Abandoned daughter reborn, legitimate son is resourceful

Nan Jinming went to the north slope of the mountain early in the morning to reinforce his hunting tools while the fog was still there. In fact, he also wanted to take a look at the two people from yesterday.

Nan Jinming came to the place where Nangong Jingcheng was found yesterday, only to find that there were only a few broken limbs and torn clothes. The two men in black should have been eaten by wild beasts.

Bai Ran was eager to protect his master, and these two people tried every means to hunt down Nangong Jingcheng. This outcome was their own fault and they couldn't blame anyone else.

I think it must be that the Nangong family and the Prince of Qingping have a grudge, and Nangong Jingcheng just happened to be caught in the act. But it is really disgusting that the Prince of Qingping would kill him like this.

Nan Jinming bent down and looked at the blood stains on the grass. She thought that the body must have been eaten by a tiger or other wild beast. Fortunately, a whole night had passed and the body could not be found. It was not easy for her to clean it up.

Lai Fu Village was originally located near mountains and rivers, with sufficient food and water. However, there were many ferocious beasts in the mountains behind, which often ran into the village to harm the people. Later, several hunters came to live in Lai Fu Village and went up the mountain to hunt every now and then.

I guess those beasts spread the news among ten people on the mountain behind, and only then did they stop disturbing the village.

Nan Jinming was afraid that the corpse would disturb the hunters. Besides, the wounds were not caused by bites from wild beasts. If anyone was not smart enough to report to the police and cause trouble, it would probably not be worth it.

Now that the bodies are gone, no hunters go up the mountain during this period. Besides, several families have made some money from hunting and moved to the city. The rest are old or dead. Nan Jinming just digs some holes and doesn't hunt wild boars or anything like that. He only goes into the mountains to take a look on weekdays.

When Nan Jinming was coming back from the north hillside, he happened to see Chu Xiaoran and Nan Chenliang coming back from the south village entrance halfway.

"cousin!"

Nan Chenliang quickened his pace to catch up, while Nan Jinming simply stopped and waited for Chu Xiaoran.

"Where have you been?"

Nan Jinming raised his finger and tapped Nan Chenliang's forehead, his tone full of doting.

"Hey! Cousin, just talk if you want to. Why are you hitting me?"

Nan Chenliang was acting coquettishly, and Nan Jinming saw him changing the subject, so he turned around and met Chu Xiaoran's eyes.

Chu Xiaoran was a little uncomfortable, so he quickly turned his head away and said calmly, "We just came back from Aunt Zhang at the south entrance of the village."

"I told you not to watch the fun, but you didn't listen. Those uncles are the best at gossiping. Don't let their words lead you astray."

Nan Jinming said it casually, but Nan Chenliang didn't dare to act rashly, because he knew that Nan Jinming didn't want him to learn bad things.

The people who like to gossip the most in this village are the uncles and several old bachelors who cannot find a husband. Most of the young men have married in the city, saying that they can live a good life there. In fact, everyone knows that being a servant is the best they can do.

"What does the government say about Grandma Zhang's family?"

Nan Jinming spoke only when he saw Chu Xiaoran following him, and it was obvious that his words were meant for him to hear.

"Well, the government said that they would listen to what Grandma Zhang said. Grandma Zhang said that we should treat both sides equally. She wrote a list and said that we should divide up the property while she is still alive."

Chu Xiaoran knew that she also wanted to hear the result, so he briefly explained the whole story to her.

"With the government here, no matter how Zhang Xiaoyu behaves, there's nothing he can do. There are still a few bachelors left in this village. Chenliang, don't always bring him out."

"Huh? Cousin, are you considered a bachelor?"

Nan Chenliang grinned, blinked playfully, and stared at Nan Jinming with a smile on his face.

Nan Jinming glared at him. It was true that she was 25 years old and still unmarried, but age didn't matter to her. She had nothing, and even if she got married, it would be irresponsible to the other party. If she had children in the future, it would not be appropriate for them to live in the place they were living now.

I just want to live my life alone, that's enough.

"I'm not getting married. This life is only a few short decades long. I don't care about life and death anymore."

"Pooh, pooh, pooh, cousin, you always look like you see through everything, talking about so many things about life and death. How come you always speak in a flowery way after studying in the city for a few years?"

Nan Jinming studied in a college in the city until he was seventeen years old. Later, he came back to take care of his elderly mother at home for some time. However, less than a year later, Nan Jinming's mother died of illness.

Later, Nan Jinming stayed in the village. It was the busy farming season and there was no teaching. A school was set up in the village, but in recent years many people sent their children to study in the city, so Nan Jinming had a lot more free time.

