Xing Zhaozhao was a little confused: "What child husband? I don't know anything about that. How old is our little Hongling? Why would I find her a child husband? Besides, this is a new society now, where do you still have these kinds of things? Auntie, where did you hear that from?"
This time, Aunt Hao was stunned: "No? But they came to us on their own."
Xing Zhaozhao: "??!!" What the heck?
Aunt Hao pointed to the inner room: "When Da Han came back from town, he found him on the road. He's about the same age as your Hongfei. He said he came all the way from Qingxi Town to find you."
"Qingxi Town?!" Xing Zhaozhao immediately guessed which one it was, and her brow twitched involuntarily. She had provoked a little guy back in Qingxi Town.
"I'll go in and take a look," Xing Zhaozhao said expressionlessly, and immediately went into the inner room.
Aunt Hao and Fu Lan exchanged a glance, looking like they were about to watch a good show, and followed them inside.
Inside the room, the children sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), clearly separated. On one side were Hongfei and Hongyu, sitting in a row, protecting their younger sister behind them, and watching the little guy sitting on the other side warily, who was none other than Ling Ze.
Little Hongling was probably very curious about the new older brother in the family. Although she was completely blocked by her brothers, she still managed to peek through them and see Ling Ze sitting opposite her.
Ling Ze met Xiao Hongling's bright, dark eyes, grinned broadly, and wasn't intimidated at all by Hongfei and Hongyu's warning glances.
Suddenly, he made a face at Xiao Hongling.
Little Red Ridge paused for a moment, then giggled happily and crawled towards him with all her might.
Hongfei and Hongyu realized something was wrong and quickly tried to hug their sister: "No, we can't go over there, Xiao Hongling, those are bad people."
Ling Ze was displeased upon hearing this. He puffed out his little chest and said, "I'm not a bad person. I'm the one who's going to marry Hong Ling and protect her for the rest of my life." As he spoke, he beckoned to little Hong Ling, "Little Hong Ling likes her brother too, right? Come here, brother."
Hongyu was furious: "Who do you think you are, brother? Our little Hongling only has two brothers. You want to take our little Hongling away? Don't even mention the door, you don't even have a window. Let me tell you."
After saying that, he didn't bother to stop his sister with his brother. He turned around and pounced on Ling Ze, and they started wrestling on the kang (a heated brick bed).
One was younger and smaller, but had trained since childhood; the other, though not trained, was much older and larger. For a time, they fought to a standstill.
Hongfei wanted to go up and help, but he also had to protect his younger sister. He was afraid that if he let go, his sister would climb over and he might accidentally hurt her. So he could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.
The two little ones were rolling around on the kang (a heated brick bed), and they were about to fall off the edge when Xing Zhaozhao's face darkened. She immediately rushed over, grabbed one of them in each hand, and lifted them off the edge of the kang. She pulled them apart and scolded them impatiently, "Stop it, both of you."
Upon seeing Xing Zhaozhao return, Hongfei and Hongyu's eyes lit up, and they both called out in unison, "Mom..."
Little Hongling could also call out, and following suit, she mumbled indistinctly, "Mom..."
When Ling Ze saw Xing Zhaozhao, he was genuinely happy and called out, "Mom..." His voice was so loud that it instantly overshadowed the other three.
Hongfei and Hongyu's faces darkened as they stared at Ling Ze menacingly.
Aunt Hao and Fu Lan, who had come in to see what was going on, were also startled by Ling Ze's shout. They hadn't expected him to actually dare to yell.
Aunt Hao, in particular, looked at Xing Zhaozhao with a thoughtful expression. Had she really found a boyfriend for her daughter so early? Although, this little guy did look good. He was healthy, easy to raise, and handsome. If there was really no one else in the family, they wouldn't be short of chopsticks. It wouldn't hurt to raise him in advance. When he was a few years older, he could be a strong laborer.
Xing Zhaozhao was both annoyed and amused by Ling Ze calling her "Mom": "I'm not your mom."
Ling Ze pouted, looking aggrieved: "But back in Qingxi Town, that's what you told me to call you."
