Chapter 207 - 207 Raising Him As Their Son
207 Raising Him As Their Son
Ever since her family received the news, Eldest Sister-in-law Qin had already gone to the Liu family to inform them.
It was also possible to send the child there to cool him down.
Besides, Mrs. Liu was more experienced in taking care of children than Eldest Sister-in-law Qin was, so the former would definitely be able to take better care of the child.
Qin Dazhuang watched as his eldest daughter-in-law carried the child away. He only came back to his senses when he heard his daughter calling him.
“Stop staring. Eldest Sister-in-law has sent the child for milk feeding. She’ll bring him back later.”
“It’s hot outside. Let’s go in and talk,” Qin Xiaoyao said.
“Mm-hmm,” Qin Dazhuang replied and entered the house with Qin Xiaoyao.
Qin Dahu and Qin Erhu were already waiting in the house.
Second Sister-in-law Qin even brought over some sugar water.
When Qin Xiaoyao saw the sugar water, she didn’t stand on ceremony. She picked up one bowl and gulped it down.
The trio of father and sons from the Qin family did the same.
After walking all the way back from the Zhang family’s village under the scorching sun, they were all extremely thirsty.
After finishing the water, Qin Xiaoyao and Qin Dazhuang pulled out the benches and sat down.
Then, they each took out a palm-leaf fan to fan themselves.
Qin Xiaoyao only fanned herself twice before she directed the fan at Qin Dazhuang and started fanning him.
Qin Dazhuang immediately broke into a grin and finally recovered his good humor.
“Fan yourself. Look at your forehead. It’s covered in sweat,” he said to his daughter.
“I’m heat-resistant. It’s not a problem! Father, you should cool down first!” As Qin Xiaoyao spoke, she continued to fan Qin Dazhuang.
Qin Dazhuang glanced at his daughter and didn’t reject her goodwill anymore. He enjoyed his daughter’s service in peace.
He even put down his own fan.
After a moment, he said with a sigh, “Sigh! The matter has finally been resolved.”
When they heard that, everyone in the Qin family also heaved a sigh of relief.
Qin Xiaoyao, on the other hand, looked at her father with a smile.
“It’s good that the matter has been resolved. But why are you still frowning?”
“You’ve seen it. It’s a younger brother, right? What should I name him?” Qin Dazhuang spoke up again.
As soon as Qin Dazhuang said this, the members of the Qin family immediately looked at him.
Qin Dazhuang paused for a while.
After a moment of silence, he said, “Let’s call him Xiaohu. Qin Xiaohu.”
He had actually thought of giving his child a name before, but he had only considered girls’ names. In the end, he had a son.
“Qin Xiaohu…” As Qin Xiaoyao repeated the name, she could not help but smile as she looked at her big brother and second brother.
Her big brother was called Qin Dahu, which meant ‘big tiger,’ and her second brother was called Qin Erhu, which meant ‘second tiger.’
Now, there was Qin Xiaohu, which meant ‘little tiger.’ It was obvious that they were a family. It was not a bad idea.
Qin Dahu and Qin Erhu exchanged glances and nodded as well.
“Xiaohu… That’s a good name,” Qin Dahu muttered.
“Then, from now on, Xiaohu will be our youngest brother,” he continued.
Both Qin Erhu and Qin Xiaoyao laughed.
The atmosphere instantly became more cheerful.
Qin Dazhuang didn’t laugh. Instead, he frowned.
He looked at his eldest son.
“Xiaohu will be given to your eldest son’s household. You can raise him as your son. When he grows up, let him take care of you and your wife in your old age,” Qin Dazhuang said.
The underlying meaning of his words was that he was not prepared to acknowledge this son.
This was for the good of his eldest son’s family and Xiaohu.
There was a high chance that the eldest son and the eldest daughter-in-law would not be able to have children in the future.
They could raise Xiaohu with all their heart and be good enough to be Xiaohu’s parents.
In addition, giving Xiaohu to the eldest son’s household could also avoid some trouble, especially from the Zhang family.
Qin Dahu was shocked instantly.
“But… How can I allow this?” he stammered.
Xiaohu was his father’s son, his little brother. How could he be Qin Dahu’s son?
Although Qin Dahu had thought in this direction before, he quickly dispelled the idea.
Qin Erhu and Qin Xiaoyao also frowned and looked at Qin Dazhuang.
