Chapter 81 - 079 Recognizing godparents
Old Man kept puffing on his water pipe silently, his mind tumultuously turning. The doubts that had plagued him for days were finally being answered. If his guess was correct, He Xuewen must be Ah Nan’s biological father. No wonder he insisted on settling in Yuequan Village and treated Ah Nan so well. Now he even eagerly wanted to establish a formal familial tie, obviously to look after his daughter close by! However, why wouldn’t he acknowledge Ah Nan as his own? Old Man was still puzzled about this.
"Fugao, ask He Xuewen to come see me," he spoke to Zhong Fugao after pondering for a moment, "Tell him I have a few questions to ask him. If his answers satisfy me, we will agree on the familial ties."
Tian Manjin was anxious, this was not the time for family ties; He Xuewen was about to take his daughter away from him. If they recognized the relationship, he didn’t know how far He Xuewen would push him aside. Old Man glanced at Tian Manjin signaling him to stay calm, and Tian Manjin had no choice but to forcefully swallow the words that had reached his throat.
After receiving the message from Zhong Fugao, He Xuewen felt a shock of apprehension. Could Old Man have figured something out? He took a deep breath, decided to take things step by step, and if necessary, he would reveal the truth to Old Man, believing that with the latter’s love for Ah Nan, he would not let her fall into danger.
Old Man led He Xuewen into the room and asked everyone else to wait outside. Although Tian Sisi appeared calm, she was immensely worried, fearing that He Xuewen might have upset Old Man in some way.
After He Xuewen entered the room, Old Man gestured for him to sit down and stared at him for a long while. With a smile, He Xuewen said, "Mr. Tian, what would you like to ask me? I will withhold nothing and hide nothing from you."
Old Man chuckled, then suddenly asked, "Your lost biological daughter, she’s Ah Nan, isn’t she?"
Despite being mentally prepared, He Xuewen was still startled by Old Man’s blunt question. His complexion changed as he collected his thoughts on how to respond. Old Man spoke again, "No need to think of excuses, I’m certain Ah Nan is definitely your daughter. No one would treat a stranger so well without reason. I should have suspected earlier. He Xuewen, tell me, what are your plans?"