Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
To decide whether a child was raised well or not, one should first observe the childâs mental state. Then look at whether his clothes were decent or not.
He Cheng was wearing bright red clothes and new shoes. His hair was combed into a small bun, and a silver lock was hanging on his chest.
The bells jingled whenever he ran.
Ah-Yao and Wen Xuan, Wen Yuâs fourth son, followed behind.
Ah-Yao called him âBrother Xuan1.
Wen Xuan paid close attention to Ah-Yao in case he fell down.
Pu Cao followed behind them with two servant girls.
He Cheng threw himself in front of Heng Yi and hugged his leg, âFather!â
âYes.â Heng Yi responded, a little unnaturally.
He pulled He Cheng and made him look at He Hong.
He Hong was dressed very decently.
There was also love in his gaze as he looked at He Cheng.
But He Cheng looked at him like he was a stranger, so he hid behind Heng Yi.
âChengâer, he isâ¦â Heng Yi wanted to say that this was his father.
But the words remained on the tip of his tongue.
He couldnât bear to say it.
He had raised this boy for two years. He was there when the boy didnât even know how to walk well. Now, he was running around.
Heng Yi had raised and nurtured him, and gradually, love bloomed for the child.
âChengâer,â He Hong called softly.
He came this time, not to pick up or accept He Cheng back to his side.
He was only here for business.
He had recently remarried and his wife was pregnant now. She knew that he had a son and that he was raised in the Marquisâ manor.
His in-laws suggested that he should take the child back.
Letting the boy stay in the Marquis family could also form some kind of connection.
âCall me uncle.â
Heng Yi looked at He Hong in surprise.
He didnât quite understand what He Hong meant.
âFather!â
Ah-Yao ran over, stretching out his hand to hug him.
Heng Yi reached out to pick him up and held him in his arms.
Wen Xuan clasped his fists and bowed, âGreetings Marquis,â
HengYi nodded.
Even though the doubts and questions were on the tip of his lips, Heng Yi endured them and invited He Hong into the hall.
Ah-Yao struggled to slide to the ground and ran away laughing with the two boys together.
He Hong watched He Chengâs back.
Without asking, he knew that He Cheng was doing well.
If He Cheng wasnât happy here, he wouldâve been submissive. He wouldnât dare to speak loudly, let alone laugh unscrupulously.
âBrother,â He Hong had a thousand words in his mind, but he didnât know where to start.
âYou have no plans of taking Chengâer away, do you?â Heng Yi asked.
âYes.â
He Hong took a deep breath.
Some words were difficult to say at first, but when you finally said them, it was as if the burden wasnât there to begin with.
âHeâll be better off following you, Brother Heng, than me. He has a better future here and will be happier.â
âIâm remarried. My wife is already eight months pregnant. The Yue family is a merchant and is relatively rich. Her dowry was also generous. The house Iâm currently living in now is her dowry. I canât bring Chengâer back, and I wonât in the future.â
HengYi took a deep breath.
He wanted to scold He Hong, but he felt that it was unnecessary.
On the contrary, he was relieved.
At least He Cheng would stay forever with them.
With He Hong around, Zhao Huan could no longer cause any trouble. She had no excuse or reason to take He Cheng away.
âYou thought it through.â
âYes.â
HengYi looked at He Hong, âI donât recognize you anymore.â
Where did He Hong, the man who valued love, righteousness, and trust, go?
âBrother Heng, the world is tough. Not everyone is as lucky and capable as you. Itâs only been two years and youâve become the Marquis who is in charge of power. I, on the other hand, went out with high ambitions, wanting to do something big, but ended up with nothing. Penniless.â
âIf it wasnât for my current wife, I might have died in a foreign land.â
âShe knew that I was married and had a child. She bluntly said that she didnât want me to take my son back. She said that it was hard being a stepmother, so Iâ¦â
Heng Yi remembered the five hundred taels of silver that He Hong had sent back.
The five hundred taels he gave them was a loan he paid back. He Cheng had been living in the Heng family for the past two years, yet He Hong had yet to say anything about it.
No matter how much he explained himself, it could not conceal his hypocrisy.
Who was He Cheng? He was his own son.
Today was He Chengâs birthday.
Heng Yi didnât know if He Hong still remembered.
