Great Doctor Without Borders

Chapter 1555 Breakthrough
In addition to tea, Xu Chunliang also brought several rubbings, ostensibly to invite Mr. Qiao to appreciate his calligraphy, and displayed the rubbings.

Old Qiao put on his reading glasses and examined the handwriting one by one. He quickly confirmed that it was his son Qiao Yuanshan's handwriting, but Old Qiao's expression remained unchanged. He coughed twice and asked, "Where did you get this?"

Xu Chunliang said, "These rubbings you see are from Duyun Temple, which is located deep in the mountains near the capital. They span about twenty years and are all from the cliff carvings in the temple. They were carved by the monk Tonghui himself, one stroke at a time."

Hsu Chun-liang took out the photos he had prepared beforehand and placed them on the coffee table.

Old Qiao didn't reach for the photo; he just glanced at it and shook his head, saying, "I don't know this person."

Xu Chunliang was not surprised by this. He believed that the monk Tonghui had changed his original appearance, otherwise he could not have remained hidden in the ancient temple for so many years without revealing his true identity.

Xu Chunliang said, "I had these handwritings authenticated by a specialist, and the author has been confirmed." He didn't directly point it out, mainly wanting to see Qiao Lao's reaction.

Old Qiao nodded: "The handwriting looks very much like that of my son, Yuanshan. He has been missing for more than 20 years. I have tried everything to find his whereabouts, but I have never been able to get any news. However..." His gaze returned to the photo: "I can guarantee that this is not my son."

Xu Chunliang said, "Have you ever considered that you might be able to change your appearance through medical means?"

Suddenly, Old Qiao stood up, walked shakily to the bookshelf, found a photo album, and then returned to Xu Chunliang's side. He picked out a few photos, all of which were of Qiao Yuanshan.

Old Qiao handed Qiao Yuanshan's photo to Xu Chunliang: "Take a close look, what similarities are there between the two?"

Xu Chunliang thought to himself, "Does Old Qiao still want to deny it?"
Old Qiao said, "It seems I need to meet this monk in person." A man as insightful as him dares to face anything head-on and rarely chooses to avoid it.

Xu Chunliang said, "The monk Tonghui has been missing for a long time. The person who identified him from his handwriting was Wang Zhengdao. He concluded that Tonghui was Qiao Yuanshan."

Suddenly, Old Qiao recalled a familiar figure he had seen at his wife's grave. The memory became clearer, and he whispered, "Zhengdao and he used to be best friends. Since he said that, it should be pretty much true. By the way, how did you meet this monk Tonghui, and how did you connect him with Yuanshan?"

Xu Chunliang secretly admired him. After all, Old Master Qiao had seen it all. His son had been missing for more than 20 years, yet he could still remain so calm upon hearing the news. Of course, it was possible that the old man had already sensed something was amiss.

Xu Chunliang recounted how he and Tonghui became acquainted, in more detail than when he told Wang Zhengdao, attempting to help Old Qiao understand the ins and outs of the matter through these details.

When Old Qiao heard about Monk Tonghui's amnesia and madness, he was deeply moved. He had already decided that Tonghui was his missing son. Knowing the suffering his son had endured over the years, he felt both guilty and sad.

When Xu Chunliang mentioned that the pagoda had been struck by lightning and collapsed, revealing the items inside, Old Qiao sighed: "He must have remembered something."

Xu Chunliang said, "I think so too. He disappeared not long after that day."

Old Qiao asked, "Do you remember the exact time?"

Xu Chunliang conducted an investigation into the disappearance of Monk Tonghui and immediately told Old Qiao the exact time. Old Qiao silently compared it with the day he saw that familiar figure in his mind, confirmed the order, and still believed that he had not been seeing things, but had indeed seen him.

Old Qiao was overwhelmed with emotion, silently recalling the past, and remained silent for a long time.

Xu Chunliang did not disturb him and waited quietly to the side.

After a series of rapid coughs, Old Qiao finally got to the point: "Chunliang, do you know where he is now?"

Xu Chunliang shook his head: "Not now, but we'll find it eventually."

Old Qiao nodded. As long as one lives, one will always leave a trace. Since Xu Chunliang was able to discover that Monk Tonghui was Qiao Yuanshan, it wouldn't be long before he found the current Qiao Yuanshan.

"You came to me just to tell me this?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Old Qiao, I don't know much about what happened back then. You could say I was originally an outsider."

Old Qiao said, "You're not an outsider. Old Ye treats you like his own grandson. You have an inescapable responsibility for the Ye family's affairs." He was very perceptive. This sentence showed that he understood Xu Chunliang's motives for getting involved, and also showed with this seemingly casual sentence that Xu Chunliang was on the same side as them.

Xu Chunliang said, "Thank you for your understanding."

Old Qiao said, "Your suspicion about Changyuan's affairs is not a coincidence."

Xu Chunliang said, "I think none of the things that have happened to your three families over the years are accidental."

Old Qiao sighed: "Do you suspect that the Wang family's affairs are related to Yuanshan?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Anything is possible."

