Chapter 75 – He’s Just a Teddy Bear with a Loud Bark

Chapter 75 - He's Just a Teddy Bear with a Loud Bark

In the original story, Zheng Hongxu had no feelings for Wang Fuzhen when they were betrothed.

Now, they couldn't be betrothed, but they had developed feelings for each other.

It was truly...unclear whether this was a gain or a loss.

"Let them in, and bring my medicine while you're at it."

"Yes, Miss."

She nestled into a large armchair, its surface covered with a thick blanket that wrapped around her warmly. In front of her stood a large stove, burning charcoal to combat the chill.

Though she wasn't ill, the cold was very real.

"Third Brother, Miss Wang San, I apologize, but I won't be able to rise."

Zheng Hongxu curled his lips. Wang Fuzhen was still putting on an appearance of virtue before her beloved.

"Second Miss, since you're unwell, you should remain in bed and not try to get up. I only came to visit after hearing about your illness."

"Many thanks, Third Sister."

"There's no need to be so formal. You've been ill for quite some time now, have you been taking your medicine?"

"Yes, I have, every day. It's nothing serious, the physician said it might be due to an adjustment to the local climate."

Zheng Hongxu scoffed. "You're saying it took almost a year to adjust to the climate after returning?"

Zheng Jinyu blinked. "Yes, that's what I said too. But the doctor mentioned that the South has a warmer climate, while the North is cold. I truly haven't experienced such harsh cold before. In the South, even in winter, the mountains remain lush and green. I never expected that in the North, there would be no sign of life in winter, not even a single leaf on the trees."

Neither of them had been to the South, nor did they know if it was genuinely colder there during winter.

However, as scholars, they had heard that the South remained green in winter and enjoyed milder temperatures.

Their trust in her words was already at around eighty percent.

"Jinxiu has always praised you as her dear sister. It's surprising that such absurd rumors have spread, claiming Jinxiu isn't Lady Zheng's biological child. Although they say the rumors originated from you, both your Third Brother and I refuse to believe that. Your relationship with Jinxiu is so close, and you are so kind-hearted, especially since you're currently unwell. It's unimaginable that you would spread such groundless rumors, don't you agree?"

Zheng Jinyu observed the two women flattering her in silence, curious about their intentions.

"Of course, it wasn't me," Wang Fuzhen chuckled. "Yes, we all believe it couldn't have been you."

Zheng Hongxu, standing by, snorted coldly. "If not you, then who? This situation benefits you the most."

Zheng Jinyu looked at this fool with a hint of disdain. Among everyone, she disliked Zheng Hongxu the most, even more than Zheng Jinxiu.

"I suspect that whoever delivered that letter is also the one who spread the rumors."

Alarm bells rang loudly in Zheng Hongxu's mind.

Wang Fuzhen was slightly bewildered. "Letter? What letter?"

Zheng Jinyu maintained her silence, simply fixing her gaze on Zheng Hongxu.

Wang Fuzhen followed her gaze and turned to look at Zheng Hongxu as well.

Zheng Hongxu fell silent. The matter of that letter was not to be disclosed to outsiders, not even to Wang Fuzhen.

"Since it wasn't you, then you should step forward and clarify the situation."

Zheng Jinyu: "..." Haha, so she was the one being cornered here.

"Third Brother, family matters are under Mother's jurisdiction. If Mother asks me to clarify the situation despite my illness, I will go."

"You..." Zheng Hongxu was angered. "I am your third brother, yet you won't listen to me?"

Zheng Jinyu smiled faintly. "Is that so? You're acknowledging now that you're my third brother? But I recall you once said that you were only Third Brother to Jinxiu Sister, that you recognized her as your sole sister."

Zheng Hongxu stared intently at Zheng Jinyu.

She smiled again. "Let's put the past aside. Before I clarify, if you publicly announce that you acknowledge Jinxiu Sister as your only sister and tell everyone that you are not my third brother, I'll agree to clear things up in public. How about that?"

Zheng Hongxu glared at her fiercely. "How could you be so wicked? You caused this mess, so it's only right for you to clarify it. Yet, you dare to set conditions? How dare you?"

Zheng Jinyu's anger flared. "Why wouldn't I dare? You've never treated me like family, so why should I help you? Zheng Hongxu, do you think I'm easy to bully? Let me tell you, don't push an honest person too far, or I promise you'll regret it."

Zheng Hongxu bellowed, "How dare you talk to me like that? Have you lost your mind?"

With those words, he raised his hand.

Zheng Jinyu sneered and leaned in closer, "Want to hit me? Go ahead then."

"Hmpf..."

Wang Fuzhen quickly intervened, "Brother Xu, calm down. Don't forget why we're here."

"She's impervious to reason and disrespectful. She doesn't take me seriously at all. Zhen Zhen, let go of me."

"Let him go, let him try hitting me if he dares."

Would he really dare? He was just a fierce-looking teddy bear.

Seeing the two of them on the verge of an argument, Wang Fuzhen, fearing escalation, had no choice but to physically pull Zheng Hongxu away.

Zheng Hongxu, taking this opportunity to back down, acquiesced. After all, he truly didn't have the courage to strike that slap.

"Look at her, can you now understand why we prefer Jinxiu over her as a sister?"

Wang Fuzhen nods in agreement. "It's hard to tell she's ill with such a fiery temperament. Imagine if she wasn't sick at all!"

"Indeed, she's just a village lass with no manners."

"I've never come across a sister who would dare to defy her elder brother. Your sister truly has no sense of propriety."

The two of them seem to have found a common ground, each taking turns to criticize Zheng Jinyu.

...

Mrs. Zheng has been avoiding Zheng Jinyu these days, but Zheng Jinyu is aware that it won't be long before their paths cross again.

For the people she dispatched to the South have returned.

In the flower hall, these individuals relate everything they've learned about Fang Village in the South.

"The eldest daughter of the Fang family started washing her younger brother's diapers when she was merely three. The river water there is icy cold, and the stones are slippery. On one occasion, while washing diapers by the river, she slipped and fell into the water. The winter river was so frigid that even after being rescued, she nearly froze to death."

She was the most industrious girl in Fang Village, taking care of both domestic and outdoor chores." A litany of her tasks was enumerated.

From the crowing of the roosters in the early morning until dusk, she never rested. She was the first to rise and the last to sleep in the household.

Moreover, she ate sparingly, usually consuming the leftovers from the rest of the family, which was far from sufficient.

To survive, she often snatched moments during her work to forage for wild fruits in the mountains; otherwise, she could not have sustained herself.

That was why she remained petite.

Lady Zheng wept, her tears streaming down as she clung to Old Master Zheng's embrace, deeply moved by the story.

What Zheng Hongyan heard today was more astonishing than Zheng Jinyu's brief account before. Even Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu found it hard to believe.

Could such a young child really bear so much labor? Could she truly endure so much hardship?

"Why does she do so much? She's not the only one in the family, right? If she was hungry, wouldn't she just take what she needed? I've seen her compete with Jinxiu for food quite fiercely."

"Third Brother," Zheng Hongyan rebuked him sharply.

Upon noticing his parents' glare, he immediately fell silent.

The informant continued, "If they don't work hard, they can be sold. In her village, there's a girl around her age who was sold because she couldn't work as diligently as her sisters. At just twelve, she was sold to a man in his sixties."