How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Zheng Peilan rambled on for a long time, but Guo Zixing couldn't catch the main point and could only piece together the gist of her chaotic narration.

The gist of it is that Zheng, the comprador, recently brought back a woman from who-knows-where, and he dotes on her so much that she almost surpasses his own daughter in affection, so he can't accept it for a while.

"...I'm not saying my dad has to stay with her for life, but...but he should at least find a woman with a clean background. That woman is crazy and doesn't seem normal at all. How can they be a family?"

Zheng Peilan vented her anger, while Guo Zixing remained silent. Perhaps his impression of Zheng Peilan was too idealistic, so he felt a sense of disgust upon suddenly seeing her lose her composure.

He keeps saying he's embraced new ideas, but can't he actually accept a woman who's been married before?

The reason I was so generous before was simply because the crisis hadn't yet arrived.

Just as they were chatting away, Zheng, the comprador, arrived.

Zheng, the comprador, stood at Zheng Peilan's door, knocking obsequiously and jokingly asking, "Miss Zheng, may I come in?"

"No!" Zheng Peilan shouted, still unable to accept that her father was kind to women other than her.

Guo Zixing couldn't pretend the other person didn't exist, so he stood up, cleared his throat, and said, "Uncle Zheng."

"Oh, Young Master Guo is here." Comprador Zheng entered, returning the greeting with a bow. "Is it really worth troubling you with such a small matter at my home? I'm so sorry."

“Not at all. Perrin is my friend. She’s not feeling well, so it’s only natural that I should come and visit her.”

Zheng, the comprador, had observed the room as soon as he entered. Although there were only Guo Zixing and Zheng Peilan in the room, they were behaving properly and did not overstep any boundaries. This made Zheng think more highly of Guo Zixing.

"Thank you so much. Perrin has a strong temper, and I'm afraid she often troubles you."

"Peilan is very good, dignified and elegant, a model of a young lady in our city. It's getting late, and since you're back, I'll head back now. Peilan, please get some rest."

Zheng Peilan turned her head away, ignoring her and remaining silent.

Comprador Zheng apologized on her behalf, saying, "You child, you really don't know any manners. Young Master Guo cares about you, and you don't even say a polite word?"

Zheng Peilan snorted coldly, "Now you know how to lecture me? Why didn't you teach me before? Instead, you sent me abroad. In all these years I've been away, who knows how many stepmothers you've found for me?"

Guo Zixing felt it was inappropriate to hear this again, so he took his leave, saying, "Uncle Zheng, I have other matters to attend to at the police station. Goodbye."

"Take care." Zheng, the comprador, first dealt with Guo Zixing, then personally escorted him to the door before returning.

Upon his return, Zheng the Comprador's face turned cold, and he was no longer as kind and humble as he had been towards Guo Zixing. Pointing at the maids serving Zheng Peilan, he asked, "Who leaked the information to Miss?"

The maids trembled with fear, none of them daring to answer.

"Speak!" Zheng, the comprador, roared, startling the group.

Finally, one of the maids couldn't hold back any longer and came out to admit it, "Master, it was...it was me."

Zheng, the comprador, lifted the maid's chin with his toe. "What did you say?"

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you I saw the master embracing a woman..."

"You scoundrel!" Before the maid could finish speaking, Zheng, the comprador, slapped her so hard she fell to the side. "How dare you say such things in front of Miss?"

"I...I'm just concerned about Miss. What if you marry a new wife? Then our Miss will...will..."

"Dad, please don't make things difficult for her anymore." Zheng Peilan came downstairs wrapped in a flannel blanket, looking haggard and clearly lacking energy.

When dealing with his only daughter, Zheng, the comprador, always restrained his temper. He put away his serious side and tried to be as kind as possible, saying, "Father is not making things difficult for her, but teaching her to be well-behaved. As a servant, she is always gossiping about the master and causing unrest in the family. That is the root of trouble for the family and cannot be let off easily."

Zheng Peilan glanced at the maid a few times, then turned her face away impatiently, saying, "You can handle it yourself."

"Miss, Miss, please don't! The family rules are so harsh. If I get whipped like this, I won't be able to live a normal life anymore! Please save me!"

The Zheng family had extremely strict rules; for someone like this who stirred up a quarrel between the two families, twenty lashes were considered lenient.

