Ren Fuling’s face was struck by the slap. The palm mark immediately appearecl on her tender white face, which had never sufferecl before. She turned her head in clisbelief and looked at her father with red eyes.
“Dad! Why did you hit me for this?”
“Yunqing doesn’t like Fang Licheng at all. But he had to marry her because of his parents’ order. Even if I don’t want them to divorce, Fang Licheng couldn’t get her husband’s love, and she would never be happy all her life. I made them divorce; it’s obviously saving her and Yunqing!"
Father Ren was simply stunned by his own daughter’s statement.
He looked in disbelief at the little daughter in front of him, who had always been pamperecl in his heart. “You... these words, where did you hear them from? Do you even know what you are talking about?”
“Of course, I know!”
Ren Fuling raisecl her head stubbornly. Her tearful eyes were full of determination, “Dacl, you can’t stop me. I must marry Yunqing. If you think we have wronged the Fang family, I can apologize to Fang Licheng.”
Father Ren looked at her steadily, and his heart gradually cooled. His eyes faded down when he looked at his daughter.
“I came to you today to tell you that in the next few days, a Marshal will come to Jin City, namecl Lin Jiu. I heard that he is about 20 years old. he is very tough, and the people under his command are very impressed. I heard that he is also extremely handsome, and he hasn't married yet."
“I know you have always admired patriotic heroes. He is such an outstanding character. If you are interested, I will give up this face to enable you to meet with this Marshal..."
Ren Fuling looked determined, “Father, you clon’t have to say anymore. My heart is on Yunqing. In this life, if I don’t become a Shen family woman, I won’t marry!”
“Good, good!!!”
Father Ren looked at his daughter with an increasingly cold look, "In that case, in the future, you can do whatever you like! “
“Just don’t regret following your heart in the future!"
After saying that, he flung his sleeves and left. leaving only Ren Fuling with determination in her eyes and excitement in her heart. She couldn’t wait to rush to the Shen residence to tell Shen Yunqing. She finally persuaded her father, and they could be together fair and square in the future ancl no longer had to sneak around.
The next clay, Ren Fuling told Shen Yunqing the news. Shen Yunqing was just as excitecl as she thought ancl didn’t care that this was a public place. He immediately hugged Ren Fuling and spun her around.
“Great Fuling!!! I’ll go to your house right away to propose marriage. You can finally marry me!!!”
There were hungry people around, and they weren’t in a good mood when they saw the scene. But those gossiping youngsters from before were also there. They clicked their tongues in disapproval when they saw it.
“Really disgusting. actually hugging in the street. They aren’t married yet. hugging ancl holding her waist in public. Madam Shen has always focused on etiquette and rules. How could she accept such a daughter-in-law? “
As you know, although women could come out in western-style clothes like men now, many of the rules that were imprinted in people’s hearts hadn’t changed. For example, being picked up by men on the streets, unless it was a married couple, only women who sell their bodies could do it.
Since witnessing and spreading Shen Yunqing's behavior 5 years ago, Shen Yunqing naturally hated these few boys and had a verbal conflict. He also wrote a poem to ridicule these dandies, who only knew how to spend money without earning a living.
That was a direct stab at the hornet’s nest.
He said that they were only spending their families’ money, but they never saw Shen Yunqing going to work and spending his own money. They were all supportecl by their family. Why was he so proud of being able to write a few sour poems?
Since then, these dudes had even gotten into a fight with Shen Yunqing. And Shen Yunqing’s reputation for abandoning his wife had spread far and wide, and several of them had contributed to it.
Now that they had seen this scene, the several people exchanged glances and immediately knew what gossip would be spread at the next gathering.
Anyway, now the Shen family was at the end of its strength, and Shen Yunqing had no other skill except writing. They weren’t afraid of provoking and facing retaliation.
While they were laughing and joking, they saw two women with a child, followecl by a few girls. Those women were also looking that way and coincidentally saw the scene.
“That seems to be Madam Fang."
“The one next to her is Miss Fang, right? Then isn’t the child she’s holding ...”
Although a few people acted recklessly, they still understood that Miss Fang was really pitiful. Even if she was abandoned 5 years ago, she held the child and witnessed her ex-husband being intimate with another woman. Instantly, they looked at each other and lost the ridicule in their hearts.
They hooked shoulclers and walked away silently. Fang Licheng also withdrew her gaze from looking at the two hugging each other tightly.
“Mother, let’s go.”
Mother Fang’s face was livid. Looking at this scene, she sighed, “What a nest of snakes and rats! The man is heartless, and the woman is shameless!"
“I've heard that there is skinship between men and women abroad. so maybe they’re used to living abroad.”
