Zhulan and Zhou Shuren thought they were exchanging children, but they didn’t expect that Zhang Datie had left the master’s house long ago. Zhang Datie didn’t lie. This matter could be found if they wanted to investigate, as long as they knew the last name of the master’s family.

Zhang Datie took a sip of tea and looked at Rongchuan. “At that time, it was hard to find the convoy. One day, I was out drinking late, and when I got home, I heard the baby crying loudly. I saw an old woman holding a basket. At first, I didn’t want to interfere, but the baby kept crying, and the old woman, as if impatient and afraid of being discovered, reached into the basket. I saw she was about to smother the baby. I was a bit drunk, but I rushed over in a fit of rage.”

At this point, Zhang Datie looked at Rong Chuan, his meaning was very clear, that he was his savior.

Zhang Datie continued, “I knocked the old woman to the ground, and seeing my fierce appearance due to being drunk, she thought I had killed the baby. Panicked, she ran off, and I didn’t chase after her. I looked at the naked baby in the basket and saw that it was a boy. Since I didn’t have a son, and the baby was still alive, I took him back with me. I’ve seen plenty of shady dealings in the rear courtyards, and I’ve been involved in some myself, like swapping out beams and pillars. Fortunately, we had already arranged for the convoy to leave the capital three days later.”

Zhulan believed Zhang Dati’s words. Zhang Dati could have made up a perfect life experience, but it would take a lot of effort to check. Zhang Dati didn’t make it up and told everything he knew. Zhulan asked, “Do you have the basket at that time? Was there anything different about it?”

Zhang Datie shook his head. “Except for Rong Chuan, who was just a newborn baby, there was nothing in the basket, no proof of identity whatsoever. Whether it’s swapping beams and pillars or kidnapping a child, if you want to do it cleanly, you wouldn’t leave anything behind.”

However, he didn’t say it, but the fact that nothing was left behind indicates a fear of being discovered. With the ability to conduct wide-ranging investigations, Rong Chuan’s background must be quite complex.

It was precisely because there was no proof of identity that he dared to keep the child. Later, when he had his own son, it became troublesome. Without a son, Rong Chuan was naturally cherished. However, once he had a son, no one knew whether it would be a good or bad thing if the truth was discovered. Moreover, several years had passed. If they wanted to uncover the truth, they would have done so already. If they hadn’t uncovered it by now, he knew they wouldn’t. With time, his courage grew, as a servant who had served for a long time and then became lame would naturally have harbored dark thoughts. After many changes, the anger of being a slave was taken out on Rong Chuan. Rong Chuan’s status was that he was a young master from a wealthy family, but he was now under them like a slave. They just hadn’t anticipated Rong Chuan’s good fortune.

His plan to sell Rong Chuan was shattered. The Zhou family was too formidable to provoke, and he felt frustrated. However, as the Zhou family prospered, he dared not let his wife and child seek out Rong Chuan.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren didn’t know what was going on in Zhang Datie’s mind. Although Zhang Datie didn’t have much useful information, he had some, especially regarding the capital. Moreover, the fact that infants were often killed to prevent future trouble indicated that those who dared to kill children were also afraid. Finally, the rumors about the male lead’s comment about his appearance were indeed not groundless, and Rong Chuan might truly become a cannon fodder.

Zhou Shuren felt pain in his lower back. Zhang Datie had said everything he needed to say. He was going back to lie down. “Okay, you can take the money and leave.”

Zhang Datie wasn’t in a hurry to leave. He needed a promise from Rong Chuan. Facing him, Zhang Datie said, “If I hadn’t felt compassion back then, you would have died. I saved your life, took you away from trouble, and raised you for several years. Although I later treated you harshly, your life was ultimately saved by me. Today, I’m voluntarily telling you about your background. Give me a promise that in the future, no matter what happens, you won’t seek revenge on me or my descendants.”

Rong Chuan pursed his lips. What Zhang Datie said was true. He owed his life to Zhang Datie; otherwise, he would have died long ago. “Alright, from today onwards, we are even,” he said.

Zhang Datie felt relieved. As long as there was a promise, it was fine. If he had known that this kid would have good fortune in the future, he wouldn’t have treated him harshly, no matter what. “Thank you, thank you,” he said.

Zhang Datie took his wife and children and left with the money. Zhou Shuren looked at his sons, “You all will keep what you heard today in your heart. No more discussion in the future, remember?”

Boss Zhou looked at each other and said in unison: “Remember.” 

Rong Chuan opened his mouth. He wanted to give back the money, but his uncle and aunt didn’t give him a chance and had already gone back to the house to rest.

Chang Lian patted Rong Chuan on the shoulder and said, “Mom and Dad treat you as one of their own. Don’t worry about money. If you dare to raise the topic of money, your parents will be unhappy.”

This kid was really a poor kid. It was great to be alive. It was not easy anymore. He was going to be nicer to this kid in the future.

Rong Chuan’s eyes were slightly red. As he grew up, his uncle and aunt were the best to him. They were no different from his biological parents.

Zhulan helped Zhou Shuren into the room and laid him down. Zhou Shuren groaned, his waist hurt even while lying down, and he did not dare to move. Zhulan applied medicine to Zhou Shuren and rubbed his waist, and Zhou Shuren gasped in pain.

Zhulan felt distressed and did not act lightly. Being gentle would not have any effect. The two of them did not talk about Rong Chuan anymore. According to the current situation, talking about it was useless. It was better to work harder now.

Zhulan rubbed it for a while, and Zhou Shuren felt much more comfortable. He fell asleep after some time. Zhulan carefully put down his clothes and untied Zhou Shuren’s hair. Zhou Shuren’s hair was really well maintained and was smoother than hers.

Zhulan took the pillow and lay down next to Zhou Shuren. She was also very tired and fell asleep after a while.

When she woke up, the room was very dark, and the sky outside was getting dark. It was almost winter, and the daylight hours were short. Zhou Shuren was still sleeping, so she got up quietly and went out.

Li Shi was making dinner. They all moved here and ate in the main courtyard and started a fire in the kitchen of the main courtyard.

Zhulan said: “Cook some millet porridge tonight.”

What she ate at lunch was too greasy, so she just wanted to eat something light at night. Millet porridge with pickles was best.

Zhulan left the kitchen and didn’t see Xuemei. The couple probably went back when she was asleep. They had been busy all day and had rested after dinner.

Early the next morning, Jiang Sheng’s parents came, and Zhulan remembered that the Jiang family didn’t come yesterday. It seemed that no one informed the Jiang family about the move!

(End of this chapter)

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