Chapter 32...
Chapter Thirty-Two
Hua Fangling thought to herself, "Oh no, really? Is the ultimate female supporting character about to make her appearance? Or has Lu Yuanqing's family come knocking on my door?"
Hua Fangling was thrilled. When she wrote this book, she only briefly mentioned the character Lu Yuanqing. But now the book has evolved into a real world, or rather, her novel has merged into a parallel universe. Lu Yuanqing and other characters in the book have become real people with flesh and blood, and his past has been automatically filled in.
To put it simply, Hua Fangling had no idea what the situation was like in Lu Yuanqing's family.
Seeing a stylishly dressed woman immediately reminded him of a stunner, and then of the family members he had just discussed with Yao Anhui.
Could it be that Lu Yuanqing or Yao Anhui are actually children of some adult who have been abandoned? Or is it something like a real or fake heiress/young master?
Hua Fangling was brainstorming when she glanced at Yao Anhui, as if to say: See? I wasn't wrong. Now someone has come knocking on our door.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that there was more than one person at Lu Yuanqing's door; there were three people: two adults and one child.
Seeing that there was a child there, Hua Fangling's heart skipped a beat. Could it be some kind of melodramatic plot twist?
"Commander Lu, you have a guest. This is Comrade Fan Yin from City C. We have already verified her identity." A young soldier reported the situation to Lu Yuanqing crisply.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Lu Yuanqing glanced at the other person but didn't say anything. Instead, he thanked the young soldier.
"You're welcome, I'll head back now." The young soldier left quickly.
Lu Yuanqing then looked at the female comrade named Fan Yin.
Before Lu Yuanqing could speak, Fan Yin spoke first: "You may not know me, but you should know my sister, Fan Fang."
“I know, she’s my sister-in-law.” Lu Yuanqing introduced her to Yao Anhui: “Fan Fang is my adoptive mother’s daughter-in-law.”
Yao Anhui paused for a second before snapping out of her daze. She nodded to Fan Yin and then opened the courtyard gate, saying, "Let's talk inside. It's not appropriate to stand here at the gate."
"Anhui, let's not go in. I'll talk to you later." Although Hua Fangling was quite gossipy, she wouldn't be so tactless as to follow her in. Anyway, if she knew anything, Yao Anhui would tell her anyway.
"Okay, we'll talk later." Since they were good friends, Yao Anhui never stood on ceremony with Hua Fangling.
Yao Anhui led everyone into the courtyard, but did not lead them into the house. The weather was hot, so Yao Anhui had already set up tables and chairs in the courtyard. As long as it wasn't windy or rainy, they would eat in the courtyard.
"You all talk, I'll go pour some tea." Yao Anhui went inside, leaving Lu Yuanqing and the other two alone.
Inside the house, Yao Anhui was filling a basket with melon seeds and peanuts, along with a handful of fruit candies. She was carrying a teapot that had been prepared and was about to leave when she suddenly turned back, grabbed a handful of dried longans and put them in the basket, before heading out with a smile on her face.
"Comrade Fan Yin, have some tea. It's hot now, so we keep some pre-brewed herbal tea at home to cool you down. I don't know if you'll like it." Four cups of herbal tea were poured out.
Yao Anhui smiled and said to the little boy she had brought, who looked only seven or eight years old, "What's your name, little friend? You can have some tea and fruit too. Why do you want some longan? It's very sweet."
"Thank you, Mom... Auntie, I like peanuts." The little boy looked up at Yao Anhui with his big, watery eyes, a look of admiration that was both strange and familiar to Yao Anhui.
"Auntie, my name is Qi Mingzhe, you can call me Ping An." Qi Mingzhe said in a childish voice, but his eyes were red.
Yao Anhui's heart skipped a beat, and she had a guess in her mind, but she kept her composure on the surface. Even though she was shocked inside, she could still maintain a calm expression and said while holding the basket, "Okay, then Auntie will call you Ping An. Ping An, eat peanuts."
"Thank you, Auntie." Qi Mingzhe picked up a few peanuts with his little hands, then stopped talking to Yao Anhui and sat quietly by himself.
At this point, Lu Yuanqing and Fan Yin's conversation began to get down to business: "Qi Mingzhe is my sister Fan Fang's son."
Lu Yuanqing nodded. He could guess from the name and appearance. He didn't care to guess why Fan Yin had brought the person here. He just waited for Fan Yin to explain.
“My brother-in-law sacrificed his life last year, and my sister passed away a few months ago after falling ill. I am currently unable to support Qi Mingzhe due to special circumstances,” Fan Yin said directly, getting straight to the point.
Lu Yuanqing: "Sorry, I don't know."
"No need to apologize, I know a little about your situation." Although Lu Yuanqing was adopted, he was not close to his adoptive parents' children. Lu Yuanqing's adoptive parents were a soldier and a military doctor, respectively, and both were very busy with their work. Therefore, Lu Yuanqing and his adoptive brother Qi Zhengya were initially raised by Qi's grandparents.
The Qi family is well-off. Don't be fooled by Qi Zhengya's name into thinking he is a refined and upright person. In reality, he is a pampered young master who dislikes Lu Yuanqing, who was adopted but has lost his parents' love.
One side was arrogant and domineering, and Qi Zhengya felt that her parents had been taken away.
One of them was sensitive, and Lu Yuanqing, living under someone else's roof, lacked confidence and thus distanced himself from Qi Zhengya. Therefore, the relationship between Qi Zhengya and Lu Yuanqing was never good.
