It’s not that the people who sell their children don’t love them. It’s just that sometimes, selling them ensures they have food to eat, while keeping them all at home only leads to starvation.
It was when Mrs. He was away that Old Man Ye quietly told her, if it weren’t for having one of her own at home, Mrs. He would have thought about handing over everything to Qingyue.
It’s just that, even if elder brothers and sisters-in-law are kind, making a living under their hands is still different from doing so in front of one’s parents, and Mrs. He doesn’t want to relinquish control. She is ultimately afraid of wronging Ye Jiu.
At the very least, as long as the household is in her hands, no one dares to treat her Little Jiujiu wrongly.
As she was thinking, a maid suddenly came to report, "Old Madam, Old Master, Miss, Attendant has come with a young master, saying that they are looking for the fifth Miss."
Old Man Ye and Mrs. He both looked towards Ye Jiu. Ye Jiu explained, "Yesterday, it was the Princely Heir of Prince Jing, and since Prince Jing and the Princess Consort were in a hurry to leave, they let the Princely Heir stay."
Old Man Ye knew about this, he had just forgotten for a moment.
"Then let’s quickly invite them in, shall we?" After speaking, Old Man Ye remembered that this Princely Heir might just be the son they had secretly swapped to the Royal Residence of Prince Jing!
Stealing a glance at Mrs. He, the old couple both felt uneasy. Facing this son they had never met, they couldn’t clearly describe their feelings.
After Qin Zhou entered, he first bowed towards Old Man Ye and his wife, "Old Master Ye, Old Madam Ye, respects."
Given Qin Zhou’s current status, this already gave them a great deal of face.
Instead, Old Man Ye and Mrs. He acted quite awkwardly, only managing to chuckle a couple of times towards Qin Zhou.
They wanted to perform the proper rites according to status, but then remembered, this child was their own flesh and blood. For parents to perform rites to their child, wouldn’t that be asking for their child’s life to be shortened?
So, really, nothing was appropriate.
Luckily, Qin Zhou was not a person to be overcritical and didn’t fuss over Old Man Ye and his wife’s behavior. Instead, he turned to Ye Jiu, "Miss Ye, I was just about to go out, but your servants wouldn’t allow it. You should take care of them quickly."
"May I ask what the Princely Heir intends to do outside? The countryside isn’t very safe, and if the Princely Heir hasn’t brought along attendants, perhaps I could arrange for some people to accompany you?"
Prince Jing leaving such a person behind was truly troublesome. Everything could cause issues, Ye Jiu thought.
"I just wanted to go out and have a look at the rural scenery..."
Just as they were speaking, a servant ran in, "Old Master, the Clan Leader is here, looking for you."
"Ah, he has come," Old Man Ye answered, looking at Qin Zhou and feeling troubled, yet unsure how to broach the subject.
Thinking that he was afraid of Qin Zhou, Ye Jiu quickly spoke up, "Father, you should go quickly, the Clan Leader surely has important matters."
"Ah, ah..." Old Man Ye replied stiffly.
Seeing that Old Man Ye had gone out, Mrs. He also felt quite uneasy. She said, "Then... I will go take a look too, not sure what it’s about."
Ye Jiu, left alone with Qin Zhou in the hall, said, "Let’s go, we’ll talk more in my courtyard. Prince Jing said he’s coming to pick me up today to inspect the estate. Aren’t you waiting for him, Princely Heir?"
The two walked and talked.
Qin Zhou hardly hesitated, "Then I won’t go out. I will wait here for Father."
Yesterday, Prince Jing, along with the Princess Consort, had left without any hesitation, making Qin Zhou feel anxious, especially the tone in which his father had told him to stay had given him the sensation of being left behind.