Chapter 237 Another Son
Aunt Zhou stared in disbelief at the Fifth Prince inside the carriage.
The two of them finally realized what was happening.
What are you doing here?!
"Ah! A ghost!"
Aunt Zhou realized something was wrong and quickly turned her back to the Fifth Prince.
The Fifth Prince, his face filled with terror, turned his back to Granny Zhou, his lips trembling as he muttered in a voice too soft for them to hear, "Mother...it's Mother...Mother's ghost has come..."
The Fifth Prince was about the same age as Zhou Zhao. He used to beg for food in Zhou Da Niang's palace. He hadn't changed much in appearance like Zhou Zhao and still looked like a little kid.
But why is he here?
Aunt Zhou was so shocked she couldn't speak, and she quickly ran into the house.
The fifth prince remained with his back to them, as if he had seen a ghost, closing his eyes and silently chanting incantations, his whole body trembling.
Seeing his expression, the coachman quickly asked, "What's wrong with you, lad?"
The fifth prince grabbed him, closed his eyes, and trembled as he said, "Uncle, run! Run! There's a ghost here!"
The coachman raised his hand and smacked him on the head. "What ghost? That was our lady!"
The Fifth Prince slightly opened his eyes, his complexion gradually improving. "Madam, your family's madam?"
The coachman smiled and said, "Yes, she is the lady of our Zhou family's incense shop."
The Fifth Prince quickly replied, "I know the Zhou family's incense shop. They also have shops in the capital, and their incense smells wonderful."
As he spoke, he immediately rubbed his eyes, "Looks like I must have seen wrong just now."
Du Wanchun remained by the carriage, smiling as she said to the driver, "Uncle Zhang, you must be tired from your journey. Come in and have a hot meal."
The coachman and the fifth prince had run out of money along the way and were indeed hungry.
The two hesitated, wanting to go but feeling a little embarrassed to agree.
Du Wanchun welcomed them inside.
The fifth prince bent over and cautiously peered into the room.
At this moment, Aunt Zhou stopped being coy and brought out the dishes that Granny Zhuang had prepared from inside the house.
Madam Wu and Xiaomei Xu came over, each carrying a child.
The Fifth Prince was timid and dared not lift his head in front of so many people, nor did he dare to look at Aunt Zhou again.
However, he was soon impressed by the abundance of food on the table.
During the meal, Du Wanchun asked Uncle Zhang, "Who is this young man?"
While eating, Uncle Zhang replied, "This kid said he was going south, but he accidentally got on the wrong carriage. Then he was robbed of his travel expenses by bandits on the way, so he had no choice but to come here with me."
Du Wanchun suddenly realized what was going on, and then said with a smile, "We happen to be short of workers in our fields, and we don't know if this young man would like to stay."
The Fifth Prince was taken aback, still swallowing his food. "Stay?"
Du Wanchun nodded.
Uncle Zhang laughed and said, "If you stay, you can eat this kind of food every day."
"Can we eat this kind of food every day?" the Fifth Prince asked excitedly.
Du Wanchun smiled and replied, "That's right, we'll be able to eat this kind of food every day from now on."
The Fifth Prince was overjoyed. "Great! I'm willing to stay. The food here is much better than the food in the capital!"
After he finished speaking, he picked up the bowl and stuffed large mouthfuls of food into his mouth.
The people at the table couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Aunt Zhou wasn't as scared as she had been at first, and secretly ladled out a bowl of rice and placed it beside him.
This child has no flaws other than being timid.
And there's a reason why it's small.
The fifth prince's mother used to be a maid in Zhou Da Niang's palace. Later, she caught the emperor's eye and was made a concubine.
However, the emperor was a heartless man. After Consort Li gave birth to the fifth prince, he abandoned her and ignored her completely.
It was Aunt Zhou who continued to take care of the mother and son.
When the fifth prince was one year old, Consort Li was depressed and burned charcoal in her room.
The fifth prince witnessed his mother's death firsthand, which is why he is so timid now.
After Consort Li died, the Fifth Prince was raised by the Empress Dowager. Seeing his pitiful state, Aunt Zhou would often bring him to the palace to take care of him.
She was like a second mother to him, and he would sweetly call her "Mother" when he came to her palace.
Unexpectedly, after four years apart, the two met again under such circumstances.
After everyone finished eating, Uncle Zhang left first to give the horse a bath.
Madam Wu and Madam Xu were going to put the children down for their afternoon nap.
Granny Zhuang is going to clean up the kitchen.
Now only the Fifth Prince, Granny Zhou, and Du Wanchun remained in the room.
Du Wanchun quickly closed the doors and windows of the house and asked him, "What's your name?"
The fifth prince kept his head down and replied using his mother's surname, "My name is Li Quan..."
"Where are you from?" Du Wanchun asked again.
The Fifth Prince replied softly, "People from the capital..."
Seeing his dawdling, Aunt Zhou stopped hiding and said, "Did you sneak out without your father's knowledge?"
Upon hearing Aunt Zhou's voice, the Fifth Prince was startled again. He looked up at her abruptly, his eyes wide with disbelief: "Mother...Mother...is it really you?!"
Aunt Zhou replied, "Yes, I'm not dead. Don't be afraid, I'm not a ghost."
Upon hearing that she wasn't a ghost, the Fifth Prince's courage indeed grew considerably. He gradually became excited, and tears streamed down his face. "Mother, it really is you! You're not dead! That's wonderful!"
He cried more and more excitedly, and stepped forward to hug Aunt Zhou tightly.
Although the two are not related by blood, he was raised by her and can be considered her son.
Aunt Zhou gently patted his back, "Alright, alright, tell me, how did you end up in Changliu Village?"
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