Biological Son Part 3

After Mother Dong left, Old Madam Ji had people investigate Xiao Man’s ex-husband.

Lin Chengshan had finished steaming the buns. He let the child eat the meat buns first. Since children rarely had meat, Lin Chengshan knew that kids were usually very tempted by meat. Even in his past life, he had the same craving during this time.

After Lin Qingqing finished eating, Lin Chengshan took her with him to deliver the steamed buns to their neighbors.

The elderly couple living next door were both professors at Rongcheng University. Their son had died young, and their daughter had cut ties with them during the special era. The couple rarely went out except for teaching and research, and occasionally to buy groceries.

The old couple were surprised when new neighbors brought them steamed buns. The old man said, “No need, take them back.”

“It’s just steamed.” Lin Chengshan said.

“Give them to me,” the old woman said, understanding that her husband, having suffered much in his earlier years, wasn’t keen on interacting with others.

Neighbors should support each other. It wasn’t the special era anymore, and people weren’t cruelly trampling on the food and then giving it to them.

Lin Chengshan handed the bowl to the old woman and waited for her to pass it back before preparing to leave. Lin Qingqing clung to Lin Chengshan’s sleeve, feeling a bit scared of the unfamiliar people.

After delivering food to the two neighboring households, Lin Chengshan decided not to deliver to any more. If he gave too many away, people might think they were wealthy.

It was better to keep wealth discreet.

The two professors next door, Mrs. Tang had already retired but had been re-employed, while Mr. Tang was nearing retirement.

“These buns taste really good, the filling is generous,” Mrs. Tang said, deliberately breaking open a bun in front of her husband and taking a bite.

Once the bun was broken open, Mr. Tang caught the aroma and glanced at it.

“Of course, it smells good. It’s meat,” Mr. Tang grunted. “Even a casual attempt would smell good.”

“It’s strange,” Mrs. Tang said, “A man came with a child to deliver food. Where is his wife?”

“They are not your relatives.” Mr. Tang replied. “Just eat.”

“You should try it too,” Mrs. Tang said. “There are so many. I can’t eat them all by myself. Let’s not waste food.”

Mr. Tang finally picked up a bun and ate it, reluctantly admitting that Lin Chengshan’s buns were exceptionally good. The filling was perfectly seasoned, not greasy at all.

“Maybe he is a cook.” Mr. Tang said.

“If he opened a restaurant, I’d definitely go eat there,” Mrs. Tang said. “I won’t cook, so you can go to the school cafeteria to eat.”

“Really…” Mr. Tang murmured.

“A good cook like him could make a living with this skill,” Mrs. Tang said. “There are private restaurants around the school now, and they’re quite good.”

A couple of days later, Old Madam Ji found Lin Chengshan’s residence. She saw him working in the yard, hammering wooden planks. Lin Chengshan wasn’t in a hurry to set up a stall. He needed to finish making things like a chair for his daughter first.

The surrounding fence was not solid but perforated, allowing Old Madam Ji to see Lin Chengshan inside.

Lin Chengshan did not look like a member of the Ji family, but he resembled Old Madam Ji’s deceased brother. When Lin Chengshan looked up, Old Madam Ji was stunned. She had thought Lin Chengshan might come to find them, but the information she had learned indicated that Lin Chengshan had bought a house here for his child to attend school. It seemed Lin Chengshan was not planning to look for the Ji family.

“Hey, what are you doing standing there?” Mr. Tang, who had just returned from buying groceries with his wife, saw Old Madam Ji standing there and frowned.

Old Madam Ji was startled by Mr. Tang’s voice and quickly turned around.

“I… I’m here to find someone,” Old Madam Ji’s voice trembled slightly.

“If you’re looking for someone, just knock on the door,” Mr. Tang said.

Mr. Tang purposely walked over and knocked loudly on the door, calling out, “Someone’s here looking for you.”

“…” Old Madam Ji clearly didn’t expect Mr. Tang to act this way.

“Just knock like that. Make it loud,” Mr. Tang said. “Anyone who isn’t deaf will hear it.”

After speaking, Mr. Tang walked back to his wife. “Let’s go home.”

“Okay, let’s go,” Mrs. Tang said with a light smile, thinking her husband must have a bit of a good impression of the neighbors.

