Chapter 174: Reuniting with Family
Her expression seemed to say, ’See? You did prepare after all.’
Yue Yihan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I just thought, if they’re picky with you, I can just throw this stuff in their faces."
Xie Changning raised an eyebrow but didn’t say much, just nodded.
Yue Yihan was a little embarrassed and didn’t talk much for the rest of the drive.
The atmosphere between them remained quiet all the way to the military base.
After they got out of the car, they headed for He Liuzhang’s office. He Liuzhang, dressed in his military uniform, was already there waiting for them.
"You two are wearing that?" He Liuzhang asked in surprise.
’They’re from Beijing, and they have high status. Aren’t the two of them being a little too casual?’
Yue Yihan nodded. "Since this is a family reunion, there’s no need to dress so formally."
’Otherwise, people might think I’m actually looking forward to this reunion.’
"Besides—"
"I don’t see anything wrong with what I’m wearing. My wife and I are in our everyday clothes. I trust that if they don’t hold any prejudice against me, they won’t be nitpicking our attire."
All nitpicking stems from prejudice.
Yue Yihan’s words convinced He Liuzhang. He didn’t press the issue, instead just straightening Yue Yihan’s collar. "Well, since you have it figured out, I won’t say any more. They’re already waiting in the main conference room. Let’s go."
Xie Changning followed the two men toward the base’s main conference room.
The main conference room was a bit of a walk from He Liuzhang’s office. It took them nearly ten minutes to get there.
From a distance, they could see six armed guards standing at the entrance to the main conference room.
Hearing footsteps, the guards turned, glanced at the three of them, and then opened the door to the conference room.
As the door swung open, Xie Changning peeked through the gap between He Liuzhang and Yue Yihan and saw a group of people inside. Someone was wiping away tears, while another was whispering words of comfort.
Others seemed to be standing aloof, as if it had nothing to do with them.
Seeing so many people, Xie Changning had the strong urge to exclaim, ’That’s a lot of people...’
’They seem to be a large family.’
When the conference room door opened, the activity inside ceased. All eyes immediately fell upon Yue Yihan.
A woman with graying hair was especially noticeable. She took two nervous steps forward, joy blooming on her face. "Ashan... It’s Ashan..."
Her voice trembling, she turned her head to grab her husband’s hand.
Hearing this, Xie Changning figured that Ashan was probably Yue Yihan’s childhood name.
The moment they saw the photograph, the family had already confirmed Yue Yihan was their child. The resemblance between Yue Yihan and his biological father was simply too strong. Among so many siblings, he was the one who looked the most like him.
That was why they had rushed over so eagerly after receiving Yue Yihan’s photo.
They just wanted to reclaim their son.
Yue Yihan showed no outward emotion in response to their display. He simply saluted the man. "Yue Yihan, Regiment Commander of the Army 72nd Division, 69th Brigade, 103rd Regiment, reporting to the Chief! Good day, Chief!"
His voice was firm and powerful.
Devoid of any personal sentiment.
They had already learned of Yue Yihan’s rank when they received his file, but seeing him in person now, they were absolutely thrilled.
’Our son turned out so well.’
"Good, good, good. Good boy, come in quickly."
Yue Yihan didn’t enter. Instead, he introduced He Liuzhang, explaining that without the Brigade Commander, he wouldn’t be where he was today.
Yue Yihan’s action caused the younger people in the conference room to frown in displeasure.
However, it wasn’t their place to speak at that moment, so they didn’t interject.
The man Yue Yihan had addressed as "Chief" walked out of the conference room, came up to He Liuzhang, and shook his hand. "I know everything. Our whole family is incredibly grateful to you for keeping Ashan alive. Let’s not stand out here. Let’s all go inside to talk."
The Chief looked very stern, but the moment he spoke, one could tell he was a very kind old man.
Xie Changning observed the Chief and his wife for a long moment before finally coming to a conclusion.
’They’re about the same age as my own parents.’
’They must have been quite old when they had Yue Yihan...’
The three of them followed the Chief into the conference room. It was only as they were moving that the Chief and his wife noticed Xie Changning.
The moment they saw her, a flash of delight appeared in both their eyes.
’So this is Ashan’s wife...’
’Not only is she beautiful, but she’s also very capable. Our Ashan really married up.’
Sensing their scrutiny, Xie Changning spoke politely to them. "Hello, Chief. I am Yue Yihan’s wife, Xie Changning."
"Good, good, good. A good child."
The more the Chief’s wife looked at Xie Changning, the more satisfied she was.
It was only the others present who regarded Xie Changning with a faint, appraising gaze.
Just then, a man who looked to be in his forties approached Yue Yihan and Xie Changning. "I’m Han Yuanzhong, your eldest brother. The people behind me are my wife, your second brother and his wife, your older sister and her husband, and your nieces and nephews."
After Han Yuanzhong finished the introductions, Yue Yihan’s gaze swept over the people around him.
Sensing their varied expressions, he didn’t say anything, merely looking at the Chief and his wife. "I have no memory of the past." ’If some of them don’t want to accept me back, I have no objection.’
He had absolutely no memory of the Han Family.
Whether he returned to them or not would have no impact on his life.
The Chief and his wife understood the subtext of Yue Yihan’s words. They came up to him, each taking one of his hands. "Their feelings don’t matter. *We* are the ones who want you back. You are our child!"
"That is a fact no one can change! Anyone who doesn’t accept you can get out of this family!"
The couple’s attitude was resolute.
This was also why the younger generation had all come along.
The Chief and his wife had given the order: anyone who didn’t come along would no longer be considered their descendant and would not be allowed to live in the family home anymore!
The couple’s status within the family was, of course, unquestionable. So, even though some family members were reluctant, they had to come.
In the eyes of the Han Family members, even though Yue Yihan was a regiment commander, he was still just a coarse boor. To them, he was an uneducated barbarian.
However, they hadn’t expected Yue Yihan to have such a powerful presence.
That’s why, upon seeing him, they didn’t immediately cause trouble but chose to observe him instead.
And after observing, they realized it wasn’t just Yue Yihan who was formidable—he also had a formidable wife.
The name Xie Changning had been reported in the Beijing dailies many times before.
She was an incredibly capable woman, the "Foreign Exchange King" who had created a sales myth for a single province in China!