Chapter 812: Chapter 811: Repayment
Upon hearing Wu Lihongās promise, Zhou Xuennian was first stunned, then grew anxious.
He didnāt care if Wu Lihong would take responsibility for Mei Niang and her daughter; his own matter couldnāt go unattended. However, he also knew that without Mei Niang and her, Wu Lihong wouldnāt pay him any heed.
Taking a deep breath, Zhou Xuennian calmed himself, sat back down, and looked at Wu Lihong with a difficult expression.
"Brother, whatās the matter?"
Zhou Xuennian sighed and said, "Brother-in-law, itās not that I donāt want to tell you, itās just..."
"Brother, just speak your mind." Wu Lihong smiled.
"Brother-in-law, your family already has a wife and several children, right?" Zhou Xuennian said with a bitter smile, "Given this, how do you plan to arrange for them, mother and daughter?"
Wu Lihong was caught off guard and felt somewhat uncomfortable.
"I know your legitimate wife comes from a renowned family, incomparable to our small household. Ying Mei has feelings for you, and she had a daughter with you, which is your fate. But if your legitimate wife finds out, what will she do to the mother and daughter?" Zhou Xuennian continued, "Our Old Zhou family is not like Marquis Yonganās Mansion. Even if we wanted to back Ying Mei and them, we are just ordinary folks; where would we find the confidence?"
Wu Lihong frowned and saw Zhou Xuennian sipping tea, his eyes flickering. He laughed and said, "Rest assured, brother, Iāve depended on you all these years to take care of the mother and daughter; I will certainly repay you."
"Family doesnāt talk about repayment, does it? Even if you take them back, will your wife agree? Even if taken back, if they face trouble, what can we do to support them? Our family doesnāt have someone in office." Zhou Xuennian said with an awkward smile, "Right now, their life isnāt bad, as you see?"
"Brother doesnāt trust me?"
Zhou Xuennian said, "I trust that youāre loyal and sentimental, but you should know we canāt withstand your wifeās fury."
"Donāt worry, within the Wu family, Iām the one who makes decisions. Ying Meiās daughter is my flesh and blood; how could she wander outside? She should be acknowledged by the family. Besides that, brother, you were once a scholar; what kind of work are you doing now?"
"What can I do? Just being a small bookkeeper, lacking connections!" Zhou Xuennian forced a bitter smile.
Wu Lihong paused, saying, "I admired your literary talent when you were a scholar; being a bookkeeper is too much a waste of talent. Let me see if I can arrange something to find a suitable job for you?"
Zhou Xuennian was delighted inside but hesitated, "Wouldnāt this be too difficult for you?"
"Such a small matter, how could it be difficult? You are always Ying Meiās brother; that child is called..."
"Wufu." Zhou Xuennian immediately said, "Ying Mei named her Wu Fu, your surname, and āFuā as in ālotus.ā Her nickname is Wufu, Ying Mei hopes for āfive blessingsā to come."
"Wufu!" Wu Lihong quietly recited, saying, "Itās quite catchy. I wonder how they..."
Zhou Xuennian sighed, "They, mother and daughter, have some misunderstandings towards us. But they are of the same bloodline; thereās no lasting grudge, is there? However, they are stubborn; now they have moved to the county, have land, and are living well. When you have time, Iāll take you there?"
"If so, Iāll trouble everyone!" Wu Lihong smiled, and instructed Fu Gui, "Go prepare a table of wine; Iāll have a couple of drinks with brother."
Fu Gui complied and left. Seeing this, Zhou Xuennian smiled contentedly, breathing a long sigh of relief.