Before long, a thin man came hurrying over and pulled the little boy who had collided with Cui Huaihao tightly into his arms. He knelt on the ground and begged for mercy. “Please calm your anger, Master. The child is young and mischievous. He offended our honored guest. Please, Master, and honored sir, forgive him.”
Master Zhou frowned as he glanced at the thin man, who was humbly begging forgiveness, then at the mud-smeared boy in his arms. His expression softened somewhat as he turned to Cui Huaihao. “Second Master Cui, this man has been with the estate for many years. He is excellent at tending fruit trees and is diligent and steady in his work.”
With that, Master Zhou turned to the tall, thin man holding the child. “Dongda, come and pay your respects to Second Master Cui.”
Dongda hurriedly greeted Cui Huaihao.
He looked somewhat nervous and anxious, but he still remained where he was, bowing respectfully instead of leaving at once.
Cui Huaihao merely replied that it was nothing and said no more.
Master Zhou smiled and said he would take Cui Huaihao to look around elsewhere. “This estate is quite large—there’s plenty to see. There’s a grove of apricot trees over there, and they’re in bloom now. Let’s go take a look.”
As he spoke, Master Zhou began to lead the way. Cui Huaihao did not refuse and was about to follow when his niece suddenly stopped where she stood, unwilling to leave.
Puzzled, Cui Huaihao looked at his niece, only to find her staring intently at the reckless boy who had collided with them moments earlier.
The boy was being held tightly by Dongda, who had even covered his mouth, apparently to stop him from saying anything else inappropriate.
Cui Huaihao asked Rongyao, “Yaoyao, what are you looking at?”
Rongyao raised her head and glanced at her uncle before turning her gaze back to the little boy held tightly in Dongda’s arms.
The child appeared to be about her age. His face was smeared with dirt, making his features difficult to discern, but the patches of skin that showed were exceptionally fair.
Most farm families could not raise a child with such a complexion.
In her previous life, the young master of the Duke’s household had died at this estate. She did not know exactly when it had happened, but if he had not yet been killed, then any one of the children at this estate could be him.
If that child truly had not died…
Perhaps the Cui family could forge a favorable connection with the Duke’s household.
Rongyao took two steps toward Dongda and pointed at the little boy. “Is he your son?”
Dongda hurriedly replied, “To answer the young lady, he is indeed my son.”
Master Zhou’s voice immediately came from beside them. “Dongda, you have a son? Since when? I heard you had five daughters. Where did this son come from?”
Dongda’s entire body trembled. He quickly answered, “This lowly one has been unlucky and was unable to have a son, so I adopted a child from elsewhere.”
Master Zhou smiled. “I see. You certainly understand what’s important. A family ought to have a son to carry on the family line; otherwise, I’m afraid your daughters might be bullied.”
Dongda said, “That is precisely what this lowly one thought.”
After hearing the exchange between Master Zhou and Dongda, Rongyao became even more convinced that the little boy before her was the young master of the Duke’s household.
In her previous life, there had been rumors that the young master of the Duke’s household had been bought by a family to serve as their son. Later, for reasons no one knew, that family had ended up killing him.
Rongyao let go of her uncle’s hand, crouched down, and tilted her head to look at the trembling child. Dongda still had a hand clamped over the boy’s mouth. His entire face was swollen and red, and Rongyao frowned slightly before saying to Dongda, “Let him go. I have something to ask him.”
Dongda said nervously, “Young lady, this child is wild by nature. I’m afraid he might offend you. If I let him go, he’ll surely say something vulgar, and if he dirties your ears, it will be my fault.”
“I’m not afraid,” Rongyao replied. “You only need to let him go. I won’t blame you.”
Dongda dragged his feet, clearly still unwilling to release him. Master Zhou, however, had grown anxious and said, “Hurry up and let him go. We already told you that you won’t be punished.”
Only then did Dongda remove his hand from the child’s mouth.
This time, Rongyao got a clear look at the boy’s face. Though it was swollen and red, marked with injuries and smeared with dirt, there was still a hint of refinement about him.
Rongyao stared at him and asked, “Is he really your father?”
“No, he’s not…” The boy managed to say only three words before Dongda clamped a hand over his mouth again.
