"If I ever hear you dare speak ill of Miss Liu again, I'll kill you!"
Zhuang Lao San was startled. Looking into Zhuang Yan's eyes, he seemed to see Zhuang Yu.
He couldn't help but shut his mouth.
Mrs. Huang was also too frightened to make a sound.
The other villagers watching were equally shocked.
Old Man Zhong had already turned back, glaring coldly at the Zhuang family.
"From now on, Zhuang Yan is my Shi Qi's child-bridegroom!"
"When he grows up, he'll marry into our family!"
"So, if anyone dares to gossip again, this old man will tear their mouth apart!"
Mrs. Hao…
Jiang Cuihua…
Liu Changying?
What on earth was happening?
Shi Qi had only just returned home for a short while—how did she suddenly have a child-bridegroom?
Liu Shiqi was utterly bewildered, staring at Old Man Zhong.
"What did you say?"
Old Man Zhong winked at her.
"A temporary measure!"
"Otherwise, Zhuang Yan won't feel comfortable staying in our home, and outsiders will point fingers."
"They'll think he's a servant we bought."
"He'll be bullied by others!"
"Besides, no one in our village has servants yet."
Zhuang Yan's head was spinning: child-bridegroom…
He was her child-bridegroom…
He was actually her child-bridegroom…
Her future husband…
Zhuang Yan completely overlooked the part about marrying into her family.
After hearing Old Man Zhong's explanation, Liu Shiqi helplessly looked at Zhuang Yan, seeing his dazed expression.
Of course, she couldn't possibly let the big shot become their family's servant.
[Well, I originally planned to return the indenture contract and severance of kinship deed to the big shot.]
[Looks like I'll have to wait a bit longer!]
[Mainly because the big shot seems like a little white rabbit right now!]
[I'm really afraid he might accidentally sell himself off!]
Liu Shiqi could only nod in agreement with Old Man Zhong's plan.
She understood this was a roundabout way of protecting Zhuang Yan.
"Alright then! He can be my child-bridegroom!"
She thought she'd wait until the big shot grew up, became powerful, and could protect himself before explaining!
Then she'd tell him she only wanted to be his sister!
Seeing Liu Shiqi didn't object, Old Man Zhong chuckled happily.
"Hahaha, then Zhuang Yan will be Grandfather's birthday gift to Shi Qi!"
Liu Shiqi rolled her eyes, "Grandfather, this gift of yours is so thoughtless!"
"I'm the one who paid for him!"
Old Man Zhong disagreed, "What you bought was a servant, but what Grandfather gave you is a future husband!"
"How can those be the same!"
Liu Shiqi…
Zhuang Yan snapped back to reality, his face flushing as he looked at Liu Shiqi, "Is today Miss Liu's birthday?"
Liu Shiqi looked at him, "Just call me Shi Qi! Don't call me Miss Liu, it sounds awkward!"
Zhuang Yan pursed his lips and tentatively called out, "Shi Qi?"
"That's more like it, Brother Zhuang!"
"Since we're family now, my parents are your parents too! And my grandfather is your grandfather!"
"Hurry, call them Dad and Mom! Call him Grandfather!"
Zhuang Yan nervously looked at Old Man Zhong, Mrs. Hao, and Liu Changying.
Mrs. Hao smiled at him.
Zhuang Yan whispered, "Dad, Mom, Grandfather!"
Although Liu Changying didn't know what was happening, as long as Mrs. Hao had made the decision, he wouldn't oppose it.
He nodded in acknowledgment.
"Good child," Mrs. Hao wiped her tears, "We're all family from now on."
Old Man Zhong nodded, "Hmm, one more pair of hands in the family, not bad!"
Liu Shiqi…
"Come on, let's go home for dinner!"
Zhuang Yan was injured and walked slowly. Liu Changying simply carried him on his back.
Only then did the family return home.
…
Meanwhile, at the Pan residence.
The butler knelt on the ground, recounting the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.
His head hung low, not daring to look at the eldest young master of the Pan family, Pan Ziyu.
Pan Ziyu appeared refined and gentle on the outside, but at his core, he was nothing short of scum, with a chaotic private life that knew no bounds—indiscriminate in his affairs with both men and women.
Beneath his eyes were faint dark circles, a clear sign of excessive indulgence.
At the moment, he was idly teasing a bird in its cage with a twig.
"She said that boy's father is the chief eunuch by the Crown Prince's side?"
