Chapter 309: Don ‘t You Want Your Son?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Old Mistress Wang went in for some time before coming out. “Oh my, the baby is chubby and adorable, truly delightful.”
“That’s right. Both his parents are good-looking. The child must be as well.”
At this moment, Feng’er was in the room, holding his child, smiling foolishly. His eyes were slightly red, with tears still lingering.
He arrived at the Qiao family when he was seven. Now, more than ten years have passed. Holding an important position in the court and with a child of his own, his wife was competent, giving birth to a son in the first attempt. The Jiang family’s lineage was secured.
Before long, the Old Duchess and Duchess came out, all with slightly red eyes.
Outside, a circle of men sat because they couldn’t enter the delivery room.
Qiao Mai looked at the Duke’s family. “Since you’re here, and it’s getting dark, why not have dinner at my place before leaving?
“Sure! We’ve been craving your delicious dishes. The food you prepared for Yun’er’s wedding day was incredible. We’ve been thinking about your meals since then.”
“I’ll instruct the kitchen to prepare a meal similar to the one on the wedding day, alright?”
“Oh, that would be fantastic! Thank you, in-law.”
And so, the Duke’s family took advantage of Miss Mu giving birth and stayed for dinner with the Qiao family.
The next day, they sent various supplements. Although they knew it wouldn’t be as good as those from the Qiao family, they still felt it wasn’t enough.
The Xiao family sent many supplements. Those with good relations with the Duke’s family also sent many gifts, nearly filling up Tingfen Pavilion’s courtyard.
Miss Mu felt exceptionally happy in the Qiao family, especially during her postpartum period. The soups made in the kitchen were delicious.
She found out her mother-in-law would supervise the kitchen and sometimes even cook soup for her. Miss Mu was moved and felt like crying. If it weren’t for the prohibition on crying during the postpartum period, she would have hugged her mother-in-law and cried her heart out.
Such a good mother-in-law couldn’t be found even if one searched with a lantern.
When the Old Duchess heard about it, she sent her best set of jewelry from her dowry to Qiao Mai as a thank-you for taking such good care of her granddaughter.
Qiao Mai accepted it without hesitation. She only did what an ordinary mother-in-law should do in her previous life.
Calculating the due date of Miss Xiao, it should be in April of the next year. Fortunately, the weather at that time was neither too cold nor too hot, making it suitable for postpartum recovery.
During this month, she added some ingredients to her daughter-in-law’s meals, all beneficial to her health.
Miss Mu could feel the love and care of the Qiao family. Every sip of soup and bite of food felt different from usual.
One day, Feng’er took leave to accompany her. Holding their son, he watched her and smiled.
“Rong’er, shall we return to Tianshui Town when you recover?”
“Our parents are here, and so are our grandparents. Why return to Tianshui
Town?”
“I want to hold our son and pay respects to my biological parents. Let’s visit their graves.”
Mu Rong furrowed her brows slightly. “I heard it’s not good to visit graves with a baby. It might be fine for our parents, but what if there are unclean things in the wilderness?”
“We’ll go during the day, not at night. It’ll be fine.”
“Husband, is this a good idea? You’re now a son of the Qiao family.”
“I know, but I do have biological parents. Let’s pay respects to them, fill in the soil, and reassure them about our situation.”
“But what about Mother?”
“She won’t mind. Don’t worry; you don’t know her as well as I do.”
Miss Mu still felt uneasy but didn’t say anything. She was in a dilemma, torn between her kind mother-in-law and her husband. She didn’t know if she should mention this matter to Qiao Mai.
Yunfeng had never mentioned his desire to return to Tianshui Town to Qiao Mai, as if he was doing it secretly and cautiously.
It was almost October. Miss Mu had completed her postpartum period and recovered well. She often brought her child over to chat with her mother-in-law.
Having settled the affairs at home, Miss Xiao also joined the conversation. Her belly was already showing.
Every time, Qiao Mai reminded her of some precautions, and both daughters-in-law enjoyed talking to their mother-in-law.
Seeing the crisp autumn weather, Feng’er took a one-month leave and planned to take his wife and child back to Tianshui Town.
He found Yun’er. “I want to take your sister-in-law and our child to visit my parents’ graves. Are you coming?”
“No, I now bear the name Qiao, not Jiang. I won’t go to their graves.”
“It’s just to visit their graves, not to change your surname. Do you have to be so extreme? Isn’t this being unfilial?”
“Our parents are buried in the ancestral tomb. They have the descendants of the Jiang family to offer sacrifices. If I go there as a Qiao family’s son, it would be as if I’ve forgotten my roots. If not for Mother, who saved us back then, how could we have survived?”
“But we are still alive.”
“That’s due to her kindness. I don’t want to hurt her feelings. She has sacrificed too much for us. Besides, have you discussed it with Mother?”
“Uh… no. I’m afraid she’ll get angry. I didn’t dare to say.”
“If you’re going to visit the graves of your parents, will you stay in Lucky Garden or at an inn?”
“At…” He couldn’t bring himself to mention Lucky Garden.
“Brother, do you think it’s appropriate to eat from someone’s bowl while looking at another pot?”
He was about to say that Feng’er was thick-skinned and an ingrate.
“I’m just going to visit our parents’ graves, fill in the soil, and update our current situation. That’s all.”
“But I still feel it’s not right!”
“But forgetting one’s roots is even worse. We do have biological parents. If their graves are left untended, it’s unfilial.”
Yun’er sighed. He knew no matter how he put it, persuading Feng’er was impossible.
“Brother, I hope you at least tell Mother about this. She is understanding. If you go without telling her, I’m afraid she’ll…”
“Alright, I’ll go tell her.”
Feng’er came to the entrance of Yuexian Residence, took a deep breath, and walked in.
At this moment, Qiao Mai sat in the courtyard reading a book. When she saw Feng’er, she was a bit surprised. This eldest son of hers rarely came to her alone since taking up his official post.
“Mother.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Your son wants to take Rong’er to Tianshui Town for a while.”
Qiao Mai was startled for a moment, then immediately understood the reason.
“Do you want to visit your parent’s graves?”
“Yes.”
Qiao Mai raised an eyebrow. Feng’er was somewhat nervous at this point. To be honest, he was a bit afraid of his mother.
“Your wife has given you a son, and the Jiang family’s line is secured. It’s time to visit their graves and light incense.”
“Thank you, Mother, for understanding.”
“I have a suggestion. I’ll say it, and you can tell me if it’s acceptable.”
“Please go ahead, Mother.”
“Now that you’re all grown up, my purpose of saving you back then was to let you live. But I’m a businesswoman; I invested with the expectation of returns. While I won’t take back the martial arts and the energy I invested in you, you must pay back my money. You can continue to be the descendant of the Jiang family if you wish.”
Feng’er’s face turned pale. “Mother…”
“I spent 500,000 taels of silver on your marriage. Since you’re seven, I’ve spent
100,000 taels. That’s a total of 600,000 taels. Since you’re going to Tianshui Town, settle the household registration there. Change your surname back to what it used to be. When you come back, move back to your own house.” “Mother, do you not want your son anymore?”
“Yes. You’ve always had trouble forgetting the Jiang family. Rather than being torn between two worlds, it’s better to help you fulfill a wish. If Yun’er is willing to return to the Jiang family, I won’t stop her either.”
She said these words calmly as if she had planned them for a long time.
“Mother…”
“Don’t call me ‘Mother’ anymore. I’m not angry. I understand your desire to return. But you can’t have the best of both worlds. You have to choose one..
Don’t you agree?”
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