When Shen Ningchuan saw the album in Ye Liyan’s hand, and saw the photos inside, he couldn’t help but burst into tears. He didn’t know if he was stimulated, as some images flashed intermittently in his mind.

He really couldn’t wait any longer.

That afternoon, He Jinxuan and Ye Liyan took Shen Ningchuan and the two little ones to the cemetery.

Pieces of Shen Ningchuan’s memory were connected, becoming clearer. His aunt took him out, bought him a skewer of candied hawthorn, and then took him to a place, telling him to wait obediently, saying she would come back to pick him up later.

But he waited for a long time and his aunt never came to pick him up. Instead, he was taken away by people from there, and no matter how much he cried and made a fuss, the more he was hit.

Later, he stopped crying and fussing.

They traveled far and were locked up for a long time, with no food or water every day, living in extreme fear.

One day, those people let them out to help with work, and a little companion unintentionally discovered a small hole in the corner of the backyard.

The two of them sneaked out through the small hole when no one was watching. Fortunately, they were small; if they had been any bigger, they wouldn’t have fit through.

Unfortunately, after they got out, they couldn’t tell which direction to go. While escaping, he was so panicked that he accidentally ran into a horse-drawn carriage and got injured. The little companion who escaped with him was so scared he didn’t know what to do and, fearing being caught and taken back, ran away, leaving him behind.

Luckily, the carriage driver was a good person and took him to a medical clinic, helping him avoid being caught and taken back. As for whether the escaping companion was recaptured, he had no way of knowing.

Because the collision was severe, when the carriage driver asked about his identity, all he could remember was that he was from Beijing, named Shen Ningchuan, and had a younger sister. Everything else gave him a terrible headache when he tried to remember.

However, he was already several thousand miles away, and the carriage driver didn’t have the means to send him back. After hitting him, just paying for the medical expenses put him in debt.

He had no choice. After leaving the clinic, he temporarily stayed at the home of the carriage driver, but his family wasn’t very welcoming. They had both young and old to care for, and being in debt for his treatment didn’t help.

One day, the family next door said a distant relative wanted to adopt a child and asked if he was willing. He initially didn’t want to, but before refusing, he heard them say the family was from Beijing.

He thought that if they were from Beijing, they would eventually return, and if he could get back, he might find his family, so he agreed.

But things didn’t go as planned. Two years after reaching his adoptive parents’ house, he was taken abroad.

He only realized he was going abroad after getting on the ship with them.

From then on, going home became a luxury.

Shen Ningchuan cried like a child in front of the grave: "Dad, Mom, Sister, I’m back."

He had returned, but his parents and sister could no longer see him.

It took a long time before Shen Ningchuan calmed down with the comfort of the two little ones.

When they left the cemetery, the sun was almost set.

After a long silence, Shen Ningchuan spoke in a hoarse voice: "Liyan, can I ask you for a favor?"

Ye Liyan looked at his brother-in-law: "You are Ninghui’s big brother, which makes you my big brother too, there’s no need to stand on ceremony."

Shen Ningchuan didn’t know how to start. After quite a while, he finally said: "Could you let Siyan have the surname Shen?"

As soon as he said this, not only Ye Liyan, but even He Jinxuan was taken aback.

Shen Ningchuan knew his request was a bit much, so he explained: "I was considered an in-law at that time, but my wife was already in bad health and something happened during childbirth, and both mother and child passed away.

My father-in-law and mother-in-law, who became my adoptive parents, have been very kind to me. Over the years, I haven’t been able to forget my wife, so I haven’t thought about remarrying. I was even considering adopting a child to raise, but now with Sili and Siyan, I think I can let that go."

Seeing them not speaking, he continued: "Don’t worry, nothing needs to change, as long as he can carry on the Shen family line."

Thinking of his wife, Ye Liyan made his decision: "Big brother, let me inform the old man when I go back, and also, I want to talk to the two kids, so at least they know what’s in their hearts."