FID – Chapter 600

Chapter 600: Illegitimate Daughter?

Having a white lotus by your side—one who treats her beloved’s words as absolute law—was a truly dangerous thing.

Liu Yusheng and Shi Xianrou both raised their hands in surrender. “Fine, fine! We’ll go up the mountain with you, okay?”

Liu Muqiu was satisfied. She lowered her head, smiling shyly.

Liu Yusheng and Shi Xianrou: “…”

Shi Xianrou ruffled her own hair into a bird’s nest and dragged herself outside weakly. “I need some fresh air.”

Before she even reached the courtyard gate, a shrill, somewhat grating laugh echoed from the outer yard.

It wasn’t a Liu family member, and there seemed to be quite a few people.

“Nannan, Muqiu, there are visitors outside. Want to go watch the show?”

“Visitors? There are guests at our house almost every day. Grandpa and Grandma will take care of them,” Liu Yusheng said disinterestedly.

“They called Aunt Liu ‘little sister-in-law.’ That’s a relative of yours, right?”

Liu Yusheng frowned slightly. Calling her mother ‘little sister-in-law’? Could it be someone from her grandmother’s side?

The three of them headed toward the outer courtyard. As they walked, Liu Muqiu marveled, “Xianrou, could you hear what they were saying from across the courtyard?”

“If I couldn’t hear from this short distance, all my martial arts training would’ve been a waste. When you have your wedding night, I won’t even need to come close—I can eavesdrop from afar. Just make sure to be a little louder.”

Liu Muqiu’s face instantly turned crimson, and she stomped her foot. “Xianrou!”

“Heh! Little White Lotus!”

“Pfft!”

The three of them burst into laughter again.

When they reached the outer courtyard, they saw Grandpa and Grandma leading the visitors into the main hall.

Liu Yusheng’s guess was correct—the visitors were indeed from her grandmother’s side. It was her eldest aunt, Wang-shi.

Accompanying Wang-shi was her aunt, Chen Xiuying, along with two young girls.

Upon seeing Liu Yusheng, Wang-shi and Chen Xiuying smiled and greeted her, “Oh my, Nannan, it’s been two or three years since we last met. You’ve grown more and more beautiful.”

“Aunt Wang, Aunt Chen.” Liu Yusheng greeted them with a polite smile and nodded slightly at the two young girls they had brought along. She didn’t recognize them, so she simply acknowledged them with a nod.

The two girls, however, kept curiously sneaking glances at Liu Yusheng.

“Nannan, come, let’s sit in the main hall together. Your parents have visited home these past two years, but you didn’t come with them. If I saw you outside, I might not even recognize you—girls really do change a lot as they grow up,” Wang-shi said as she approached, intending to take Liu Yusheng’s arm.

Unexpectedly, before she could, another pair of hands quickly inserted themselves between them.

Liu Muqiu clung closely to Liu Yusheng, not moving an inch, effectively separating the two. She gave Wang-shi a timid smile while standing firmly in place.

Wang-shi’s hands fell empty, but she wasn’t embarrassed. Acting as if she were at home, she continued ushering everyone inside while glancing at the two girls flanking Liu Yusheng. “Are these two here to visit Nannan? They must be her friends, right?”

Before Liu Yusheng or Liu Muqiu could respond, Grandma Liu chuckled and spoke first. “The one in red is Shi Xianrou, the fiancée of the young master of the winery. The one in yellow is Liu Muqiu, our newly registered daughter in the Liu family—one of our own. No need to treat them as guests, in-laws. We are all at home here, no need for special treatment. Come, come inside and sit.”

“Aiyo! A newly registered daughter?” Wang-shi exclaimed, her expression changing instantly as she looked at Liu Muqiu. “Is she… Liu Dalin’s or Liu Erlin’s illegitimate daughter from outside?”

As soon as those words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the Liu family darkened instantly.

Chen Xiuying, who had been standing beside Chen Xiulan, quickly stepped forward and pulled Wang-shi away, clicking her tongue in disapproval. “Sister-in-law, what nonsense are you talking about? Are my brother-in-law and Liu Erlin that kind of people!”

