0p0 Chapter 196: Should I Keep It?
Chapter 196: Should I Keep It?
Huang Xinghua suddenly covered her mouth and widened her eyes, "Su Tai, do you think the person who abandoned the child did so because he saw that your family is well off and deliberately dumped the child there? It's impossible that he fell in love with Shen Quezi! He is a lame bachelor who lives with his mother who can't work. How can he possibly afford to raise a child!"
The more Huang Xinghua thought about it, the more she felt that this was the case. She was inexplicably angry. "Those people are really interesting! Seeing that they are so sinister, they just act like scoundrels and even do such a wicked thing as throwing a child away. Aren't they afraid of retribution?"
Su Tai's expression gradually became solemn. She would tell Shen Yi about Huang Xinghua's guess when he came back.
"I think what Aunt Huang said makes sense. The other party is most likely coming for our family. First, I just gave birth to a child and have milk. Second, our family is well-off and can afford to raise another child. Also, everyone knows that you are kind and righteous and will not stand by and watch someone die."
Shen Yi met Su Tai's resentful eyes and touched his nose awkwardly, "Wife, if the other party is really coming for our family, what should we do? Should we intervene or not?"
Su Tai was a little depressed. "I have my own child, I don't want to raise someone else's child, not to mention that I don't know what the child's background is! What if he turns out to be unfilial when he grows up? I can accept it if my own child is unfilial, but I can't accept raising someone else's child and turning him into an ungrateful person."
Shen Yi nodded, "You are speaking from your heart. I understand. The child is being raised by the village chief for the time being. The village chief is also trying to find out the child's background. If he can't find out anything, he will consider letting the villagers adopt the child."
"What if no one adopts it?" Su Tai tilted her head and looked at him nervously.
Shen Yi touched her hair lovingly, "Let's talk about that later. I'll go ask the village chief tomorrow and tell you when I come back."
The next day, Shen Yi went to the village chief's house after finishing his business.
As soon as I got there, I found Su Tai and her child there.
When Shen Ying saw him, he immediately stepped forward enthusiastically and said, "Shen Yi, you are finally here. I was just talking to your wife about the baby girl! I reported the situation to the village head yesterday, and the village head also told the town official.
The town magistrate takes it very seriously. After all, the people in the surrounding area have been living quite well in the past two years, and it is rare to hear of a family abandoning a child. We have asked in all the villages near Shenjiazhuang, and there are no suspicious families, so this matter is a bit tricky.
Your family is well off and you don’t have many children. I was just discussing with your wife whether we should let you take the child home to raise him.”
After saying this, Shen Ying's heart was lifted up. Seeing that Shen Yi was calm and composed, he couldn't figure out what he was thinking, so he said, "This is a matter of accumulating merit! After all, it's a life, we can't just ignore it. If you adopt the child, it will be good for your family's reputation, right?"
Shen Yi looked at Su Tai, who looked tense, and sat down calmly. "I understand what the village chief meant, but I just went to Shen Quezi to learn about the situation. It seems that Shen Quezi and his mother want to adopt the baby girl. Why did the village chief avoid Shen Quezi and come to our family?"
Shen Ying laughed awkwardly. He was too guilty to speak confidently. "Your family is well-off! How can a grown man like Shen Quezi raise a child? Besides, it's hard for him to support himself and his mother. It's only thanks to your family that he was able to save some money. I don't feel comfortable leaving the child to them!"
The most important thing is that he had promised the village chief that he would find a well-off family for the child. The village chief even praised him for this, so he couldn't go back on his word.
Shen Yi shook his head and sighed, "The village chief is very concerned about a baby girl whose origins are unknown, but he doesn't think about the villagers of Shenjia Village."
Shen Ying's expression suddenly changed. "What are you talking about? I have devoted all my efforts to Shenjia Village, so why don't I consider the villagers?"
Seeing that he was getting angry, Shen Yi explained, "What I mean is that the village chief should consider the villagers first, and then think about other things. You also said that Shen Quezi's family conditions are not good, and it is not easy for him to find a wife in that situation. He also knows that he does not plan to get married. Can you bear to see him live out his life alone? Now that he finally has a child next to his family, it is clearly a gift from God. With that child, Shen Quezi has hope for his future.
When the child grows up in the future, if he is a filial son and can find a live-in son-in-law, he can also live a life surrounded by children and grandchildren. No matter how you look at it, it is most appropriate to give the child to Shen Quezi.
Of course, there is another point. Although my family is well-off, the village chief knows how busy my husband and I are. We have limited energy even to take care of our own children, so how can we take care of other people's children?
People are biased. I don’t want my wife to worry about a child who is not related to me by blood.
Of course, the village chief's concerns are not unreasonable. Fortunately, although Shen Quezi's family is poor, Shen Quezi's mother can still do some light work, and it is not a problem for her to take care of the child for a few years. When the child grows up, they won't have to worry about him. I can give him some financial support.
From now on, I will send some food and clothes to Shen Quezi's family from time to time to help him share some of the burden. If I do this, my reputation will not be bad, don't you think so, village chief?"
Shen Ying saw that Shen Yi was talking very clearly and had considered everything. It was obvious that he came prepared. It took him a long while to come back to his senses. He smiled bitterly and said, "You have considered everything so thoroughly. What else can I say?"
He couldn't say that he wanted to give the child to Shen Yi because Shen Quezi's family was not as well off as Shen Yi's. If he did that, Shen Quezi would hate him and the villagers would also have some opinions about him.
Shen Yi smiled, stood up and picked up his daughter, then helped Su Tai to stand up, "In this case, I will go and tell Shen Quezi to come and pick up the child later. It just so happens that there are still a lot of things my daughter used when she was a child at home, so I will send them over as well.
Oh, right! The child should still be drinking milk! Our ewes produce more goat milk than we can drink every day, and my wife occasionally feeds the child goat milk, so it can be sent to the child as food. "
Shen Ying's last argument for persuasion didn't even hold water, and he waved his hand tiredly, "Alright, just discuss it with Shen Quezi yourself."
Shen Yi left with his wife and children, feeling satisfied.
Shen Ying complained to his wife Zeng.
Zeng scolded him, "You are a terrible village chief. When something like this happens, everyone would think about the people in the village, but you are worrying about the child first!"
"I'm doing this because of the village chief! The village chief has been reminding me, openly and secretly, to find a wealthy family for my child. What can I do?" Shen Ying felt that he was innocent.
Zeng became even angrier, "What? Is the child his?"
"Oh! Don't say such things!" Shen Ying quickly covered his wife's mouth, "How old is the village chief's grandson? With his conditions, do they need to abandon the child? But I suspect that the child is from Liujiazhuang, otherwise why would the village chief care so much? I just don't know whose family he is from!"