Dongda was drenched in sweat. He forced himself to explain, “He only recently came into our household and hasn’t grown accustomed to it yet. He misses his former parents. But his family was poor, and with so many siblings, they could hardly eat their fill. That’s why his parents gave him to me to raise.”
After saying this, Dongda began lecturing the child in his arms once more. “Son, haven’t I told you? As long as you stay at home, you’ll have a good life from now on. You’re my only son, and everything in the household will belong to you one day. Why are you so determined to cling to your former parents?”
As he spoke, Dongda actually began to cry, looking utterly aggrieved and helpless.
Seeing this, Master Zhou even tried to persuade the child in Dongda’s arms. He went on about how capable Dongda was and how comfortable life was in his household, urging the boy not to fail to appreciate the blessings he had received.
Rongyao listened with a frown and interrupted Master Zhou, saying to Dongda, “I want to play with him. Let him go. With the amount of strength you’re using, you must be hurting him.”
Dongda was about to refuse, but Master Zhou advised him, “Do as the young lady says. Even if you want to be his father, you must treat him well first! Everything has to be done gradually. How can you force someone to call you Father like this?”
Frowning, Dongda finally released the child in his arms.
Rongyao took the little boy’s hand and was about to lead him aside when Dongda blocked her, refusing to let her take the child away.
Master Zhou frowned deeply. He decided that Dongda was not only narrow-minded but miserly as well. The Cui family held an official position, after all, and Fourth Miss Cui had even been conferred the title of Jieyu by the Emperor. Even if her daughter had no father, she would still enjoy wealth and honor in the future. She was a noble child, and marrying into that family could only benefit his son. Yet Dongda was still unwilling. What a fool.
Master Zhou stepped forward, personally pulled Dongda aside, and smilingly nudged the child toward Rongyao. He even instructed him, “Stay with the young lady and keep her company.”
Rongyao smiled at Master Zhou, then took the timid little boy by the arm and asked him, “What’s your name?”
Dongda hurriedly answered before the boy could speak. “His name is Yaozong—Zheng Yaozong! I’ve just given him that name. I hope he’ll bring glory to the Zheng family and carry on our family line.”
“I’m not Zheng Yaozong. I’m Zhang Xian…”
Before he could finish, Dongda stepped forward again and seized the child in a tight embrace, holding him fast as he said, his face pale,
“This child used to be surnamed Zhang. His family didn’t want him anymore, but he still can’t forget them. It’s getting late, and we haven’t even eaten yet. If we don’t go back soon, the child’s mother will start worrying. I’ll take my leave.”
Without waiting for anyone to respond, Dongda moved to leave with the child in his arms.
Rongyao grabbed hold of Dongda’s clothes, refusing to let him go. She was certain that the child Dongda held was Zhang Xianyu, the young master of the Duke’s household. To prevent any mishap, she could not allow Dongda to take him away.
Dongda’s face darkened with anger. Turning back, he demanded of Rongyao, “Y-you—why are you stopping me? The child’s mother is worried. She’s waiting for us to come home.”
Rongyao did not look at Dongda. Instead, she looked at Zhang Xianyu, whom he held tightly in his arms, and spoke in a clear voice.
“I’ve seen you before.”
Zhang Xianyu trembled in fear in Dongda’s arms. A glimmer rose in his eyes as he stared unblinkingly at Rongyao.
Cui Huaihao was ever attentive to his niece. Hearing her words, he immediately asked, “You’ve seen this young master before? How could you have met him?”
Rongyao withdrew her gaze. Her hand remained firmly clenched around Dongda’s clothes as he tried to wrench free. She nodded at her uncle and said, “I’ve seen him. He used to dress very well—fair and plump, with many people following behind him.”
Cui Huaihao’s heart gave a violent jolt, and his eyes widened. “W-what?”
Master Zhou had naturally heard as well. His expression turned strange, and he instinctively stepped in front of Dongda, asking, “What do you mean, fair and plump, dressed well? Isn’t this child from a poor family?”
Rongyao fixed her eyes on Zhang Xianyu. “Wasn’t your original home the Duke’s household? I saw you there.”
