It turned out that a person of high status had someone find Wu Cui and his wife and gave them a large sum of gold.

There were no special requests, only that they go to Xiangyun Village to claim a girl named Shen Ningning.

The noble demanded they make Shen Ningning their own daughter, whether by trickery or persuasion. Upon success, they would be given another payment.

After hearing the whole story, Shen Ningning’s expression didn’t change much.

She had already guessed as much; she just wanted to know who was behind it.

"This benefactor you mentioned, what’s his name?"

"I don’t know..." Qian Siniang shook her head. "But the first time we went, we heard the servants call him Third Master Wei."

’Third Master Wei?’

The name was completely foreign to Shen Ningning.

Chen Ye, who was listening nearby, immediately said, "He’s the brother of Minister Wei and Consort Li."

Of the three Wei siblings, this Wei the Third was an idler with no real skills, but his infamy was widespread.

He often did despicable things in private. Though over thirty, he still acted like a profligate.

If he was the one arranging this, it was most likely not his own idea, but an order from the Wei Family.

Shen Ningning was even more confused. "But I’ve never offended this person. I don’t even know him."

Chen Ye had been on the battlefield and had also seen the other side of power.

He knew all too well how ruthless high officials could be, and how their schemes were endless.

Chen Ye’s voice was grave. "If a powerful person is targeting you, it might be because you pose a threat to them."

Shen Ningning didn’t understand.

Qian Siniang said hurriedly, "Miss Ningning, don’t you worry. I have the gold he gave us right here. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to the government to testify against him."

Wu Cui chimed in, "That’s right. He definitely has malicious intentions."

"Miss, you saved our son. We are willing to testify in court."

The little one immediately shook her head. "Going to the government won’t work. If the Wei Family is really that powerful, we can only wait for my brother to return..."

Counting the days, Mo Lingwei would be back in the capital in five days.

Shen Ningning reassured Wu Cui and his wife. Seeing Wu Zuchang was filthy from head to toe, Qian Siniang pulled him into the inner courtyard to wash up.

"Girlie, Girlie!" Wu Zuchang’s eyes were fixed on Shen Ningning.

The little one then said to Chen Ye, "Brother Chen, you can head back first. Please tell my grandmother that I’ll be staying here for dinner tonight and will be back tomorrow morning, so she doesn’t have to worry."

Although Xitai Village was some distance from Xiangyun Village, it was backed by a large mountain.

With just a single call, Langlang and the other wolves would come running.

Chen Ye nodded. "Alright. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning, Miss."

With that, he left.

That evening, Shen Ningning had a very heartwarming dinner.

Qian Siniang was an expert at making scallion oil.

Fresh, vibrant green scallion segments were tossed into the wok with a SIZZLE, releasing a fragrant aroma.

The browned scallions were removed, and then thin slices of pork belly were added and stir-fried until they glistened. Salt and a dash of pepper were sprinkled in.

Shen Ningning and Wu Zuchang stood by the stove in anticipation.

Before long, the intensely fragrant scallion oil pork slices were ready!

Wu Cui washed his large hands and began to knead the dough. The soft, white ball seemed to change shape on its own, sometimes long, sometimes round.

Soon, he had pinched out one little rabbit-shaped steamed bun after another and placed them in the steamer basket.

When it was time to eat, the table was laden with delicious dishes.

The four of them sat in the courtyard, where Wu Cui had specially opened a jar of Nuer Hong wine.

Halfway through drinking, he was overcome with emotion and said sorrowfully, "Actually, this wine... we were planning to drink it on the day our daughter grew up and got married."

"But she was ill-fated, and died under a bandit’s blade..." At this, he wiped his tears.

Shen Ningning couldn’t help but ask, "Then why did you report to the government that she was missing?"

Qian Siniang explained, "Back then, my husband’s mother was still alive. We were afraid the shock would be too much for her, so we could only say our daughter was missing. We wanted her to feel there was still hope of finding her."

They never expected that an unintentional act from long ago would lead to their meeting with Shen Ningning today.

Wu Zuchang took a sip of the wine and stuck his tongue out from the sharp taste.

"This tastes bad, Girlie. Don’t get married. It’s awful."

Everyone laughed.

Qian Siniang wiped away her tears. "It’s a good thing Miss Ningning isn’t holding a grudge against us. We were momentarily greedy and deceived you. We are truly sorry!"