On the other hand, Lu Yuanqing's adoptive mother, Lu Nanxing, is an exceptionally upright and meticulous person. Whenever she clashes with the pampered Qi Zhengya, it's always a thunderous confrontation.
Lu Nanxing thought that Qi Zhengya was spoiled and extravagant, not like a soldier's child at all. Every time he saw Qi Zhengya, he wished he could correct his personality.
Qi Zhengya also harbored resentment towards Lu Nanxing. When he was young, his parents controlled his upbringing and education. When he wanted their company, they were not around. Instead, they adopted a child to compete for his affection. By the time his parents finally returned, he had grown up. Now they were picking on his personality. It would be strange if Qi Zhengya didn't feel disgusted.
Later, Lu Yuanqing's adoptive father passed away. His grandparents, who only had one son, took their anger out on Lu Yuanqing, believing that he had caused his adoptive father's death. Because of this, and due to a job transfer, Lu Nanxing took Lu Yuanqing with him and left City C.
Later, after Qi Zhengya started working and her grandparents passed away, the relationship between the mother and son improved somewhat. Lu Yuanqing also attended Qi Zhengya's wedding.
However, Lu Nanxing suffered too much hardship and pain in his early years and died of injuries and illness before he could retire. After Lu Nanxing's death, Lu Yuanqing joined the army, and the two adopted brothers, who did not have a good relationship, stopped contacting each other.
Lu Yuanqing was lost in thought, pondering past events. Fan Yin, thinking he didn't want to raise Qi Mingzhe, quickly said, "Don't worry, I brought some money; it's enough for you to raise him."
Lu Yuanqing did not answer Fan Yin's question but looked at Yao Anhui. Yao Anhui, of course, understood what Lu Yuanqing meant, so she nodded.
"Did you bring all the materials?" Lu Yuanqing didn't say anything else. He knew from Fan Yin's ability to prepare money and supplies for Qi Mingzhe that the Fan family must have had a compelling reason to send Qi Mingzhe here.
"I brought them all." Fan Yin took a file folder out of her handbag and handed it to Lu Yuanqing.
Upon closer inspection, Lu Yuanqing found that all the necessary documents were included; all Qi Mingzhe needed to do was apply for household registration, and he could then settle down in the city.
With everything done, Fan Yin smiled easily and said to Qi Mingzhe, "Xiao Zhe, be a good boy and listen to your uncle and aunt, okay? Your aunt will come to pick you up when there's a chance in the future."
"I understand, Auntie." Qi Mingzhe said to Fan Yin like a little adult, "Don't worry, Auntie, I will be a good boy."
"I'm leaving Xiao Zhe in your care. I have to go. My train is at nine o'clock tonight." Fan Yin looked at Qi Mingzhe one last time and couldn't help but shed tears.
“Okay.” Lu Yuanqing promised, “I will take good care of him.”
Yao Anhui didn't say anything, but she nodded in agreement.
Fan Yin left with tears in her eyes.
"Xiao Zhe, sit here for a moment, I need to talk to your aunt." Lu Yuanqing said, placing a basket of melon seeds and peanuts in front of Qi Mingzhe.
"Okay." Qi Mingzhe blinked and obediently replied.
"I'm sorry, Huihui..." Lu Yuanqing looked guilty. They had only been married for a short time, and now a child had appeared that Yao Anhui needed to take care of.
"It's alright, I understand." Yao Anhui patted Lu Yuanqing's hand. Yao Anhui truly understood. Given Lu Yuanqing's background, and the fact that Qi Mingzhe had no other relatives, if Lu Yuanqing didn't keep him, he would probably lose his reputation. Besides, Lu Yuanqing's conscience wouldn't allow it.
As for Yao Anhui herself, she was already 70-80% certain that Qi Mingzhe was her adopted son from her previous life, and that he would definitely stay.
Moreover, even if this person is not Ping An from the previous life, but just an ordinary child, Yao Anhui would not mind keeping him. At seven or eight years old, he is already sensible and a good child, so she would take good care of him and nurture him.
If it's a bad child, then at this age it's time for them to go to school, and they can be sent to school to be educated by teachers.
In short, Yao Anhui would not put herself in a difficult position.
"Don't worry, Huihui. Xiao Zhe is seven or eight years old now. We'll send him to school when school starts. If he's really disobedient, we'll send him to a boarding school. I promise you won't have to worry about him," Lu Yuanqing assured her.
"There's no need for that. I think that child is quite well-behaved. Teach him well. You can't just let him go because of your adoptive mother." Qi Mingzhe looks like someone who has had a similar extraordinary experience as her. As long as it's confirmed that Qi Mingzhe is Ping An from her previous life, then there won't be any problems.
"I'm so sorry to have troubled you." Lu Yuanqing was deeply moved. What wife could be as warm-hearted, kind, understanding, and considerate as her? He, Lu Yuanqing, was truly blessed.
Lu Yuanqing was deeply moved inside, but Qi Mingzhe, who had exceptional hearing outside, didn't think so.
His uncle is such a sissy, it must have been like that in his past life. From the very beginning, he was worried that he would make his aunt suffer, so he thought about sending him to boarding school.
Later, fearing he would be sent away, he desperately tried to please his aunt. However, his uncle, because he was too attached to his aunt and the two had such a good relationship, wanted to send him to a boarding school.
Forget it, for the sake of my uncle and aunt being good to him and treating him fairly well, I'll just let him have his way for the rest of my life.
Qi Mingzhe thought to himself: Anyway, my uncle is so busy with work and is often not at home. When my uncle is not at home, my aunt's time is all mine.
Hehehe!
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