Qin's behavior made Xu Lanyin a little suspicious. Could it be that Qin was related to Zhao Xingchen, the Chai family in Beijing?
Xu Lanyin thought carefully about how Qin and Zhao Xingchen looked. They didn't resemble each other at all. She then compared her own three siblings with Zhao Xingchen's. There was still no resemblance. If Zhao Xingchen looked like Lord Qin, then they really could be related.
Then he thought, it is possible that after hearing what Zhao Xingchen said, Qin remembered her own tragic life experience and became more caring towards the child.
The child's situation was worrying. I didn't know who in his family was against him. I had to find out more about asking him to recognize his ancestral roots. If that didn't work, he could just be Zhao Wu's or my son for life.
It was time for Xu Lanting to go to school, so Xu Lanyin went to wake him up. It was still raining, so He Xi, holding an umbrella, carried him to the private school.
Xu Lanyin had no mood for painting or sewing, so she sat by the window, watching the fine rain. Although the rain was not heavy, it had been falling all day, leaving countless puddles on the ground and knocking down many leaves and red flowers.
She began to miss Zhao Wu again, wondering where he was, how he was doing, and whether he had encountered any danger. She was not used to not having him at home. Not to mention her, even Qin, Xu Lanzhou and Zhao Xingchen would talk about him and hope that Zhao Wu would come back soon.
Qin and Zhao Xingchen did not leave the bedroom after their lunch break, and the sounds of their talking and laughing could be heard from time to time.
Zhang Qi, who was sewing nearby, smiled and said, "Little Xingxing is so lucky. Everyone in the family loves him. Especially my wife, who really treats him like her own grandson."
Xu Lanting was about to leave school when Zhao Xingchen pulled Qin out and shouted that they should wait for their uncle at the door.
Qin smiled softly and said, "Slow down, slow down." She picked up an oil-paper umbrella standing at the door, opened it, and went to the door holding the umbrella in one hand and holding Little Star in the other, being as patient as if she were her own grandson.
Xu Lanting was carried back by He Xi. He was very happy to see his mother coming to the gate to pick him up in person today.
Not long after, Xu Lanzhou also returned from the private school. He said, "Tomorrow, Wang Po will be beheaded at the West Market Gate. I want to go and see it."
Qin said hurriedly, "It's so scary. What's the point of watching it? How can I delay my studies just to watch someone get beheaded?"
Xu Lanzhou said, "Several of my classmates have asked for leave, so we agreed to go together. I'm going to take the martial arts exam, and I might even have to go to the battlefield in the future. I can't even watch others being cut down, so how can I kill the enemy myself?"
These words successfully stumped Qin, and she did not try to stop him.
Xu Lanyin said, "If Mrs. Wang's family doesn't care, then help Wang Jincai and Wang Sanni deal with Mrs. Wang's funeral."
Xu Lanzhou nodded. Since the Wang family and his own family were getting along well now, he definitely had to help.
Before going to bed, Qin said to Xu Lanyin, "Let Xiao Xingxing sleep with me at night from now on. You have a lot to do during the day, so you need to rest well at night."
Xu Lanyin was already used to taking Little Tuanzi to bed, so seeing Qin Shi trying to snatch it from her, she couldn't disagree. She nodded and said, "Okay. Little Xingxing is easy to take care of. He'll get up on his own if he needs to pee at night."
Zhao Xingchen was already used to sleeping with his aunt, and he wanted to sleep with her even more. But since his grandmother wanted to take him, he didn't dare to disagree, especially since he knew that his grandmother really liked him. He said, "I like sleeping with my aunt, and I also like sleeping with my grandmother."
Xu Lanting felt a little jealous and said with a pout, "Mom likes Little Star now and doesn't like me anymore."
Xu Lanyin tugged at his little bun and said with a smile, "You're the elder, and people have to call you uncle, and you're jealous of the younger generation. If Jia'er knew, she would definitely laugh at you."
Qin sighed, "When you were a child, mother was in poor health and had to lie in bed every day, unable to take care of herself. Your brother took care of you. Now you go to school, and if you continue to sleep on the same kang with mother, people will laugh at you if they find out." Whenever she thought of the suffering her two sons had endured during those years, she felt sorry for them.
Xu Lanting said quickly, "I was joking. I'm an adult, an uncle, and I won't argue with my nephew."
The next day, the drizzle continued. At the end of the Si hour, Xu Lanzhou, wearing a straw raincoat, took He Dong and He Xi, who also wanted to watch the fun, to the West Market. Xu Lanting wanted to follow, but was forcibly stopped by Qin.
Mrs. Lu, who had just returned from grocery shopping, said that there were no fewer than a thousand people going to Xishikou to watch the excitement. She even heard that people came from the mountains dozens of miles away... She was completely confused, "This isn't a big show, what's so interesting about it?"
Crimes occurred frequently in Nanping County, but serious crimes like murder were rare. Only one death sentence had been handed down in the past two years. The common people, who rarely enjoyed recreational activities, began to treat beheading as a form of entertainment.
Xu Lanzhou and his two companions returned home before dark. He explained that, because they knew Constable He and the others, they were at the forefront, watching Wang Pozi's head being chopped off, blood spurting out, her eyes still open... Even Wang Pozi's family hadn't come, and Wang Sanni had already considered this. She and Wang Jincai wrapped Wang Pozi's body in mats and hired a cart to bring it back to the village. They had even hired a Taoist priest in advance, and after the ritual, they buried Wang Pozi directly in the mountains behind the village. Having prepared themselves mentally, they remained relatively calm, shedding only tears during the burial...
The rain continued for seven days before stopping, and the temperature plummeted. Many frail people fell ill, but Xu Lanting surprisingly survived. Qin's health was also a little unwell, so Zhao Xingchen came to sleep with Xu Lanyin.
Zhao Xingchen is now white, plump, and a little taller. She is very beautiful, and has a cheerful and lively personality. She has completely walked out of the shadow of the beggars' den.
At the end of September, Xu Lanzhou and Xu Lanting were on holiday, so the three siblings decided to go to Xiaozao Village to visit Old Lady Xu. The day before yesterday, Xu Qingming had someone deliver a letter saying that Old Lady Xu was ill.
Zhao Xingchen also wanted to go with them, but Xu Lanyin thought that neither Old Man Xu nor Xu Qingming and his wife liked him, so why should he go and be looked down upon? So she let him stay at home to accompany Qin, who was still not well.
They brought half a ginseng, a chicken, some brown sugar and fruit to the old lady, and bought two pounds of meat when they passed by the market.
Xu Lanyin had made some snacks with milk and eggs that morning. She had to go to Daxiang Temple to visit the monk Jie Chi first. Before Zhao Wu left, he had assigned her a task: to visit Jie Chi every once in a while with some delicious snacks. In the month since she returned, she had already visited twice.
Every time the old monk hinted at her to add some shocking information, she pretended to be confused.
As they ran past Xinghua Village, they saw the exquisite houses in the distance. Xu Lanyin heard that Su Yuan had been taken back to the capital by the Marquis's Mansion last month.
It seems that Su Qing's abilities were limited after she failed to become a princess. Su Yuan only stayed here for a few months before returning to the capital. In the book, Su Yuan stayed here for more than two years before being married off to a minor official in a remote area due to her bad reputation.
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