"And his surname is Zhuang?"
"Yes, the eldest daughter of the Liu family truly said so!"
"She also said that Lord Liu Changhong and Eunuch Zhuang became sworn brothers!"
"This servant was afraid of bringing disaster upon the master's household, which is why…"
Pan Ziyu sneered, thrusting the twig directly into the bird's belly.
The bird struggled and cried out at first, but soon it fell still.
Pan Ziyu withdrew the twig, leaving a bloody hole in the bird's stomach.
The butler watched, his scalp tingling with fear, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Pan Ziyu tossed the twig to the ground, and a maid beside him hurried forward to wipe his hands.
Pan Ziyu glanced carelessly at the maid's chest and said indifferently,
"There isn't a single eunuch by the Crown Prince's side with the surname Zhuang! So, you were deceived!"
The butler was taken aback, staring at Pan Ziyu in astonishment.
Pan Ziyu spoke softly and gently, yet his words were the cruelest, "Because the former Crown Prince's confidant was surnamed Zhuang, and the current Crown Prince dislikes it. So all those with the surname Zhuang in his residence were killed."
"Probably not a single person with the surname Zhuang can be found in the entire capital!"
The butler shuddered, his face filled with disbelief.
He now realized he had been tricked by that Miss Liu.
Gritting his teeth, he said, "Young master, please forgive this servant. I will find a way to bring the person back immediately!"
Pan Ziyu waved his hand dismissively, "No need to rush for now. Keep a low profile in the coming days!"
"There will be plenty of opportunities later!"
Pan Ziyu then asked, "Are you certain that she is the real Miss Liu? Could she also be a fake?"
The butler was somewhat uncertain as well, "In reply to the young master, she said her father is Liu Changhong!"
"Moreover, the white jade hairpin in her hair closely resembles the one the eldest young lady wore when she returned home! It should be something from the palace in the capital!"
"And her demeanor also resembles that of a noble lady from the capital!"
Pan Ziyu narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "In a few days, there will be a banquet at the county magistrate's residence. You will accompany me."
"If she truly is the eldest daughter of the Liu family, she will definitely attend as well."
The butler gritted his teeth and nodded, "Yes! This servant will surely find her!"
…
At the Liu residence, the first wife, Lady Ren, looked at the invitation in her hand and instructed those around her.
"In a few days, for the banquet at the county magistrate's residence, have the eldest young lady attend as well."
Nanny Wei disapproved somewhat, "The eldest young lady… might not be accustomed to it."
After all, the eldest young lady had always lived in the countryside.
Lady Ren frowned, "If she can't even adapt to a small banquet in Xinyuan County, what will she do when she returns to the capital later and attends banquets there?"
"Will she avoid people for the rest of her life?"
At this thought, Lady Ren grew furious.
"How could my own daughter have been switched at birth?"
"How could such an absurd thing happen in this world?"
"And my husband, too—if she was switched, why did he have to swap them back!"
She was actually speaking in anger; deep down, she knew that after the mix-up, she also supported swapping them back.
She had even considered raising both daughters together, as money was no issue for her.
But her husband refused to agree no matter what, insisting on sending Shi Qi back to the village.
He said they owed it to their biological daughter.
Gradually, Lady Ren began to see the logic in his words.
It was mainly because she found Liu Shiqi increasingly off-putting, displeasing in every way. She always felt a barrier between them.
That was why they had switched back.
But who could have imagined that Liu Shiqiao would turn out like this?
Not only were her manners crude, but her appearance also resembled Liu Changhong’s—a square face that was not only unattractive but also accompanied by dark, rough skin.
Even after several days of care, it hadn’t lightened in the slightest.
Her behavior was also petty and narrow-minded.
Today was her birthday, and everyone was quite happy. They had even given her so many expensive gifts.
Yet during lunch, she wore a gloomy expression and spoke with a sarcastic tone.
Lady Ren grew angrier the more she thought about it, regretting the decision to switch back.
Nanny Wei quickly tried to console her, “The young lady is still young. With patient guidance, she will improve!”
“Her skin can also be restored!”
As for her appearance, she had nothing to say.
After venting her frustrations, Lady Ren finally felt a little better.
“On the day of the banquet, have her wear a veil! Don’t let anyone see her face…”
“I can’t bear the shame…”
Nanny Wei nodded helplessly, “Yes, I will go and give the order right away.”