Unlike Mrs. Fang, who hated and gnashed her teeth, Fang Licheng was calm. If anything, she was only worried that the child might think too much.
After all, the child had known about his origins since he was old enough to understand. And they did not want to hide it from him, nor did they adcl fuel to the fire about what happened at the beginning and just let nature take its course. When the child grew up, she wouldn’t stop him if he wanted to return to the Shen family.
But in the end, to let a 5-year-old see his biological father intimate with someone was beyoncl Fang Licheng’s expectations.
She looked clown with some concern and saw her son tightly pursing his lips ancl staring at the scene with a deadpan stare.
He and Shen Yunqing hadn’t met. but he knew his name ancl his life. Just now, as they came out from the cloth store, they heard the little girl behind them exclaim that it was Young Master Shen, and the young child knew that it was his biological father.
“Well. let’s go, it’s a rare trip out. Didn’t you say you were going to take Brother Zheng to pay a visit to a teacher? If you don’t go. it will get dark soon.”
Fang Licheng said as she slowly bent down and held her tiny son in her arms to keep him from looking at the two people over there.
Fang Zheng’s two small hands hugged his mother and obediently snuggled in her arms. His delicate voice was tender, "Mother, I will protect you."
(TNote: Fang Zheng is also called 'BrotherZheng’by his family even if he doesn’t have siblings. So, Iguess it’s a thing ofthe times....)
Fang Licheng’s heart felt warm, ancl she responded gently. She rubbed her son’s head and turned to Mother Fang and said, “I heard that Mr. Zhang has always been strict in accepting students, ancl I don’t know if Brother Zheng would be accepted."
Mother Fang also had some concerns. Unlike her daughter, who lived in seclusion, she usually had to go out. She knew a lot about Mr. Zhang's way of accepting students. Mr. Zhang had skills, but he only accepted children of noble families. It didn’t matter when Father Fang was still around, but now their family was in decline, and they didn’t know if Mr. Zhang would accept him.
Fang Zheng had always been taught by Mr. Kou, who was invited since the boy was a baby. This Mr. Kou came to the Fang family to recommend himself two years ago and taught Fang Zheng very well for two years. Only these clays, Mr. Kou suddenly said that he could no longer be at leisure. In the future, someone else should be teaching Fang Zheng, and he left the Fang family.
They decidecl that they couldn’t let Fang Zheng break off his studies, so they inquired and chose Mr. Zhang intending to have Fang Zheng follow him.
Mentioning the child’s education, the mother and daughter didn’t bother to look at Shen Yunqing and Ren Fuling. For them, paying attention to these two people was of no use other than to make themselves even more stiflecl.
The two didn’t want to have any more entanglement with them, but they still couldn’t escape this sinful relationship.
Mother Fang and Fang Licheng were politely sent to the door by the boys of Mr. Zhang’s house with their children, saying that Fang Zheng was too young and too shallow to be taught by Mr. Zhang. It so happened that Shen Yunqing was passing by with Ren Fuling.
If they pretended not to see it, both sides would have gone their separate ways. But Ren Fuling saw the scene and, not knowing what she was thinking. stood still and asked Shen Yunqing, “Is this the boy? What a pity, even Mr. Zhang refused to accept him. It seems that he’s not very similar to you."
Shen Yunqing looked at the little child who was looking at him with a cold face, ancl his eyebrows wrinkled. He disliked that he was so cold at a young age, and his words inevitably degraded a little. “Fang Licheng is illiterate. It’s normal for her not to be able to teach.”
“So that’s how it is."
Ren Fuling sympathetically looked over again, holding her lover on one side, and generously said, “Wait until we are married, then bring him back. I will personally teach him then. At least he is your child, how can he be mediocre? “
He didn’t expect his lover to be so considerate and generous. Shen Yunqing immediately softened his gaze. He whispered. “Fuling, I know you’re gentle and kind, but since the Fang family insistecl on taking this child away, I won’t bring him back. I will wait for us to get married and give birth to our eldest son in the future. We will teach him carefully so as not to let him follow in the footsteps of that child.”
The two of them. as they spoke, didn’t put the Fang family's opinion in their eyes. Obviously, they thought that the Fang family couldn’t stop them from doing anything.
As the Fang family descended the stairs, they could clearly hear what they said.
Fang Licheng’s face was cold, holding her son’s hand tightly, ancl before she could say anything, Fang Zheng had already defendecl his mother’s feelings and stood in front of them.
“What you want to teach your children is your business; what are you trying to do by saying this in front of my family and showing off how loving you are?"
Shen Yunqing’s face was full of tenderness. He turned to look at the eldest son, and his eyes looked disgusted. He realized that he was the father of the child and so naturally qualified to teach him.
