Chapter 455 Gong Wentao's Past
The next morning, Ye Shenge and her husband were woken up by the cries of their son, Little Youyou. This was precisely why they insisted on having their child sleep with them at night: it was convenient for feeding and didn't disturb the elders' sleep.
Zi Yisheng immediately fetched a basin of warm water, skillfully removed his son's diaper, which was heavy with urine from the night, scooped up the little fellow, and quickly washed his bottom before placing him beside his wife to feed.
"Wife, this thing is really useful. Can't we use it during the day too?"
Ye Shenge, with her eyes closed, held her son and fed him, her voice hoarse.
"My eldest brother worked hard to get these foreign items. What if people in the village see them and ask to borrow them? I haven't even told Tangtang about it. We should just use them for our convenience."
Zi Yisheng took out a new diaper and felt it. It was incredibly soft. He lifted his son's legs and put it on him.
"That's true. This way, I'll have several fewer diapers to wash every night."
"Pfft, you only washed diapers once and you remember it so well. Didn't Aunt Zhen wash them? And you're acting wronged."
Zi Yisheng showed no embarrassment. With so many people under him, if he had to wash diapers, wouldn't they be useless?
"I'll go make breakfast. You can hold our son and sleep a little longer. Mom will be here soon."
"Okay, go ahead."
Ye Shenge watched her son kick his little bare legs and nurse vigorously, a bead of sweat on his forehead. She picked up a small towel and wiped his sweat, then opened the blanket a bit, held his small hand, and he fell asleep again.
When Ye Mama entered, she saw her son-in-law busy in the kitchen. She quickly placed the basket she was carrying on the stove.
"Mom is here."
"Yes, has the child woken up?"
"He woke up just now. He should have fallen asleep again after feeding."
"Just boil some porridge. I brought some small pan-fried cakes made by Aunt Zhen, and I also specifically stewed papaya and bird's nest for Shenge."
"Alright, Mom, go inside first. And call Shenge to wake up."
Ye Mama usually didn't enter her son and daughter-in-law's bedroom directly. She would only go in after getting her son-in-law's permission.
As soon as she entered, she saw her daughter, half her shoulder exposed, feeding her son to sleep. She quickly draped a blanket over her daughter's shoulder, fearing she might catch a chill.
She then took her little grandson out of the crib, nimbly dressed him in a padded jacket, wrapped him in a swaddling cloth, and carried him out of the room.
"Yisheng, I'm taking the child. You two can sleep a little longer after you eat. Come over for lunch."
Zi Yisheng hurried out of the kitchen with a spoon, catching a glimpse of his mother-in-law's retreating back. He shook his head helplessly. It seemed his son would be having formula again this morning.
Ye Mama carried the child home. Bai Grandma and Bai Grandpa were already sitting there. Even Ye Dad and Ye Mu'en, who had gone to the fields early in the morning, had not left.
"Oh my, has Little Youyou woken up?"
Bai Grandma was the first to reach out, carefully taking the child into her arms. She even lifted a corner of the swaddling cloth to peek inside.
"He should have just fallen asleep."
"Sigh~ Having a child at home makes me feel younger and younger. I feel restless if I don't see Little Youyou for a day."
Bai Grandpa was also grinning, while Ye Dad felt wronged. He had only held his grandson a few times since his birth, and he couldn't win against anyone.
Ye Dad glanced sideways at Ye Mu'en. If he were more capable, there would be a bunch of kids at home by now, and he wouldn't be left out.
Ye Mu'en, being perceptive, pretended not to see his father's sidelong glance. If he didn't see it, there was nothing he could do.
Soon, Xia Hong also came over with Little Hexu. Little Hexu was now eleven months old and would turn one after the New Year. He was well-fed and plump, looking as prosperous as Chen Tangtang.
Little Hexu could recognize people now. Seeing Little Youyou in the swaddling cloth, he reached out to grab him.
"Be careful, you'll wake up your little brother."
Little Hexu's hand was gently tapped by his grandmother. He wasn't angry but smiled and drooled.
"Hahaha, Little Hexu has such a likeable personality, just like Tangtang."
Amidst the laughter and playful noise, Little Youyou slept soundly. The elders praised him for this alone for a long time.
After Zi Yisheng pulled Ye Shenge up to eat breakfast, she went back to bed to sleep. Zi Yisheng also lay back down and held his wife, but his mind was preoccupied with Gong Wentao's situation.
When he first met Gong Wentao, he was almost at death's door, with severe burns all over his face and back. Even the doctors at the hospital couldn't do anything. It was only after they found scarce antibiotics that he was saved.
It was also because of this life-saving debt that Gong Wentao had followed Zi Yisheng for nearly ten years. Zi Yisheng had investigated the matter back then, but there were certainly details he didn't know.
The investigation revealed that Gong Wentao's wife, He Zhen, had a lover. She would secretly meet him whenever Gong Wentao was on a mission. However, the lover was not an ordinary person but someone who wanted to use He Zhen to extract secrets from Gong Wentao's work.
