Chapter 562 - 562 Turning Point
Ye Qing furrowed her eyebrows, listening to the boss's analysis, she really felt that Zhou Binglin truly was not Zhou Guiting's biological father.
However, all she had left in her heart now were emotions. Chen Xueru's daughter had already been thrown into the sea and drowned, definitely not Zhou Guiting. That is to say, Zhou Guiting definitely wasn't Liu Changping's daughter, which was quite regrettable.
As for Zhou Guiting, she was now at her wit's end, and Ye Qing really hoped she was Liu Changping's daughter, so she wouldn't have to suffer like this anymore. But as it stood, it seemed completely impossible!
After chatting with the boss for a bit more and realizing she couldn't dig any important information out of him, Ye Qing took her leave and headed straight to Zhou Binglin's home.
Zhou Binglin's home was quite old-style, after all, both Zhou Binglin and his wife were workers at the machinery factory, lacking additional income. Supporting three children and arranging a marriage for their son wasn't a small expenditure. Fortunately, marrying off Zhou Guiting had brought some money back, just enough for their son to marry a wife, but the household's situation was still not good.
Moreover, not long after their eldest daughter married, due to personality clashes, she was driven out by her in-laws and now had moved back in. The result was Zhou Binglin's three-bedroom, one-living room house was filled with six people: the son and daughter-in-law, the two daughters, and Zhou Binglin and his wife. One could imagine the daily quarreling in such a family environment.
So, after Zhou Guiting was driven out by her in-laws, Zhou Binglin's family firmly pressured her to rent a place outside, saying she wasn't allowed to come back. Otherwise, it would be impossible to live in such a house.
Even so, the daily quarrelling at home never ceased. Zhou Binglin's son followed in his footsteps, working as an ordinary employee at the machinery factory. His daughter-in-law was a sales associate at a department store, not earning much. The two daughters were the most pitiful, jobless and living off their parents' retirement pensions, illustrating the bleak situation of the household.
When Ye Qing arrived, the Zhou family members were arguing over some trivial matters. Her arrival momentarily halted the quarreling, as several people looked up at Ye Qing, wondering what this unexpected visitor intended to do.
"May I ask, is this Zhou Binglin's home?" Ye Qing inquired as soon as she entered.
"I'm Zhou Binglin, who are you?" Zhou Binglin stood up to greet her. He was only in his fifties or sixties, but he seemed as old as someone in their seventies, with more than half of his hair already white. After all, quarreling over household matters every day would age anyone quickly.
"I'm from the city hospital, you're Zhou Guiting's father, right?" Ye Qing said, "Zhou Guiting has been injured and fainted, she's now receiving treatment in the hospital. Her condition is quite troublesome, and it will cost a significant amount of money for treatment, you all…"
"What does that have to do with us!" Before Ye Qing could finish, Zhou Binglin's son, Zhou Zhidong, interrupted loudly, "That Broom Star has already married off, whether she's dead or alive is none of our concern, why come to us for money?"
"She's not one of the Zhou family at all, what does her matter have to do with us?"
"Exactly, she's just an abandoned baby that grandma picked up. We raised her all these years and that's the extent of our duty. Now that she's married off, does she still want to drag our family down?"
Zhou Binglin's daughters also clamored loudly, and Zhou Binglin himself was grim-faced and said in a stern voice, "We have cut ties with her already, whatever happens to her has nothing to do with us. Whether she lives or dies, we can't manage it!"
Ye Qing knitted her brows, mentioning Zhou Guiting needing money was just a way to test the Zhou family's reaction, to see whether they truly felt about Zhou Guiting as others had said. She hadn't expected that she had barely started when the Zhou family members cleanly disassociated themselves, especially Zhou Binglin's daughters, who outright stated that Zhou Guiting was an abandoned baby their grandmother had picked up. It seemed Zhou Guiting was indeed just an adopted daughter, not their own flesh and blood, no wonder they treated Zhou Guiting so harshly!
Yet Ye Qing still felt a surge of anger. Regardless of whether she was born to them or adopted, she was always related to them. Now, at a time when Zhou Guiting had nowhere to turn, they were the only people she could rely on, and yet they didn't consider Zhou Guiting as one of their own at all, which was utterly disheartening!
Ye Qing said solemnly, "So, what you're saying is, you don't want to deal with Zhou Guiting's affairs?"
"That's for sure, she's not a member of our Zhou family, why should we spend money on her!" Zhou Zhidong said loudly.
Ye Qing fell silent for a moment, then asked, "You said she was adopted by you, is this true or false?"
"It's true!" Zhou Binglin nodded, "In fact, she's not really adopted by us, she was adopted by my mother. So, she essentially has nothing to do with us. We don't want to deal with, or even hear about, her affairs!"
Feeling a spark of anger, Ye Qing, still holding onto a sliver of hope, pressed further.