“Then why would they suddenly add someone to the household registry?…” Wan-shi muttered, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she noticed the change in the Liu family’s expressions and quickly stopped talking.

Still, suspicion crept into her mind. As they walked inside, she glanced back at Liu Muqiu, trying to read her expression for any clues.

Liu Muqiu tightened her grip on Liu Yusheng’s arm, suppressing the anger rising in her heart.

Even an unrefined village woman should know better than to speak so recklessly—those words were far too insulting.

If rumors spread, she herself wouldn’t be affected much, but what about Uncle Dalin and Uncle Erlin? What about Aunt Xiulan and Aunt Juan? They would undoubtedly have to endure malicious gossip.

Outsiders never care about the truth; they love nothing more than distorting facts and spreading falsehoods.

Sensing her emotions, Liu Yusheng patted her hand. “Don’t overthink it. The people of Xinghua Village are different from outsiders. Even if she says those things in this courtyard, they won’t spread.”

“Nannan, you don’t like her?” Liu Muqiu tested the waters.

Liu Yusheng glanced at her. “Just like you.”

The two exchanged a look and smiled knowingly.

“So, are we going in or not? Judging by that woman’s personality, I doubt anything good will come out of her mouth next,” Shi Xianrou remarked.

“We’ve already come out. We should at least show some courtesy and go through the motions. Once we sit for a bit, my grandmother will find an excuse to send us away.”

Grandfather and Grandmother wouldn’t let her sit there and listen to unpleasant words.

Upon entering the main hall and taking their seats, the elders of the Liu family engaged in casual conversation with Wang-shi and Chen Xiuying.

The two women had arrived just past noon, right after the Liu family had woken up from their afternoon rest. Except for Liu Zhiqiu, who had gone up the mountain earlier, everyone else was present.

“These two are my husband’s nieces. The older one is called Yang Shuqing, and the younger one is Yang Shuyu. They’re both around sixteen or seventeen. Young girls love lively places, so when they heard we were coming for a family visit, they tagged along to take a look,” Chen Xiuying introduced the two young girls after they had all sat down. Then she sighed and brought up the recent floods.

“Our house was completely washed away at the time. Fortunately, we lived close to the mountains, and before the flood hit, the whole village had already evacuated to higher ground. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have survived.”

“Our family’s orchard was completely wiped out by the disaster. We lost a huge amount of money. We used to barely get by with the income from the orchard, but now… sigh!”

Wang-shi also sighed and, together with Chen Xiuying, began lamenting their current hardships.

The Liu family listened and nodded frequently, occasionally responding with a few words.

“The whole village was affected by the disaster—there’s no food left. The poorer families can’t survive, and some have resorted to selling their children. Many young girls, unable to stay at home, have been married off just to secure a chance at survival. If they end up in a bad household, they can only accept their fate.”

At this point, Wang-shi shifted the conversation. “Speaking of which, in-laws, your second son isn’t married yet, is he? He’s already twenty-three—not young anymore. Has he found a suitable girl?”

Liu Yusheng exchanged a glance with Liu Muqiu and Shi Xianrou, and a strange glint flashed in her eyes.

Especially Liu Muqiu, her whole body was tense, and when she looked at those two girls again, her eyes had a subtle sharpness.

When the elders of the Liu family heard this question, they all paused. Grandma Liu immediately waved her hand toward the three young girls in the room. “Nannan, Muqiu, Xianrou, you three go back to the backyard first.”

This was a signal that they shouldn’t listen any further.

When it came to matters between men and women, it was not suitable for unrelated young women to stay. The three stood up and slowly walked out.

Once they were outside, the voices from inside resumed. Unfortunately, Liu Yusheng and Liu Muqiu didn’t have the same skills as Shi Xianrou and couldn’t eavesdrop from far away.

Liu Yusheng’s eyes flickered, and she pulled the other two to sneak around to the back wall of the main hall. They crouched under the small window in the back wall, trying to listen in.

The voices drifted out from the window—somewhat unclear—but still, they could make out a few words. Liu Muqiu almost pressed her whole body against the wall, straining her ears to catch every word.

Those two girls were eyeing Zhiqiu!

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Woohoo!!! I’ve reached the 600 mark. I’ve recently just pick this back up after years on hiatus.

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