Chapter 136 Recognizing the Son
"Alright! You take the doctor to find her right away! No, I'll go myself. You go back to the manor now, arrest that old woman, and interrogate her thoroughly!"
Xu Qingyan was preoccupied with Zhao Yuzhi and the child, and couldn't sit still for even a moment. He took the doctor and had someone drive a carriage to Zhoujia Village to look for them.
Zhao Yuzhi was shocked to find that someone had come to her door again. When she saw that the person who brought her was Xu Qingyan, she was so frightened that she almost collapsed to the ground.
"Yuzhi! This child is... Doctor, quickly check her pulse!" Xu Qingyan hurriedly helped Zhao Yuzhi up, staring at the child in her arms with a look of determination in his eyes.
"Young Master Xu! Please spare me and my child! I just wanted to keep a memento! I never intended to deceive you!"
"As long as you let us go, we will never appear in front of you and your wife again!"
Zhao Yuzhi was terrified and quickly protected the child away from Xu Qingyan, not giving him a chance to get close.
"Yuzhi! Is this child really mine? That's wonderful! That's wonderful! You are a great contributor to the Xu family! How could I bear to harm you or the child? Come here quickly, let the doctor check on you and the child," Xu Qingyan said, showing unprecedented patience as he coaxed Zhao Yuzhi over.
Zhao Yuzhi was half-believing and half-doubting. She originally thought Xu Qingyan had come to report back to her, but she didn't expect him to be so happy to hear about the child's existence.
Before she could figure it out, the baby in her arms started crying because of the commotion. The baby's voice was soft and weak, but it made Xu Qingyan very concerned.
"Doctor! Please go and see my son. Is he feeling unwell? Why is he crying? And why is his voice so weak? Is he suffering from some kind of deficiency?" Xu Qingyan was extremely anxious. If nothing unexpected happened, this child was probably his only heir, and he absolutely could not allow anything to happen to him.
Zhao Yuzhi did not reject the doctor's approach. She coaxed the child in her arms and let the doctor examine the child.
"The child is fine, just a little weak due to premature birth. As long as he is properly cared for later, he will be fine," the doctor said. He noticed the strange situation, but having practiced medicine for many years, he remained calm even in this situation. After examining the child, he came to a conclusion.
"That's good! What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and pack your things for your aunt. Never mind, we can just buy new ones later. We'll go back to the prefectural city tomorrow!" Xu Qingyan, who was usually so dejected, couldn't wait to take his child back and show everyone in the prefectural city that he, Xu Qingyan, would never be childless!
Zhao Yuzhi never expected that after planning for so long, she could actually get what she wanted so easily. She didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
"Sister! Are you really going to the prefectural city?" Zhao Yuhe tugged at Zhao Yuzhi's sleeve, unsure of what to say.
"Yuhe, don't worry, I will definitely make sure you live a good life!" Zhao Yuzhi had a chance to climb the social ladder and didn't want to give it up. Although she didn't know why Xu Qingyan valued the child born to her, a village woman, it was indeed extremely beneficial to her.
"So you're Yuzhi's sister? I'm so sorry to have troubled you to take care of her and the child these days. Here are some silver notes. If you need anything in the future, you can come to the prefectural city to find me and your sister." Xu Qingyan was in a good mood at the moment, and he was especially kind to Zhao Yuzhi's family.
Zhao Yuhe looked at the silver notes in front of her. Judging from the face value, these few notes added up to several hundred taels, and she dared not accept them for a moment.
"Yuhe, please accept this. I won't be home for a while, so you'll have to take good care of your younger siblings. This money will provide some security in case anything happens," Zhao Yuzhi advised her to accept the banknotes, and Zhao Yuhe finally took them.
When Zhao Yuzhi carried the child onto the carriage, many people from Zhoujia Village heard the commotion and came to watch.
Those who once despised Zhao Yuzhi for having affairs and having illegitimate children outside now have nothing but jealousy in their eyes.
"What kind of luck did Zhao Yuzhi have? Look at the carriage and the clothes the man is wearing, those are things only wealthy families would use. How could he have fallen for a woman who has borne children for some random man?"
"You know what, maybe that child is this man's. Otherwise, why would he come to pick her up?"
"Hmph! My daughter is so much better than her, how could you be so blind as to fall for her? Isn't she already married? How can she compare to a virgin?"
"You're just being sour! They're just that talented!"
After the carriage had driven away, the people of Zhoujia Village went to Zhao Yuhe's door to try and find out more information. However, Zhao Yuhe gave them a cold shoulder and chased them out with a broom.
"Pah! So what if she's eager to be someone's mistress? What's so special about that?"
Having made a fool of themselves, those who wanted to gather information stopped bothering them.
The Zhao family then returned to peace.
However, some busybodies rushed to exaggerate Zhao Yuzhi's story in front of Zhou Chengyu, trying to find a sense of superiority in Zhou Chengyu.
"Zhao Yuzhi ran off with a man, why aren't you worried at all?"
"I was thinking of bringing you two together before, since you're both getting on in years. Even though her child isn't yours, it would be nice for the two of you to support each other. But Zhao Yuzhi is a proud woman who would rather be a concubine to a rich young master than choose you."
Zhou Chengyu had just returned from town with some firewood, rice, oil, and salt when he was stopped at the village entrance by a group of gossipy women. All they could hear was talk about Zhao Yuzhi becoming a concubine for a wealthy family, and they all looked at him with disdain as they spoke.
His eyes were filled with blatant contempt and provocation, but Zhou Chengyu didn't care.
“I appreciate your kindness, aunties, but I have nothing to do with Zhao Yuzhi anymore. You don’t need to talk to me about her anymore. My father is waiting for me to buy rice to cook. I’ll go back now.” Zhou Chengyu had already let go of the past and no longer harbored any hatred towards Zhao Yuzhi.
Seeing his demeanor, those who wanted to cause trouble could only mutter a few words and let him leave.
Upon receiving news of Xu Qingyan's return to the mansion today, the matriarch of the Xu family had already prepared a grand gesture, waiting for him to come and apologize. She also hoped to bring the couple together so that she could quickly have a grandson.
After waiting for two days, Xu Qingyan did not come to pay his respects. Instead, she heard that Xu Qingyan had taken in a village woman and was raising her child. She was so shocked that she fainted again.
After three more days of this ordeal, Old Madam Xu recovered and sent someone to invite Xu Qingyan, Zhao Yuzhi, and Ning Shi over, hoping to resolve the matter once and for all.
Originally, she was thinking of giving Ning a piece of her mind, but who knew that her son was so useless and brought a woman back. This time, she couldn't be fooled. She decided to give that village woman a warning, let Ning vent her anger, and then kick her out to prove that she would never side with her son and to show her stance.
The setup was all set up, but Madam Xu never expected that Xu Qingyan would come in carrying a child and that village woman. Seeing Ning Shi's angry face, her heart skipped a beat.
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