somewhat upset.
This made Song Xiaodong instantly annoyed. Could it be that Third Aunt and the others had said something unpleasant again?
Song Xiaoru was the first to see Song Xiaodong. She quickly whispered, "You mustnât bring this up," and then tossing her hair, she stood up, trying to show a smile, but the smile was rather forced.
"Sister! Whatâs wrong?" Song Xiaodong came over with a stern face, especially looking towards Third Aunt.
Seeing Song Xiaodongâs expression, Song Xiaoru immediately said, "Donât overthink it. I was just talking with Aunt and Uncle about our parents, so I got a bit emotional."
Third Aunt awkwardly twisted her mouth and said, "Xiaodong, I didnât say anything out of line."
Although everyoneâs expressions seemed odd, and their words insincere, from their attitudes it appeared they hadnât been bullying Song Xiaoru. So, it wasnât the right time to press further. Song Xiaodong would ask his sister in private later.
With nothing else to do there, Song Xiaodong said to Song Xiaoru, "Sister, Iâm taking you somewhere today."