Old Zeng: "Remember this, from now on you are my daughter. If you have two children, one of them must take my surname, Zeng."
"Huh? This...this matter..." Song Yan really didn't know what to say at this moment.
Old Du: "Old Zeng has gone too far! Can Song Yan make the decision on this matter alone?"
"Hmph! If she wants to do something, what wouldn't she dare to do? It all depends on whether she wants to do it or not!" Old Zeng said.
Old Han, being the straightforward person he is, couldn't stand it anymore. "It's shameful enough to cling to being someone's father, now you want to cling to a grandson too! You've gone too far."
"My daughter hasn't even said she doesn't want to, what right do you have to say that?" Old Zeng seemed to have taken the wrong medicine today.
Old Du: "What do you want Song Yan to say about this?"
Song Yan swallowed hard; she felt that Old Zeng had taken the wrong medicine today.
She already has a father surnamed Song; if he also wants a child with the surname Song, how many children would she need to have? Besides, she doesn't even have a child yet!
Old Liao: "Song Yan, let's go back! He's gone mad tonight."
"I'm talking to my daughter, it's none of your business," Old Zeng said with a particularly self-righteous tone.
Old Zeng stared at Song Yan, waiting for her answer.
Song Yan would never lie to him about this.
Song Yan: "My child will definitely take my husband's surname first. I can't change this rule; I can't challenge societal norms. Either I get a divorce and the child can take my own surname. I don't know if my biological father has this idea. I'm an only child. Besides, I don't have any children now. What if I don't have children in the future?" Didn't I not have children in my past life?
Song Yan spoke very sincerely. Song's father is his own father, so his request should take precedence over Lao Zeng's!
"Pah! Don't talk nonsense," Old Liao said.
Old Zeng: "Okay, if you have three children, one of them will take my surname, regardless of gender."
"Then...then I'll give it a try?" Song Yan looked at Lao Zeng, trying to answer and see if he was satisfied.
“Come out with me,” Lao Zeng said to Song Yan.
Song Yan obediently followed.
The two men moved far away from the thatched hut to make sure no one could hear them talking.
Old Zeng spoke first. "You're calling for help!"
"Oh! So you want me to call you Dad? Dad!" He didn't have a father in his past life, but now he has two. Song Yan was quite happy.
Perhaps it was Song Yan's lighthearted tone that improved Old Zeng's mood; his voice wasn't as somber as before. "You're my only girl, you know that?"
Wait a minute, Old Zeng has sons and daughters. "Don't you have any biological children?"
"It's gone. It's been gone for a long time, I just didn't want to believe it," Old Zeng said.
"So you've severed ties with Lao Zeng?" Song Yan advised. "I think many things were unavoidable. Things will get better."
Old Zeng: "You are my daughter, so you should know about the Zeng family. Remember everything I've said today."
"I'll listen carefully and remember everything." Song Yan knew that Lao Zeng was in a bad mood, so he listened to him pour out his heart.
Old Zeng: "My father is a big landowner, are you afraid?"
"Oh! It's alright. Nobody knows I'm your daughter right now. Things will change in a few years," Song Yan said calmly.
Old Zeng's mood improved a little. "When my father's family business was at its peak, half the county belonged to us. His nickname was Zeng Half-City. My family just wasn't very large. My mother gave birth to six, but I'm the only one left. Since my family was rich, we could send me to study in a big city. That's where I met my wife, my beloved Su Lin, who shared my ideals. If we ever have the chance to go back to our hometown, I'll add you to the family genealogy, under Su Lin's name. The Su family's business is even bigger, and my wife has a lot of dowry."
Old Zeng was perhaps lost in memories, and remained silent for a long time.
“There are so many things to do at home, I could talk about them forever. Do you have anything to sit on? Bring it out and have a seat,” Old Zeng said.
"Huh?" Old Zeng was asking her to retrieve something from her spatial dimension. "There's a futon!"
Song Yan took two prayer cushions and sat down, one for each of them.
"My wife and I fought together and endured hardships together. We are very happy."
Another silence followed.
"During a breakout, she was wounded by shrapnel while covering me; shrapnel pierced her uterus. She lost the ability to be a mother forever… She was badly injured that time, and her health deteriorated. She couldn't handle the demands of the battlefield. I had no choice but to send her back to her hometown to live with my parents. My father knew I wouldn't agree to divorce my wife and remarry. He wanted to persuade me to take a concubine. My relationship with my wife wouldn't allow me to do that. My faith also wouldn't allow me to do that."
My temper is something my father can never control.
My father was already quite old at that time, and he worried every day that the Zeng family line would end.
My mother had taken in a maid named Chun'er and had been serving her for several years. My mother had saved her life, and Chun'er intended to serve my mother for the rest of her life. Since she didn't want to get married and wanted to stay in the family, my mother decided to give her to my father.
Later, she did give birth to a child, but it was a girl, which my father was quite disappointed about. But he was also incredibly happy about it. After all, my family was small!
My mother's health is deteriorating. Aunt Chun takes care of her wholeheartedly. My younger sister was raised by my wife.
After my mother passed away, Aunt Chun also let my younger sister live with my wife. She said she was ignorant and couldn't raise a young lady properly.
My wife is a true lady of high society, knowledgeable and insightful. My father trusts her and has entrusted the family business to her.
Su Lin felt the small county town was unsafe, so she began to sell off her property. Ostensibly, all the money was used to buy supplies for donation. In reality, she donated half and kept the other half.
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