Zhao Shi'an's eyes suddenly turned cold.
"Get out of here, get as far away as you can. If I ever see you again, I'll make you wish you were dead."
Where Fang Qing couldn't see, his gaze towards Qiao Shi was fierce.
Mrs. Qiao shrank back in fright.
She had never seen such a look before, especially not from the eyes of her son whom she hadn't seen for many years.
"Shi'an, I..."
Zhao Shi'an had already taken Fang Qing's hand and was walking towards Fang Daniu.
Fang Qing's heart was still pounding.
She glanced at Zhao Shi'an cautiously.
"Brother, are you alright?"
When Fang Qing looked over, Zhao Shi'an's expression returned to normal.
"I'm fine. Don't talk to that person if you see him again."
Seeing how resistant Zhao Shi'an was, Fang Qing couldn't understand how that woman from her previous life had made Zhao Shi'an completely turn to the dark side.
She held Zhao Shi'an's hand tightly in return, her heart aching.
"Brother, don't be afraid. You're here with us now. It's alright. She can't hurt you anymore."
Because of Qiao's appearance, Zhao Shi'an's mind was filled with the events of his previous life.
Fang Qing's sudden words made everything in his mind vanish instantly.
Yes, this is no longer the previous life.
That woman could no longer control his emotions.
He already has people by his side who can protect him and are worthy of his protection.
He gripped Fang Qing's hand tightly.
The two walked up to Fang Daniu.
"Who were you talking to just now? That person looks kind of familiar to me."
Fang Qing followed Fang Daniu's gaze and saw that Qiao Shi was also walking in this direction.
Fang Qing's expression instantly turned displeased.
"This madman came from who-knows-where, Dad. Let's hurry home."
Fang Qing held Zhao Shi'an's hand with one hand and pulled Fang Daniu with the other, walking towards home.
Everyone who could come from the village was eating at their house right now.
Qiao wandered around the village but didn't see anyone. Following her memory, she went to the village chief's house, but no one answered when she knocked on the door.
She thought Zhao Shi'an should live in his old house, but there was no one there before.
Fang Guangzong has remained idle all these years. His father passed away a few years ago, and he spends his days eating and waiting to die.
Because of a grudge with Fang Daniu's family, Fang Daniu didn't invite him this time either.
He stood at the entrance of the alley watching Fang Daniu's daughter, Fang Qing, cracking sunflower seeds.
When Mrs. Qiao finally saw someone, she quickly came up to ask for directions.
"Excuse me, do you know where Zhao Shi'an lives?"
Fang Guangzong looked the woman up and down.
"Who are you?"
"Qiao Lai Di, Shi An's mother."
Fang Guangzong recognized her instantly.
"Oh, it's you. Didn't you run off with someone? What's wrong? You're back now that things aren't going well?"
Qiao was thoroughly humiliated.
“I’ve been thinking about my son all these years, and now I’m back to find him.”
"Heh, you've come at just the right time. He's living a good life with the Fang family, and he even passed the imperial examination with top honors. All the bigwigs in the prefectural city are currying favor with him. Who knows, he might just be the future top scholar."
Mr. Qiao was overjoyed.
She knew all of this, of course.
Zhao Shi'an's reputation is now quite famous in the neighboring prefecture, otherwise why would she come back to acknowledge this son?
Where is he now?
Fang Guangzong pointed in a direction.
"See that bamboo grove? They're having a feast there now, and the whole village has gone over to eat."
Mrs. Qiao opened her mouth slightly.
"Invite the whole village to dinner?"
"Yes, Fang Daniu is rich now. What's a little food to him? Half of the Zhou family's huge granary belongs to him."
Why did he throw a banquet for my son?
"You don't know? He doesn't have a son, so Zhao Shi'an has been raised in his home for the past few years."
Hearing Fang Guangzong's sarcastic words, Qiao Shi's face flushed with excitement.
Ouch.
Her son is truly remarkable.
Not only is she academically gifted, but she also comes from such a wealthy family.
She quickly led her two daughters that way.
Amidst the bustling crowd, the first person to recognize Qiao was Zhang, who had previously been on good terms with her.
She exclaimed in surprise, and Qiao Shi clearly recognized her as well.
After exchanging a few words and learning her purpose, Zhang glanced at Zhao Shi'an as if watching a spectacle.
"Shi'an, come here quickly, look who's here!"
She has a loud voice, and people who were eating looked over.
Zhang Shi hasn't changed much from a few years ago; in fact, she looks even younger, and many villagers recognized her.
Fang Qing immediately looked displeased and dragged Zhao Shi'an into the house.
At that moment, Zhao Shi and Fang Er's wife, Xiao Ju, were cooking when they heard the commotion outside and came out.
Upon seeing who it was, she instinctively looked at Fang Daniu.
For some reason, she felt inexplicably flustered.
It's like stealing someone's son.
However, when she thought of how skinny and pitiful Zhao Shi'an looked when he first came to their house, she regained her confidence.
"You must be Sister-in-law Zhao. You haven't been back for years. I suppose you've been doing well outside. Why are you suddenly back?"
Mrs. Qiao smiled.
“I came back to see my son because I missed him. I’ve heard about Shi’an’s situation. Thank you all for taking care of Shi’an over the years.”
This clearly showed that she wanted to take her son back, which made Zhao's face turn quite ugly.
"What do you mean by helping you take care of Shi'an? You were the one who abandoned him back then. If it weren't for my Douya bringing Shi'an home, who knows what kind of miserable life he would be living."
“You keep saying you care about your son, why don’t you come back to see him? You just entrusted your child to a drunkard. I don’t think you really love your son. You’re only coming back to acknowledge him now that Shi’an is about to make a name for himself.”
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