"You said that at this age, he's in his prime in officialdom, fifty-two, a good time for advancement, and to be dismissed and sent home is probably another blow."
"Who can you blame? It's all your own fault for being so useless. He was originally a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and became a deputy prefect at a young age. He was the second-in-command of the prefecture. If his daughter hadn't been lost, he probably would have become the governor of Yuezhou long ago, or even reached the capital. You can say that he lost her, but he got caught up in his obsession and was demoted several ranks. Now he can't even keep this small position."
“Three consecutive prefects have shown compassion for Lord Chu’s loss of his daughter. Even though he made a mistake, they did not punish him severely and have allowed him to stay in the prefecture until now. This can be considered to be the most benevolent and righteous thing to do.”
"Yes, family matters are family matters, and business matters are business matters. No matter what, we can't let family matters affect business matters."
Gao Shuying's expression turned grave as she listened, and she downed the wine in her cup in one gulp.
“Lian’er, Uncle Chu’s family used to own a lot of farmland and shops, but they sold them all in order to find his daughter. Now, all the family’s expenses can only be covered by his meager salary.”
"The bracelet that Aunt Chu gave you is the most valuable thing in their family besides their house."
She said softly.
"Having exhausted their fields and savings, they were at their wits' end. Fortunately, Wei Chi grew up and helped them search for people, which became their hope for survival."
It felt like a knife had slashed into Qiao Lian'er's heart.
She touched the bracelet on her wrist and felt it was incredibly heavy.
Gao Shuying glanced at it and said, "That's not what I meant. Aunt Chu is giving it to you as a token of her appreciation. Just keep it."
Although she also felt that it was a bit disoriented for Aunt Chu to give such an expensive gift on their first meeting, she was still surprised to see Aunt Chu so happy today.
Gao Shuying muttered to herself, "Even this minor official position is gone. How are my uncle and aunt supposed to live?"
Wei Chi arrived unnoticed and stood at the door, taking in all the conversation from next door.
At this moment, only two dishes had been served.
He only took his seat after the discussion next door ended and they moved on to another matter.
“My cousin has a flame-shaped birthmark under her left armpit,” he said.
Gao Shuying crossed her arms and remained silent, appearing sullen.
"You already knew?" Wei Chi guessed immediately.
"I just found out, but Grandpa Chu and Grandma Chu wanted to see Miss Chu's portrait, so they sent Brother Wei directly," Qiao Lian'er said.
“Of the four portraits, they kept one,” Wei Chi said. “To make them happy, I kept the best one. When they looked at the portrait, their faces were full of smiles, and they said they hoped that my cousin could really live such a good life.”
However, all the wealthy and powerful families had been investigated, and no one had heard of anyone adopting a child, nor had they seen anyone with a similar appearance.
It's unrealistic to expect someone to look exactly like the person in the portrait.
"What's wrong with you two?" Wei Chi asked, noticing that the two were somewhat silent and seemed distracted.
The dishes that were served were barely touched.
"Uncle Chu is about to be dismissed from his post." Gao Shuying sighed, her face full of helplessness.
"Dismissal from office! He's already been demoted to this position, and now he's being dismissed from office as well!" Wei Chi's voice suddenly rose.
The noisy neighborhood next door suddenly fell silent.
"Keep your voice down." Gao Shuying gestured with her chin to the side: "That's where I heard it."
Wei Chi frowned. He had no appetite now and gulped down three mouthfuls of wine.
"Lord Tu has been very kind; it's just that my uncle can't let go of this knot in his heart."
"I will have my father plead with Lord Tu to spare my uncle's official position for a while. During this time, I will give a result."
Wei Chi's father was a Sima, the highest-ranking military officer in the province.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
