frightfiction Chapter 248 Hidden merit and fame
Chapter 248 Hidden merit and fame
"You, you bring the two children and cry together. Auntie, you're in charge of crying too, but don't wail loudly, just sob quietly, wipe away your tears, and look like you're terrified of them." Zheng Xiangqian's move was brilliant. People always sympathize with the weak. Gu Xiaomin wanted to cry but didn't dare to, which would further incite the anger of the villagers who knew the truth, and make them think about them together.
"Okay, cousin!" Gu Xiaomin quickly agreed. She might not be able to cry loudly, but she could manage to sob quietly.
The next day, led by Zheng Xiangqian, the old and young, dressed in tattered clothes, crowded into the red brick house, making a ruckus, fighting, cursing, and crying. Almost the entire village had gathered there.
Just as the atmosphere was reaching its peak, all the leaders and officials who were supposed to arrive showed up. Lei Long and his son were being pointed at and insulted by the crowd; even the thickest skin couldn't withstand it.
In order to get rid of the two poor relatives, Pan Yifeng hurriedly persuaded the two men to sign the necessary documents and put their fingerprints on them.
The fields, land, and rooms had already been divided up; it was just that the agreement between the two parties was made public, written down in black and white, and stamped with witnesses and several official seals.
From then on, Lei Laogui and Zheng Shujuan, the two brothers, would each be responsible for the care and funeral arrangements of one of their children. Their families would be completely separate from each other in matters of marriage, death, and so on, which would be equivalent to severing all ties with their fathers and sons, mothers and sons, brothers, etc. Everything was completed smoothly as planned.
Zheng Xiangqian also breathed a sigh of relief. Only after relaxing did he have the leisure to take a closer look at the villagers who had come to cheer him on.
Wait, the "Uncle Lei" that Lei Ming invited turned out to be Old Man Lei, whom he used to chat with. The old man even nodded at him, did he recognize him? This shows that he is keeping his merits hidden.
Zheng Xiangqian thought back to the old man squatting outside late at night smoking his pipe, just to wait for him, right? Could it be that they were being watched as soon as they entered the village? The one who delivered the letter to his house was probably him too.
Old ginger is spicier, you know. If my aunt had married such an old man back then, she would have been so happy. What a pity!
Zheng Xiangqian dared not utter a word about it in front of his aunt's family, fearing it would cause unnecessary trouble. He should look forward, just like his name suggests.
Lei Ming rented out all the fields and land, tidied up the house, but there wasn't much of value there. The main issue was that setting up a separate household account took time, which delayed things by two days.
The Lei family insisted that Zheng Xiangqian name Da Bao and Xiao Bao. At this moment, Zheng Xiangqian especially missed Rui Dong and Ting Nan—cultured people, naming things is no trouble for them.
In the end, Zheng Xiangqian still thought of Tingnan, who always ranked first or second in the exams, and the Lei family, who desperately needed a peaceful environment, so he came up with two names for the children: Lei Ya'an and Lei Guanning.
Lei Ming and his wife, along with the little one, were delighted, praising the name as powerful and pleasant-sounding. Zheng Xiangqian wiped away his sweat; the mission was finally complete, and it was time to head home.
Returning to her parents' home, Zheng Shujuan was filled with emotion, realizing how important it was to have connections there!
Song Xiuying invited them to stay at her home, but she refused. She had a long life ahead of her, and it was bound to have some conflicts if the whole family lived together. She didn't want to ruin this family bond.
Gu Xiaomin was also nervous when she arrived, and she rushed to do housework and help in the kitchen. Lei Ming was also very reserved with the two children, and he no longer spoke loudly.
Seeing their discomfort, Zheng Xiangqian agreed to Zheng Shujuan's suggestion and lent them money to rent a place near the brick factory for the time being. They would make further plans once Lei Ming and his wife started working and saved money.
After all this was done, it was already the twelfth day of the first lunar month. Zheng Xiangqian then asked someone to resolve the schooling issue for the two brothers, Lei Ya'an and Lei Guanning. Lei Ming and Gu Xiaomin were naturally extremely grateful, and Lei Ming addressed his brother as "brother" even more affectionately.
Zheng Xiangqian teased him: "When we first met, you were all angry and didn't even call me 'cousin,' you just wanted to fight. Why are you calling me 'brother' all the time now?"