When Lin Chengshan opened the door and saw Old Madam Ji, he couldn’t help but frown. Lin Chengshan had seen Old Madam Ji from a distance in his past life. Given their different genders and social circles, even though Lin Chengshan had earned a lot of money later, his goal was to undermine the Dong family to take revenge on Xiao Man. The Ji family had close ties with the Dong family, often supporting them.

“What can I do for you?” Lin Chengshan’s expression was less than welcoming. Even though they had never met in this life, his attitude towards Old Madam Ji was not warm.

“I… I’m a bit thirsty. May I have a bowl of water?” Old Madam Ji hesitated, settling on this request after some thought.

“Our water is tap water,” Lin Chengshan said. “It’s not suitable to drink directly.”

Lin Chengshan did not want Old Madam Ji to enter his home. He had no fondness for the Dong family and even less for the Ji family.

“…” Old Madam Ji was taken aback by Lin Chengshan’s response. She opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for words. As Lin Chengshan was about to close the door, she added, “I… My family name is Ji.”

“From the looks of you, you shouldn’t be lacking money. Just buy a bottle of water from the store. It’s safer,” Lin Chengshan said, noticing his daughter running out of the living room. He did not want to set a bad example for her, so he relented.

“Daddy.” Lin Qingqing ran towards Lin Chengshan.

“Slow down. Didn’t I tell you not to run so fast? You might fall,” Lin Chengshan said, catching his daughter in his arms. “It’s hot out. Run slowly to avoid sweating too much and getting heatstroke.”

“Daddy, water,” Lin Qingqing said, holding out a cup.

The water was cool boiled water that Lin Chengshan had prepared. He thought the kettle was too heavy and feared his daughter might accidentally spill it. Lin Chengshan had learned that his daughter often drank from the water tank in the past.

In the countryside, the water was relatively good, mostly mountain spring water.

After taking care of his daughter, Lin Chengshan always made sure she had cooled boiled water.

“Is this tap water?” Old Madam Ji asked.

“It’s cool boiled water,” Lin Qingqing answered.

“…” Lin Chengshan was surprised that his daughter was answering Old Madam Ji’s questions.

“Cool boiled water is fine, very good,” Old Madam Ji said. “Do you have any more? I’m really thirsty. Would you mind giving me a bowl of water?”

Is this Old Madam Ji not ashamed of herself?

Lin Chengshan felt uncomfortable but still allowed Old Madam Ji to enter his home. He wanted to set a good example for his daughter and didn’t want her to think poorly of him.

“Come in,” Lin Chengshan said, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel and picking up Lin Qingqing.

“No need to carry me. I can walk,” Lin Qingqing said, not wanting to be carried in front of others. “It’s hot.”

“Alright, I won’t carry you now, but I’ll carry you later,” Lin Chengshan said with a gentle smile. His daughter needed reassurance and often enjoyed being held.

At night, Lin Chengshan saw his daughter peeking out and went to her, telling her a story to help her fall asleep quickly.

Seeing the close bond between Lin Chengshan and his child made Old Madam Ji feel a bit uneasy. Lin Chengshan’s daughter was small and looked healthy despite being a bit thin.

“How old is she?” Old Madam Ji asked.

“Three years old,” Lin Chengshan replied.

“Three and a half,” Lin Qingqing corrected. The difference between three and three and a half years was significant.

“Right, three and a half,” Lin Chengshan agreed. After Old Madam Ji left, he would need to tell his daughter to never open the door for strangers and never let them into the house. Strangers could be very dangerous, and they might even try to take her away.

“She doesn’t look like a three-and-a-half-year-old child,” Old Madam Ji said. “She could easily be mistaken for two years old.”

“She wasn’t well taken care of. Her mother ate everything herself, so the child couldn’t gain weight,” Lin Chengshan said with a sneer. “But we’re divorced now.”

Lin Chengshan was not afraid of Old Madam Ji knowing this. It was the truth. Even if Old Madam Ji learned that his ex-wife was Xiao Man, who was related to Old Madam Ji, it wouldn’t change her opinion of him. After all, the Ji family was highly regarded, and many people held Mrs. Ji in high esteem. Xiao Man had always been good to the Ji family.

“A country bumpkin doesn’t deserve a noblewoman,” Lin Chengshan said.

Old Madam Ji looked at the obedient Lin Qingqing, who was too shy to look at her directly.