Hu Dongshan is thirty-seven years old. His family is in the silk business. They have shops not only in Xishan Town, but also in other places, including Jiaozhou.
Because of his business acumen, ability to employ people, and integrity, his business has become increasingly successful.
People offered high prices to poach his manager, but they couldn't get him to leave.
Hu Dongshan, from a wealthy family, naturally wanted many children and grandchildren. He had been married to his wife for many years and had six children, all of whom were girls.
Therefore, his wife, though unwilling to share her husband with other women, still felt guilty and helped him take concubines. But who would have thought that he would take three concubines in a row, and all of them would give birth to girls.
At first, Hu Dongshan was quite understanding, saying that he would let nature take its course, and if he was destined to have a son, he would definitely have one; if he wasn't, then it was fate.
However, as they grew older and their family business expanded, their parents suggested that one of their brothers' children be adopted. As a result, the brothers, who usually seemed to get along well, began to scheme and fight over this.
After all, even if he is adopted out, he is still his own flesh and blood. The property inherited by his son is the same as his own!
Hu Dongshan wasn't stupid; after learning about these things, he felt extremely distressed.
He was good at making money and was generous to his brothers' families. He would give money to any of them if they needed anything.
However, it's one thing for him to volunteer, but it's quite another for him to be plotted against.
Once, while visiting a shop in Jiaozhou, he met a friend who invited him to a brothel for drinks and music. Perhaps because he was feeling down, he drank a bit too much and ended up staying overnight at the brothel.
The courtesan who served him was also good at seizing opportunities. After just one night of passion, Hu Dongshan redeemed her and took her back to his mansion.
Ironically, this concubine, who was of the lowest status, gave birth to a son for Hu Dongshan.
Hu Dongshan was naturally overjoyed. Regardless of how lowly the mother of his son was, at least he now had a son.
So he named his son Hu Jiawang and placed him with his wife, Bao, to raise.
The whole family doted on this child.
But who could have imagined that this child would actually bring good fortune to the Hu family? When she was four years old, Bao became pregnant again and gave birth to a son.
The legal wife gave birth to a son, who, although not Hu Dongshan's eldest son, was the legitimate heir.
Hu Jiawang, the son of the concubine, was thus restored to his status as a son born out of wedlock. Although he was still raised by Madam Bao, she still doted on him.
However, even if Hu Dongshan and his wife did not treat their illegitimate son badly because they had a legitimate son, the original favoritism was divided, so the illegitimate child must have felt a great sense of loss.
She felt that all of this was because of her younger brother's birth, which had taken away everything that should have belonged to her.
Originally, everything was fine, but after he threw a few tantrums and was reprimanded by Hu Dongshan, he actually took advantage of the fact that no one was around when he pinched his younger brother. Once, Bao Shi caught him doing this and told Hu Dongshan. After Hu Dongshan gave him a severe scolding, he sent him to live with his birth mother.
After that, his treatment got worse and worse.
He originally had two maids and two servants to serve him, but now only one servant is left.
Last spring night, the eldest son, Hu Jiarong, who was only six years old, secretly climbed over the wall and left the mansion. When the mansion staff discovered this and went out to look for him, they found the unconscious child in a secluded alley nearby. Not only was his head smashed, but the child also had injuries to his knees and ankles.
The child's life was saved, but with a shattered kneecap and a broken ankle, even though the Hu family had the money to hire a good doctor, he was still left disabled.
After the child regained consciousness, Hu Dongshan learned from him that the youngest son had overheard his illegitimate brother telling others that a variety show troupe had come to town, and that there seemed to be a metal flower performance at night, which was very beautiful.
Even though Hu Dongshan doted on his child, he had already set a rule that the child was not allowed to leave the mansion after dark. That's why the child secretly climbed over the wall to go out.
When Hu Dongshan tried to question him, he couldn't find him. The illegitimate son had disappeared, along with several sets of clothes, his birth mother's savings, and jewelry.
What's there to be confused about? The one who harmed the youngest son was the illegitimate son, Hu Jiawang.
Although Hu Dongshan did not report it to the authorities, he offered a reward of one thousand taels of silver to anyone who discovered the whereabouts of the illegitimate son, captured him, and brought him to him.
However, a year has passed, and no one knows where Hu Jiawang has gone.
Although the portrait in Hong Xiaoduo's hand was somewhat rough, the facial features matched A Ping's very well, with a high degree of similarity!
After hearing that he was going to Jiaozhou, Aping started acting strangely. Based on what Aping had been doing behind the scenes these past few days, Hong Xiaoduo was pretty sure that Aping was most likely Hu Jiawang.
So that's how it is. Of course he's afraid to go to Jiaozhou.
His actions these past few days have also proven why A Ping didn't want to go to Jiaozhou but wasn't in a hurry to leave: it was because of greed!
Now that she knew what had happened and what kind of person he was, Hong Xiaoduo didn't want to let things continue to develop.
Hong Xiaoduo was afraid that if she tolerated him for a few more days, he might do something to harm those children.
He could be so ruthless to his own brother out of jealousy, let alone the six people like Tian Shu who are not related to him by blood.
Although she had been very capable since arriving in this dynasty, she still couldn't guarantee that she could control everything perfectly.
Especially when it comes to these children, Hong Xiaoduo doesn't want them to get hurt because of her blind confidence, not even in the slightest!
So let's give him a push and resolve this matter sooner, eliminating this potential source of anxiety as soon as possible.
When it was time for dinner, the rain stopped, so Hong Xiaoduo took everyone to a restaurant outside.
While eating, Hong Xiaoduo deliberately brought up a few rumors she had heard about Jiaozhou, including the story of the child bitten by a rabid dog and the child who fell into the well. Then she said, "I think there was something else, but with my memory, I can't remember it."
Then he looked at Lan Zechen and said, "Sect Master, didn't you say yesterday that someone from over there was coming to pick you up? They should arrive around tomorrow. When they arrive, we can have them tell us about the strange and wonderful things that happened in Jiaozhou."
Lan Zechen was suddenly called out by name, and no one knew what she was up to.
I thought to myself, "Little miss, if you're going to do something, at least let me know in advance. Can't we go over the lines first?"
He still smiled and said, "No problem, no problem. But you've mistaken my man for a storyteller. You can't just listen for free. You'll have to give him some money to cover his throat."
Hong Xiaoduo smiled and said, "Of course, of course."
While others didn't notice, she did. After hearing these words, A-Ping looked a little uncomfortable, and her hand holding the food trembled slightly...
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