FID – Chapter 958

Chapter 958: The Hearts of Parents Across the World

Badou and Hongdou were unusually clever for their age, but everyone in the family already knew this. It was just that no one had mentioned it to outsiders.

Compared to the kind of potions their little daughter could casually pull out, the babies’ peculiarities seemed normal to the family.

As for the potions, only Nannan thought the family hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

In the afternoon, among the last wave of New Year’s visitors to the Liu courtyard, one guest surprised the family considerably.

It was the county magistrate, Kang Shiming, whom they hadn’t seen in years.

The last time the Liu family had any dealings with Kang Shiming was before Liu Yusheng and Feng Qingbai’s wedding.

Back then, Kang Shiming’s daughter, Kang Ziyu, had even come to the residence to cause a scene. Kang Shiming and his wife had personally taken her away, and their family had not appeared in front of the Lius since.

By then, the Liu family’s distillery was already running smoothly, so there was no need to constantly go to the county office. Any business could be handled directly by Liu Zhixia.

That Kang Shiming would show up again after several years naturally surprised the Liu family.

Facing a roomful of scrutinizing eyes, the usually smooth and worldly Kang Shiming looked slightly uneasy. After greeting everyone, he turned to Feng Qingbai. “Your Highness, may I speak with you for a moment?”

Feng Qingbai glanced at him and nodded. “Let’s go to the kitchen.”

As the two left the main hall, the female family members immediately started whispering.

Grandma Liu’s eyes gleamed with gossip. “Magistrate Kang came suddenly and specifically asked for Axiu. What do you think he wants?”

“To make Magistrate Kang show that expression, I guess it has something to do with his daughter,” Liu Muqiu said, deliberately not even mentioning Kang Ziyu’s name.

Her little jealousy was showing.

She just didn’t like mentioning her name in front of Zhiqiu, so he wouldn’t think of that person.

Even though she knew Zhiqiu had never had any unusual feelings toward Kang Ziyu.

“His daughter… it’s the same Kang Ziyu from before, right?” Du Juan who was completely unaware of Liu Muqiu’s careful intentions leaned in as if remembering something, lowering her voice mysteriously. “I’ve heard a bit about her. Some village women mentioned it by chance. They said that after she married into that family, her life was really miserable!”

“What happened?” Grandma Liu and Chen Xiulan both leaned toward Du Juan.

Meanwhile, Liu Yusheng and Fu Yuzheng looked at Little White Lotus, whose face was gradually darkening, and struggled to stifle their laughter.

“Little White Lotus, come on, let’s go put the gifts away,” Liu Zhiqiu said as he stood up, casually picking up the gift boxes in the main hall and heading out.

“Coming!” The girl’s response was crisp, and she followed suit, carrying several gift boxes behind him, her little feet pattering along.

Her sullen expression vanished entirely at his words.

Ahead, the young man’s eyes flickered with playful amusement. Only he could put up with such petty jealousy.

As the two of them left, Liu Yusheng and Fu Yuzheng burst into laughter, while Du Juan immediately began gossiping. The three older men—Grandpa Liu, Liu Dalin, and another—didn’t say a word, but their ears perked up eagerly.

Life in the countryside was simple, mostly family matters and everyday affairs.

“The family Kang Ziyu married into has the surname Jiang. They are grain merchants from the neighboring county. They are fairly well-off, one of the top families in the area. As the daughter of the county magistrate, Kang Ziyu should have lived comfortably even marrying into a merchant family, but things turned out completely differently!”

“I heard that after she married, she was beaten almost every day. Even when she was heavily pregnant, she wasn’t left in peace. In the end, she lost the baby and could never have children afterward. County Magistrate Kang didn’t intervene at all, and the Jiang family only grew more ruthless, tormenting her until she went insane.”

Grandma Liu and Chen Xiulan heaved sighs of sympathy.

“Such a promising future was all ruined by her own doing. If she had behaved herself, Magistrate Kang wouldn’t have ignored her,” Grandma Liu said. “With the magistrate backing her, the Jiang family wouldn’t have dared treat her this way. In the end, it’s her own fault.”

Back during the floods in Yunzhou, Axiu and Nannan had stayed at the county office. Even then, Kang Ziyu was unruly, and in the end, she forced Kang Shiming and his wife to kneel outside the guest quarters where Axiu was staying for an entire night. 

She knew about that. She also knew that Kang Ziyu never once even looked at her own parents, selfish and heartless to the bone.

Otherwise, Kang Shiming and his wife, having only one daughter, would never have been so cruel as to truly ignore her life or death. It was simply that they had been completely disappointed, no longer expecting anything.

The gossip continued, but Liu Yusheng listened quietly, showing no strong reaction.

In life, the path one takes is always one’s own choice.

Kang Ziyu had destroyed her own way out; she had no one to blame but herself.

And this person had long since disappeared from their lives—past and future alike, she had nothing to do with the Liu family.

Fu Yuzheng listened quietly as well. She barely had any impression left of that person; she even almost forgot what she looked like. Yet the fact that Kang Shiming had personally come to their home made her a bit curious about his reason and purpose.

She tugged on the man’s sleeve. “Zhixia, why do you think he came to our house to see His Highness?”

The man lifted the corner of his eyes at her with a teasing look. “Are you asking me for gossip?”

Fu Yuzheng blushed, scolding him softly, “I’m just a little curious.”

“If I’m not mistaken, he came to resign from his post.”

“Resign?” The women in the room all exclaimed in unison, startled.

Realizing their voices were a bit too loud, they quickly lowered them, worried someone in the kitchen might overhear. “Why would he want to resign when everything’s going so well?”

“Yes, Lord Kang has had a good reputation in Xiangshan County over the years. The people say he’s a good official. In a few more years, he could even be promoted or granted a title. Why would he suddenly want to resign?”

“That doesn’t make sense. If he really wanted to resign, he should report it to the court. Why come to our home to see Axiu?”

Liu Zhixia rubbed his forehead. He had intended to whisper this to the women, something that could have been explained in a single sentence. Now, of course, he had to give a long explanation.

The women of the Liu family were precious; he couldn’t just brush them off.

“It’s probably because of Kang Ziyu.” Seeing the guilty look in his woman’s eyes, Liu Zhixia reluctantly took on the role of gossip-spreader. “No matter how disappointed Lord Kang is with his daughter, she is still his own blood. Once that anger passes, he will still feel some pity. But Kang Ziyu offended our Liu family, especially Axiu, and that’s a fact. Kang Shiming wants to take her back, yet worries about Axiu’s reaction. That’s why he came personally, probably planning to resign and take his daughter to live elsewhere.”

Liu Zhixia put things in a positive light, so as not to tarnish Feng Qingbai’s image of humility and refinement in the eyes of the family.

The man’s capacity for vengeance was beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

Kang Ziyu’s miserable life was partly due to Feng Qingbai’s intervention. Kang Shiming knew this, which was why he steeled himself to come in person, hoping to use his resignation to secure a peaceful future for his daughter.

A parent’s heart is much the same everywhere in the world.

One could only hope that this time, Kang Ziyu would not betray her parents’ care again and would live a steady, obedient life.