Going to Beijing to save his father, all the powerful officials in the city are vying to be his fath

Zeng Lao said seriously, "Liangchen, although I taught you to be worldly-wise and tactful when entering the officialdom, I wanted you to know the ways of the world but not be worldly-wise. You did something wrong in the matter with the Su family, but it was not intentional, so I can't blame you for that.

But it's your fault that you knew the whole story but didn't tell Su Qin. As a girl, she followed you here because she trusted you. If you still hide this from her, you will be betraying her trust.

The creation of a lie requires more lies to maintain it. Su Qin is a very smart girl. You took her to meet her father today. Su Jijing might not have said something to her. Maybe she has already had doubts about you in her heart.

If you don't explain things clearly to her now, there might be a lot of misunderstandings later on, which won't help you in saving the Su family."

Zhao Liangchen seemed to be lost in thought. He had not come into contact with many women and did not know how women thought. However, he knew that Su Jijing was a very smart man. He was at the scene when he was arrested. Zhao Kuo was still a member of the Zhao family. He must know that this matter was inseparable from himself and the Zhao family. Although he did not hear what Su Qin and Su Jijing said when he was in prison just now, nor did he notice anything wrong with Su Qin, this did not mean that Su Jijing did not say anything.

He looked at Su Qin who was picking vegetables outside the window. Perhaps, just like what the teacher said, if he didn't explain it clearly now, the misunderstanding would only get deeper in the future.

He turned around and said to Zeng Lao, "Okay, I'll talk to her after dinner."

Seeing that he had listened, Mr. Zeng nodded and pointed at the chessboard. The two began to play chess. However, Zhao Liangchen was still thinking about how to tell Su Qin. Mr. Zeng, who was always distracted and always losing his temper, pushed the chessboard out and went to light a fire for Su Qin.

Su Qin was also thinking about something. She had to think carefully about every step she would take next. If she took a wrong step, she would be doomed.

Zeng Lao came to help her light the fire, and she did not refuse. This was a good opportunity to ask some questions. She needed to know what kind of person Zhao Liangchen was and adopt different attitudes towards people with different personalities.

Mr. Zeng might be in a good mood, or he might want Su Qin to have a better impression of Zhao Liangchen. He answered whatever was asked, and even spoke up when no one was asked. Soon Su Qin even knew that Zhao Liangchen was a bastard, had a difficult childhood, was teased by his family because he was not liked, and was kicked by donkeys, chased by pigs, and pecked by chickens.

Zhao Liangchen was embarrassed to go into the kitchen, but he was afraid that Mr. Zeng would say something he shouldn't, so he squatted under the wall outside the kitchen and eavesdropped. The more he listened, the darker his face became, and he wanted to rush in and cover Mr. Zeng's mouth.

Fortunately, it was already dark, and Su Qin was really hungry, so she simply made three dishes and a soup. Before Zhao Liangchen rushed in to cover Mr. Zeng's mouth, they brought out the dishes.

However, because Zhao Liangchen was listening too attentively, he did not notice that the two people had already brought out the dishes, so they saw him squatting under the wall with his butt sticking up and eavesdropping.

Zeng Lao was so angry when he saw him like that that he laughed: "Look at what you look like. Don't say you are my student when you go out. It's too embarrassing."

Zhao Liangchen stood up quickly, his face flushed, and he faltered in his explanation: "I, I just wanted to come and see if you need my help."

Zeng Lao glared at him and stuffed the food in his hand into his hand: "Don't try to be so rude. If you wanted to help, you should have come in a long time ago. If you're afraid that I'll say something bad about you, just say it directly."

Zhao Liangchen knew that the teacher was giving him a way out, so he quickly left with the dishes.

Su Qin looked at Zhao Liangchen's back with a serious expression. She did not think that Zhao Liangchen's eavesdropping behavior was funny, but rather scary. Zhao Liangchen was monitoring her even during the short break of cooking. Does that mean that she has no secrets and freedom at all when living here? She has to live under surveillance all the time. Could it be that Mr. Zeng is also part of the monitoring team?

It seemed that she had to be more cautious. She thought about what she had just said and made sure that there was nothing wrong before she followed silently.

They had dinner in the main hall of the house. Su Qin served Zeng Lao a bowl of carrot, lotus root and pork rib soup and handed it to him with a smile: "Grandpa, this soup is good for your lungs. Drink more, it will be good for your health."

Zeng Lao took the soup and felt warm in his heart: "I didn't expect that someone would still care about me so much even though I'm old. This life is worthwhile."

