Outside the Ye residence, Ye Ren'an and his wife, along with several relatives who had received the news, waited anxiously.
The carriage stopped, and looking at the boy who had stepped down from it, even though they had seen him up close, Ye Ren'an and his wife still felt their breath catch in their throats. This was their son, the child who had been kidnapped and abused by evil people for many years, and now he was standing safely in front of them.
"My son!" Xia could no longer contain herself. Her voice trembled with emotion as she called out to her child and rushed towards him.
Ye Ren'an didn't care about being outside the mansion gate and not being careful to behave himself; his eyes were red as he followed.
"Tianxuan greets Father and Mother." Tianxuan knelt down and kowtowed to her parents who were standing before her.
Xia didn't bend down to help the child up; instead, she knelt before her son and hugged him tightly, saying, "My son, my son, I thought I'd never see you again in this lifetime..."
The Ye family found the child, but before officially recognizing him, they didn't make a big fuss about it, so outsiders didn't know about it.
But today, the area outside the mansion gate is decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, attracting the curiosity of passersby and residents from the neighborhood.
Those who are now standing around watching, based on what they have seen and what they have just heard, have already guessed the general idea: the child that Prefect Ye was kidnapped years ago has now been found.
The magistrate's wife's cries of mixed joy and sorrow brought tears to the eyes of the women watching.
Women, especially mothers, find this kind of scene the most unbearable.
Ye Ren'an, who was being watched, didn't care at all. He also wanted to hug his son, but his son was being held tightly by his wife, so he had no chance. He couldn't very well try to take the son from his wife!
"Young Lady Hong." While waiting for his chance, Ye Ren'an inadvertently saw Hong Xiaoduo standing to the side and realized that he had been somewhat impolite. He bowed to Hong Xiaoduo apologetically.
He didn't say anything about making the young lady laugh; such polite words were meaningless.
In this situation, he and his wife are simply parents who have seen their child after many years apart. They don't care about whether it's appropriate or not.
What's wrong with a fourth-rank prefect? Does that mean he's not human?
Upon seeing her, the relatives nearby knew without introduction that this young woman was the benefactor of the Ye family, and they quickly stepped forward to greet her politely.
"Tianxuan, the ground is cold. Help your mother up so we can talk inside," Hong Xiaoduo said, knowing that Xia Shi's emotions wouldn't subside anytime soon.
She could understand Xia's feelings and didn't want to disturb her, but she felt sorry for Tianxuan, who was being held tightly by her mother, yet she couldn't bear to push her away.
"Mother, may I come into the mansion to speak with you?" Tianxuan asked.
Even when Xia was extremely agitated, hearing her son call her "mother" in her ear brought her back to her senses, and she hurriedly nodded and said, "Okay, okay."
The mother and son helped each other to their feet, straightened each other's robes, and then walked into the mansion gate.
Ye Ren'an gratefully clasped his hands in a fist salute to Hong Xiaoduo. If it weren't for her, his wife would have been crying with their son for who knows how long. He didn't care if it was a loss of face; the main thing was that there were still a group of elders waiting in the mansion.
Soon they arrived at the main hall of the mansion. As Tianxuan knelt to pay respects to her grandparents, joyful cries rose again from the hall.
"Madam, let's go to the back to wash up while we have this opportunity," Xia's personal maid whispered a reminder.
Xia shook her head. Even without looking in the mirror, she knew she looked quite disheveled, but she didn't want to leave, not even for a moment. After thinking for a while, she turned and saw that Hong Xiaoduo was accompanied by her husband. She then quietly instructed the maid to prepare water and wrung out a damp cotton towel to wipe her face in the hall.
Several basins and cotton towels were prepared, as they were needed for my son's washing up, my mother-in-law's washing up, and several female elders.
After watching his son enter the hall and be monopolized by his mother, the father wanted to get close to his grandson but had no chance at all. His wife couldn't get close either. Ye Ren'an shook his head and smiled helplessly, watching as his mother wiped away her tears, took the child's hand, and introduced him to the elders present.
Faced with this situation, the son showed no helplessness or panic, and handled it appropriately.
"Young Lady Hong has raised my son very well," Ye Ren'an said gratefully to Hong Xiaoduo.
"I really didn't teach them any etiquette on purpose; it was their Sister Feiyan who taught them some things," Hong Xiaoduo said honestly, not daring to take credit for it.
"Feiyan." Ye Ren'an nodded and memorized it.
"Young Lady Hong, you are the benefactor of our family." After tidying herself up, Madam Xia choked up as she approached Hong Xiaoduo. She was about to kneel down when Hong Xiaoduo quickly stopped her.
“Madam, there’s no need for that. Perhaps it’s fate that brings me to this child. Now that your family is reunited, Madam will have no more worries, and all your days will be good,” Hong Xiaoduo said, supporting Xia’s arm.
After a quick look around, Tianxuan found that her main family members were all quite nice, so she breathed a sigh of relief and felt at ease.
“Young Madam Hong, Jun’er has just returned. He might not be used to being in an unfamiliar environment. Could you please invite your family to stay at our residence for a while?” Xia asked.
Her gaze had been following her son the whole time, but she noticed that the child would glance at Hong Xiaoniangzi every now and then.
Of course, the child also looked after himself, but not as frequently as he looked after Hong Xiaoniangzi.
Xia was not a fool, and she did not feel jealous because of this.
I am indeed the one who gave birth to him, but the child was kidnapped by evil people when he was just one year old. The child was too young to remember his biological mother, which is normal.
As for this Miss Hong, she was the one who rescued him from hell, and they had spent more than two years together. It is perfectly normal for the child to have deep feelings for Miss Hong. On the contrary, if the child were to become closer to him than the benefactor who rescued and raised him for more than two years as soon as they met, wouldn't that mean the child is an ungrateful and treacherous person?
After hearing Xia's words, Hong Xiaoduo understood what she meant. A mother who can stand in the child's shoes and think about the child in this way is a qualified mother.
“I understand what Madam means, but we can’t do that. He will have to get through this hurdle eventually. We will not only not move into the mansion, but we will also leave this place as soon as possible.”
"Don't worry too much about what happens after that, Madam. Just be patient and stay by her side." Hong Xiaoduo hardened her heart and refused Madam Xia's request.
Even if she was reluctant to part with Tianxuan, it was better to end the pain quickly than to suffer for a long time. The separation was something she couldn't escape or avoid.
At this moment, Tianxuan finally found an opportunity to walk over. When she got there, she looked at Hong Xiaoduo, then at her mother Xia Shi, hesitated for a moment, and called out, "Mother."
Mrs. Xia was taken aback when her son called her first, but then responded excitedly.
Hong Xiaoduo, standing to the side, said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Oh, you just recognized your biological mother, and you've already abandoned me..."
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