Biological Son Part 1 [Edited]

Old Madam Meng was watering the flowers with a watering can. The weather was too hot, so it wasn’t ideal to water the plants outside too early. She was just tending to a few potted plants inside. Old Madam Meng was several years older than Old Madam Ji, and she saw things very simply: if it’s not a biological child, then it isn’t.

The Ji family had sent many things to the Lin family over the years, paying back their kindness. If the Lin family had really swapped the children back then, then the Lin family and the Ji family would be enemies, and any talk of gratitude would be meaningless.

“That child has arrived in Rongcheng City,” Old Madam Ji said. “I still don’t know where he is now. I need to see him first.”

“Does the child have any birthmarks?” Old Madam Meng asked.

“He has moles…” Old Madam Ji replied.

“Moles? What’s so special about that? Small moles, many people have them,” Old Madam Meng said. “The positions can vary. Besides, the child was already three or four years old when he returned to your house. Even if the moles have shifted slightly, you might not notice. Didn’t you bathe the child when he was young?”

Old Madam Meng’s point was valid. Old Madam Ji couldn’t think of more distinguishing features about the child. She had handed over the baby to Old Lady Lin when the child was still an infant, and by the time the child returned, Old Madam Ji hadn’t questioned it much.

“We don’t even know where he is.” Old Madam Ji sighed.

“Let’s check it out.” Old Madam Meng picked up the scissors and trimmed the potted plants. “Are you really waiting for someone to come knocking on your door? Just because the Lin family says someone will come, does it mean they really will?”

What if the person wasn’t planning to come at all? Perhaps the Lin family was just trying to avoid trouble by saying that?

“Don’t underestimate human nature,” Old Madam Meng said. “I heard that you once took care of the children of soldiers in the rear.”

“Yes,” Old Madam Ji nodded.

There were cases where soldiers entrusted their children to farmers, and the farmers used the supplies meant for the soldiers’ children for their own kids instead, even scolding the soldiers’ children.

Old Madam Ji shuddered at the thought. If this younger son really wasn’t her own…

Old Madam Meng didn’t say anything further. She believed that a wise person who truly cared about the child would investigate thoroughly. If the child from the Lin family wasn’t from the Ji family, there would be no loss for the Ji family. But if the child from the Lin family was actually from the Ji family, it would be a major issue.

Lin Chengshan was unaware of Old Lady Lin’s scheme. He cooked a dish of lean meat, a dish of vegetables, and two fried eggs. He served his daughter, trying to make the meal as good as possible given their limited conditions and lack of seasoning. The kitchen was simple, so Lin Chengshan made an effort to prepare tasty food. He had marinated the lean meat half an hour in advance and added some sweet potato flour to make it tender.

Without the sweet potato flour, the meat would turn out dry and tough, and the flavor would be much poorer.

“Come, eat more,” Lin Chengshan said, serving Lin Qingqing more meat. He noticed that his daughter didn’t dare take more meat, having only taken two pieces. Lin Chengshan thought he could do without eating so much meat. Since his daughter was still growing, she needed to eat more. “This is our own food, you can take as much as you want. If you don’t eat it, it will just go to waste.”

“Waste it?” Lin Qingqing was surprised.

“Yes, if you don’t finish it, it will be thrown away,” Lin Chengshan said.

“Daddy, we could raise two chicks in the yard. I can dig up earthworms to feed them,” Lin Qingqing said. When she was in the countryside, she had dug up earthworms with others, and her mother would complain about her clothes getting dirty. Lin Qingqing thought that if she washed the clothes herself, she wouldn’t trouble her father, and maybe her father would be happier.

Lin Chengshan said with a light laugh, “No need for you to dig up earthworms.” He suggested that they could feed leftover food to the chicks and also plant a small vegetable garden in the yard.

The yard wasn’t very large. Lin Chengshan planned to set up a swing for his daughter to enjoy, and for the garden, he intended to plant some scallions, ginger, and garlic, while leaving space for flowers. Girls usually prefer flowers over vegetables.

“I’ll do the planting. I’ll do it,” Lin Qingqing eagerly volunteered.

“Eat up quickly,” Lin Chengshan said, seeing his daughter’s excitement and feeling that things were moving in a positive direction. “It’s too hot right now to plant. We’ll wait until the weather cools down a bit, but first, we need to clear the weeds from the yard.”

The previous owner had not lived there for a long time, so the weeds in the yard were quite overgrown.

Lin Chengshan needed to take care of these things first. Although snakes weren’t common in the city, the area was on the edge of the city and near a mountain. Lin Chengshan was concerned about any potential dangers hiding in the overgrown grass, which could be harmful to his daughter.

“If there’s something you want to eat, just tell Daddy, and I’ll buy it for you,” Lin Chengshan said.

“Okay,” Lin Qingqing nodded enthusiastically.

Old Madam Ji had arranged a two-bedroom apartment for Old Lady Lin and her son to stay in. Old Lady Lin found the apartment smaller than their rural home, where they had larger rooms and a big yard. She thought the Ji family was being stingy, having given them such a small place despite their own large house. She felt that the Ji family was quite petty, having previously thought they were generous.

“Our chicken coop is bigger than this room,” Old Lady Lin complained.

Old Madam Ji’s second daughter-in-law had already left, otherwise, Old Lady Lin wouldn’t have dared to speak so candidly. When Old Madam Ji’s second daughter-in-law was around, Old Lady Lin had always praised the Ji family, not daring to speak ill of them.

“I don’t know when they’ll arrange work for you,” Old Lady Lin said. “They only agreed to help once I begged them.”

Old Lady Lin thought Old Madam Ji must have heard her complaints, though Old Madam Ji was pretending not to understand. Only after Old Lady Lin made a clear request did Old Madam Ji agree to help.

“Waiting a few days is fine,” Lin Chenghai said as he carried blankets.

The blankets and quilts were clean and had been left by the previous occupants. Lin Chenghai moved them out.

“I don’t know where your second brother has gone,” Old Lady Lin said. “Rongcheng City is much larger than our countryside.”

“He might show up soon,” Lin Chenghai said, unsure if Lin Chengshan would actually go to the Ji family.