Moreover, regardless of gender, they were all stripped down to their pants, tied up in the courtyard, and publicly flogged. Almost none received more than three lashes; those who survived the first three lashes were doused with water and the beating continued until the punishment was complete.

Zheng Peilan felt a little reluctant. "Dad, after all, I asked her to find out. Let it go."

"Forget it? There are different ways of saying things. What if she exaggerates and messes things up? But since you're pleading for him, let's cut it in half."

The Zheng family used a wide rattan whip for their punishment, which had to be soaked overnight before the execution. Even if the whipping was halved, ten lashes were still unbearable.

"Miss, Miss, please don't punish me with the caning! Fine me whatever you want, just don't punish me with the caning, I beg you!" The maid cried her heart out, and Zheng Peilan couldn't bear it again.

"dad…"

"A kind heart cannot command an army, and righteousness cannot manage finances. Pei Lan, you will be taking over my position in the future."

Zheng Peilan paused at the comprador's suggestive words, then turned her head away and remained silent, letting the maid gag her as she was dragged away.

Comprador Zheng asserted his authority on behalf of his daughter, saying, "If you talk nonsense again, this will be the consequence. Although Miss is kind-hearted and will plead for you, that is not an excuse for your mistakes. If there is a next time, you will be kicked out of the Zheng family."

"Yes," the other maids answered in unison. Don't think that being kicked out of the Zheng family is a good thing. What Zheng the comprador meant was that once they left the Zheng family, they could no longer use the Zheng family's name to seek protection. In these days, a woman without a home and without a master is basically like a lamb.

Of all the maids in the row, the one next to that maid was trembling the most. Zheng, the comprador, glanced at her and thought to himself that he should leave this to Zheng Peilan to handle herself, as a lesson for her.

Even after dealing with the servants, Zheng Peilan was still unhappy. The thought of her father flirting with another woman made her feel disgusted.

"Dad, what are you going to do with that woman?"

Zheng, the comprador, looked slightly awkward. He had lived for so long and hadn't felt shy in a long time.

"I wanted to bring her back for you to meet. If you can accept her, I'll give her a proper status..."

"You want to marry her?" Zheng Peilan asked anxiously.

“Of course not,” Zheng the comprador quickly replied, “She’s a concubine, at most a mistress. Mrs. Zheng will always only have your mother. Actually, all these years I’ve only had you as my daughter, and that’s enough. It’s just that you’re grown up now, and you’ll eventually get married. I’ll be alone at home, and it’ll inevitably be lonely…”

Zheng Peilan could understand the emotion in Zheng's words. In fact, there weren't many people like Zheng these days, especially since he was a local gentry and a prominent figure. It was quite remarkable that he had been able to live as a widower for so many years.

“Dad, I was wrong. You’ve had a tough time all these years. But… but I just can’t bring myself to call another woman ‘Mom.’ I have my own mother.”

As Zheng Peilan spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again. Zheng, the comprador, hugged her tightly and comforted her, "Don't worry, I've just found myself a companion. She's not your mother, nor is she the mistress of the Zheng family. Our Zheng family only has one mistress. She was your mother before, she is you now, and she will be you in the future."

“Yes,” Zheng Peilan nodded, her voice choked with emotion. “That’s fine then. Consider it as using the money to find a female companion for my father, giving him a proper status, and saving face for him.”

Who is she?

"She's from the countryside, she's been married before, and she has a son."

Zheng Peilan frowned and said, "Is that really the case? What do you see in her? How about I find you another virgin, someone honest, decent, and pretty? I guarantee she'll be much better than this one."

Zheng, the comprador, sighed and said, "What do you take me for? If I liked that kind of woman, I would have found ten or eight by now. I just feel sorry for her because she is a woman who has a hard time raising her son alone. It's like when I was begging for food before I became rich. We are in the same boat."

Zheng Peilan finally understood why the wealthy and powerful Zheng comprador would choose a middle-aged woman with a child; now she knew why.

The Zheng family wasn't wealthy from the start. Zheng, the comprador, was shrewd and capable, but her foundation was too weak, and she was always frustrated and unsuccessful. In her most desperate times, she even had to beg on the streets with her child. It was during this time that her mother passed away.

It seems that when Zheng, the comprador, saw that woman, he was reminded of his deceased wife, and it was just a case of emotional transference.

While the Zheng family father and daughter resolved their misunderstanding and were all smiles, Guo Zixing and Qingru found themselves in a stalemate.