Xing Zhaozhao said helplessly, "Weren't you sick at that time?"
Ling Ze immediately put on a sickly look: "I'm sick now too. I walked a long way, and my feet hurt, Mom~~~"
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." I don't know what to say. At least try to act more convincingly.
She put the two little ones back on the kang (a heated brick bed), looked at Ling Ze, and asked, "Why did you come here alone? Does your dad know?"
"What the hell? There are still people at his house?" Aunt Hao only realized this belatedly.
Xing Zhaozhao turned to look at Aunt Hao and nodded: "When we went to Qingxi Town before, his father helped us a lot. He is his only child."
"Then why did he say he was coming to be your family's child groom?" Aunt Hao asked, puzzled. How could someone with only one child be willing to do that?
Ling Ze hung his head and remained silent.
Xing Zhaozhao patted his head: "His mother passed away early, and his father is usually busy. Last time when we went to Qingxi Town, we found him falling into the river and almost drowning. We helped take care of him for a while."
"No wonder." Aunt Hao looked at Ling Ze with pity; it turned out he was a child without a mother.
Even Hongfei and Hongyu looked at Ling Ze with more sympathy.
Ling Ze's small shoulders shrugged, and he sobbed.
Xing Zhaozhao raised an eyebrow and gently patted his head: "Don't play the victim with me. You haven't answered me yet. Why did you come here alone? Does your dad know?"
Ling Ze: "..."
Aunt Hao, Hongfei, and Hongyu all stared at Ling Ze, their faces filled with disbelief. It was all an act? What a waste of their time.
Ling Ze hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly confessed, "My dad is too busy to take care of me, so I secretly ran away."
"Secretly?" Aunt Hao was shocked. This little rascal is really bold. She couldn't even imagine how worried his family would be if they found out.
Aunt Hao quickly looked at Xing Zhaozhao: "Hurry up and send the child back, before his family finds out yet."
Xing Zhaozhao had a bad feeling.
"When did Uncle Da Han bring the person back?" she asked Aunt Hao.
"Just this morning..." Aunt Hao said, but then she sensed something was wrong. She looked at Ling Ze and asked incredulously, "When did you sneak out of the house?"
It's not a short distance from Qingxi Town to their Lanyuan Town, and there's also a distance between their village and the town. Given that Ling Ze is a child, it's hard to imagine how he managed to appear on the road outside their Xiaogaozhuang village in the morning.
Under the intense gazes of those around him, Ling Ze struggled for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back and told the truth: "Yesterday afternoon."
Aunt Hao: "??!!"
Xing Zhaozhao: "??!!"
Fu Lan: "??!!"
Lian Hongfei and Hongyu looked at Ling Ze with disbelief, especially Hongyu, whose shocked eyes were filled with a little admiration. Although they didn't like this older brother taking their mother and sister away from them, he was really brave.
Hongfei glanced at Xing Zhaozhao furtively, and while his mother wasn't looking, he blindfolded Hongyu. He didn't want his mother to see, or he might get a good beating for thinking such things.
Aunt Hao's face turned slightly pale. She clutched her chest, turned to look at Xing Zhaozhao, and said, "This can't go on. This child is too naughty. If my Xiaoqiangzi dares to sneak out and stay out all night, I'll beat him so badly he won't be able to get out of bed for a month."
"Hmm." Xing Zhaozhao responded softly with a somber face.
Both Hongfei and Hongyu, including Ling Ze, couldn't help but shudder.
Xing Zhaozhao glanced at her two sons strangely: What are you two shaking for?
When Hongfei and Hongyu met Xing Zhaozhao's gaze, their little faces immediately tightened, and they said in unison, "Mom, don't worry, we would never do anything to make you worry."
Xing Zhaozhao smiled and patted the two little ones on the head: "Of course, Mom has always been very confident in Dafei and Xiaoyuma."
Beside him, Ling Ze's little head drooped even lower.
Xing Zhaozhao looked at the little guy, sighed helplessly, and reached out to pat his little head: "Let's go, I'll take you home. Your dad must be worried sick about you all night."
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