Chapter 357: Two Options!

Doumiao pointed to his belongings in the yard, then to the notebook on the stool. "I am studying. Grandpa teaches me so much. I must study hard and use it in real life. It is tiring. Sigh."

"Why do you sigh, little one? Grandpa teaches you for your own good," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile.

"I know. But if Grandpa teaches me, I won’t go out to play. Then Fourth Grandpa won’t steal me away," Zhu Zhibin answered seriously.

Zhu Yanyi paused. "Doumiao, you said Fourth Grandpa wants to steal you? What happened?" She realized something must have occurred while she was away, involving the third and fourth branches of the family.

"They want to steal me to be Uncle Xiangyao’s son. Dad and Mom are worried, so they send me to Grandpa’s house often. Today Grandpa was busy, so Mom didn’t let me go. I am playing here," Zhu Zhibin explained. His words were unclear, but Zhu Yanyi understood that something serious had happened at home.

"Ani is back!" Xie Xinlian heard Zhu Zhibin’s shout and came out. Seeing Zhu Yanyi holding him, she said, "Your sister just returned. Stop bothering her. Get down, or she will be tired."

"I am not tired," Zhu Yanyi replied. She gently placed Zhu Zhibin on the ground and held his hand as they walked inside. She took out several items. "I bought more local specialties on the way. This bag is for you, Mom. Please pack some to give to Grandma Xiaoqiao and Aunt Xiangju later." She paused. "I will take the rest to Grandpa to give to others."

"Okay. I remember," Xie Xinlian nodded.

"By the way, Mom, what did Doumiao mean about being stolen?" Zhu Yanyi asked urgently.

Xie Xinlian smiled. "It wasn’t stealing. Your Aunt Qiaolian is pregnant. An old midwife named Chen said it is likely a boy. They want to keep the baby, but the policy does not allow it. Also, Uncle Xiangyao works for the police station. If they have an extra child, he will lose his job. So they asked us for help. Dad refused naturally. Your Fourth Grandma said if they lose the baby, they want Doumiao adopted into their family. Dad got very angry and refused again. We were worried they might do something drastic, so we kept Doumiao at Grandpa’s house. But the day after tomorrow is Second Uncle’s engagement. It is busy these days, so I brought Doumiao back."

Zhu Yanyi was surprised by all that had happened while she was away. The fourth branch was always prone to trouble without reason. She decided to ask Wang Ye and the others to keep an eye on them to prevent any issues. For now, the most important thing was Xie Shengyu’s engagement.

"Second Uncle is getting engaged? How did I not know? Who is the girl?" Zhu Yanyi asked curiously. She remembered that in her past life, Second Uncle Xie Shengyu’s wife was named Wang Xiaoya. On the surface, she seemed fine, but after marriage, she was restless and lazy. To enjoy life, she made Xie Shengyu work away from home, taking all the family’s money to her娘家 (natal home). When the Xie family had no money left, she abandoned their seven-month-old daughter, Zhu Yanyi’s cousin Xie Guiyun, and returned to her natal home. She refused to come back and even refused to see her daughter. Later, when Xie Guiyun was seven, they divorced. Xie Guiyun was raised by Qi Qiaoer. Xie Shengyu and the family had tried many times to bring her back, but she refused.