Chapter 9: Offspring

Yuexiao looked at the three girls in front of her and thought to herself, "The main house has so many children. Not only are there three girls, but also two legitimate sons and three illegitimate sons. The eldest cousin, Lian Tingli, and the second cousin, Lian Tingyi, are legitimate sons born to the Mo family. Both of them are talented and have excellent literary skills, earning praise from the scholars. In their previous lives, they also had promising futures. As for the three illegitimate sons, one died early, one was adopted by the second branch, and only Lian Tinglun, born to Aunt Su, grew up safely."

Yuexiao murmured, "It would be so nice if I had a brother too." The main house has five sons, while the second branch has none, and they have to rely on the main house for adoption. If only she had a brother, it would be so good!

Hualei, as Yuexiao's personal maid, stood close by and had sharp ears. She heard Yuexiao's murmurs very clearly. After listening, her eyes flickered.

Seeing Yuexiao's absent-minded look, Lian Yuebing walked over and took Yuexiao's hand, smiling sweetly, "Yuexiao, what's wrong with you? Why are you acting silly?"

Yuexiao was lost in her thoughts and was startled when she saw Lian Yuebing's face. She pushed Lian Yuebing away with all her strength, causing her to fall to the ground.

Upon hearing Lian Yuebing's scream, Yuexiao came to her senses and realized she had overreacted. She immediately fainted. If she didn't faint, she would definitely have to explain herself. How would she explain it then?

The people in the room were shocked, even the old lady was taken aback. Zheng Mama quickly ordered them to lift Yuexiao onto the bed and then sent a maid to fetch the doctor.

The doctor was Tang, the doctor the Lian family always used. After taking her pulse, he said, "Third Miss fainted due to a great shock. Madam, Third Miss is too worried and mentally weak. Now she's been shocked again, she needs plenty of rest. I'll prescribe some medicine for her to recuperate. Otherwise, it may lead to future problems." It wouldn't be good for a young lady to have future problems.

The doctor, who had always been used by the Lian family, knew Yuexiao's condition better than anyone else. So his words carried weight.

The old lady was puzzled, "A shock? She was perfectly fine just now. How could she be shocked by a touch from Yuebing?"

The doctor shook his head, he didn't know what had shocked the Third Miss. He only knew that she had been shocked. After treating Lian Yuebing's hand, he said, "Don't touch cold water, and apply the ointment for the next few days. Otherwise, it will leave scars." For a young lady, even a small scar on her delicate fingers would be a big deal.

Upon hearing this, Lian Yuebing was so angry that she burst into tears.

The old lady rewarded the doctor generously and then turned back, deeply puzzled, "What's going on? How did she get shocked out of the blue?"

Zheng Mama shook her head, also unable to understand. Everyone clearly saw what happened. It was unbelievable that the Third Miss was shocked by a touch from the Second Miss.

Although the old lady was knowledgeable and had many doubts, she wouldn't think that her granddaughter had been possessed by something dirty. Of course, it was mainly because there was something inappropriate about Yuexiao, but her behavior was not extremely outrageous, just a little unusual. "Investigate what happened. What kind of nightmare did Yuexiao have that night?" Since that nightmare, the child's behavior has been strange.

Yuexiao pretended to faint to avoid further questioning. Now lying on the bed, she told herself to stay calm. But she knew she needed time to adjust. Otherwise, she would definitely be seen as possessed.

After a while, Yuexiao opened her eyes. The old lady, seeing her awake, breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she needed to take good care of this child.

Yuexiao looked weakly at her sisters, Yueying and Yuehuan, and said, "Elder sister, just now I was thinking about our parents. When you called me, I lost my mind. Please tell elder sister and second sister that I didn't mean it. I will go apologize to the second sister now." She tried to get up but was held back by Yueying.

Yueying immediately accepted Yuexiao's explanation. Everyone knew that Yuexiao spent her days copying scriptures in the Buddha Hall, and she was very pure-hearted. "Alright, don't think too much. Rest well. I will talk to the second sister."

Yuexiao weakly nodded, "Thank you, elder sister, and fourth sister for coming to see me." Her pale appearance made people feel sorry for her.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sisters left.

After a while, Yuexiao told the old lady that she wanted to return to Lanxi Courtyard. She would only disturb the old lady's peace here. The old lady initially refused, but Yuexiao was very insistent. Everyone knew Yuexiao's temperament, once she made up her mind, no one could change it.

The old lady thought for a moment and finally agreed helplessly. This child's temperament was just like her father's, so stubborn.

