After hiding the treasure, Xu Lanyin walked to the window, opened it, and looked out. Under the starlight, in the small window across from her on the left, she saw a handsome young man's face, smiling at her, his white teeth particularly conspicuous...
She blinked, and the small window was tightly shut, dark. Zhao Wu didn't know where she was or what she was doing...
Only a small window on the right was letting in a faint light. Xu Lanzhou was still studying hard under the lamp. The child worked even harder because of his lofty ideals.
Xu Lanyin sighed softly and went to bed to rest.
The next day, Xu Lanyin asked Zhangqi to invite the Hong family, the Hu family, and Xu Dashi and his wife to dinner, and to take back the gifts for them.
Xu Lanzhou went to Xiaozao Village to pick up the old couple and his eldest wife's family. Since the mule cart at home was no longer available, he rented a donkey cart.
The Hong and Hu families lived close together, and three quarters of an hour later, Hu Yi and her daughter, along with the Hong family, arrived. It was a day off, so Hong Zhen also came.
Xu Lanyin was a little puzzled about Hong Zhen's presence. Ever since Hong Wei had labeled Hong Zhen a "hostile element," he had had less contact with Zhao Wu and the Xu family. Only Mrs. Hu and the children interacted more with Xu Lanyin's family.
Because Xu Lan was pestered by Hu Yi and talked about her lovesickness for a long time, Liu Yong invited her to the east wing hall, where Hong Zhen and Liu Yong were drinking tea.
Hong Zhen laughed and said, "I heard that it was Brother Zhao who discovered the clues at Longxing Inn and sent a pigeon to Lord Min, which enabled him to shut down that criminal den in one fell swoop? Wow, Brother Zhao actually has that ability. And I've seen the pigeon he raised before, but I didn't expect it to be so magical."
It must be Yi Ju Restaurant that sent Hong Zhen to gather information. Yi Ju Restaurant has so many connections, they must know a lot of inside information.
Xu Lanyin said, "To be honest, Brother Hong, it was terrifying..."
She told them about Zhao Wu's discovery of something fishy at the inn, how he had sent Ma Zi a letter, how someone had tried to break into their room at night, and how Zhao Wu had set fire to the inn. On the surface, she didn't hide anything.
He said with fear, "I had only heard that Zhao Wu had practiced martial arts with others in his hometown, but I didn't expect him to be so powerful. Fortunately, he is capable, otherwise we would not have been able to return. Seeing so many remains dug out with my own eyes, I was so scared that I had nightmares for several days..." He added regretfully, "It's a pity that the pigeon was too good and was requisitioned by Lord Min, so we dared not take it back."
Ma Zi also became famous, and Zhao Wu was afraid that the Xu family could not be protected, so he stayed in Min Prefecture.
Hong Zhen laughed and said, "Brother Zhao is now famous. Even the people in Nanping County are proud of him."
After Xu Lanyin left, Liu Yong whispered to Hong Zhen, "Zhao Wu is such a powerful guy. If he's here, will he get in the way of our work?"
Hong Zhen muttered, "That kid has become so powerful now that a small county town might not be able to accommodate him. By the time he returns from his investigation, Lord Wang will have already taken office. He will definitely try to recommend him to the Judicial and Censorate or somewhere else. I heard that Min Can is also very optimistic about him and wants to bring him to the Ningzhou government office."
Liu Yong muttered again, "Why didn't Captain Zhang kill him back then? He's just standing here, getting in the way..."
Hong Zhen glanced at him and said, "Captain Zhang is just a country bumpkin. He can handle those common people just fine. If he had the ability to kill Zhao Wu, he wouldn't have been treated so badly by Captain Jiang."
Xu Lanyin returned to the main room, and Mrs. Hu asked with a smile, "Sister Xu has been living in Lord Min's house in Ningzhou Prefecture?"
