Chapter 103 - 102: How Long Can It Be Hidden
Chen Shi curled his lips, continuing, "They also say that Mr. Chen is gentle and cultured, handsome and unique, with quite a few tricks up his sleeve, and upright as a person. That’s why the emperor took notice of him, and at such a young age, he was assigned as the governor of Dingzhou. Ah, a high-ranking official of the fourth grade."
Mrs. Zhang scoffed, "He drove away his original wife as soon as he became an imperial scholar, how is that upright? That he is crafty is indeed true."
Chen Shi said, "I had heard from a classmate that my sister-in-law was not driven away by Chen Shiying — oh, Mr. Chen. By the time he had become an imperial scholar and hadn’t yet returned to the countryside, his mother had sent my sister-in-law back to her family." His voice dropped a little lower as he added, "I heard, Mr. Chen went to search for her at her family’s home after he returned to the countryside, but she had already married my brother."
Mrs. Zhang glanced out the window again before turning around and whispering, "My dear, I’ve always felt that my sister-in-law was a good person, knowledgeable and reasonable, with great loyalty. You can tell from the way she treats my brother. But she had stayed with Mr. Chen for ten years, raising him by herself, she must have developed some feelings, right? How could she be sent back to her family and married to my brother just ten days later? Even if her stepmother forced her, she shouldn’t have been willing to marry another man so quickly? Especially considering my brother’s situation." A possibility suddenly occurred to her as she widened her eyes, "Ah! My dear, my sister-in-law gave birth to Afu just over seven months after marrying my brother ... Afu, who is incredibly handsome, looks nothing like you Chens ..."
Chen Shi had heard from Mrs. Chen and Chen Ye long ago that Afu was not Chen Ming’s biological daughter. They also said that it would be even better if Mrs. Wang was pregnant. At that time, Chen Ming was nearing his end, surely unable to consummate the marriage. If Chen Ming didn’t survive, there would still be a descendant. Mrs. Wang was indeed a fortunate woman and quite capable. Not only did she cure Chen Ming’s illness, she had been supporting the family with her embroidery work, and a few years later, the two of them had a son.
Therefore, Chen Shi truly appreciated Mrs. Wang and respected her as a resilient and remarkable woman. He had always treated Chen Afu as his own niece, even when she was still mentally handicapped, he never looked down on her.
The fact that Chen Afu wasn’t Chen Ming’s biological daughter was a huge secret of the Chens, known only to Mrs. Chen, her three sons and Mrs. Wang who was involved. Chen Shi would definitely never reveal it, even to his own wife.
Hearing Mrs. Zhang’s words and seeing her look at him with curiosity, Chen Shi scowled and said, "What are you imagining? Of course Afu is my brother’s own daughter, she was born prematurely because my sister-in-law had a fall during her pregnancy." He added cheekily, "Why isn’t it possible for Afu to look like the Chens because she’s handsome? Your father only agreed to marry you off to me because he thought I was handsome."