She picked up Wu Cui’s wine bowl. "With this cup, I apologize to Miss Ningning!"

Saying that, she tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.

She never drank alcohol. Wu Cui was so startled he cried out, "Hey, hey, drink less!"

Qian Siniang wiped her mouth and said happily, "Today is a good day. Carrying that lie felt like a heavy stone was weighing on my heart. I’m so glad to have finally spoken the truth."

Shen Ningning’s face was fair and lovely, and her voice was sweet and soft. "Uncle Wu, Aunt Wu, you only wanted money to treat Brother Zuchang’s illness."

"I know a very skilled old doctor. When there’s a chance someday, I’ll have him take a look at Brother Zuchang. My grandmother always says that things will get better and better."

"You shouldn’t lose hope either!"

Encouraged by the little one, the couple nodded with tears in their eyes. "Yes, that would be wonderful."

In the end, both Wu Cui and Qian Siniang drank too much and were swaying as they walked.

Shen Ningning couldn’t possibly carry them, but Wu Zuchang listened to her. When she told him to carry them inside, he hoisted his parents up and brought them into the house.

It was still early, so the two of them sat in the courtyard, watching the moon and stars.

"Girlie, you can’t see them clearly here," Wu Zuchang said, pointing to the mountain behind the house. "You can see them from the mountain."

Having lived in the mountains, Shen Ningning was of course not afraid of entering them at night.

She just smiled sweetly. "Do you want to go?"

Wu Zuchang immediately nodded. "Big brother will catch fireflies for you."

The moment Shen Ningning heard that, she immediately agreed. The two of them took a lantern, locked the door, and went into the mountains.

Just as they left, a few suspicious figures entered the village under the cover of darkness.

The yellow dogs kept by the various households began to bark wildly.

A few villagers came out with lanterns to check. After looking around and finding no one suspicious, they went back inside their homes.

At that moment, in Wang Qiao’er’s house, she was hugging Deng Fugui and crying.

"Fugui, please just agree. Acknowledge Ba Deshun as your father, okay?"

"I don’t want to!" Deng Fugui forcefully shook off her hand. "He’s not my father! Mom, I don’t want to be disgraced for the rest of my life."

Wang Qiao’er said quickly, "Your cousin is very rich. You won’t be at a disadvantage being his son."

"Besides, he’s already spoken with his wife. It’s rare that your cousin’s wife is so generous and magnanimous. She’s actually willing to let me into the family as a co-wife and agrees to raise you as her own legitimate son."

"My son, your mother made a fool of herself a few days ago. We can’t stay in Xitai Village anymore. The only way now is to change our story and say you were Ba Deshun’s son from the beginning. Only then can we avoid being laughed at by everyone."

Deng Fugui was so angry he started to cry. "How could you do this? If I acknowledge someone else, what about my dad?"

"Your father is heartless. He abandoned us long ago. Otherwise, why hasn’t he come to see you? I heard your grandfather is already looking for a new wife for him. Do you want to go live with a stepmother?"

Wang Qiao’er’s words silenced Deng Fugui.

He didn’t want to leave his mother, nor did he want to acknowledge another man as his father.

"Fugui, if you don’t agree, then your mother has no choice but to die! I’ve already lost all my face, what’s the point of living anymore!" After saying this, Wang Qiao’er went to find a pair of scissors to kill herself.

Deng Fugui was just a boy, after all, and was terrified she would actually do it.

"Mom! Don’t! I’ll agree, I’ll agree to it," he sobbed, falling to his knees.

He was blaming himself for being useless while also thinking of his poor father.

But Wang Qiao’er gently helped him up. "Good boy. When you grow up, you’ll know that your mother is doing all this for your own good. Being a young master of the Ba Family is far more prosperous than being some village boy!"

With the matter settled, Wang Qiao’er slept with a clear conscience, even having sweet dreams.

Deng Fugui, however, tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

He finally got up and paced around the courtyard to clear his head.

’If only I were back in Xiangyun Village,’ he thought. The friends he knew there would have come out with him to catch crickets and play leg wrestling.

Just as he was feeling miserable, he caught a glimpse of a figure flashing past outside through a crack in the door.

Deng Fugui pressed himself against the door to look outside.

He saw several figures dressed in black emerging from the courtyard of Wu Cui’s house and heading directly for the back mountain.

He was utterly bewildered.

’What are those people doing?’