Chapter 67 Adoption Disputes 5
Wei glared at Madam Ma: "Who says the eldest son can't be adopted? We can adopt him as long as we're willing. Do you think I don't know what you're planning? I do want to adopt Yunyi to my sister-in-law, but Yunyi is my fourth brother's illegitimate son. Don't blame me for being blunt, how can an illegitimate son be qualified to be the head of the General's Mansion?"
Our Yunzhang is different. When our eldest brother was alive, he valued him highly. Now, the eldest branch of the family lacks a man who can step out and take charge of the household. Over the years, our Yunzhang has been managing the household affairs and handling external social interactions. No wonder we think our Yunzhang is more suitable.
Yu Qingci looked up at Lu Yunzhang, who was sitting silently to the side. He had a humble smile on his face and seemed to be leaving the decision to his elders.
Madam Ma retorted, "Who said we have to adopt Yunyi? We, the fourth branch of the family, also have several children and grandchildren. As long as our eldest sister-in-law approves, we'll be happy with whichever one she chooses. Besides, if you think Yunzhang is suitable, then our eldest sister-in-law has to agree."
After Madam Ma finished speaking, she gave a push to the Fourth Master, who was sitting silently in his chair, wanting him to say a few words.
The fourth master frowned impatiently.
It wasn't that he didn't want to speak up, but rather that he and the Ma couple hadn't reached an agreement on the adoption. Ma preferred to adopt her own grandson, eight-month-old Yu Ge'er, under Yu Qingci's name.
The Fourth Master's plan was to have his beloved illegitimate son, Yunyi, adopted by his eldest sister-in-law. An illegitimate son was still his son, so he wouldn't suffer any loss. He would also find such a good backer for his illegitimate son, which would be fair to his young and beautiful concubine.
Unfortunately, Madam Ma absolutely refused to agree, unwilling to let her illegitimate son benefit from such a good thing. The couple argued privately for a long time about the choice of person, and neither could convince the other, so they simply went their separate ways.
So when Madam Ma wanted him to speak up, the Fourth Master was unwilling to pay him any attention.
Moreover, he considered himself refined and impatient to argue with a few women and children, so he preferred to let them make a move first before intervening himself.
Anyway, his son is already so old and knows who his biological father is. In the future, when Yunyi inherits the entire General's Mansion, he will naturally be filial to his biological parents.
Madam Ning felt a sharp pain in her chest as soon as they started arguing. Now, sitting there with a bitter expression and her brows furrowed even more, Yu Qingci went over and gently rubbed her back, signaling her not to speak yet, but to wait until these people had stopped arguing.
"Sister-in-law, why don't you tell me yourself, which one do you prefer, Yunzhang or Yunyi, the fourth son of the concubine?"
Wei stood up and asked.
Everyone looked at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law at the head of the table.
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Ning glanced at her daughter-in-law beside her. Seeing the daughter-in-law nod secretly at her, she felt a surge of confidence and spoke:
"Give up on that idea. I only have one son, Yunqi. Even though he's gone, I still have a daughter-in-law. So I've never thought about adopting a son for myself. Don't bring this up again."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people sitting around immediately varied. Some, like Madam Wei and Madam Ma, were indignant and unconvinced; others, like Lu Yunzhang, had unpleasant expressions; and still others, like the Third Aunt, wore a mocking smile.
Madam Ning continued, "When we arranged the marriage with the Marquis of Nanping, I personally promised that once my daughter-in-law entered the family, I would give her an adopted son to raise, so that she would have someone to rely on in her later years."
As for this old woman, I'll rely on my daughter-in-law's filial piety for the rest of my life. I believe Qingci is a reliable and good girl.
I will never go back on my word, so I will only consider choosing a suitable child to raise under Qingci's care. As for the suggestion of adopting my nephew for this old woman, you should keep it to yourselves; I'll pretend you didn't say it.
After saying these words, Madam Ning breathed a long sigh of relief. In the past, she was so bothered by them that she was almost led by the nose. Now that her daughter-in-law was there to remind her and support her, she was able to stand up for herself today.
Even for the sake of her daughter Yun Chu, she couldn't let these people manipulate her.
After Madam Ning finished speaking, the main hall was quiet for a moment. The second master and his wife exchanged a glance. Lu Yunzhang looked over, unwilling to give up, wanting to speak. When he looked up, he met Yu Qingci's cold eyes, which were like the ice of winter, making people inexplicably shrink back.
Lu Yunzhang didn't know where to begin with the words he wanted to say.
The third aunt sat in her chair, maintaining a stern expression as she sipped her tea, seemingly oblivious to the commotion among the various families and not participating in it.
She had her own plans. After all, she was an aunt who had married young. If her sister-in-law had any intention of adopting her, then this good thing would most likely fall to Yun Zhang.
However, since the eldest sister-in-law has made it clear that she does not want an adopted son and is only willing to let her niece-in-law adopt one, it is a good thing for her, after all, she sincerely brought three of her own grandsons with her.
Since the eldest sister-in-law has made it clear that she will only give her niece-in-law one child, and since she also has the surname Lu, her three grandsons can also earn a living.
The only ones who are worried right now are the second wife and her husband, and Yunzhang's nephew. The fourth wife and her husband are no pushovers either. She doesn't need to rush right now; she should just observe for a while.
Madam Wei turned around and looked at Wei Ge'er, who was being held in her second daughter-in-law's arms. She beckoned to Wei Ge'er, who was looking down, and said, "Go to Grandmother's place."
He put the child down.
Wei Ge'er wasn't afraid of people at all, and ran up to Wei Shi with a clattering sound.
Madam Wei took the little boy's hand and said, "Wei-ge'er, go to your auntie. Didn't you tell your grandmother that your auntie is beautiful and that you like beautiful aunties?"
Wei Ge'er, spurred on by Wei Shi, walked toward Yu Qingci in a daze and even called her "Auntie".
Madam Wei's face lit up with joy as she smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is right. Although Yunqi is gone, his lineage cannot be broken. Since we promised the Marquis of Nanping that we would give their daughter a child to adopt, we cannot go back on our word. Otherwise, how can we face our niece-in-law, who is like a flower bud? She is going to remain a widow for Yunqi for the rest of her life."
It's perfectly legitimate for this adopted son to be raised by his niece-in-law. He should be raised and properly educated while he's still young; he'll naturally grow closer to his niece-in-law when he's older.
Wei then said to Yu Qingci, "Niece-in-law, since it has been decided that you will adopt a son, I think it is better to get it done as soon as possible. Wei'er is your second cousin's son. He is not even four years old yet, and he is at an age where he is ignorant and naive. He will be close to whoever treats him well. Look at how much this child looks like Yunqi."
As she spoke, she stepped forward and pushed Wei Ge'er towards Yu Qingci. Yu Qingci could only take a few more glances at the child, but she had never met Lu Yunqi in either her past or present life, so she couldn't tell whether he looked like him or not.
Looking up, she saw Ye, Wei Ge'er's biological mother, standing not far away, her eyes fixed on her son, her expression as if she were afraid someone would snatch her son away.
It seems that adopting Wei Ge'er was just the idea of the second uncle and aunt. The child's biological mother loves him dearly and may not be willing to give him up.
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