Cherish this blessing.
Zheng Ruqian laughed in exasperation, and the frustration in his heart dissipated. He looked up at Master Ren and asked, "Is that what you think too?"
After a moment's hesitation, Mr. Ren did not deny it.
No matter how gorgeous the silks Zheng Ruqian wore were, they were just silks. There were also damask, gauze, brocade, and silk fabrics on top, as well as countless other precious and rare materials.
Money can buy silk, but it can't buy power or connections.
“Child,” Mr. Ren said earnestly, “I know you have resentment over the years, but as long as you are a child of the Ren family, you will receive everything you are entitled to.”
Even now, the most important thing to finalize is still bloodline.
If even the Jiang family couldn't find a way to identify Jiang Sheng, how could the Ren family possibly identify Zheng Ruqian?
Blood tests for kinship are invalid, dates can be falsified, and even physical appearance can be replaced by substitutes in the vast sea of people. In the end, one can only rely on the longing for family and the deep affection.
Rather than simply preserving bloodlines and offspring.
Zheng Ruqian touched the ugly knot his sister had made around his waist. His previous gloom had vanished, and he was no longer bothered by whether or not they were biological children. Instead, he asked with great interest, "May I ask, Master Ren, how will you treat me after you take me back?"
"Of course, I'll be the second young master of the Ren family again, and I'll arrange your studies and find you a husband." Master Ren's face lit up with joy. "As long as you are a child of the Ren family, how could I treat you unfairly?"
"Oh." Zheng Ruqian said thoughtfully, "Then may I ask, can I compare to the eldest young master?"
Master Ren was taken aback again.
The steward behind him couldn't contain himself any longer. "How dare you compare yourself to the eldest son? He is the legitimate son of the eldest son, while you are just a concubine's child born to a courtesan. The master has been kind to you, so you should be grateful and appreciate it. How can you compare yourself to the legitimate son?"
The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is as vast as heaven and earth.
The eldest son of the Ren family could arrange a marriage with a high-ranking official of the third rank, while the sons of concubines usually associated with merchant girls.
The eldest son of the Ren family receives the full support of the family, while the illegitimate sons receive only the best treatment.
Even though there could be only legitimate sons in this world, they insist on having illegitimate sons and then telling them that their birth determines everything, and that they are not as noble as legitimate sons.
In an instant, Zheng Ruqian understood Zhu Changyu's resentment.
He also understood that in the Ren family's heart, he was just a bloodline that had been lost to the outside world.
That's all.
He was no longer lost and dejected, nor was he filled with resentment. He raised his head, his square face full of sincerity.
“I am not worthy of the Ren family’s good fortune, nor do I have any connection with them. My purpose in coming here is for those two pearls. If Master Ren is willing to part with them, I am willing to pay double the amount. If Master Ren finds it difficult to part with them, I am not willing to waste my time.”
He cupped his hands in greeting, his every move exuding the shrewdness and competence of a businessman.
The butler frowned, his heart filled with doubt and unease.
Master Ren sighed, "Why do you have to compare yourself to the eldest son? Returning to the Ren family will be a good thing for you in terms of power, connections, and money."
In response, Zheng Ruqian laughed loudly three times.
The Ren family is indeed a prominent family, and the eldest son of the Ren family certainly has a bright future, but what does all this have to do with him?
Does he lack power?
Is he lacking connections?
Is he short of money?
Wearing silk simply means there are many colors and styles to choose from; it doesn't mean he can't afford fine silks and brocades. He is no longer the young master who wailed at the back door of a brothel; he is now the second master of the imperial merchant family, Zheng.
"It seems that Master Ren is unwilling to sell Dongzhu." Zheng Ruqian cupped his hands in greeting. "In that case, I will take my leave. I apologize for the inconvenience."
The two turned and left without any hesitation.
Master Ren was once again taken aback, seemingly not expecting that there were still people who remained unmoved by the power and influence of the Ren family.
The reason the steward said some of these things was because he felt guilty towards the child he had not cared for for eighteen years. He believed that as long as the child was willing to return to the Ren family and be a dutiful illegitimate son, he would be able to enjoy a life of wealth and honor.
But what child wouldn't want to?
He gently touched his chest with his right hand, his fingertips brushing against something hard. He quickly pulled it out and said with all his might, "Wait a minute... this pearl is for you."
Some fatherly love is not absent, but rather too weak.
It's so thin that two pearls can make up for it, so thin that it can be soothed in two days.
Zheng Ruqian paused, and after a brief moment of thought, he turned around and took the two pearls. Under Master Ren's expectant gaze, he placed two gold ingots on top of them.
What you perceive as fatherly love is nothing more than an equal exchange in your child's eyes.
After examining the pearl, Zheng Ruqian put it back in his pocket and didn't look at the magnificent and spacious Ren mansion again before turning around and striding away.
He seemed to be venting some kind of emotion, his strides getting longer and faster, as if he were in a race.
Wang Xiaosong had no choice but to take small, hesitant steps. Once his pace slowed, he asked softly, "Boss, are you sad?"
“No, no.” Zheng Ruqian wiped his eyes. “If I were eight years old this year, I would probably be sad, but I’m already eighteen, how could I still be sad?”
“Then you… just now…” Wang Xiaosong stammered, unsure whether he should ask.
Zheng Ruqian turned his head, still with his wide mouth and thick eyebrows, "I was just thinking, if the eighteen-year-old Second Master Zheng had resisted the temptation to return to the Ren family, if I hadn't met my sister when I was nine, if I hadn't been a royal merchant, if I hadn't been the younger brother of the Crown Prince and the elder brother of the Prefect, would I have obediently become a dutiful illegitimate son?"
Maybe.
In a parallel universe, little Ruqian is brought back to the unfamiliar Ren family, where he meets an unfamiliar stepmother and a courtyard full of unfamiliar maids and servants. How difficult must his life be?
The initial guilt, coupled with the daily disappointment, will transform into a sharp blade, wounding the child who was abandoned at the age of nine.
He had once envied his third and fifth brothers for their privileged backgrounds, and he had also longed for wealthy and powerful parents. But when his dream came true, he realized that being born into a wealthy family was not necessarily a good thing, and that wealthy and powerful parents did not necessarily favor him.
Money and power from the outside world are ultimately just external forces; true confidence comes from oneself and from tireless effort day and night.
He is Master Zheng, and he has an older brother, a younger brother, a younger sister, and countless businesses, long-term and short-term workers, and money.
Father or mother, let them both go with the wind.
The two arrived at Treasure Street, where the horse was still snorting. Wang Xiaosong untied the reins, and the master and servant prepared to return to Anshui County.
But before they could take two steps, the road was blocked.
A square-faced girl blocked the way and asked in a loud voice, "Are you a child of the Ren family? Are you my brother? My name is Ren Jiaojiao, and I want to see my second brother."
Zheng Ruqian rubbed the lustrous pearl in his palm, then lifted the small curtain. "No, I have a younger sister. She's waiting for me to come home in Anshui County."
He then picked up the beads to examine them closely, and determined that they would look beautiful when inlaid on embroidered shoes. Satisfied, he lowered the small curtain.
"Xiaosong, it's time to go home."
"Go and embroider shoes for your younger sister."
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