"You say she was adopted by your mother, can you tell me in detail how your mother adopted her?" Ye Qing asked, "And, is there any evidence which can prove she's an abandoned baby adopted by your mother, and not your biological child?"
"What more proof do you need?" Zhou Binglin said, "She's just an abandoned baby my mother adopted. More than twenty years ago, when my mother went to the beach to collect fish, she saw a wooden box floating on the sea. Inside the wooden box was a baby girl, that was her!"
Hearing this, Ye Qing's expression suddenly changed. In fact, he had been asking about this matter precisely because he harbored a fantasy, hoping that Zhou Guiting could be Liu Changping's daughter. Although he had nearly given up hope. Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, there was a dramatic turn of events. Zhou Guiting had indeed been picked up by Zhou Binglin's mother from the seaside, which corresponded exactly with what Lu Jiangong had said. Could it really be such a coincidence that Chen Xueru's daughter, after being thrown into the sea, had actually survived against all odds and was saved and adopted by Zhou Binglin's mother?
Thinking again about what Old Wang Ba had said, he had sworn to Ye Qing, assuring him that Liu Changping had not only a daughter but also a granddaughter. And didn't Zhou Guiting fit these conditions exactly?
The most crucial point was that the marks on Zhou Guiting's body, the scar on her left shoulder, and the mole on the back of her neck, all matched. Now, Ye Qing was ninety percent certain that Zhou Guiting was indeed Liu Changping's daughter. However, Ye Qing dared not be too presumptuous and decided to ask one more question because at the beginning, Chen Xueru had left a Blood Letter for Zhou Guiting, which was also a very important piece of evidence!
"So what you're saying is, she really is the abandoned baby your mother adopted?" Ye Qing looked at Zhou Binglin, said, "But, this is just your side of the story, is there any proof?"
"What kind of proof is needed for a matter like this? What we say is the proof. Do you think we would say such things about our own family member?" Zhou Zhidong shouted beside him.
Ye Qing ignored him and just looked at Zhou Binglin, waiting for his answer. Zhou Binglin frowned and pondered for a while, then said, "I remember my mother telling me that when she picked her up, there should have been a Blood Letter in that wooden box, which could prove Zhou Guiting's identity."
Ye Qing's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes showed a sharp intensity as he looked at Zhou Binglin, pressing, "Then where is that Blood Letter?"
Zhou Binglin said, "I don't know, she wasn't adopted by us, so we don't keep those things either."
Ye Qing said, "Think carefully, if you can find that Blood Letter, it would prove that she is not your daughter. In that case, her medical expenses wouldn't need to be covered by you!"
"She isn't our daughter to begin with, why do we need proof for that?" Zhou Binglin exclaimed urgently.
Zhou Zhidong shouted from the side, "There's no need for that Blood Letter. Just go for a paternity test, I won't accept it otherwise!"
"Exactly, exactly, a paternity test!" Zhou Binglin's eldest daughter also clamored.
Zhou Binglin looked at Ye Qing, said, "Why don't I just go for a paternity test? That should prove it."
"Of course a paternity test is possible, but, you need to prepare three thousand yuan for the procedure fee in advance," Ye Qing said with a smile, "Paternity testing involves a lot of technology, so it's quite pricey. Make sure you're mentally prepared for it!"
"Three thousand?" The people of the Zhou family suddenly widened their eyes. With so many people living in their house, their total monthly income was only a little over three thousand yuan. Ye Qing was asking for three thousand right off the bat, and they certainly couldn't afford that!
"Isn't this robbery?" Zhou Zhidong protested urgently, "She's not a member of our Zhou family at all. Why should we pay for her, and even pay for a paternity test? What kind of reasoning is that?"
"Broom Star, even after being married off, she still brings trouble to the family. I really don't know why grandma decided to adopt her back then!"
"I already said she has nothing to do with our family, why do you keep harping on us?"
The people of the Zhou family were all heatedly discussing, feeling intense hatred towards Zhou Guiting, especially Zhou Binglin's son and two daughters.
Ye Qing maintained a faint smile on his face, but his heart was filled with annoyance. The people of the Zhou family were really too cold-hearted and ungrateful.
While everyone was grumbling and cursing, Zhou Binglin's wife suddenly said, "Old Zhou, I remember, last time when I was organizing mother's things, I seemed to have seen that wooden box from when she picked up Zhou Guiting. The Blood Letter should still be inside that box, right?"
"Oh?" Zhou Binglin immediately widened his eyes, said, "Where is the wooden box now?"
Zhou's wife said, "I thought the wooden box wasn't of much use, so I just left it in the old house down in the countryside and didn't bring it out!"
"Hey, why didn't you bring it out!" Zhou Binglin was instantly anxious.
"Who knew that thing would come in handy!" Zhou's wife said angrily, "She was married off, and I thought she would never have anything to do with our family again. Who knew this Broom Star, even after getting married, would still not let us have peace. It's infuriating!"