Chapter 159 I Want Your Mother to Be My Stepmother
Shen Zheng cried unrestrainedly for a while.
Cheng Wanwan used her sleeve to wipe away his tears.
“You should have grown up after crying once. You can’t keep hiding from people in a huff.” She said softly, “Young Master Shen, let’s go out and talk to your father.”
Shen Zheng pursed his lips and said, "Auntie, please don't call me Master. Just call me by my name."
Cheng Wanwan laughed: "Okay, then I'll call you Xiaozheng."
A smile appeared on Shen Zheng's tightly pursed lips.
He stood up and obediently followed Cheng Wanwan out.
Magistrate Shen had been waiting anxiously at the door. He had just heard Shen Zheng crying loudly, and his heart, as an old father, felt as if it had been thrown into a pot of boiling oil, causing him great distress.
Seeing that Shen Zheng's eyes were bloodshot like a rabbit's, Magistrate Shen rushed over in one stride.
He pressed his hand on his son's shoulder and said, slowly and deliberately, "Zheng'er, I misunderstood you. I sincerely apologize. Can you forgive me?"
"snort!"
Shen Zheng arrogantly turned his head away.
He grumbled, "You didn't forgive me this quickly when I apologized before, humph!"
Magistrate Shen was very troubled: "Zheng'er, what do you want your father to do for you to forgive him?"
Shen Zheng rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before speaking, "I heard from that little girl that her mother is seriously ill and dying. If you truly care about the people, please send a doctor with better medical skills to treat her and help pay for the medical expenses."
Magistrate Shen would naturally not refuse such a small matter and instructed his advisor, Yuan, to handle it immediately.
"Zheng'er, you've really grown up!"
Magistrate Shen patted his son on the shoulder with heartfelt comfort.
Zheng'er would never have had this compassion for the people before. After staying in Dahe Village for half a month, his son really improved. This was probably the best decision he ever made.
He composed himself and turned to Cheng Wanwan: "Zhao Chengshi, I'm sorry you had to see this. Let's get down to business."
Cheng Wanwan nodded and led the way, taking Magistrate Shen to the fields, where she carefully explained the specifics of ratooning rice to him.
“Rice with rice seedlings…” Magistrate Shen pondered. “Many years ago, when I went to the south for research, I saw a similar record in local historical books. In the south, there is rice that can be harvested twice a year. About a month after the first harvest, the rice seedlings will sprout and bear fruit. The grains are small, but there are many ears, and the yield is more than 100 catties per mu… But this anomaly only occurred once. It was recorded as an unusual phenomenon and then forgotten…”
Cheng Wanwan laughed. As long as it has appeared here before, it is not too difficult to promote. The book she bought said that ratooning rice can be grown in almost all southern regions. In years with favorable weather, ratooning rice is easy to cultivate and has a particularly short growth cycle, with a harvest in fifty or sixty days. However, in modern society, rice is harvested by machines, and machine-harvested rice does not leave stubble. Furthermore, hybrid rice yields thousands of kilograms per mu, so there is no shortage of grain. Therefore, in modern times, very few regions specialize in cultivating ratooning rice.
She was talking with County Magistrate Shen in the fields.
Shen Zheng stood on the stone roller in the courtyard, looking at the two people in the field.
His father was dressed in official robes and was tall and imposing. Aunt Zhao, dressed in a coarse, earthy-yellow cloth dress, stood beside him. The scene was strangely harmonious.
Ever since he could remember, his grandmother had been arranging a new wife for his father. At first, they were very young girls, and later gradually, they turned to older women who were not married for some reason... However, his father was not very cooperative, and he always made trouble. For so many years, no woman could enter the Shen family.
If... if...
"Hahaha, Young Master Shen, you crybaby!" Zhao Sidan, who was hiding by the courtyard wall, suddenly jumped out. "You're such a big guy, and you're still crying. You're even worse than me!"
"You little brat, how dare you eavesdrop!" Shen Zheng grabbed his collar. "If you dare tell anyone, I'll kill you!"
"Awooo—!"
The little dot rushed out and yelled at Shen Zheng.
Shen Zhengqi released Zhao Sidan and glared at Xiaodian, cursing, "You heartless beast! I always give you the best food I have, and you still try to bite me! Humph, I'm never talking to you again!"
He sat down on the stone roller, fuming.
Zhao Sidan came over and said, "Hey, Young Master Chen, don't be angry. Look what good stuff I brought you—prickly pears! They're so delicious!"
He took a thorny fruit out of his clothes and handed it to Shen Zheng.
Shen Zheng took it, took a bite, and found it very sour, which he didn't like. However, Zhao Sidan was watching him and swallowing his saliva, so he ate it in one bite.
He pressed down on Zhao Sidan's shoulder and snorted, "Since you helped me pick wild fruit, I won't hold it against you. From now on, don't call me Young Master Chen anymore, just call me Brother Zheng."
Zhao Sidan shook his head: "How can that be? My mother will scold me if she hears this!"
"No, your mother calls me Xiao Zheng too." Shen Zheng's eyes were full of smiles. "Fourth Egg, look over there, what do you see?"
Zhao Sidan stood on tiptoe and peered out: "There's just a field, with water in it, and ducks... Oh dear, I need to hurry and herd the ducks back!"
He had long legs and was about to walk.
Shen Zheng grabbed him: "Cough cough, Si Dan, look carefully, the two people standing on the ridge are my father and your mother."
Zhao Sidan added: "And there's also the village head and Master Yuan."
"Can't you just pretend you don't see these two?" Shen Zheng glared at him and continued, "Don't you think your mother and my father look particularly pleasing to the eye standing together?"
Zhao Sidan frowned: "Young Master Chen... Brother Zheng, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Well, Si Dan, well, I just want to..." Young Master Shen rarely showed a troubled expression. He hesitated for a while before finally speaking, "I heard that you've never seen your father since you were born. Don't you want a father?"
Zhao Sidan blinked: "I was born without a father, but I'm still doing just fine, so it doesn't matter whether I have one or not."
Shen Zheng pointed at himself: "Aren't you envious of me? Aren't you envious that I have a father who is an official, huh?"
“I’m not envious of you at all. My grandma said, ‘Better to have a beggar mother than an official father.’ If your father liked you, why would he leave you in our house?” Zhao Sidan suddenly moved closer to him, staring at Shen Zheng with his big eyes, and said slowly, “I say, Young Master Shen, you’re not envious that I have a mother, are you? Do you want to take my mother away?”
Having his thoughts exposed, Shen Zheng was somewhat embarrassed and angry. He snorted and said, "Yes, I do want a mother. I dream of having a mother who will love me. I want your mother to be my stepmother!"
Zhao Sidan was dumbfounded.
"You're dreaming!" Zhao Ergou stormed into the courtyard. "Shen Zheng, your father is the county magistrate. There are plenty of women willing to be your stepmother. Don't even think about our mother!"
Shen Zheng tightened his chin: "What if your mother is also willing to be my stepmother?"
He looked up at the fields.
Zhao Ergou and Zhao Sidan also looked over.
From their perspective, Magistrate Shen and Cheng Wanwan walked one after the other on the ridge of the field, the sunlight falling on their shoulders, ducklings playing in the field, and the water shimmering gently—a scene of extraordinary beauty.
Zhao Sidan froze: "Second Brother..."
Zhao Ergou covered his mouth: "Don't speak, let me calm down first."
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