Chapter 248: Visit from the Zheng Family
After Xu Zongyin announced to the public that he found his son, Jing City was abuzz with curiosity about what kind of child he was.
Chi Wanqiang had already planned to wait patiently, but he was extremely surprised to learn that the first to visit the Xu Family with congratulations was the Zhou Family.
Normally, the Xu Family and the Zhou Family didn’t have much contact. The Xu Family was powerful in Jing City, but Xu Zongyin was the only capable person, and he didn’t have any descendants; whereas the Zhou Family was different, prosperous with offspring and talents in various fields, guaranteed to thrive for another century.
The visit by the Zhou Family caught all the families in Jing City by surprise. Upon investigation, it was found out that the son Xu Zongyin found was long acquainted with the Zhou Family and was a graduate of Jing University, a disciple of Zhou Jinruo.
Upon hearing this news, Chi Wanqiang’s heart skipped a beat, and that very afternoon, the Hu Family and the Yuan Family made their visits. These two families were well-established, but in different fields than the Xu Family; their congratulations were also because they already knew the son.
The Zheng Family was expected to visit since it’s the maternal family of Xu Zongyin; they were bound to come sooner or later.
But having missed the opportunity, the Chi Family found themselves in an awkward position, unsure whether to visit or not. Ding Ancheng’s hesitation to go left Chi Wanqiang exhausted and regretful over the past few days.
He never cared about Ding Ancheng throughout, focusing only on the Xu Family, on Xu Zongyin, and he never thought to investigate Ding Ancheng or understand him. By the time he finally did, all that was left was regret.
Xu Zongyin would eventually step down, but Ding Ancheng was a rising star. Xu Zongyin had always harbored some resentment towards the Chi Family, yet Ding Ancheng was oblivious. If they had forged a good relationship sooner... Chi Wanqiang squandered a significant capital for the Chi Family’s rise.
Seeing Chi Wanqiang’s expression, Ding Ancheng could more or less guess what he was thinking. He had no intention of explaining as he never planned to acknowledge the Chi Family, letting the old fool suffer, as it was all his doing and his deserved consequence.
Xu Zongyin and his party paid no mind to the Chi Family and entered the Jing City Hotel.
Chi Wanqiang couldn’t eat at all now, returning home in frustration and anger, supported by a cane. The younger generation of the Chi Family simply didn’t care about these things, knowing only to spend money and enjoy pleasures, entering merrily to eat all the same.
"Mom, what should we do in the future?" Lv Feifei stomped her foot anxiously.
"Mom, shouldn’t we go back to find Dad?" Lv Binbin said in a low voice.
"Hmph, Mom, Brother is even thinking about going back to that village. I don’t know if he’s thinking straight. If he doesn’t want to stay in Jing City and wants to go to that godforsaken place, he can go back by himself." Lv Feifei looked down upon her older brother, who was two years senior.
Chi Mozen also frowned. Her son didn’t want to come back with her back then, wanting to stay in the Northeast. But she didn’t want Xu Zongyin to have a bad impression of her not caring for the children, so she found ways to bring both of them back.
"If you want to go back, then go," Chi Mozen said, frowning, "But whether your dad still wants you, I can’t say."
Lv Binbin’s eyes lit up, "I’ll call Dad to ask."
Lv Yongcheng, despite his dislike of Chi Mozen, was fond of the two children, so when his son, Lv Binbin, expressed a desire to return, he agreed immediately.
His second wife was understanding. Before marrying, Lv Yongcheng had thought about accepting the children if they came back. Even if they didn’t, he would still send them part of the living expenses every month. His wife didn’t hesitate to agree, which is why he readily agreed with Lv Binbin.
The happenings in the Chi Family didn’t affect Xu Zongyin and his party. At the moment, everyone was gathered around a round table, watching a chef carve duck nearby.
In the afternoon, they visited the cultural center, and by the time they returned home, the Zheng Family had been waiting in the living room for a long time.
The current head of the Zheng Family was Xu Zongyin’s cousin, and due to the passing of their elders, there wasn’t much interaction between the two families usually.
When Xu Zongyin and his party entered, Zheng Mushao stood up, "Zongyin, Ancheng, you’re back."
Accompanying Zheng Mushao were Qin Sixian and Zheng Sirui.
"Cousin (Uncle)," they greeted.
"This must be Ancheng’s wife," Zheng Mushao eyed Yi Roujing with admiration. Her appearance was unmatched even in Jing City.
"Uncle," Yi Roujing greeted calmly and gracefully.
Zheng Mushao nodded repeatedly, praised Yi Roujing a few times, and then handed over a red envelope and a small box, "A belated wedding gift and a meeting gift for you both as a couple."
"Some fabrics to make clothes for everyone, and some common medicines for household use."
Zheng Mushao smiled at Ding Ancheng, "Originally, I intended to give these to Ancheng earlier, but knowing you’re married now, I added a bit more for your wife, planning to give them once she arrived."
Hearing this, Ding Ancheng’s face softened. Xu Zongyin knew this hit the young man’s soft spot; Zheng Mushao was indeed a sly old fox, with a keen eye.
"Thank you, Uncle," Ding Ancheng expressed, followed by Yi Roujing, and then they accepted the gifts.
"Oh, it should be us thanking you," Zheng Mushao continued, "My third daughter-in-law and little grandson were immensely cared for by Ancheng’s wife and your party on their way back to Jing City."
"The third daughter-in-law told me how you helped them deal with their clan and protected the mother and son after the incident," Zheng Mushao said with concern, "Hearing about Ancheng’s wife and another young lady’s encounters recently, I felt uneasy not seeing for myself."
"Cousin, let’s sit down and talk, have dinner at home," Xu Zongyin smiled and invited.
"Then we’ll be imposing," Zheng Mushao replied jovially.
"Seeing everything in order puts my mind at ease. I asked Mrs. Kang before, and Old Chu checked last night. If Old Chu lets someone go out, there’s surely no problem."
"Uncle, Dad, I’ll take Roujing and the others to check the fabrics and medicine sent by Uncle," Ding Ancheng suggested.
"Yes, yes, go and see. Your uncle’s dyeing and weaving crafts are ancient, unmatched nationwide," Xu Zongyin said with a smile, "And the medicines too, the Zheng Family’s medicinal salves were renowned nationwide. Now, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Institute relies heavily on the Zheng Family."
"Qin, why don’t you explain it to us? Little Sirui, come along for some snacks," Yi Roujing invited.
Qin Sixian was a bit surprised, looking at Zheng Mushao, who nodded, "Go, go, you youngsters should mingle with each other, you have common topics, hahaha."
Zheng Mushao hadn’t expected Qin Sixian to be so favored by the daughter-in-law of Xu Zongyin. It seemed sending her back to Jiang Province was the right decision, a chance like this could bring benefits to the Zheng Family.