His words also brought a tone of an elder’s reprimancl to the younger generation, “Is this your attitude towards an elder? Is this how the Fang family teaches you?”
“Let’s not talk about whether you are considered my elder or not. What does my Fang family’s business have to do with you? Regardless of people’s rights and wrongs behind the scenes, you still have to be disgusting and talk about people in their faces. Where are your manners!”
He was small, but his cliction was clear. and although his voice was childish, the sarcasm in it didn’t fail. When Shen Yunqing heard it, his face turned blue, and he took a step forwarcl.
“Little children, stubborn ancl naught. How dare you talk to your own father like this?!”
“How can I consider a man that abandons his own wife my father?"
“Good! It seems that I took you too much for granted these five years. Look at what you have learned in these five years! Today, you will return to the Shen family with me. I will teach you well!"
Shen Yunqing felt that he was still Fang Zheng’s biological father, and seeing him so small and so hostile, anger rose in his heart. He wanted to take him back to discipline him properly.
The Fang family was shockecl and quickly reachecl out to stop him. Fang Zheng didn’t expect that Shen Yunqing was so uncaring. Knowing that if he was caught back to the Shen family, his mother and grandmother had no way to bring him out, he quickly ran away with his short little legs.
The city gates had added many more soldiers on patrol these days because Marshal Lin was expected to come over. His mother’s maternal cousin, his younger uncle, was also a modest official and used to bring him to the city gates to play. He must be there today. As long as he ran to his uncle for help. there was nothing Shen Yunqing could clo.
Fang Zheng had a flexible mind ancl was taught by Mr. Kou since he was small. After easily figuring out how to fix the problem, he ran towards the gates.
Just as he ran a few steps, the closed gate opened wide, and the soldiers in military uniforms appeared at the gate of the city, lecl by a man who was wearing a military uniform and a military hat. He was holding a gun in his right hand, slowly riding a horse, and looked majestic.
Fang Zheng had never seen such a powerful scene. For a while, he was a bit dumbfounded. and his little body stoocl frozen in place, raising his little face to look at the handsome man who seemed very tall because he was sitting on a horse.
Behind the man who seemed to have authority’ written all over his body, a man followed him on a horse. When he saw Fang Zheng on the ground, he was suddenly surprised ancl said, "Brother Zheng?"
This voice awakenecl Fang Zheng. He looked over and cried out in surprise, “Mr. Kou?"
“Brother Zheng?"
The man sitting on the horse showed surprise and joy in his eyes as he dismounted from his horse and took the small chilcl into his arms. He balanced the weight in his arms very smoothly, “Are you Brother Zheng? How come you’re here alone? Don’t you know the dangers of an army entering a city?"
Fang Zheng was a little confused as to why his attitude was so intimate, but also slightly relaxed because he saw Mr. Kou and obediently shrank into this stranger’s arms and repliecl, “I came out with my mother and grandmother. They’re in front.”
Lin Shiheng smiled brightly and carried the child onto the horse, letting him sit in front and grab the reins, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to fincl them!"
The few people who were in panic noticed that Fang Zheng had disappeared. Fang Licheng’s legs went weak. She couldn’t care less about stopping Shen Yunqing and looked around in panic.
Nowadays, even if Jin City looked bright on the surface, there was still the possibility of a child being kidnapped and cooked into a big pot of meat.
Shen Yunqing looked at her anxious, messed up look and then looked at Ren Fuling, who had a worriecl look in her eyes but was still calm. His heart grew more ancl more disgusted with this ex-wife, who didn’t have an elegant appearance. He frowned and casually said, “He just ran away. Why do you have to be so alarmed? Letting people see a joke.”
Hejust ran away...
Fang Licheng, who had always been gentle and never said a word out loud, stopped in her tracks. She turned around with red eyes and gave him a vicious slap on the face.
“If anything happens to Brother Zheng, even if I have to suffer the rest of my life, I’ll make you pay for it!!"
“You hit me?”
The slap dumbfounded Shen Yunqing. Feeling the sharp pain on his face. before he realized it, his body had swung his fist.
“You vulgar bi..."
-Bang bang!!
Three violent gunshots rang out in the sky.
“Ah-“
Shen Yunqing howled miserably. He covered his arm that had received three shots and backed away. Fang Licheng was stunned by the gunshots and subconsciously covered her ears. She raisecl her eyes but only saw a horse stopping in front of her. She dully raised her heacl and looked over.
The man on the horse was in a military uniform. His eyebrows were sharp, his right hand put away his gun, ancl his left hand took the reins. The lost Fang Zheng was in his arms.
He lockecl eyes with her and spread his eyebrows with a smile.
“Elder Sister, I'm back.”