Chapter 230
Shen Nanchu was right; Lei Mingyuan was indeed a very smart man.
Even though a stormy sea was raging in his heart, he still pretended to be calm and breezy as he returned to the Lei family home.
When he arrived at the Lei house, everyone was there, even Lei Zhenhua. The living room was bustling with noise and excitement.
However, the moment Lei Mingyuan walked in, the lively living room instantly fell dead silent.
A playful smile curled at the corners of Lei Mingyuan's mouth.
"Mingyuan is back? Have you eaten yet?"
Lei Zhenhua's face wore a perfectly measured look of concern.
"I'm full."
Seeing Lei Zhenhua's hypocritical face, Lei Mingyuan felt full without even eating.
"I'm a bit tired, I'll go upstairs first."
"Go ahead!"
After Lei Mingyuan went upstairs, the living room resumed its former liveliness.
When the Lei family's Lao'er, Lei Mingguo, saw Shen Hong's eyes following Lei Mingyuan, his face instantly darkened.
"What?"
"Do you think this cheap bastard is better than me?"
Meeting her man's cold, gloomy gaze, Shen Hong shuddered.
"H-how is that possible?"
Shen Hong wore a fawning smile on her face.
Good looks couldn't put food on the table, and she wasn't stupid.
Lei Mingguo coldly snorted, "Remember, who is the real member of the Lei family?"
"Lao'er, watch your words." Lei Zhenhua glanced at Lei Mingguo.
Lei Mingguo immediately shut his mouth.
Standing at the corner, Lei Mingyuan took all of this in.
In fact, even if Shen Nanchu hadn't warned him, he had faintly sensed the strange atmosphere in the Lei family.
Now that he knew the truth of the matter, Lei Mingyuan could make sense of the Lei family's attitude toward him.
Some things required an early decision.
Lei Mingyuan made up his mind.
...
For two days in a row, Shen Nanchu had Pei Yunzhou guard the gate of the small courtyard, afraid they wouldn't hear if Lei Mingyuan knocked.
Unfortunately, for these three days, let alone a knock on the door, there wasn't even the meow of a stray cat.
It wasn't until the third day, after lunch.
Lei Mingyuan stood outside the courtyard gate, feeling both nervous and apprehensive.
He had come after all. He still wanted to know the whole truth about his background, and he wanted to see what this home, which was supposed to be his, actually looked like.
A knock sounded at the Pei family's small door.
"Sister-in-law, Big, Big Brother is knocking at the door."
Pei Yunzhou rushed into the house in pleasant surprise and shouted.
Everyone in the family had already been informed about Pei Zhengwei and Lei Mingyuan being switched at birth.
After all, if Pei Zhengwei wanted to pull any little tricks in the Pei family, Pei Yunzhou and the others, not knowing the truth, could easily be fooled.
Shen Nanchu went to open the door for Lei Mingyuan.
"Have you had lunch? Big Brother."
Big Brother?
Lei Mingyuan was taken aback by Shen Nanchu's form of address.
"Are you always this direct?"
"Doesn't your coming here mean that you've also accepted your identity?"
Shen Nanchu answered with a question.
Lei Mingyuan smiled.
Shen Nanchu also smiled.
"Let's go!"
"Grandpa and Grandma, and Mom are all waiting for you!"
"Mhm."
Lei Mingyuan nodded and followed Shen Nanchu into the courtyard.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Grandpa Pei, Grandma Pei, and Pei's Mother standing at the door of the main house.
Three pairs of eyes stared straight at him, filled with complex emotions. There was excitement, heartache, and a trace of imperceptible guilt.
Pei's Mother was the first to walk over.
She reached out her hand, wanting to touch Lei Mingyuan's face, but hesitated and pulled it back, her tears falling first.
"Child... you have suffered so much all these years."
Her voice was choked with sobs, every word trembling. Tears streamed down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.
