I Was Sold to My Mortal Enemy (Double Transmigrations) - Chapter 70

It had been just over a decade, but He Village had changed significantly. Many villagers had relocated, leaving numerous vacant houses. Shi Yi and Pei Xing approached the old village chief and his family.

Upon inquiring, they learned that the previous owner’s wicked second uncle family had not fared well even after receiving two hundred taels of silver. Perhaps their greed had caused trouble. The second uncle later took in a shuanger, but things didn’t go well. After a period of tranquility, the second uncle’s eldest son eloped with the shuanger.

The second uncle’s anger led to his demise. The youngest son fell into gambling, accumulated debts, and was beaten to death in a gambling house. The remaining second aunt went insane and roamed the village in a daze, then disappearing later.

Hearing this, Shi Yi sighed and said, “Evil begets its own punishment; they brought this upon themselves. Two hundred taels of silver would have provided an easy life for most people. If the second uncle family hadn’t been so greedy and devious, they wouldn’t have met such misfortune.”

Knowing they had come to bring their long lost second brother to recognize his ancestors; the old village chief led them to the Shi family’s ancestral graves without further explanation. Once there, they paid their respects. Although they acknowledged their family, Qin Yue decided to keep his name as it was given by the old beggar who had adopted him.

Since their family lacked any elders, they simply acknowledged the Shi family’s ancestral graves and paid their respects. After a few days’ rest, everyone returned to their respective homes.

Shi Yi and Pei Xing went back to Xiangshan Village, continuing their peaceful lives and guarding the firearms warehouse on the mountain.

Bai Jingxiao was transferred to Shangjing by Xie Yu, and took his wife and son to Shangjing.

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Once Shi Yi and Pei Xing returned, Aunt Hong prepared a large meal for them, and her talkative nature resurfaced after their long absence. She expressed her concerns about her eldest daughter’s marriage.

While he and Pei Xing believed it was fine for Hong Luo to remain unmarried, they couldn’t bear Aunt Hong’s daily sighs. They advised Hong Luo to go to Shangjing to find a suitable partner since there were many talented individuals there.

Back in Baiyin City, Shi Wu started building a family ancestral hall, and once completed, he invited his third brother to visit. Shi Yi couldn’t understand the reason, so he wrote a letter to Shi Mo first to ask about his opinion.

After receiving the news, Shi Mo rushed day and night to visit and offered suggestions for the ancestral hall. He also shared shocking news with Shi Yi: Hong Luo was getting married.

Shi Yi was surprised by the news. While he wanted Hong Luo to find a husband, he didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. To everyone’s surprise, just three days after Shi Mo’s return, Hong Luo brought a man with her. Upon reaching Xiangshan Village, they promptly took Aunt Hong to Shangjing. Pei Xing and Shi Yi prepared a generous dowry and accompanied her for her wedding.

Aunt Hong, no longer young, deserved a peaceful and happy life. Shi Yi and Pei Xing couldn’t keep people around forever, but their house felt a bit empty with just the two of them. They decided to adopt orphaned children from families who had lost their parents, ensuring a lively household.

If there were too many children, they would be too noisy, but having just one might make them feel lonely. Adopting too many children wasn’t suitable, so they decided to adopt three.

Once the villagers learned about their plans to adopt, they became very enthusiastic. Many inquired about it, and some even wanted to offer their children directly. Shi Yi, feeling overwhelmed, immediately put a stop to it. He consulted with Chu Nan and Shi Wu privately.

Chu Nan, who had been the village chief for many years, was well acquainted with the villagers’ situation and the families in the surrounding areas. He knew there were many children left orphaned by soldiers.

In just a few days, Chu Nan managed to bring a child, a baby boy, who appeared to have been recently born.

The child was born by a concubine of a wealthy man in the neighboring county. The concubine tragically died from postpartum hemorrhage, and the family considered it an unfortunate event. They sent their servants to handle the situation. Upon hearing this news, Chu Nan rushed to the scene overnight and brought the child back.

Shi Yi and Pei Xing, although eager to adopt a child, were inexperienced with a newborn and unsure about how to care for the baby.

Chu Nan chuckled at their hesitation and remembered a similar situation when his wife had given birth. He decided to let his wife help them take care of the baby for a few days.

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After having the child for half a month, Pei Xing still worried about their ability to care for the children, so he went to the county town to find Song Ning and Zhou Yan. He expressed his desire to hire two nannies, preferably experienced in childcare.

After carefully selecting two nannies and bringing them home, Pei Xing and Shi Yi felt more at ease. One of them took care of the children, while the other handled cooking.

Upon learning that Pei Xing and Shi Yi had adopted children, Zhou Yan and Song Ning also wanted to adopt two children.

The two of them were taking care of the county government, and their busy schedules left little time for Father Song and Uncle Lin. Adopting two children would bring more joy into the old couple’s lives.

With this in mind, Shi Wu brought five boys over for them. The youngest was three years old, and the oldest was just six. Pei Xing and Shi Yi chose to keep the oldest and the youngest ones.

Zhou Yan and Song Ning took the other three children back to the county government office. The old couple were thrilled to hear that they had adopted a group of children.

They immediately encouraged the three children to call them “grandpa.” The two older boys were a bit reserved and wary of strangers, but the youngest, still too young to understand fear, happily followed instructions and called out “Grandpa” in a sweet, babyish voice.

Father Song beamed with joy as he held the child in his arms, and Uncle Lin affectionately ruffled the hair of the other two boys, taking their hands and leading them inside.

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Shi Yi and Pei Xing took time to learn about their adopted children’s backgrounds. The oldest boy lost his father in the war, and his mother passed away from illness, leaving him an orphan.

The younger one was rescued by Shi Wu a few days ago after being abducted. Despite searching for his parents, they couldn’t be located.

After getting to know them, they decided to give the two children a new name. The eldest became Pei Yi, the younger one was named Pei Xun, and the youngest, who was still a baby, was named Shi Yu.

They expanded the backyard and constructed two more houses for the new children. Shi Yu occupied the room previously used by Xiao Liu.