Not wanting to cause any unpleasantness between father and son over this matter, the magistrate nodded and said, "Alright, I'll remember this!"

Zhao Heng cried tears of joy, and the county magistrate also shed tears of sorrow. He felt sorry for Zhao Heng and began to feel sorry for his son.

The magistrate was discussing the autumn harvest with Li Zheng, who gave a brief report before saying, "Sir, you've been single for so long, shouldn't you find a wife?"

The county magistrate's heart skipped a beat. How could such a secret matter be known even to the village head of Daling Village?

“He’s already in his forties, why is he still looking for a wife? Zhao Heng has grown up too, so let’s not look anymore. He still has an old mother in this county, and it would be a good thing to spend his old age with her.”

"My lord, please don't hide it from me. Actually, I've already figured it out. Zhao Heng likes Da Shan Niang. Da Shan Niang has never had a man. For so many years, she has been raising her family alone. During the day, she has the children to keep her company, but at night, even if she feels something is wrong, she has no one to talk to. Actually, Da Shan Niang is quite nice."

The magistrate's eyes flashed, and he became even more suspicious. Had Zhao Heng announced this matter to everyone in Daling Village? How could such a shameful thing be known even to the village head? This was outrageous!

"That's just Zhao Heng's idea, it doesn't represent the county's opinion! To be honest, that brat really does have this idea, he wants Da Shan's mother to be his stepmother!"

As fate would have it, Niu Niu, who was coming out of the school, overheard this. She bit her lip and clenched her soft little fists tightly: "What? Zhao Heng, you, you actually want to take my mother for yourself? I'll teach you a lesson you shameless bastard!"

Niu Niu angrily clenched her fists and ran towards the yard, looking like she was going to demand justice from Zhao Heng. It seemed that a battle to take back her mother was about to begin.

The Jin family compound was filled with a murderous atmosphere.

Niu Niu threw her schoolbag onto the kang (a heated brick bed) with a bang and angrily pounced on Zhao Heng.

"Zhao Heng, if I don't beat you to death today, you'll still think I, Jin Niu Niu, am easy to bully, won't you?"

Zhao Heng was completely bewildered. He looked at Jin Niu Niu's fierce expression and said, "What do you want? It's like I've offended you. I didn't say anything bad about you in school today!"

"Zhao Heng, don't play dumb with me. Don't think I don't know what you're up to when you came to our house. You're thinking of tricking my mother away, aren't you?"

Zhao Heng then understood. He realized that this Tiger Girl must have heard something, which was why she came to cause him trouble.

"I didn't mean it. I was just thinking about it. Can't I even think about it? What if your mother really became my mother? My aunt has to agree to this, right? Why are you so angry?"

Jin Niu Niu was furious: "You're talking nonsense! You can't even think about it! My mother is my mother. Even though my father is dead, my mother will never leave us. You, you're just daydreaming!"

A burst of noise immediately attracted Liang Shuyan's attention.

"What's wrong, Niu Niu? What are you doing?" Liang Shuyan grabbed Jin Niu Niu's arm.

Jin Niu Niu cried and said, "Mother, Zhao Heng is a big liar. He stayed in our house just to kidnap you! I... I'm going to kick him out today!"

"Nonsense! How could Zhao Heng have kidnapped Mother? Who told you that? It's all nonsense."

"When I came back from school just now, I heard Li Zheng talking to the county magistrate. If he didn't have this intention, why would I come to see him? Mother, no, I have to get rid of Zhao Heng. Our family can't have him!"

Zhao Heng hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand: "Auntie, I admit that there is such a thing, but I just think, is it wrong for me to want my father to find me a stepmother like you? Okay, since Niu Niu wants to kick me out, I won't say anything more, I'll just leave."

Liang Shuyan grabbed Niu Niu and said, "Niu Niu, don't talk nonsense. If you dare to say anything about driving Zhao Heng away again, you can get out of this house, do you hear me!"

She quickly caught up with Zhao Heng, who kept his head down, silent, his eyes red: "Auntie, you should go back. I don't want to go back. Anyway, that's not my home. What would I do if I went back? In Niu Niu's eyes, I'm just a shameless scoundrel who stole someone else's mother!"

"Who said that, Zhao Heng? Don't take it to heart by arguing with Niu Niu. She's just a child. You're her brother, why bother arguing with her? If you like your aunt, you can stay at her house. She'll provide you with food and clothes. Whatever Da Shan and the others eat and wear, you can eat and wear too. Is that alright?"

Zhao Heng hesitated for a moment, never expecting Aunt Jin to be so generous. He then stammered, "Auntie, can you be my stepmother?"

Liang Shuyan was speechless. It turned out that Niu Niu's anger wasn't unfounded; this brat really did have such a thought in his mind. She earnestly grabbed Zhao Heng's arm and said, "Zhao Heng, you have to understand. I'm not just an auntie; I have a family too. Although I'm a widow, I still have to face the villagers every day and go out to make a living. If I harbor such thoughts, people will definitely say that I, a village woman, have designs on the county magistrate. As a woman, I can't withstand such gossip. You have to understand my good intentions!"

Zhao Heng nodded: "Auntie, Zhao Heng understands!"

Li Zheng strode out and pointed to a spot not far away, saying, "Are those two children arguing? Aunt Dashan is talking to Zhao Heng. Sir, should we go over there?"

"No, let's go back first and wait for Aunt Dashan to come so we can discuss the wheat seedlings."

Liang Shuyan walked over quickly and followed Zhao Heng: "Zhao Heng, don't worry. At my house, I'll treat you like my own child. You don't need to worry about it."

Zhao Heng's eyes were red. The county magistrate glanced at him, then turned and said, "Zhao Heng, you must listen to your aunt while you're at her house. You must not disobey her, understand?"

Zhao Heng nodded and turned to go inside.

Liang Shuyan sat down on the stool and looked at the county magistrate, saying, "I'm sorry, these two children had a fight. I offered them a few words of comfort, which took up a little time. Please don't take it to heart, sir."

"Don't mention it. Since I've already placed Zhao Heng in your home, it means I trust you. Let's not talk about that now. Let's talk about the wheat seedlings. Will this method really make the wheat seedlings grow and produce ears?"