Old Qiao turned his gaze to the window: "What's the reason?"

Xu Chunliang said, "So many years have passed, why do you insist on not letting Xiaoxue acknowledge her ancestors? Is it really as the outside world says, that you hate her mother Mei Xiqing so much?"

This was the topic that Old Master Qiao least wanted to discuss. In the past, he would have been furious, but today he showed unprecedented calmness and said indifferently, "It was Yuanshan's idea to let her take her mother's surname."

Xu Chunliang said, "Forgive my bluntness, but although you raised Xiaoxue, you didn't treat her like your own granddaughter." Old Qiao laughed and said, "Are you standing up for her? Accusing me of favoring Rulong even more?"

Xu Chunliang said, "When your son brought her home back then, didn't you have any suspicions?"

Old Qiao frowned: "What are you trying to say?"

Xu Chunliang said, "I have privately compared Xiaoxue's and Rulong's genes, and they are not related by blood at all."

As Xu Chunliang said this, he was secretly observing Qiao Lao's expression, thinking that his words might provoke his anger.

But Old Qiao's expression remained calm: "It seems you already know."

Xu Chunliang nodded.

“I admit that I haven’t shown enough care for Xiaoxue. Although she is very well-behaved, sensible, and considerate, I feel a sense of rejection whenever I think about her background…”

He coughed twice before continuing, "When Yuanshan took her home, he left without saying goodbye. The first thing I did was to verify her identity."

Xu Chunliang thought to himself that it was perfectly normal for Old Master Qiao to do this, which meant that he had known all along that Mei Ruxue had no blood relation with the Qiao family.

Xu Chunliang couldn't help but wonder if Old Qiao knew that Mei Ruxue was Wang Zhengdao's daughter. If he did know, he still arranged a marriage between Wang Jiancheng and Mei Ruxue with Old Wang. This matter was truly terrifying to think about.

Xu Chunliang mustered his courage and asked, "Old Qiao, do you know who Xiaoxue's father is?"

Old Qiao sighed and said, "I didn't know in the past, and I didn't want to know, but I have a general idea based on what has happened in the past few days."

He glanced at Xu Chunliang: "I'm not as insidious as you think, and you shouldn't underestimate the revolutionary camaraderie among our generation."

Xu Chunliang felt his thoughts were seen through and his face flushed.

Old Qiao said, "When Wang Zhengdao first brought up the marriage agreement for his children, he was aggressive at first, but then he suddenly gave up. I felt that something was off. A few days ago, Old Wang took the initiative to come to my door, and I was basically certain of it."

Xu Chunliang said, "Xiaoxue was unaware of this; she is innocent."

Old Qiao laughed: "This matter has been weighing on my mind for many years. I thought I was open-minded enough, but I still couldn't face my granddaughter. Now that I've said it out loud, I feel much better. I just feel that I've wronged her all these years."

Xu Chunliang said, "Actually, Wang Zhengdao and your son are both victims. Mei Xiqing deliberately approached them back then."

Old Qiao said, "No matter what, that woman succeeded; she ruined their futures."

Xu Chunliang said, "I don't know your son. Would he lose his mind because of hatred?"

Old Qiao said, "Everyone does. When Jiancheng had his accident, Wang Zhengdao blamed all the mistakes on our Qiao family. His desire for revenge almost led to a major disaster. Yuanshan..." Although he was unwilling to admit it, he had to admit in his heart that Qiao Yuanshan was very likely the culprit behind the series of events in the Wang family.

Xu Chunliang said, "There are still hidden hands behind the scenes. Mei Xiqing has accomplices. Those people are still using hatred to create trouble."

Old Qiao said, "You mean, Yuanshan still hasn't escaped their manipulation?"

Xu Chunliang nodded.

Old Master Qiao said, "You came to see me today to reveal Xiaoxue's background because you're worried that someone will use this to their advantage, thereby bringing shame to the Qiao family and splitting the Qiao and Wang families?"

Xu Chunliang said, "I underestimated your magnanimity."

Old Qiao shook his head with a wry smile: "Even if this matter is exposed, Old Wang and I will not fall out because of it. If the Wang family's affairs are related to Yuanshan, I will definitely not protect them. As long as I can see him, I will make him turn himself in."

Xu Chunliang said, "His hiding in Duyun Temple and his leaving Duyun Temple were both arranged by someone. As long as we find the person behind it, we can resolve all the problems."

Old Qiao said, "It's time to settle this. Chunliang, your concerns are not unfounded. By the way, is Bureau 579 willing to cooperate?"

Xu Chunliang said, "They gave me some information, but it's not complete enough."

Old Qiao frowned: "It seems that my and Old Wang's influence won't work either."

Xu Chunliang said, "It might be my own problem. By the way, before looking at the file, they made me sign an agreement to join Bureau 579 and become one of them."

Old Qiao said, "The reason I let you join is to tie your hands. Here's what I'll do: I'll write you a letter, and you go to see someone."

(End of this chapter)