Dong Zao quietly told Shen Zhaoshu that the young lady had attempted suicide once when she was at Lu's house, and she fell seriously ill again when she came here.

After hearing this, Shen Zhaoshu turned to tell Jiang He that she would try to take better care of the two children, and then said, "Dongzao is someone you are used to, so let's keep him here."

After Shen Zhaoshu returned, she would have people deliver things to Chuntao every now and then, such as clothes, shoes and socks that Chuntao and the two children could wear, and prepared meals and snacks.

We also arranged for the aunts and sisters-in-law who took on the laundry and mending work to come to the house regularly to pick up the washed clothes.

But something happened to Chuntao.

Lu Shiqing came back drunk again, and Chuntao had to take care of him, but she couldn't leave the house that night.

For these young men who were born into wealthy families, having a maid might not be a big deal.

The next day, Lu Shiqing still felt a little guilty and said to Chuntao, "I will take you as my concubine."

He actually did so. He lost his mother and divorced, and he did not need his mistress's consent to take a concubine.

But Chuntao was visibly losing weight, and her dreams were filled with the young lady and Dongzao scolding her for being a bed-climber and shameless after they found out.

It was the two children scolding and beating her, crying and yelling for her to get out. It was the scenes of Lu Shiqing forcing himself on her that night...

Lu Shiqing changed a little and started sending his children to school. But this was a dilemma for Chuntao, who was still wearing maid's clothes even though she had been secretly taken as a concubine.

But Lu Shiqing had to go with her to send the children to school, so he often asked her to change out of her maid's clothes, and he also bought clothes for Chuntao.

Lu Shiqing was very satisfied when Chuntao put on these clothes. The cute Lu Qingyin kept praising them for being beautiful. Lu Qingyang didn't quite understand these and thought they were gifts from Shen Zhaoshu.

In short, their father no longer goes out drinking every day recently. He can pick them up from school, ask them about their homework from time to time, and have dinner together in the evening. The two children are still happy.

The two children didn't understand, but the other ladies who were also picking up their children from school could see something was wrong, so rumors suddenly started.

These words were naturally directed at Chuntao. Just like the scene Chuntao saw in her dream, the rumors were all contemptuous accusations against her. As a maid, it was very likely that she had climbed into the bed of the male owner of the house.

Whenever she heard these voices and saw those looks, Chuntao lowered her head so low that she wished she could burrow into the ground. It seemed that things changed at this moment.

Lu Shiqing noticed it and shouted to the ladies, "What are you looking at? This is my wife!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone around fell silent. If it was really a maid who had climbed into the bed and yet became the wife who was married off formally, the possibility was very small. Many people began to think that they might have made a mistake.

The girl in their house before might just look like this lady.

Chun Tao thought that Lu Shiqing was just impulsive and stood up for her. However, she never thought that Lu Shiqing actually wanted to make her his legal wife. Chun Tao was almost scared to death when she found out.

The distinction between wives and concubines was almost as vast as a chasm. It was rare for a concubine to raise a wife, and even those who had given birth to children and had been with her for many years might not be able to do so.

But Lu Shiqing seriously found a matchmaker, matched their horoscopes, and went to find his eldest brother, Duke Rong, who was now living alone with his children. He opened a clan temple and revised the family tree, making Chuntao his legitimate wife.

Chuntao was determined not to have a wedding ceremony, but after the two children fell asleep, Lu Shiqing still took out a wedding dress with a phoenix crown and a red bridal robe, and he also put on a red dress. It was probably at this moment that Chuntao decided to accept her fate.

Chuntao changed her clothes. This was a wedding ceremony for just two people. Lu Shiqing set out red candles, wedding wine, melon seeds, peanuts, longans, and chestnuts in the room. Chuntao asked, "Did you prepare all this by yourself?"

Lu Shiqing nodded and said, "You are so timid that you don't even dare to ask for the wedding ceremony. I prepared it all by myself."

The children lived happily for about three or four months before they suddenly realized what had happened.

The two children, especially the eldest, were indeed awkward for a long time and were unwilling to pay much attention to Chuntao and their father in the next two months.

But Chuntao endured his bad temper and treated the child well as always. Two months later, Lu Qingyang said to Chuntao: "I won't call you mother."

Chun Tao cried with joy: "Yes, yes, it should be, Miss is the one."

Three months later, that is, nine months after Lu Shiqing married Chuntao, Shen Zhaoshu, Jiang He and Dongzao found out.

Although stunned, it has to be said that Lu Shiqing seemed like a different person.

Although he was not well educated, his calligraphy and painting were both impressive, so he worked as a part-time painter in a calligraphy and painting studio. Later, someone saw his paintings and invited him to teach painting in a private school.

He used to look down on this little money and didn't want to do this kind of job, but seeing Chuntao was so happy, he decided to do it.

Anyway, as long as we don't spend it recklessly, the money at home is enough to live on and to marry off our daughters.

Jiang He only found out about this "family of four" when she saw them on the street. Dong Zao looked at their happy faces and couldn't help but say, "How could they have hidden it from us!"

Jiang He said, "In fact, as long as he finds the right person, Lu Shiqing can be a very good husband."

She may not care about Lu Shiqing, but Jiang He watched the intimacy between the two children and Chuntao for a long time.

Dongzao was still somewhat dissatisfied with Chuntao's concealment and said to Jiang He, "It's alright, miss. Why don't we get married too? The soldier next door, although he's a widower, isn't he in better shape than the ex-son-in-law? He has both a house and land.

These are all skinny weaklings, that's a real man! He's also good to the ladies."

Jiang He said, "Don't talk nonsense. The house and land belong to someone else's son. Don't say such things.

And no one in this world means more to him than his late wife.”

Dongzao said, “Perhaps, but so what, if the young lady is willing to marry, he will still happily marry her.

Just like the ex-brother-in-law, he was so good to the young lady and seemed loyal to her, but he was like a lost soul after losing the young lady. Every day he was either drunk or crying. But he took a concubine three months after the divorce and became her legal wife more than five months later.

Now it seems that they are living a happy and harmonious life."

Jiang He seemed to no longer hear what Dong Zao said. She just stared at the two children, her eyes moist: "You've all grown taller..."