Xu Lanyin glanced at Xiaochan behind Hu. This must be something the Yiju Restaurant or the Hong family wanted to know. She smiled and said, "After the Longxing Inn case, Zhao Wutian was busy catching criminals every day, and he was worried about us, so Lord Min let us stay at his house. He has a little girl, a very cute child, but unfortunately, she can't speak. She and Lanting get along very well, and Lord Min was happy to let us stay for a while. Lord Min also said that from now on, when we go to the provincial capital, we can stay at his house so that we can spend more time with Miss Min..."
This statement is true or false, and people can't help but believe it.
Mrs. Hu inquired about Zhao Xingchen's situation again, and Xu Lanyin told her everything. Hearing about the suffering Zhao Xingchen had endured, Mrs. Hu, Hu Yi, and Hu Yi all wiped their eyes.
Especially Hu Yi, she burst into tears and said, "Little Star is my nephew, and I want to make clothes for him..."
After saying that, he went to the yard. Xu Lanting, Fang Jie'er, and Zhao Xingchen were playing with a big wooden duck. This was the toy Xu Lanyin bought for Fang Jie'er in the provincial capital.
Hu Yi squatted down and held Zhao Xingchen in his arms. He used his hands to measure his clothes and shoes, then pinched his little face and touched his head.
Her enthusiasm made Zhao Xingchen feel overwhelmed, but he could see that there was no malice in the aunt's eyes, so he did not struggle.
Mrs. Hu sighed. Her daughter hadn't been ill again, but sometimes she spoke and acted like a child.
Mrs. Hu saw through her thoughts and said with a soothing smile, "Sister Yi is doing very well. Take your time, and things will get better."
Soon, Xu Lanzhou arrived with Old Man Xu and his wife, Xu Qingming and his wife, Xu Yuan, and Xu Man. With two more children, the yard became even more lively.
On the way, Old Man Xu heard that Zhao Wu had actually adopted a son. He curled his lips and shook his head, saying, "I thought the Zhao family kid was a smart guy, but it turns out he's a fool. He hasn't even found a wife yet, but he's already raising someone else's son. In the future, even if the share is small, he will have to give the property to other families' sons. Which good girl would be willing to marry him? Why bother?" He then asked Xu Lanzhou, "The child eats and sleeps at your house, and you have to take care of him. Did the Zhao family kid pay extra?"
Xu Lanyin didn't mention the money, and Xu Lanzhou had no objection. He knew that the money and property Zhao Wu had given the family was enough to support another child. But he didn't dare tell the truth to Old Man Xu, so he could only say, "I gave it to him, 500 coins a month."
Only then did Old Man Xu nod with satisfaction.
Old Lady Xu said nothing, but she felt a little uncomfortable. She felt sorry for Xu Lanyin, thinking that if Xu Lanyin couldn't get married in the future, she would have to marry Zhao Wu. But before she even got married, the man had to spend money to raise someone else's son. It was a loss.
Xu Lanting took Zhao Xingchen and introduced him to the old man Xu and his wife, "This is my grandpa, this is my grandma, and this is my little nephew Xiao Xingxing."
Old Man Xu saw that the child was wearing a silk dress and a gold necklace, which was a bit dazzling. He said "hmm" and went into the house.
Zhao Xingchen wanted to kowtow, but seeing him like this, he just stood there without moving.
Old Mrs. Xu smiled and said, "What a beautiful child."
After hearing about Zhao Xingchen's life story, the old lady not only did not despise him, but also asked Qin and Xu Lanyin to treat him well. "Poor boy, he suffered so much. Those evil people have lost all their conscience and must not have a good death." She added, "I said it long ago that Zhao Wu is a good person. See, I was right, wasn't I? If he can be so kind to an unrelated child, won't he be even better to his own wife and children in the future..."
She was even more determined to marry Xu Lanyin to Zhao Wu. Before, she thought that if Xu Lanyin couldn't get married, she would marry Zhao Wu, but now she wanted to find a way to marry Xu Lanyin to Zhao Wu as soon as possible, so as not to let others get the first chance.
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