How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Yanru went back to school, saying she would come back during the summer vacation. Xiaofuzi and Xiaoerlang, the two younger ones, naturally went to school obediently.

Looking at the children in the yard, the oldest of whom was no more than twenty years old, Lao Hei suddenly felt like he had both a son and a daughter.

The sun shone brightly in late April. The apricot blossoms in the yard swirled and drifted down, and the two little ones loved to play and frolic beneath them.

After recovering from his injuries for more than half a month, Song Fu finally showed up. Leaning on his cane, he slowly walked to the apricot tree. Petals fluttered down, creating a sense of peace and tranquility.

Her face finally regained its color, and she was no longer as sickly as before.

The smile on Lao Hei's face froze the moment Song Fu appeared. He neither sought to verify Song Fu's background nor could he treat him as an ordinary junior anymore, feeling awkward and uncomfortable.

Song Fu naturally noticed Lao Hei's unusual behavior, but he was good at keeping quiet and didn't say anything.

"Mr. Xin," Song Fu greeted him.

"Are you all better?" Old Hei asked somewhat awkwardly.

Song Fu pretended not to see it and smiled gently as before, "It's almost done. The wound has scabbed over. I came here today to let you know that I can go to the hospital for another check-up myself today."

Old Hei nodded: "It's good to go and take a look, just in case there are any problems left."

"Okay." Song Fu readily agreed, then slowly walked out with a limp.

Seeing his desolate figure, Lao Hei couldn't bear it in the end. "Wait, let Wu Hui take you there."

A satisfied smile appeared on Song Fu's lips. When he turned around, his face remained innocent and kind.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Wu Hui."

Xin Wu Hui pouted. He was having a great time playing with Xiao Erlang, and this was such a hassle.

However, he wouldn't refuse Lao Hei's request. He stood up and clapped his hands, "Oh, Uncle, I only did it because you asked me to."

Xin Wu Hui reluctantly pulled Song Fu into the car, and they drove all the way to the hospital.

The road was smooth, but Xin Wuhui insisted on driving on a bumpy road.

Song Fu seemed unaware of the predicament he was in, gripping the handlebars tightly without uttering a word.

This made Xin Wu Hui feel embarrassed, but in the end, she still drove the car to the hospital smoothly.

After finding a quiet spot to park, Xin Wu Hui crossed his legs over the steering wheel and impatiently urged, "Hurry up, I have something to do later."

Song Fu smiled and said, "I see there are quite a few people here today. The check-up will take about two hours. Why don't you go back first and come pick me up in two hours?"

Xin Wu Hui's eyes widened. "Why didn't you say so earlier? You've wasted my time. I'm leaving."

Xin Wu Hui didn't actually have anything to do, but waiting here was just too boring, so he decided to leave. It wasn't like they wouldn't come to pick him up later.

Song Fu stood there watching Xin Wu Hui walk away, then put away his cane and turned to walk in the opposite direction from the hospital.

"Uncle Ren".

At the dimly lit alley entrance, a man in a long robe was waiting for Song Fu.

Uncle Ren pulled Song Fu over, "Come with me."

After making several turns, the two entered an ordinary house. Seeing that it was quiet around them, they sat down to talk.

"Why did it take you so long to contact me?" Uncle Ren complained.

Master Song sent Song Fu to keep an eye on the Lü family, agreeing to contact them every two weeks. Half of the vendors around the Lü family's residence were arranged by the Song family. Even so, Song Fu only contacted the steward, Uncle Ren, for the first time a month later.

Song Fu said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was injured and couldn't move, so I didn't send a message back."

Uncle Ren looked at him with concern, and when he squeezed his arm, he could clearly feel how thin his clothes were underneath.

"You little rascal, I noticed you were walking strangely earlier. What happened? How did you get injured?"

Song Fu lowered his eyes to conceal the glint in them, and then casually recounted in detail what had happened at the Zheng family's house.

"...The last time you came to see me in the hospital, I wasn't feeling well, so I only gave you a brief overview."

Uncle Ren frowned: "Didn't you say you were faking it last time? How come you actually got hurt?"

Song Fu shook his head, "I just made that up last time so you wouldn't worry. I'm all better now, so please feel free to say it."

Ren Shu was like a father to Song Fu; he had been raised by Ren Shu from childhood to adulthood. Therefore, although Song Fu wanted to find his biological parents, he was not obsessed with it; to him, those two were far less important than Ren Shu.

Uncle Ren gave him a few slaps, feeling sorry for him. "You little rascal, you've learned to only report good news and not bad news? Who am I to you? You never tell me the truth."

Song Fu smiled but didn't say anything.

Uncle Ren slapped him a few more times, sighed, and asked, "So what are you going to do next? Stay in the Lü family? I've noticed that Master hasn't mentioned Miss Lü much lately. Seventh Concubine is about to give birth, and the family is in a fierce power struggle. Sigh..."

Seeing him like this, I guess life in the mansion is going to be tough.

Song Fu lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before looking up and saying, "I plan to stay in the Lü family. By the way, Uncle Ren, there's something I'd like to ask you to inquire about."

