Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Leniency Through Frank Confession
"Yes, yes, yes, the second sister-in-law is right. Meng Yao, calm down." Zhao Ting quickly said.
She called herself Yao Meng, so when they called her Ah Yao, the couple Xiong Er wouldn’t think much of it.
Meng Yao glared at him.
"I want to find a stable man to live with, not someone who keeps me worrying and anxious. You’re a woman, you should understand me, right?" Meng Yao looked at Xiong Er’s wife and asked.
Xiong Er’s wife was at a loss for words.
If it were a different conflict, she would have confidence to persuade her.
But what the sister-in-law said, she couldn’t refute.
As a woman, she had the same thoughts.
Big brother’s work was mysterious, disappearing without a word, and coming back injured. If it were her, she wouldn’t marry such a man.
"We’ve known each other awhile; everything that should be said has been made clear. Let’s part with dignity." Meng Yao said, "I will return your things in full."
After speaking, Meng Yao turned and walked out.
Zhao Ting wanted to stop her, but didn’t know from what standpoint he could.
If he were the real Zhao Ting, it would be understandable to stop her.
But he wasn’t.
"Oh my dear brother, what do you expect me to say! This, this, this..." Xiong Er’s wife sighed.
Zhao Ting sat silently.
He also didn’t know what to say.
"I can see that in her heart, sister-in-law truly cares about you. You didn’t see how she cried when she first found the home." Xiong Er’s wife said, "Brother, have you never considered quitting your work and living a peaceful life with sister-in-law?"
Zhao Ting was at a loss for words.
That’s not the point at all.
When Meng Yao came back, she was carrying a bundle, "I prepared some medicine for you, it’s in the bundle. Take care of yourself. No matter what you do, put your own safety first. The neighbors also asked me to pass on their regards."
After speaking, Meng Yao placed the bundle on the table and decisively turned away.
Before taking two steps, she heard two thuds.
Turning back, she saw Xiong Er and his wife had fainted on the ground.
"It’s nothing, they have just temporarily lost consciousness." Zhao Ting said.
He had just made a decision.
A decision to be honest.
Meng Yao was smart, even if he appeared as Zhao Ting in the future, he couldn’t hide it from her. Given this, it was better to confess.
Meng Yao looked at him suspiciously, "What do you mean?"
"Don’t you want to know my true identity? I’ll tell you." Zhao Ting took a deep breath and spoke quickly, "I am Zhao Ting."
Zhao Ting?!
For a moment, Meng Yao thought she was hearing things.
Fake, all fake.
She just had a strange dream, but such a dream was obviously not a premonition. How could it be taken seriously?
Zhao Ting, even if he wasn’t dead, should be in the Capital City.
Besides, if he really was Zhao Ting, why create a fake identity?
Appearing directly would be better, right?
Moreover, the Zhao Ting from her original memories had no semblance of this person before her.
"This joke isn’t funny at all." Meng Yao said expressionlessly.
"It’s not a joke, just, it’s Zhao Ting, but it’s not Zhao Ting."
Meng Yao’s head was filled with black lines.
What is this? Talking in tongue-twisters?
"The body is Zhao Ting’s, but the soul is not Zhao Ting’s. Does that make sense?" Zhao Ting explained.
Meng Yao was so shocked she took several steps back.
"Don’t be afraid, I’m not a ghost, I’m human." Zhao Ting quickly explained again.
Afraid? She’s not afraid.
If it were someone else, hearing such words would surely be frightening.
But she was different, her body was Meng Yao’s, but her soul wasn’t Meng Yao’s.
Although going through such an experience might seem unlikely for just her, how could it be so coincidental that both the original couple experienced this?
This couldn’t be described as a coincidence, could it?
It was absurd, truly absurd.
"When were you born?" Meng Yao took a deep breath and asked seriously.
"You asking me, right?" Zhao Ting asked.
"Nonsense."
"Xuan Tong Year 8, spring." Zhao Ting answered.
Meng Yao: "Wait a minute, what’s Xuan Tong Year 8?"
Zhao Ting was also confused. Wasn’t she asking what year he was born? Why did she seem like someone who didn’t know Xuan Tong Year 8? Even though the era name had changed, for people their age, Xuan Tong Year 8 wasn’t unfamiliar.
Meng Yao had read some history of Zhou Country.
She belatedly remembered, Xuan Tong was the era name before Jing He.
She twitched at the corner of her mouth, feeling things weren’t quite right.
She was a time traveler from the future.
And this one here was a local traveler? Or, was borrowing the body more appropriate?
"When did you die?" Meng Yao asked.
"Along with Zhao Ting."
"Five years ago? Oh no, now it should be six years ago." Meng Yao said.
"No, in today’s terms, it should be two years ago, two winters ago."
Meng Yao was confused, "So, Zhao Ting has been alive all this time? But if he’s alive, why...?"
So, he’s really the scumbag?
"I need to explain this."
After a round of explanation from this person from Xuan Tong Year 8, Meng Yao understood, summarized as follows:
The Zhao Ting who met the original body had amnesia, which is why he married her and had children.
When Zhao Ting went out for business, he was injured, regained his memory only to lose it again. He regained memories from before he married the original, but lost those after. Thus, he went back to the Capital City.
Severely injured, he held on for a few years but didn’t make it.
This fellow from Xuan Tong Year 8 also died at the same time.
For unknown reasons, the soul from Xuan Tong Year 8 entered Zhao Ting’s body.
In other words, till Zhao Ting’s death, he never remembered his wife and children.
She just felt the original Zhao Ting’s situation was tragic, truly tragic.
"I took more than two years to finally nurse his body back to health. Thinking, since heaven gave me such an opportunity, I should cherish it, live well. While Zhao Ting himself was alive, he was too sickly to marry. Later, after I came, the body slowly recovered, and marriage started being considered."
"So, are you already married?" Meng Yao’s voice was filled with delight.
If that’s the case, wouldn’t she have nothing to worry about?
Even though the slightly favorable He Yan was gone, this meant she could now find another ’He Yan’ without any mental burden in the future!
"Married? How is that possible? After nursing the body back to health, I began to slowly recover some fragmented memories. From these fragments, I could deduce Zhao Ting originally had a wife and children. Initially though, the memories were too vague to determine where they were. Later, as things became clearer, I came to find you."
"Remembered everything?" Meng Yao asked.
"Not yet, at least, those fragments of Zhao Ting teaching you various skills are not remembered."
He never taught them, you could try till old age and still not remember.
"So what? What do you mean?" Meng Yao asked.