He Zhen, on the other hand, was dreaming of going abroad. Even if she knew the lover's identity, she didn't care. She even used their son, who was only one year old, as a threat.
Only the four of them knew the specific details of what happened at the time, but the other three had fled, leaving only the severely injured Gong Wentao. Gong Wentao had also retired because of this.
Zi Yisheng had never asked about it. He only helped search for He Zhen's whereabouts abroad. They seemed to have traveled through several countries. Later, He Zhen parted ways with her lover and found a new "backer," diverting to Mi Province.
Due to inconvenient conditions and Zi Yisheng's young age at the time, he didn't have many available personnel, let alone the ability to search for someone abroad. Therefore, the news was intermittent, but they never got any information about the one-year-old child.
Zi Yisheng feared that Gong Wentao would do something drastic. After all, no one could tolerate such hatred. But He Zhen was now in Mi Province, and it wasn't their territory. If she were caught, it would be difficult to get her out.
"What's wrong? I heard you sigh."
Zi Yisheng quickly patted his wife's back to comfort her.
"It's nothing. Go back to sleep quickly."
Could Ye Shenge sleep? She rarely saw her son's father sighing.
Ye Shenge moved back a little, so she could see her husband's expression clearly, as he was good at deceiving her.
"What's really going on?"
Zi Yisheng knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so he told her about Gong Wentao. Ye Shenge was silent for a long time. If something like this happened to her, she would pursue revenge to the ends of the earth, wouldn't she?
It could be said that Gong Wentao should have had a very good life, and even his career should have been flourishing. But it was ruined by one woman, and now even his only child might have met with misfortune.
What kind of hatred and grievance led him to encounter such a disaster.
"I think we should handle this with special procedures, no need to worry about where it is. If it doesn't work out, we still have a boat. We can tie the person up, put them on the boat, and throw them into the sea. Then, all hatred and grievances will be gone."
Zi Yisheng smiled helplessly. His wife was thinking too simply.
"Just the issue of the child alone could be used by He Zhen to manipulate us again. If she says the child is hidden somewhere else, what can you do? Killing her might be satisfying, but there's no clue about the child's whereabouts."
"That's true. He Zhen would never tell the truth. Wait, no! I have medicine. It's specifically for people who don't tell the truth. How could you forget?"
"True Words" was Ye Shenge's most powerful invention. No one could escape the control of "True Words," not even those who had undergone training.
Zi Yisheng slapped his forehead. They had lived too peacefully for the past year or two, and he had forgotten his wife's abilities.
"I really forgot. I'll send someone to deliver it to Uncle Gong right away."
"Do you still have any? I'll get you some more."
As she spoke, Ye Shenge took out all her stored goods from her space. She hadn't had the chance to make medicine in the past year, so her stock wasn't much. She would need to make more to be prepared for emergencies.
After all this fuss, Ye Shenge was no longer sleepy. Her breasts were full and she needed to "relax" with her son.
Ye Shenge wore a small padded jacket made by her grandmother, tied her hair into a high ponytail, and when she went out, she looked like a young and beautiful girl again, showing no signs of having given birth.
"Shenge, you're up!"
As soon as Ye Shenge stepped out, she ran into Luo Xueli. She was walking side by side with her elder cousin, clearly just off work.
"Yes, what are you two up to?"
"Aunt Bai invited me over for dinner today."
Luo Xueli's happiness was evident, and anyone could see her good mood.
"Hmph, why didn't Auntie invite me for dinner today? Is it because she's bringing a new daughter-in-law home and doesn't want me to cause trouble!?"
Ye Shenge's teasing made Bai Chufan playfully hit her head twice.
"Mischievous, we'll go for dinner later."
"Hmph, I'm not going. I want to eat with my Little Youyou. I won't disturb your important business."
After saying that, Ye Shenge waved goodbye to Luo Xueli and ran off, disappearing into her family's gate within a few steps.
"Shenge is so lucky, so many people dote on her."
"That's because she deserves to be doted on!"
Bai Chufan deliberately stated his position. He didn't want to marry a foolish wife who would bring unhappiness.
Luo Xueli didn't quite grasp the meaning of Bai Chufan's words and nodded in agreement.
"If I were as beautiful as Shenge, my dad would definitely dote on me more. But my mom wouldn't. She loves her two sons the most."
"It's not about how beautiful you are, but about the heart. In our family, as long as your heart is true, you'll be doted on."
Luo Xueli took this sentence to heart and pondered it carefully.
Bai Chufan didn't say anything more. He was the eldest grandson and was destined to inherit most of the Bai family's business. He didn't expect his partner to help him, but she definitely couldn't hold him back. Internal discord was absolutely intolerable.
"Chufan, I'm not stupid. I just don't like overthinking. But I never act with malice, especially towards family and people I care about."
Bai Chufan liked this aspect of Luo Xueli. She seemed silly, but she knew her limits. That was good. She lived a simple and clear life.