"Have you read the book?"

Chu Xiaoran was a little surprised. After all, the aura emanating from Nan Jinming's body was full of rural scent. Although he knew that she knew some herbs, her hands were covered with calluses, especially at the base of her thumb, which was the thickest.

"I studied in the city for a few years. What's wrong with that? Do you think I can't read?"

Nan Jinming half-jokingly saw Chu Xiaoran staring at him in confusion, so he explained as he walked: "My mother is very prestigious in the village. I was sent to the city to study when I was three years old. I didn't continue my studies when I was seventeen, but fortunately I passed the imperial examination. Later, I had no money to continue my studies, so I came back to farm."

"I see."

Chu Xiaoran's pretty face showed some understanding, but in her heart she felt sorry for Nan Jinming for not completing her studies. Now at the age of 25, she was still staying in the village and couldn't even find a husband.

"My cousin taught in the village for six or seven years. Last year, most of the children in the village were sent to Yuecheng. Someone opened a school there, and the tuition was reasonable."

"Jin Ming opened a school, so he should have saved some money, right?"

Chu Xiaoran thought about it and asked.

"No, my cousin is just a good person. You said you want her to open a school and teach the children to read and write. That's fine. Just let her go. She won't charge a penny! She won't charge a penny!"

Nan Chenliang was a little angry as he spoke. If you don't charge money for teaching the children to read, you should at least give them something as a token of your appreciation!

Nan Jinming was a good-tempered person and did not ask for the money. He just said that he was repaying the favor his godmother had borrowed from everyone.

That’s true... When my godmother passed away, people from all over the village came to help.

But in these six or seven years, my cousin has already repaid the favor. If she hadn't sent the children to study in the city, one can imagine how long they would have had to drag her along?

"This is also..."

Chu Xiaoran was not in a position to comment. After all, he had just arrived and did not know the whole story. He had only heard about it now.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. When my mother passed away, everyone in the village helped her. I'm just repaying the favor."

Unconsciously, the three of them had returned to Nan Jinming's yard. Nan Jinming plucked a few eggplants from the vegetable garden outside the fence and said with a smile, "Why don't we eat eggplants for lunch today?"

"sure."

Chu Xiaoran smiled indifferently, and Nan Jinming happened to look over there, and was a little dazed for a moment.

Chu Xiaoran's smile was as bright as the spring breeze, and the tenderness between his eyebrows almost captured her.

Nan Chenliang carelessly pushed open the fence and walked in first: "Oh, Xiao Ran, you don't know, you haven't eaten the dry-fried eggplant made by my cousin, it's delicious, the taste is really better than adding meat."

"You are greedy again."

Nan Chenliang walked into the kitchen, took out a wooden basin, and started washing rice and adding water to cook. Unexpectedly, he went to watch a play when the sun was already high in the sky.

"Yes, my cousin's cooking is so delicious. I can't wait to marry you and eat your cooking every day."

Although Nan Chenliang was joking, he had this in mind deep down.

Chu Xiaoran knew that it was inappropriate for him to intervene at this time, so he took some vegetable leaves to feed the rabbit.

This gray rabbit is round, with some brown and fluffy ears, and is very cute.

Chu Xiaoran stretched out his fingers to stroke the gray rabbit's ears, and thinking that the gray rabbit was uncomfortable in the basket, he took it out.

The rabbit was very quiet in Chu Xiaoran's arms. He thought, if he put it on the ground, it wouldn't run away, right?

Thinking this in his mind, Chu Xiaoran squatted down and put the rabbit on the ground. As soon as the rabbit landed on the ground, it started jumping around the yard.

"what!"

Nan Jinming was washing eggplants. When he heard the cry, he looked towards the yard. What he saw was... Chu Xiaoran running around after the rabbit, stretching out his hands to catch the gray rabbit.

Sometimes going east, sometimes coming west.

"Xiao Ran, this rabbit is very wild, you have to be more ruthless."

Nan Chenliang was angry, but he still gave Chu Xiaoran advice.

Chu Xiaoran smiled bitterly. He was the one who let the rabbit out. Fortunately, Nan Jinming's house had a fenced yard with small spaces. The rabbit could not get out, so it hid in a corner, yearning to look outside. When it saw Chu Xiaoran pounce on it, it jumped to another place with a "tap".

Suddenly, the sounds of chickens and ducks were heard. Nan Jinming found Chu Xiaoran running around in the yard funny.

Chu Xiaoran is usually not a talkative person, and it was rare to see him so lively today, so I didn't offer to help.