After saying that, he drank the soup with a look of enjoyment. Su Qin originally wanted to please Mr. Zeng while eating, but the eavesdropping incident made her feel very bad. She really couldn't laugh anymore and just ate in silence.

Zhao Liangchen secretly observed Su Qin's expression and saw that she was unhappy. He thought she felt that he was the kind of villain who would eavesdrop on other people's conversations, so she was unhappy. He wanted to explain, but he didn't know how.

He didn't know why he suddenly squatted under the window and eavesdropped. He would never do such a thing before.

I wanted to apologize, but I opened my mouth several times and didn't know how to say it. No one spoke for a while and the atmosphere seemed a little depressing.

After finishing his meal, Mr. Zeng wiped his mouth with satisfaction and said, "Suqin, I didn't expect your cooking to be so delicious. It seems that I will have a good meal in the future."

Su Qin smiled and said, "When I was in the countryside and had nothing to do, I would occasionally learn some dishes from the cook at home and cook them for grandma. I hope you like them."

Zeng Lao smiled and nodded: "I like it, I like it. I am a lonely man in this life, and I have to make do with what I eat. It's okay as long as it's edible. It seems that you will make my taste buds picky in the future. I don't know if I can get used to eating simple meals without you."

Su Qin: "As long as you don't chase me away, Grandpa, I will cook for you for the rest of my life."

Zeng Lao laughed heartily: "How can it last forever? You will eventually get married. I see that you should be of marriageable age. I wonder if you have ever been engaged before?"

Su Qin shook her head: "No, my father originally said that he would ask my mother to help me find a marriage this year, but something went wrong before he found one."

Seeing her dejected expression, Zeng Lao thought she was afraid she wouldn't be able to get married, so he comforted her gently, "Don't worry, since I've adopted you as my granddaughter, I'll take care of your future marriage. Although I don't like socializing, I do have a few friends. When the time comes, I'll pick a suitable one for you from their grandchildren. Although they won't be rich, they'll all be from good families and we can still have a harmonious marriage."

Su Qin was surprised that the old man was so bold. It was really unlucky to be his friend. He actually introduced the daughter of a guilty minister to their grandson, and was not afraid that the whole family would be executed if implicated.

Although she complained in her heart, she did not refuse on the surface, but said: "Grandpa, you can find a husband for me, but I don't want to get married, but to find a live-in son-in-law, so that I can cook for you for the rest of my life."

Zeng Lao was surprised: "Recruiting a son-in-law? How can this be possible? How many men from good families are willing to be my son-in-law? I can't let your happiness be ruined just because I want to have a few meals. I only have a few years to live. No, no, no."

Su Qin persuaded him, "Grandpa, an orphan like me wouldn't necessarily have a good life even if I got married. If you were gone, I wouldn't have anyone to support me. If you marry a son-in-law, not only would I be able to stay with you for a few more years, but if you passed away, I, as the head of the family, wouldn't have to suffer so much."

Mr. Zeng disagreed: "No, I said I would find someone I know well. They are all good people and will not bully you."

Su Qin disagreed: "That's not necessarily true. People change, and death is like the extinguishing of a light. When you are here, people respect you and treat me well. If you are gone, they will no longer have any scruples and treat me badly. Even if the grandparents and parents of this family are good, there is no guarantee that the grandchildren will be good too. If they keep several concubines outside, I will still suffer."

Zeng Laoyu choked up, and had to admit that what Su Qin said made sense. When a person is alive, there can be guarantees, but when a person is dead, who can give guarantees? He hesitated and said, "Then choose first. If you meet a good family, you can marry. If you can't find a good family, if there is someone willing to marry into the family, that's fine too."

Su Qin nodded: "Okay."

That's what she said. The reason she asked for marriage was because she was afraid that Mr. Zeng would really take it seriously and find a husband for her. In her current situation, no matter who she married, it would be a good thing if she could survive.

Before, she was not opposed to getting married because she had her father as a support. Now that she is an orphan, getting married would be asking for trouble. Who would value an orphan, especially the daughter of a criminal? It would also increase the risk of her identity being exposed.

Seeing that it was getting late, Mr. Zeng wanted to give Zhao Liangchen a chance to talk to Su Qin, so he stood up and said, "It's getting late, my old bones can't hold on any longer, I need to go to rest. You guys eat, brat, Su Qin cooked the meal, and you'll do the dishes and clean up."

Zhao Liangchen quickly stood up: "Yes."