Chapter 417 explains that I am destined to be childless.

Qi Shi and Cao Ping were tied up by the servants and thrown onto the carriage.

Cao Hong, who was in the yard, immediately started making a fuss: "Mother, what's wrong with you? Let go of my mother! Don't bully my mother..."

He broke free from Wei Hongying and rushed into the house, shouting, "Dad, someone is bullying Mom! Please save Mom!"

Cao Defu's gaze fell on his son, and the resentment in his heart surged up like a tide.

The thought that he had raised someone else's son for eight years, and the thought that he didn't actually have a son, made his heart feel like it was about to explode.

"Take the young master away!" he said with his eyes closed. "If he makes a fuss, knock him out!"

He's in a state of confusion right now and can't face the child.

Cao Hong was filled with disbelief. His father had always spoiled him and would turn a blind eye to his misbehavior. Now, his father had actually knocked him unconscious.

He rushed over and grabbed Cao Defu's sleeve, but Cao Defu shook him off.

That cold and distant expression filled Cao Hong with apprehension.

"Young master, if you keep causing trouble, don't blame me for being impolite," the servant threatened, pulling him along.

Cao Hong dared not cause any more trouble.

His mother was tied up, and his father was acting this way. His eldest sister clearly wouldn't help him either. If he cried and made a fuss, he would definitely get a beating.

He sniffed and obediently followed the servant out.

The room fell silent again.

Cheng Wanwan stood up, bent down, and picked up the broken plate that had fallen to the ground: "You two talk, I'll go outside and take a look."

"Mother-in-law, please don't leave yet." Cao Defu said with a complicated expression. "I want to know, when did you find out that Hong'er wasn't my son?"

“An hour earlier than you,” Cheng Wanwan said truthfully. “I only suspected that Qi Shi and Cao Ping were conspiring to seize the Cao family’s property. I didn’t expect to overhear this secret. I know that it would be hard for any man to accept such a fact, but since it has already happened, we should think about how to clean up the mess. This is a matter for your Cao family, and I, as an outsider, should not interfere too much.”

“Mother is not an outsider,” Cao Yingying said urgently. “My father has always been confused and probably doesn’t know how to clean up the mess. I don’t know how to handle it either. Could you please help me think of a solution?”

Cao Defu nodded in agreement: "I was indeed foolish, afraid of making things worse. Yingying is just a young girl who doesn't understand anything. What do you think we should do next, Mother-in-law?"

Cheng Wanwan sat down and said calmly, "Then you'll have to ask Boss Cao himself, after knowing that Hong'er is not his biological son, do you still want him to stay by your side?"

After all, he had raised him for eight years, and he didn't have a biological son of his own. Moreover, Cao Hong was from a collateral branch of the Cao family, and in the minds of the ancients, it was not impossible for him to be adopted as their son.

Cao Defu remained silent for a long time.

Cao Yingying didn't know what to say. If her father didn't have a son, the clan chief would definitely come to cause trouble, and the people in the clan would probably break down her door. Her father was not cunning or shrewd, and he wouldn't even know if he was sold out.

"If Hong'er continues to be my son, he can rightfully inherit the vast fortune passed down through my Cao family after I die. Wouldn't that fulfill that wicked woman's wishes?" Cao Defu seemed to have made a huge decision. "I cannot let that wicked woman who has cuckolded me for nine years have her way. Hong'er must be sent out of the Cao family. I cannot tolerate this child!"

Cao Yingying pursed her lips: "Then the Cao family has no male heirs, wouldn't that mean..."

"Isn't Aunt Meng pregnant?" Cao Defu forced a smile. "I had the doctor check, and she's carrying a son."

Cheng Wanwan couldn't help but pour cold water on the idea: "What if it's not a son? Will you regret it?"

“That just means I’m destined to be childless, and I deserve to have no descendants.” Cao Defu’s smile was tinged with sadness. “Besides Yingying, I also have four daughters. If all else fails, I can find a husband to marry into the family… Or, Yingying and Jingcheng can have a few more sons, and we can adopt one into the Cao family…”

Cao Yingying: "..."

Cheng Wanwan: "..."

Alright, since Cao Defu has already thought of his own way out, there's nothing to hesitate about.

She said, "The Cao family is the richest family in Hekou County. If something like this happens, they will easily become a laughing stock. There's no need to let outsiders see the jokes. Qi Shi and Cao Ping should be reported to the authorities for plotting to seize the family property. As for Hong'er, both inside and outside the family, he should be described as rebellious and difficult to manage. Send him to a farm far away from the Cao family to gain experience."

Cao Yingying pursed her lips and asked, "Do we need to tell Hong'er who his biological father is?"

"That's up to you."

Cheng Wanwan stopped there and didn't say anything more.

Everyone has a different personality, and she cannot judge others by her own standards.

"Thank you, Mother-in-law!" Cao Defu stood up, bowed, and thanked her. "I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you today. I will personally visit you to apologize and express my gratitude after this matter is settled!"

He took a deep breath, walked out, and ordered, "Let's go back to the city."

He arrived with a light heart, but left with a heavy and complicated expression.

In that instant, Cheng Wanwan felt that Cao Defu had grown up. Some people are forced to grow up at the age of seven or eight, while others don't grow up until they are in their thirties. Aren't they already very fortunate?

After the Cao family left, everyone went back inside to continue their meal, but no one mentioned the Cao family.

Although it was already evening, everyone in the family still had their own things to do.

Cheng Wanwan got up and went to the glycerin workshop to check on the progress.

The glycerin workshop was built right next to the soap workshop. It was built very large from the beginning, standing on either side of the soap workshop and occupying a large area of ​​land.

The workers had already gone home, but Manager Yan was still there, sitting at a table writing accounts.

Seeing Cheng Wanwan approach, he quickly stood up and said, "These are all the workshop's expenditure records. We can settle the wages after the ground at the entrance is completely paved tomorrow."

Cheng Wanwan glanced at it. Since the glycerin workshop was also an adobe house, the cost of raw materials was not expensive. The expensive part was the labor, which cost about a hundred taels of silver. After the workshop was completely finished, some tools would need to be added. At that time, the employees who had been recruited before could come and help install the tools.

She had a plan in mind, but Manager Yan was completely baffled: "Auntie Dashan, what is this workshop for?"

Cheng Wanwan pointed to the soap workshop: "Do you see that warehouse over there that only takes in and doesn't come out?"

Shopkeeper Yan nodded. The production of soap generates a lot of wastewater and waste materials, which are all transported to this warehouse for storage. Over the past six months, the warehouse has been expanded again and again, and it can no longer hold all that stuff.

"The new workshop is for processing these waste materials," Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "Manager Yan will know once we start operations."

Currently, she produces two types of products: first, glycerin-based moisturizing skincare products, and then aloe vera-based moisturizing skincare products. Once the peach and jasmine flowers bloom, she plans to develop and research other categories.

After several days, the workshop was finally completed, and the workers who had been hired earlier came to report for duty.

Two-thirds of these workers came from Chengjia Village. It was agreed upon when the Cheng family held a celebration banquet for Cheng Zhao last time. Hundreds of people came for interviews, and Grandma Zhao picked out more than 30 to hire. The old lady has a keen eye and can tell at a glance whether a person is diligent or lazy. So far, Cheng Wanwan is quite satisfied with these employees.