Chapter 1: The Argument

Luan County, Green Mountain Village.

"Hey, have you heard? Old Qin's eldest son, Dasha, picked up a child and said he wants to raise this child as a daughter."

It was evening, and the women who had been working in the fields all day returned home without a moment's rest to tend to their vegetable gardens. Some were carrying water to water the vegetables, some were using hoes to loosen the soil and remove weeds, and others were catching pests before it got dark.

The village's vegetable gardens were mostly concentrated in this small area, with one family's plot next to another. A few women, while watering their gardens, chatted and gossiped, adding a bit of fun to their monotonous and heavy daily lives.

No one expected such a major topic to come up today, and it immediately caught everyone's attention. They were all shocked, stopping their work to look at the person speaking.

Some found it hard to believe and raised doubts:

"Is that true? The Old Qin family doesn't have much land, and they're already supporting a scholar. They can barely keep their family from starving. How could they be happy about Dasha picking up a child to raise?"

The others agreed, nodding their heads:

"That's right, that's right. Last year, when Uncle Qin decided to raise his sister's granddaughter, it caused a lot of resentment from his second son's wife. If they raise another one, it will surely cause a big fight!"

"Exactly! Even if Dasha and his wife want to adopt a child to support them in their old age, they should adopt a boy, not a girl. What's the point of picking up a girl?"

"True! Even if they like girls, they have a niece who is related by blood. Why would they go and pick up a stranger's child to raise as a daughter? No one would do such a foolish thing."

Dasha and his wife had been married for seven or eight years but had no children. If it were just that Dasha's wife couldn't bear children, that would be one thing, but she had been pregnant four or five times and miscarried each time at two or three months.

For this, the couple had burned incense and paper money and made offerings to the mountain, but the Goddess of Childbirth seemed to ignore their sincerity. In recent years, not only had they not been blessed with a child, but Dasha's wife's belly had also stopped showing any signs of pregnancy, and it looked like they would have no descendants.

Not that no one had suggested they adopt a child from their brothers, but the couple refused to believe in fate and insisted on having their own. Now, to hear that Dasha had picked up a girl to raise, it seemed like a rumor.

The woman who was questioned was unhappy and shouted loudly: "I live next to the Old Qin family. I can smell what they eat every meal. I saw Dasha bring the girl home with my own eyes, and I heard him tell his wife he wants to raise her as a daughter. If you don't believe me, go ask them yourself. What benefit would I have in lying to you?"

She liked to gossip, but she never lied. She had no grudge against the Old Qin family. When Lin Qiuniang, Dasha's wife, was sad about not being able to have children, she would comfort her, unlike some people who would call her a hen that can't lay eggs behind her back.

Hearing her speak so confidently, the others looked at each other and began to believe her, starting to discuss the matter:

"I think this is unlikely. Qin's second son's wife is eight months pregnant. A few days ago, she said that if this child is a boy, she would give him to her older brother and sister-in-law as a son. How could a girl from nowhere take his place?"

"Indeed, it's unlikely. Not only is Qin's second son's wife difficult to deal with, but the Feng family will probably come to cause trouble when they hear about it."

"Ha, what trouble? Their own daughter and son-in-law are gone, and they refused to raise their granddaughter. Now they want to push her onto the distant relatives, the Old Qin family. Even if Dasha raises a dozen daughters, it has nothing to do with the Feng family!"

Everyone in Green Mountain Village knew about the Feng family's despicable deeds. If they dared to cause trouble, the villagers would spit on them until they drowned, and they would have no face to show in public!

The women, talking until they were hoarse, speculated whether the Old Qin family would accept the girl Dasha had brought home, not noticing that someone had quietly come with a bucket and quietly left.

...

At this time, the Old Qin family, like most families in the village, would usually gather around the table to eat dinner while the sky was still light, discussing the crops in the fields and planning the next day's work.

But today, the Old Qin family was different. The low, old, and drafty kitchen was cold and empty, with no smoke coming from the chimney. The chicks that usually chirped and demanded food were quietly huddled in a corner. Even the spacious and flat mud courtyard was empty of children playing, and only low voices could be heard from the main room, creating a heavy and oppressive atmosphere.

All these changes were due to Qin Shan, the eldest son of the Qin family, who had picked up a girl while carrying wood in the mountains and wanted to raise her as a daughter.

In the room, all the men, women, and children of the Qin family were present. The adults were all serious, with no smiles on their faces. The children, some uneasy, some confused, and some curious, dared not make a sound, fearing a scolding from the adults.

