Ten days have passed in the blink of an eye. More than a dozen buildings have been built behind the Li family. The women who came down from the mountain village are now running the business well. Xinghua Village belongs to Yunli County, and there are two other villages nearby that are also included in Yunli County. Because the Li family's papermaking business has recently started to sell, many merchants from the surrounding area have come to visit.
At dawn, the newly sprouted wild grass by the roadside was still covered with dew. Wang Shanzhang specially came to the Li family by carriage. Qi Yu was sitting next to Li Xiaoxiao at this time, reading a book. Hearing the sound of the carriage, he put down his book and hurriedly came out of the room.
As soon as Wang Shanzhang got out of the car, he anxiously shouted, "Qi Yu, Qi Yu."
Qi Yu went out and bowed to Headmaster Wang, "Headmaster, what brings you here in person?"
Headmaster Wang was even more furious at his lack of ambition. "Qi Yu, I had high hopes for you, but you've fallen for a woman's charms. You haven't come to school for so many days. Although you've passed the county exam, you still have a month until the prefectural exam. Why aren't you here at this crucial time? Can't you tell the situation from the right perspective?"
Headmaster Wang's voice was so loud it almost echoed across the mountain. Qi Yu hesitated for a moment before replying, "Headmaster, I will do my best in the prefectural examination and I am sure I will pass. However, my wife was injured by an assassin and is still unconscious. I really cannot get away from her."
After this explanation, Headmaster Wang tried to persuade Qi Yu several more times without success. Only after receiving a reply that Qi Yu would return to the school in three days did he leave.
Qi Yu acted as if nothing had happened and returned to his room. A snake coiled around his feet three times. Qi Yu understood and went to the basement of his house.
Upon opening the basement door, they saw a child sleeping inside. Wasn't this Gu Lan's son?
His eyes were vacant and lifeless, and he looked like a puppet without a soul, devoid of any vitality. He looked quite pitiful, just sitting on the bed without crying or making a fuss. When he saw Qi Yu come in, he obediently tried to take off his clothes.
"Stop! This isn't where you were before. You can't just take off your clothes like that." Qi Yu gave a stern order, and Gu Caide stopped what he was doing, looking at Qi Yu thoughtfully before sitting quietly without making any further moves.
"Your father will be back soon. When he returns, you should live a good life with him." As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Caide's eyes finally showed some emotion. Before long, tears streamed down his face, and he asked in a childish voice, "Master, are you serious? Has Father come to pick me up?"
"Hmm, come out with me." Qi Yu didn't explain further and led Gu Caide out. Gu Caide hesitated for a moment before softly requesting, "Master, do you have any extra clothes so I can cover myself before going out?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Yu noticed that Gu Caide's body was covered in scars and his clothes were tattered. Qi Yu went out and found a set of clothes to put on the bed next to Gu Caide.
He then closed the door and said before leaving, "You can change inside. I'll go find your father outside. You can wait in the room."
Qi Yu went out to continue reading, but Gu Lan arrived in a carriage. Gu Lan got off the carriage and saw Bai Yi sweeping the courtyard. She hurriedly asked, "Miss Bai Yi, could you please inform Master Qi that Gu Lan is requesting an audience?"
Just as Bai Yi was about to put down the broom and go to report, Qi Yu came out of the room and said, "Come with me to the inner room."
Gu Lan rubbed his hands together, understanding the situation, and couldn't help but panic. He followed Qi Yu into the dark room, opened the door, and saw a child wearing loose clothes with a lifeless look in his eyes.
“Cai De, your father has come to see you.” When Gu Cai De saw his father limping towards him with a cane, he instantly broke down and wailed, “Father, why did you only come now? Those people are so scary, Father, I want to kill them, Father.”
At this moment, Gu Caide was like a real child confiding in his father. Gu Lan walked over with heartache and looked at the clothes on the ground, which were tattered in a clever way. He already understood.
"Alright, Caide, don't be afraid. Father will definitely avenge you. Don't be afraid." Gu Lan walked over and tremblingly held the child in his arms. In that instant, his brows were etched with the marks of time.
Although his son had been brought back, the fact that the Gu family's child had been kidnapped was known to everyone around. Gu Caide hardened his heart and made a decision in his mind, "Son, now that you've returned, you're bound to be criticized. From now on, your name will be Gu Huaichen, and you will call me your adoptive father. From this day forward, Gu Caide will be dead from this world, understand? You were only adopted because you look like Gu Caide. Do you remember, child?"
Gu Lan's voice choked as he continued to explain, "My son, you know that the Rongguo Mansion has always been very powerful. Your father is no match for them now. Only in this way can we protect your dignity and your life. If they find out that you have escaped, they will definitely not let it go."
"Father, adoptive father, your son is Gu Huaichen, Gu Huaichen." The father and son embraced and cried for a long time. Qi Yu silently withdrew, no longer disturbing their time together.
When Bai Yi arrived at Li Xiaoxiao's bedside, she was wiping Li Xiaoxiao's body with a towel. When she saw Qi Yu arrive, she silently stood up and picked up the basin. "Master Qi, Master's fingers just moved. It seems that she is about to wake up. Please take good care of her."
Qi Yu's face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly went to sit down by the bed and waited.
Half an hour later, Li Xiaoxiao's eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and then she opened her eyes. The moment she saw the light, she raised her right hand to shield her eyes from the light. It took her a while to adjust to the glare before she could see the furnishings in the room.
"Husband?" Li Xiaoxiao called out, and Qi Yu moved closer, took Li Xiaoxiao's hand, and asked with concern, "Wife, are you feeling unwell? Do you need anything to eat? I'll get you something right away."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Li Xiaoxiao's stomach rumbled loudly. Qi Yu, seeing this, couldn't sit still any longer and immediately opened the door to prepare some food. However, Bai Yi was standing at the door with a bowl of chicken soup porridge.
"Master Qi, here is some freshly cooked chicken porridge. I saw that you were about to wake up, so I immediately asked Madam Gui to make some porridge. It's just cooled down." Bai Yi asked cautiously. Qi Yu immediately took it and smiled. "Thank you for your kindness, Bai Yi. I will talk to my wife about it."
Bai Yi smiled slightly upon hearing this, "Thank you, Master Qi."
Qi Yu took the chicken porridge and went straight in. He placed the porridge on the table, carefully sat down by the bed, gently helped Li Xiaoxiao sit up and lean against the bed, then fed her a mouthful of chicken porridge.
Li Xiaoxiao was starving and finished the porridge in no time. After she finished, Qi Yu carefully placed the porridge on the table. The man's figure was becoming more and more robust. He was considerately tidying up her clothes, which made her heart soften.
"Husband, shall you dress me?"
"My husband has been silent ever since I woke up. Is it because I slept for too long and he had to stay by my side, so he's disgusted by it?"
For some reason, she suddenly wanted to make things difficult for the man and see his reaction.
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