Seeing the gleam in the fat man's eyes when he heard this, Jiang Nuan patted his head and said, "Many people lose their parents. It's caused by various accidents. It has nothing to do with being a jinx or anything like that. You don't need to care about what those people say."

Jiang Nuan wanted to say that this was feudal superstition, but given the bizarre things that had happened to her, she didn't dare to speak so definitively.

"Really?" the fat man asked incredulously.

Jiang Nuan's words were like a ray of warm sunshine, shining into his heart, which had been frozen and desolate for a long time.

"Indeed, there are many people in the world who have lost both parents, which is a misfortune in itself. Yet, some people still impose malice on these people. How tragic."

Jiang Nuan thought of herself in her previous life.

She was an orphan, and although she wasn't called a cursed loner, she wasn't well-liked, as if she were something unclean.

Waaah...

Suddenly, the fat man burst into tears, as if he wanted to cry out all his grievances without any restraint.

Huang Xiaosi tried to persuade her, but Jiang Nuan stopped him.

Little Fatty had too many things on his mind, and he needed this kind of release.

A moment later, the fat man hiccuped and wiped his tears with his sleeve, embarrassed. "Fifth Aunt, Fourth Sister, I'm sorry you had to see this."

"Fatty, when have I ever seen you make a fool of yourself?" Huang Xiaosi wanted to argue, but seeing the fat man's miserable appearance, he snorted and said no more.

Jiang Nuan turned around and brought over a bowl of hot water. "Here, have some water. You've been crying for so long, you must be thirsty."

The fat man blushed with embarrassment at these words.

He actually cried like a three-year-old in front of Aunt Wu, it was so embarrassing.

Thinking of this, the fat man suddenly grabbed the bowl, buried his head in it, and started gulping down the water, displaying a rather determined and relentless attitude.

After gulping down the water, the fat man awkwardly handed the bowl to Jiang Nuan, saying, "Thank you, Aunt Wu."

"Don't be so polite," Jiang Nuan said with a smile, looking at the fat man. "Would you like to stay at Auntie's house?"

"Fifth Aunt," the fat man twisted his body, picked at his fingers, and whispered, "I want to stay at your house. Xiao Si is good to me, and you are good to me too. It's been a long time since anyone has been so good to me, but... I can't be a burden to you."

"Xiao Si is already struggling to get enough to eat. If I were to join you, things would be even harder for your family. I'm still too young to do any work..."

"Stop talking, just do what you want." Jiang Nuan interrupted the fat man. "These are not things you should be thinking about. A child should act like a child. Don't start worrying about things that are not going to happen at such a young age."

"Fatty, don't be afraid of these things. We have a lot of family members, so we're not afraid to support you as well." Huang Xiaosi wasn't very confident, but he still comforted him softly.

He knew that the families of the fat men were in even greater difficulty, but he couldn't just stand by and watch his brothers suffer and go hungry outside.

The fat man was still uneasy, "Really? It's possible?"

"Yes!" Huang Xiaosi answered firmly.

In the evening, after dinner, the Huang family held their first family meeting.

"Let's discuss how to keep Little Fatty at home today. Boss, why don't you share your thoughts first?" Jiang Nuan spoke first.

“Mother, this matter may not be easy to handle,” Huang Laoda continued after a moment of thought. “Let’s not even talk about our family’s conditions. The clan may not agree, so it’s not proper to do it.”

"Brother, we don't eat their rice, so why should they care so much?" Huang Xiaosi asked angrily.

Before the eldest Huang could speak, the second Huang interrupted, "Fourth Brother, there are still people in Little Fatty's lineage. If our family raises Little Fatty, it will make those people look particularly useless and cause them to lose face."

“Yes, those people value their reputation more than their lives. They would rather watch Little Fatty suffer than let someone else raise him,” Xie Shi echoed Fu He.

“They’re really mean,” Xiao Wu said angrily. “They won’t support themselves and they won’t let others support them either. They just don’t want Fatty to have a good life.”

"Boss, is there any rule in the clan that requires the consent of their branch of the family?"

Old Master Huang was taken aback for a moment. “No, but everyone does it this way. Fatty is the only son in the family and Uncle Jiu’s only heir. It’s a matter of succession, so they have the right to decide for Fatty.”

"Has anyone ever kept someone at home without the clan's consent before?" Jiang Nuan asked.

“Yes, but it didn’t end well,” Huang Laoda explained. “About ten years ago, a clan uncle who had no children secretly adopted an orphan from the clan without the clan’s consent. When he was discovered, the head of that branch of the clan firmly disagreed. He not only took the child back, but also expelled the clan uncle from the clan and drove him out of Huangjiakou.”

“I know about this,” Huang Lao Er stroked his chin. “It’s from Fatty’s lineage. That uncle was expelled from the clan, and his house and land were all taken away by the clan. He went to another place all alone. That kid had to make a living on his own, and then he disappeared. We don’t know if he’s alive or dead.”

"This is driving someone to their death!" Wang murmured softly. "What a tragedy!"

“This is what I’m thinking,” Jiang Nuan said after a pause, “we shouldn’t adopt Fatty. That way, his lineage won’t have any reason to stop us. Since Fatty has become sworn brothers with Xiao Si, we might as well recognize him as our godfather and solidify that relationship.”

“But Mother,” Huang the eldest expressed his concern, “no family would take on a godparent.”

“It’s not that the situation is different,” Jiang Nuan said dismissively. “Fatty lost his parents and is related to us, so can’t we lend a hand? He’s not after anyone else’s offspring. Although it’s not common, it’s reasonable, isn’t it?”

“That’s a good idea,” Huang Lao Er said, his eyes darting around. “In this way, the villagers will praise the mother for her kindness.”

“Yes,” Xie replied, “but in this way, our family must complete the entire family recognition ceremony.”

Huang Xiaosi was puzzled and scratched his head, asking, "Second Sister-in-law, what else do we need to do? We've already sworn brotherhood."

"You two are just playing house. There are no clan members to witness it, and it's not recorded in the family genealogy. It doesn't count as anything."

"Wow, is becoming sworn brothers so complicated?" Huang Xiaosi's mouth dropped open. "Isn't it just kowtowing and burning incense?"

"I think you've been watching too many plays," Huang Lao Er said with a sneer. "Recognizing a godparent is a big deal, only slightly less serious than adoption. It's not that simple."

“Mother, we need to discuss this with the clan chief. Originally, we needed the fat man’s parents’ consent, but since they’re not here, we can only discuss it with the elders in the clan.”

After thinking it over carefully, Jiang Nuan nodded, "Tomorrow I'll go see your grandfather and ask him to mediate. He's of a higher generation, and the clan chief will have to give him some face, so it will be easier for him to talk to you."

“Mother, we also need to take care of the elders on Fatty’s side,” Huang Lao Er said. “As the saying goes, it’s always good to have many people to talk to. If we do things thoroughly, this matter will be handled more smoothly.”

"I know all this, so please don't worry," Jiang Nuan said, her expression softening. "We discussed this beforehand, so don't worry about the money. With me here, you won't go hungry. Don't worry."