Cheng Wenzheng nodded in agreement, "It's the student's fault. But to be honest, the fourth lady also contributed a lot to the student's current situation."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Cheng Wenzheng was a little embarrassed. "You all know that I lost my father when I was young. I have no uncles or aunts in my family. I only have my widowed mother. Seeing her toiling all day long, I felt very sad. I once gave up my studies. But my mother was stubborn. She was eager to help me but refused to say it out loud. She only said that I couldn't carry anything on my shoulders or lift anything with my hands. I could only hold a pen. At that time, I was young and ignorant, and had a stubborn temper. Whenever I refused to bow my head and thought I couldn't do it, and didn't listen to her scolding, my mother would beat me. Now when I think about it, it's really unfilial. I actually felt that she didn't know what was good for her. It was obviously for her own good, but she still beat and scolded me. My temper became even worse. I ran away in a rage, wanting to earn a lot of money to prove it to her. What happened... Life was tough, but I refused to turn back and admit defeat. Later, my mother was seriously injured, and I was at a loss. I guess it was really unbearable for others to see," Cheng Wenzheng glanced at Xiaocao, "and the fourth girl woke me up. Because I had some talent for studying, the neighbors were willing to help me, and that's how I am today."
Wenren Taibo couldn't help laughing when he heard this, "There is such a thing, it's really..." fate. He turned back to look at Xiaocao, "Is what Wenzheng said true? What did my sister think at that time?"
Wenren Taibo was curious, and Cheng Wenzheng was also curious.
Xiao Cao pursed her lips and smiled, "Because I'm a girl, it's convenient for me to change the medicine for Master Cheng's mother and go to their house more often. But Master Cheng always hangs around like a headless fly, and he looks depressed, which makes him clumsy when decocting medicine. I find it very annoying, so I can't help but make a few sarcastic remarks to him. Master Cheng probably doesn't understand. I just remembered the Master Cheng in my memory, and I think this person has really changed a lot."
Cheng Wenzheng had a dumbfounded look on his face as if to say "how could this be the case", which was completely inconsistent with his gentle and scholarly temperament.
Wenren Taibo burst into laughter, and when he had laughed enough, he said, "This is also a coincidence, it's a blessing in disguise."
Cheng Wenzheng, who was embarrassed by his smile, smiled slowly and nodded in agreement. "In fact, it's not just because of what the girl said, but what she did that touched me. She looks only a few years old, thin and small, but she does things in an orderly manner, just like a little adult. She also takes good care of Dr. Lin in every aspect. Comparing myself with her, I really feel ashamed."
"Mr. Cheng, thank you for your praise."
Wenren Taibo looked at the grass, feeling both relieved and distressed.
"I just don't know where Doctor Lin is now?" Cheng Wenzhen asked.
Xiaocao's smile faded. "When I was eight years old, my adoptive father found a family to take me in. He practiced medicine on his own and rarely came back. The last time I saw him was four years ago. After arriving in the Imperial City, he left a letter at the place where he used to live. I went back to check it later, but the letter was still there. I don't know if he didn't come back or didn't see the letter."
Xiaocao didn't intend to hide the fact that she was married, but the circumstances of Tingyu's death were unknown. She was worried that if she leaked too much information, it would alert the enemy and it would be even more difficult to find out. Besides, she had made up her mind not to get married, so what did it matter whether others knew about her past or not.
"Dad sent people to guard the place where you lived before yesterday. Maybe you will come back one day." Wenren Taibo was a man of action. After learning some things from Xiaocao yesterday, he thought a lot and made arrangements.
"Thank you, Dad." Xiaocao was very touched.
"Why thank him? It's my duty. It's right for our family to thank him. After all, if it weren't for him..."
Xiao Cao nodded, "I'm just a little worried about him. After all, he's already in his seventies. What if... my adoptive father is obsessed with medicine and forgets everything when he's immersed in it."
"Your adoptive father is actually this old? If you hadn't mentioned it yesterday, I would have thought he was about the same age as you."
"When my adoptive father found me in my cradle, I was already over 50 years old."
"Then why do you call him father instead of grandfather?"
"My adoptive father has never married and has no children. According to him, without children, there would be no grandchildren, so he let me call him dad."
Wenren Taibo said nothing more, "Then send someone out to look for him. He has been practicing medicine and saving lives for many years, so he must be famous. It shouldn't be difficult to find him."
Xiao Cao showed a happy expression, "It's great to find him. The last time I saw him, I wanted him to settle down, but he left secretly. I don't know if he didn't want to settle down and that's why he didn't come back."
"Next time you see me, give me more advice."
"Um."
Everyone else listened quietly, but they didn't expect that Cheng Wenzheng and Xiaocao had such a connection.
Wen Renying smiled, but her eyes were cold. Ever since Cheng Wenzheng started talking to Xiaocao, she wanted to drag Xiaocao away. Unfortunately, she couldn't. Later... Ha...
Wen Renying warned herself not to get angry. Even if that was the case, it didn't mean that anything would happen between them. Besides, after she took down Cheng Wenzheng, she could use this matter to get closer to her future mother-in-law, and she would be the one who benefited.
In fact, what Wen Renying didn't know was that some changes actually started from the moment Xiaocao came to this world. What she returned to could not be completely regarded as her past, but rather the inside and outside of the mirror - of course, the inside and outside were roughly the same, with only some changes, and not two sides - if she was originally outside the mirror, now she was inside.
So, outside the mirror, Xiaocao did not exist. The second daughter of Wenren Taibo and Han did not live to see Father Lin, so naturally there would be no Xiaocao saving Mother Cheng. Mother Cheng might have met Father Lin, but because she did not meet him in time, she really developed a chronic illness. Cheng Wenzhen's hard work was also because Mother Cheng finally spoke softly to him and revealed her true feelings.
He was able to read, and the exams were all taken by the villagers. This time, although the villagers helped, it was not that much.
Wen Renying had never met Cheng's mother. She only cared about Cheng Wenzheng and his wife. She didn't know that Cheng's mother was different, so she naturally didn't doubt Xiaocao's existence. In her opinion, her fourth sister "once" was still the mother who saved Cheng Wenzheng, but she just didn't return to the Wen family.
Han sent someone to say that the time was almost up.
Wenren Taibo suddenly realized, "Wenzheng, because my fourth daughter has returned today, her grandmother has ordered a family dinner, so we won't keep you here today."
Wenren Taibo was optimistic about Cheng Wenzheng and was quite close to him, treating him like a junior. As time went by, he became less polite.
Cheng Wenzheng bowed hurriedly and said, "It is my fault. I am leaving now."
After Cheng Wenzheng's farewell ceremony, Wenren Taibo asked his eldest son Wenren Xu to see him off, and the others went to the backyard together.