Uncle Ren was taken aback. "What is it?"

Song Fu carefully chose his words: "How much do you know about the Zheng family's affairs?"

Uncle Ren frowned. "The Zheng family? I only know that they were involved in selling opium. Later, the commander-in-chief found out that it was the Japanese who were behind it, so he released the Zheng family and issued an official document to prove their innocence."

Song Fu smiled enigmatically: "Do you really think the Zheng family is innocent?"

"Whether he's innocent or not depends entirely on a single sentence from above. All I know is that the Zheng family has become increasingly audacious in recent years, daring to do any kind of business. The master has long kept his distance from him, and even Miss Zheng's return to the state banquet was dealt with hastily. Now you're talking about him, have you discovered something?"

Song Fu said, "I've discovered he has quite a few enemies, but his family fortune is considerable. What do you think of Miss Zheng?"

"I heard she's a returned student from studying abroad, very fashionable, a model of elegance in the city," Uncle Ren said with interest, carefully examining Song Fu. "You wouldn't happen to have any designs on that Miss Zheng, would you?"

Song Fu remained silent, only smiling, neither confirming nor denying.

Uncle Ren squinted at him: "You little rascal, you've got quite the ambition. But a rich and noble lady like that is beyond our reach. Lately, she's been getting close to the young lady in the manor!"

Song Fu raised an eyebrow: "When did she begin associating with the young ladies of the household?"

Uncle Ren sneered, "In the past, she was just a novelty, and everyone fawned over her. But ever since she was paraded through the city in a prison cart, even if she was innocent, it's enough to embarrass her. Now she's still bowing and scraping to our young lady, isn't she? Don't you know our young lady's temper?"

Song Fu frowned; this was something he hadn't heard of before.

Why is she doing this? Is she trying to make a comeback?

Uncle Ren shook his head. "Hmph, that's not true at all. I think she clearly has ulterior motives. Every time, it seems like she's after the young master."

"Young Master?" It's him again. Not only did he take over the banquet, but he also wants Zheng Peilan?

Unfortunately, one of them was the woman he loved, and the other was someone he already considered his for the taking.

Uncle Ren nodded, "That's right. I used to think that Young Master Guo and Miss Zheng were a couple, but it turns out that Young Master Guo was just playing around. Look, he even caught her himself. Now he's eyeing our young master."

A surge of anger rose within Song Fu, a fierce resentment filling his chest. What he had desperately sought, even risked his life for, was something Song Yuanliang could obtain with a snap of his fingers.

Why?

Uncle Ren noticed that something was wrong with Song Fu and quickly asked him, "Child, what's wrong?"

Song Fu quickly suppressed his emotions and said with considerable disappointment, "Uncle Ren, Miss Zheng and I have already made a private engagement."

"What?" Shocked, Uncle Ren nearly cried out. He quickly covered his mouth and whispered again, "Are you telling the truth?"

Song Fu nodded. "It's absolutely true. My injury is also inextricably linked to her."

Uncle Ren finally calmed down. "What happened?"

"That night, Miss Zheng may have drunk too much, because she took the initiative to do some...marital things with me."

Thinking back to that unpleasant night, Zheng Peilan, whose mind was controlled by the drug, seemed to possess superhuman strength and take control of the entire situation…

Song Fu felt a sense of forced humiliation, and when he woke up, Zheng Peilan's face was ferocious. Her first reaction was to take a knife and kill him. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he would already be a dead man.

Upon hearing this, Ren Shu's expression underwent a fascinating transformation.

Even though he had been the steward of the Song family for so many years, this matter was still too absurd.

"She is unfit to be the eldest daughter-in-law."

After hearing all this, is this the only conclusion you can draw?

Song Fu said, "Uncle Ren, I want to marry Zheng Peilan."

"You..." Uncle Ren stared wide-eyed at Song Fu in disbelief. "You child, when did you develop such ambitions?"

“Ever since I was almost killed by Cheng Pei-lan, Uncle Ren, I will definitely take my revenge.”

Uncle Ren's wide eyes slowly narrowed. "This..."

Song Fu pressed on, saying, "Uncle Ren, please help me. I can't swallow this insult. People fight for their pride, even Buddhas fight for a stick of incense. I'm determined to become someone of high standing."

Uncle Ren quickly covered Song Fu's mouth, making a decision in his mind. After a long while, he opened his eyes and looked away, not knowing where he was looking.

"My child, every benefit comes with a risk. When you reach my age, you may understand that peace is a blessing and a simple life is the true essence of happiness."

"But I'm still young. How will I know I can't do it if I don't give it a try?"

Uncle Ren glanced at Song Fu, and finally made up his mind, "Okay, I'll help you."

Song Fu finally broke into a smile. "Thank you, Uncle Ren. I will repay you many times over once this is done."

Seeing Song Fu's crazed expression, Uncle Ren was filled with worry.

Good fortune may be a harbinger of misfortune, and misfortune may be a harbinger of good fortune. Hopefully, he won't regret it in the future.