"Is this eggplant stir-fried? Are you sure?"

Nan Jinming took out an oil can from the gap between the kitchen stone slabs and placed it on the stove.

"No matter what my cousin cooks, I love it!"

Nan Jinming sighed helplessly. When he looked up at Chu Xiaoran, he saw that he was squatting on the ground, panting, with the kicking rabbit in his arms.

"Xiao Ran, you have to catch its two front legs. If you are strong, grab its two ears."

"Ah? Is this okay?"

Chu Xiaoran pinched the rabbit's ears and stood up. The rabbit's four legs were still kicking around, but it had been subdued by Chu Xiaoran. When it was tired of kicking, it just lay there, drooping its legs and not wanting to move.

Nan Jinming didn't expect Chu Xiaoran to be so strong that he could lift the rabbit with one hand and make the rabbit speechless.

"Xiao Ran, good job, put it back into the basket and don't let it out again."

"Huh? Oh, good."

Chu Xiaoran picked up the rabbit and gently put it back into the basket. The rabbit was too lazy to struggle. Once it returned to its nest, it lay there and was too lazy to move.

"Did I hurt it?"

Chu Xiaoran was a little at a loss and squatted beside the basket.

"Hahaha, Xiao Ran, what are you thinking? It's not injured, it's just tired of jumping and too lazy to move. It probably knows it can't run away."

Nan Chenliang laughed crisply, and Chu Xiaoran blushed all the way to his ears. He felt that he was indeed... indeed ignorant.

"Before, when I was at my employer's house, I didn't dare touch the white rabbit because I was afraid it would die and I couldn't afford the compensation."

"You can touch the rabbits here as you like. The ones in the mountains are not as delicate as the rabbits raised by those young masters."

Chu Xiaoran nodded, stood up, and walked to the side of the kitchen. Looking at Nan Jinming who was cutting vegetables, hesitantly said, "How about I cut the vegetables?"

"also."

Nan Jinming gave up his seat.

Chu Xiaoran picked up the kitchen knife, and with quick movements he cut the vegetables beautifully.

“Don’t you need to peel this eggplant?”

"No, this is stir-fried, no need to peel the skin. I'm not so fussy when cooking. If you peel and stir-fry the eggplant, it will be too watery and limp and not tasty."

"Yeah, I just go to the kitchen to help out occasionally. I've never cooked anything, and the vegetables they eat are all peeled, and when they come out of the pot, they're topped with minced meat."

"it is good,"

Chu Xiaoran picked up the kitchen knife and started to cut the vegetables. He moved the knife up and down without any delay, and the cut was neat and clean, attracting Nan Chenliang's attention.

"Xiao Ran, you are quite good at knife skills."

Nan Chenliang put two pieces of wood into the stove, which could burn for a long time.

"I originally thought that the servants of the young master in the city were to help the young master dress and wash, but I didn't expect that you can also cut vegetables. Can you cook?"

“I don’t know how to cook.”

Nan Chenliang patted his chest and said, "It's okay, I'll teach you later. Cooking is actually very simple."

Chu Xiaoran smiled bitterly and nodded. He was just being ordered around. When it was busy, he would help cut vegetables in the kitchen. Usually, when there were some guests coming to the Chu family and a banquet was set up, most of the time he was like a transparent person in the Chu family, staying in the corner.

Chu Zixuan would target me just for fun.

Chu Xiaoran just found it ridiculous. How could he agree to his mother's request and really let that man into the house?

But I was only five or six years old at that time, how could I resist the temptation of adults?

"You must be Xiaoxiao, you are so handsome, my dear wife, don't worry, I will treat him like my own son. He will be the apple of my eye, just like Zixuan."

"Chu Xiaoran, why did you mess with your brother again? Don't forget that you are an unloved poor boy, and Zixuan is the legitimate son of the Chu family."

Chu Xiaoran was kneeling in the yard amidst thunder and lightning. The wind and rain were very strong. His clothes were soaked but no one dared to approach him. He just fainted. Later, someone couldn't bear it and asked a doctor to see him. After that, he became silent and taciturn in the Chu family.

After ten years of hiding, he finally got the chance to escape. Thinking of this, he felt extremely humiliated.

"What are you thinking about?"

Seeing that Chu Xiaoran was absent-minded, Nan Jinming interrupted his recollections. Chu Xiaoran looked down and saw that Nan Jinming had already cooked the dish and was about to bring it to the table.

"Nothing, I just thought about the days I spent with the Master."

"Is he treating you well?"

"not good."

"Then why don't you leave?"

"Can't escape."