But if he did, did he bring He Cheng a birthday present? If he didnât rememberâ¦
A word crossed HengYiâs mind: Hypocrite.
âThen why did you come here?â Heng Yi said.
âBrother Heng, donât you need to buy food and salt? I came to discuss this with you.â
âOh, Shopkeeper Zhu is in charge of purchasing these things. I donât care about these matters. You can just speak of this matter directly with himâ
Shopkeeper Zhu was smart and fair, and he had great prestige in the barracks.
Even though Heng Yi may have a high official position and Shopkeeper Zhu was only a squad leader in the barracksâ¦
The squad leader still had to make purchases and train soldiers. Below the squad leader were four deputy squad leaders. These positions were still waiting for soldiers to fill in.
When they arrived in the capital, they would be allocated a small house. Although it wasnât big, it could still be a home that they could sell and rent.
Most importantly, it was given for free. It was a reward and a show of dignity for those hard-working soldiers.
HengYi left all this matter to Shopkeeper Zhu, so he didnât have to worry too much.
However, He Hong felt that it did not make much difference to him. In his eyes, Heng Yi was still in command.
He got up to say goodbye, but Heng Yi stared at him for a moment, âStay for dinnerâ
âToday is-â
âMarquis. Marquis, someone from Chenzhou has arrived.â
The gatekeeper hurried over, interrupting Heng Yiâs words.
Immediately after, a chubby boy ran into the room.
âBaoâer greets the Marquis.â
Heng Yi looked at Zeng Baoâer and thought to himself, why is this kid so fat?
âYou came alone?â
âNo, my father came with us. I was in a hurry, so I ran here first. I also brought the Second Young Masterâs Big Yellow,â
The days for Zeng Baoâer were getting better. He studied and practiced martial arts every day, and he didnât have much to worry about. Zeng Baoâer felt so relaxed that he grew fat. While he was growing taller, he was also gaining weight.
As time went on, the more naive he became.
âMarquis, do you know where my sister is?â Zeng Baoâer asked.
âSheâs practicing martial arts in the backyard. Iâll get someone to take you there.â
Compared to Zeng Baoâerâs, who was just muddling along, Zeng Qinâer was exceptionally hardworking.
She would not sleep if the moon did not sleep, and she would get up before the sun rose.
She had determination, a lot of courage, and was very cautious.
âThank you, Marquis.â Zeng Baoâer was about to walk out before he asked again, âWhat about the Second and Third Young Masters? I brought them something.â
âCanât you hear their laughter? Iâm sure you can find them quite easily,â Han Qiao said with a smile.
Zeng Baoâerâs eyes lit up.
He looked at Han Qiao with a much friendlier gaze. He quickly approached her and bowed, âMadam, hope you are doing well,â
âHmm?â Han Qiao sized him up, âHow did you gain so much weight?â
âHehe,â Zeng Baoâer only giggled.
He was not a stupid child. If he was forced into a corner, he could be very smart. He was just⦠a little muddled-headed.
He was always by Han Chiâs side, and Han Chi was very scheming and did not need him all that much. Baoâer wouldnât steal the limelight from his master either. Wouldnât that relieve much of his duties?
âRun along now. Chengâer and Ah-Yao are playing over there.â Han Qiao said gently.
After one final bow, Zeng Baoâer ran away.
Han Qiao laughed helplessly.
When she noticed He Hong, her smile faded slightly.
âSister-in-law.â
He Hong was very polite.
Han Qiao hummed lightly.
Noticing the speck of flour on her face, Heng Yi raised his hands to wipe it off for her.
âYouâre covered in flour.â
Han Qiao looked at He Hong.
He did bring gifts, but he obviously didnât prepare anything for He Cheng.
Zeng Asan stepped in leading a dog.
Good heavens! Zeng Asan had also gained weight. He was at least ten pounds heavier, and the flesh on his face trembled with every move.
âGreetings, Madam, hehe.â Zeng Asan smiled, revealing his white teeth. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âIt mustâve been a tough journey. Go wash up first, leave this dog to me.â âItâs not tough, Madam. I brought a lot of medicinal herbs, and they are all outside. Here is the list.â Zeng Asan immediately handed over the paper.
He smiled again and said, âCan I go and see the Second Young Master, the Third Young Master, and Qinâer?â