She raised her hand to wipe away the tears, but the more she wiped, the more they fell. Finally, she simply grabbed Lei Mingyuan's hand and held it tightly, as if afraid he would run away. "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..."
Grandpa Pei stood to the side, leaning on a walking stick, but his back was straight.
He was a man of few words and rarely showed his emotions, but at this moment, his eyes were red, and his lips trembled, unable to speak for a long time.
He looked at Lei Mingyuan, his eyes full of tender affection, as if trying to make up for more than twenty years of debt through his gaze alone.
After a long while, he slowly opened his mouth, his voice hoarse.
"Good child, these years... you have been wronged. From now on, this is your home, and no one will dare to bully you anymore."
After saying that, he turned his head away and secretly used the head of his cane to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes.
He was the pillar of the family and couldn't lose his composure in front of the children, but the excitement and guilt in his heart simply couldn't be hidden.
Grandma Pei also stepped up to Lei Mingyuan's side, unable to stop her tears from falling.
"Eldest Son, we have failed you. You have worked so hard all these years."
She reached out to touch Lei Mingyuan's shoulder, then quickly pulled back, as if afraid of startling him.
Looking at the three elders in front of him, their faces covered in tears, Lei Mingyuan felt as if something had struck his heart. It was warm, yet slightly aching.
In the Lei family, he had never felt such care. Lei Zhenhua only cared about how outstanding he was, and Mother Lei was busy spending money and playing cards, let alone showing such heartfelt aching for him.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say a few words of comfort, but didn't know what to say, so he could only nod gently.
At this time, Pei Zhengnian, Pei Yunxi, and Pei Yunzhou also gathered around.
Pei Zhengnian patted Lei Mingyuan's shoulder and said with a smile,
"Big Brother, welcome home. From now on, we are a family. If anything happens, we will bear it together."
He deliberately took a watch out of his pocket and handed it to Lei Mingyuan.
"I asked someone to buy this from Shanghai. Although it's not a great watch, it's convenient to wear. Please accept it."
Pei Yunxi held a box in her hand and handed it over with a blushing face.
"Big Brother, this is a fountain pen I bought for you. You can use it at work."
The funniest was Pei Yunzhou. He ran back into the house, carried out a large cardboard box, and mysteriously handed it to Lei Mingyuan.
"Big Brother, this is the gift I prepared for you. I guarantee you'll like it!"
Lei Mingyuan opened it and saw that it actually contained a dozen glass marbles and a slingshot. These were Pei Yunzhou's most treasured everyday toys.
Pei Yunzhou scratched his head and said embarrassedly,
"I didn't know what you liked, but these are my favorite things. I'm giving them to you so we can play marbles together in the future!"
Looking at the marbles and slingshot in the box, and then at Pei Yunzhou's expectant eyes, Lei Mingyuan couldn't help but smile.
Although the gift was childish, it was filled with utter sincerity. He nodded.
"Thank you, Yunzhou, I like it very much."
Hearing this, Pei Yunzhou immediately got excited.
"Really? Then let's play marbles in the courtyard tomorrow! I'll teach you how to play and guarantee you'll win!"
Looking at the enthusiastic Pei family, although Lei Mingyuan didn't show much emotion on his face, his heart felt as if it had been soaked in warm water, nice and warm.
He could clearly feel that this enthusiasm was not faked; it was a heartfelt welcome, a genuine closeness that truly treated him as family.
During dinner, Father Pei also quietly rushed back.
He had just gotten off work at his unit and hadn't had time to change clothes. He was still wearing that gray Zhongshan suit, with a bit of dust on the collar.
As soon as he walked through the door, he rushed straight over to Lei Mingyuan. Taking his hands, he looked him up and down.
"Mingyuan, let Dad get a good look at you."
His eyes were brimming with overwhelming emotion, mixed with a trace of guilt.
As a father, it broke his heart that he hadn't been able to find his son sooner, leaving him to endure so much hardship out in the world.
...