Qin Laozhong, nearly fifty with gray hair, looked solemnly at his eldest son and daughter-in-law, his dark, thin, and deeply wrinkled face showing no emotion, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

Qin Shan, unsure of his father's intentions, but determined, spoke up: "Father, I'm twenty-six, and I've been hoping for a child for eight years with Qiuniang, but we've had no luck. I've accepted my fate and don't want to struggle anymore. I just want to raise this girl so that I won't be alone in the afterlife without anyone to offer incense and paper money."

What if she's not his biological child? As long as he loves her and raises her well, she will surely love him as a father. Even if she doesn't, it's his fault, and he will accept it.

For years, he had been longing for a child, almost to the point of madness!

"Brother, you shouldn't say that," Qin's second daughter-in-law, Zhao Caor, interrupted before Qin Laozhong could speak, ignoring her husband Qin Chuan's attempts to stop her. "We already agreed that if this child is a boy, we would give him to you as a son. My belly is already eight months along, and you bring back a stray child from outside. Is that how things are done?"

Since Qin Shan brought the child home half an hour ago, Zhao Caor had sensed something was wrong.

Zhao Caor had been married to the Qin family for six years and had two sons and a daughter. The sons were her treasures and her support in the Qin family, and she was unwilling to give them up. As for the daughter, she would eventually marry, and giving her away would mean losing the dowry money, which she was not willing to do.

She had planned to give her third son to the eldest couple as a son, thereby securing the family's wealth for herself. She had just found out she was pregnant with a boy, and after much persuasion, the elders had agreed to the plan. But now, everything was in disarray.

Humph, everything in the Qin family should belong to her sons. That stray child, without a father or mother, should go back where she came from. She wouldn't let her take what belongs to her precious son!

Qin Shan, not a man of good temper, coldly snorted and retorted: "I'm talking to Father. It's not your place to interrupt. Second brother, control your wife!"

The last sentence was directed at his younger brother Qin Chuan, whom he disapproved of for allowing his wife to interrupt.

Qin Laozhong raised his eyelids but said nothing, his face becoming even more serious, clearly displeased with his second daughter-in-law's interruption.

"You, you, um~" Zhao Caor's face turned red with anger, but before she could continue, someone covered her mouth from behind.

"Shut up, or I'll beat you," Qin Chuan said fiercely, his face dark. He didn't want to stop his wife, but he was more afraid of his brother's fists.

The men in the Qin family wouldn't directly punish a disobedient daughter-in-law or sister-in-law, but they could beat their sons or brothers.

Qin Chuan rarely spoke harshly, which immediately silenced Zhao Caor, who reluctantly closed her mouth.

Qin Shan wasn't stupid and knew what the couple was up to. He decided to use this opportunity to clarify things: "The adoption was discussed with Father and Mother, but I and my wife never agreed. Now that we have a daughter, your children should be raised by you."

After saying this, he turned to Qin Laozhong, looking expectantly: "Father, when should we inform the clan leader to add Nuan Nuan to the clan register?"

Green Mountain Village was a mixed village with about fifty to sixty households and seven or eight surnames. However, the Qin surname was the largest, making up two-thirds of the village. They had a clan register and a clan leader, and there used to be a clan school, but it had been discontinued due to a lack of talent.

Generally, girls were not added to the clan register, but if a family had only girls and no boys, and the girls stayed at home and married into the family, their children would take the girl's surname, and the girl's name could be added to the register.

Qin Laozhong ignored his son and suddenly asked his wife, Old Lady Miao: "What do you think about this?"

Qin Laozhong was the head of the family, and once he made a decision, he wouldn't seek others' opinions. Old Lady Miao, who always deferred to her husband, was surprised by the question and hesitated before saying: "It's true that the eldest son and his wife have no children, and I'm happy that they want to raise a child, but..."

She glanced at Zhao Caor's belly, clearly preferring that the eldest couple adopt the second son's child, as it would be a blood relative and better than raising a stranger.

Qin Laozhong nodded, his gaze falling on his eldest son and daughter-in-law, and he said solemnly: "Eldest son, eldest daughter-in-law, are you determined to raise this child?"

The couple's eyes lit up, knowing that the old man had agreed. Just as they were about to nod and say "yes," a hurried and loud voice came from the courtyard: "Wait—"

Soon, four people appeared in the Qin family's line of sight.

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