At this time, Lian Yuebing was in the main courtyard, feeling upset, "Mother, I don't know what happened to the third sister? I just held her, and she shook me off, causing my hand to get injured. I wasn't even angry, but she fainted." If this hand left a scar, it would ruin her life.

Mrs. Mo was also puzzled and didn't know what had happened. But at this moment, she naturally comforted her daughter, "Don't be angry, it was just an accident. As an elder sister, you should be magnanimous and go see the third miss."

Lian Yuebing stubbornly refused to go, claiming that her hand hurt. Mrs. Mo knew she was pretending, but she had to go along with her.

Back at Lanxi Courtyard, Yuexiao lay on the bed. She needed to sort out her thoughts in the next few days. She couldn't afford to act like this again.

Before he could even plan, Hua Lei brought up what Yue Yao had been muttering to herself just now. Hua Lei whispered, "Miss, forgive me for being bold. Although Master Ting Zheng's background is not very good, he is still your brother, connected by blood. Miss shouldn't say such things." After all, those in separate rooms should remain separate. How could she compare herself to her own brother?

Yue Yao was a bit confused for a moment. What Master Ting Zheng? What about her own blood brother? It took her a moment to react. Suddenly, with wide eyes, she remembered that she had another brother, a half-brother. It had been deliberately forgotten because of his mother's lowly background. Over the years, she had forgotten about him.

His mother was a beautiful servant girl, and Ting Zheng's birth was a result of a mistake. At that time, her father had gone out for socializing and got drunk, and there was a woman who served him. Any woman who served him would be drugged. But unexpectedly, this woman still got pregnant despite being drugged.

Her father didn't want this child. He would never agree to his eldest son's mother being a lowly courtesan, as it would affect his future and his son's standing. He absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen. So, he sent someone to give the woman an abortion. But for some reason, even after taking the abortion medicine, the child did not abort.

The mother said it was fate, that heaven wanted this child to come into the world. If they forcefully got rid of the child, it might affect her father's future offspring. So the mother persuaded her father to keep the child. He was kept, but the father didn't allow the woman to enter the house. The mother also knew that if this matter spread, it would tarnish her father's reputation. So she arranged for the woman to stay in another courtyard.

Seeing that her father was reaching middle age and still had no offspring, the mother was very worried. Finally, she secretly sent someone to the village to check on the child who had been sent to the village immediately after birth. The person who went came back and said that the child looked very much like her father. If her father had offspring, he would definitely let him grow up in the village. In any case, the child's mother's background was a flaw. But now he was her father's only son. After much consideration, the mother had him brought back.

Although her father was unwilling, at his age, with only one offspring, he had to accept it. Finally, he was named Zheng, full name being Lian Ting Zheng.

The mother originally wanted to register him under her name, but her father refused. He still wanted a legitimate son. Plus, seeing that the child was dull and unlikable, the mother finally registered Ting Zheng under the name of a deceased aunt. The deceased aunt was from a respectable family, and registering him under her name would be good for the child's future.

The mother, seeing that he was causing her father's annoyance, didn't bring him into the main courtyard anymore. She handed him over to another aunt named You, to take care of him carefully.

But unexpectedly, not long after the child arrived, the mother found out she was pregnant. This was a great joy for their family.

When they were in Jiangnan, Yue Yao had not seen this half-brother because her father didn't like him. After returning, her grandmother also didn't care for Ting Zheng, only letting Mo take care of him. Mo arranged a courtyard for You to take care of Zheng.

Yue Yao remembered that when her grandmother passed away, Zheng had a high fever, and You and the maidservants neglected him. By the time they found out and called the doctor, it was too late.

When she learned of Zheng's passing, she was momentarily sad. After all, Zheng was her father's only son. But she had never spent time with him, so her feelings were very faint. She had also been raised to be proud and aloof, and with the constant reminders from her old mother about Zheng's lowly status, her sadness was limited. At that time, Mo told her that her uncle had agreed to adopt a child to continue the family line.

With Mo's promise, she had no more sadness. Now, looking back, she didn't even know what her half-brother looked like.

Yue Yao bitterly smiled. She was really foolish. No matter how lowly her brother's background was, how dull or foolish he was, he was still her blood relative, the person she should rely on. How could she treat him the same as someone who was adopted halfway and had no blood ties?

Yue Yao clenched and then released her hand. In this lifetime, she couldn't neglect her brother like she did in the past, causing him to die at a young age. She must bring her brother close and personally raise him. Even if he couldn't achieve great things, she had to ensure his safe and healthy growth, to continue their father's bloodline, rather than let the first branch take over all the family wealth through adoption.

If Mo really had no shame, she would not hesitate to confront the first branch and move out.