It was indeed not very ethical to do so, but it was reasonable.
Keeping Xiaohu in the eldest son’s household would indeed save them a lot of trouble.
Qin Xiaoyao thought for a while and suddenly said, “I think it’s feasible!”
When she saw everyone looking at her, Qin Xiaoyao said, “Many people knew that Madam Zhang was married to Father.”
“Now that Xiaohu has returned suddenly, and he’s Father’s child, it is inevitable that others will talk.”
“In this current situation, Xiaohu will not be able to break all ties with the Zhang family. Father has also divorced Madam Zhang, which is not good for Xiaohu.”
As Qin Xiaoyao spoke, she turned to look at Qin Dahu.
“Why don’t you and Eldest Sister-in-law just adopt Xiaohu, Big Brother?”
“Let’s just take it that Eldest Sister-in-law gave birth to Xiaohu. At that point, Xiaohu would have a father and a mother. Even if the neighbors around us get suspicious, it’s not good for them to say anything without evidence.”
“In this way, our family can completely cut off all ties with the Zhang family. When Xiaohu grows up, people won’t laugh at him either.”
It was entirely possible for a child whose mother had been divorced to be laughed at by his peers.
To ensure that Xiaohu had a happy childhood, Qin Xiaoyao supported her father’s idea.
When she saw that Qin Dahu was still hesitating, Qin Xiaoyao chuckled and said, “Big Brother, don’t think too much about it.”
“Xiaohu is a child of our Qin family and your biological brother. And you two have such a big age difference.”
“It’s perfectly fine for you and Eldest Sister-in-law to raise him and let him acknowledge you as his father.”
As she spoke, Qin Xiaoyao turned to look at Qin Dazhuang.
“And Father, on his end, can be directly promoted to become a grandfather. It’s quite a good idea.”
“Hehe! And I still want to be his aunt!” Qin Xiaoyao said with a laugh.
Qin Dazhuang was still a little glum at first, but after hearing Qin Xiaoyao’s words, he suddenly felt that ‘grandfather’ sounded better than ‘father.’
After all, he was already an old man. It was a little awkward to be called ‘father’ by a baby in the future, now that he thought about it.
Besides, his two daughters-in-law had not given him any grandchildren yet.
In fact, he had been looking forward to hearing a little child calling him ‘Grandpa.’
Therefore, Qin Dazhuang spoke outright, “This matter is settled then.”
Qin Dahu was taken aback as he looked at his father.
He saw his father looking back at him.
“Alright!” Qin Dahu responded. It was considered that he had agreed.
When Qin Erhu saw this, he quickly said with a smile, “Great! I’m also an Uncle now!”
“I’m going to be his Aunt!” Second Sister-in-law Qin also chimed in.
The room quickly became lively.
The Qin family was overjoyed.
After a while, Second Sister-in-law Qin said, “The food in the kitchen is ready. Father, wait a moment. I’ll go bring out the food!”
Qin Xiaoyao quickly stood up.
“Second Sister-in-law, I’ll help you!” she said as she followed Second Sister-in-law Qin.
Second Sister-in-law Qin courteously asked Qin Xiaoyao to sit down, but she wasn’t able to resist Qin Xiaoyao’s persistent offer to help out.
The two sisters-in-law then set aside a portion of the food for Eldest Sister-in-law Qin.
After that, they set out the remaining dishes on the dining table.
Due to the happy occasion at home, the family ate very happily.
After dinner, Qin Xiaoyao and Second Sister-in-law Qin cleared the table and washed the dishes.
Eldest Sister-in-law Qin only came back when the two were halfway through washing the dishes.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, you must be hungry. Quick, have your meal!” Qin Xiaoyao quickly said to her sister-in-law when she saw her.
“Where’s Xiaohu?” Second Sister-in-law Qin asked.
At the same time, she went to help Eldest Sister-in-law Qin get the bowl and utensils.
“I left him with Mrs. Liu. Mrs. Liu said she would help me look after him. I’ll go over again after eating,” Eldest Sister-in-law Qin replied.
After accepting the bowl and utensils, she sat at a small table and began eating.
“Is Xiaohu alright? Has his body heat subsided?” Qin Xiaoyao also asked.
“He’s fine,” Eldest Sister-in-law Qin replied with a smile.
“Mrs. Liu is very good at taking care of children. When I carried the child over, she immediately helped to wipe the child’s body.”