Lucky Farmer Girl: I rely on metaphysics to support my family

Upon hearing what Boss Wan said, Master Zhou took a deep breath, stared at Aunt Liu, and asked in a deep voice, "Mrs. Liu, let me ask you, is Rui'er's serious illness related to you?"

Aunt Liu looked somewhat conflicted, but her mouth opened uncontrollably as she slowly said, "It was me who did it. I stuffed a black cloth doll into the wall of his bedroom and pricked his legs with needles."

Despite having suspected it beforehand, hearing the confession with his own ears still made Master Zhou's blood boil.

Raising her trembling hand, she pointed at Aunt Liu and cried out in a trembling voice, "You wicked woman! Why...why did you do this to Rui'er?! He is your own flesh and blood!"

Aunt Liu, still somewhat terrified from having just revealed the truth, blurted out involuntarily upon hearing Master Zhou's rebuke, "Your own flesh and blood? Hahaha..."

She laughed wildly and said, "Master, you are wrong, terribly wrong! He is not my son at all! He is the son I exchanged for, the legitimate son of my wife!"

Under the influence of the truth-telling talisman, Aunt Liu involuntarily answered Master Zhou's question. However, after answering, she regained her senses for a moment and quickly covered her mouth, afraid of saying anything that would be detrimental to her.

Even after saying almost everything, one still has to deceive oneself.

"What?!" Master Zhou exclaimed in disbelief.

Upon hearing this conclusion, he felt as if struck by lightning, and involuntarily took a step back, bumping into the coffee table behind him. The teacup crashed to the ground and shattered.

His face turned deathly pale instantly. Pointing at Aunt Liu, he said in a trembling voice, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Boss Wan's pupils shrank dramatically. Even though he had seen his share of storms, he was still stunned by the sudden truth.

However, he still stepped forward and gently supported Master Zhou's arm.

Seeing Master Zhou's surprised expression, he feared he wouldn't get anything out of him. He worried the time limit for telling the truth would expire, so he quickly asked, "Why were you switching the young master? Tell me the reason and what happened!"

When Mr. Zhou heard what Boss Wan said, he realized that he had lost his composure, after all, the news was really too shocking.

So Master Zhou composed himself and looked at Aunt Liu.

Under the influence of the truth-telling talisman, Aunt Liu continued uncontrollably, saying, "Back then, your wife and I were pregnant at almost the same time, and I knew that this was my chance! From then on, I began to plan. Your wife's due date was only twenty days earlier than mine. I secretly took labor-inducing drugs and calculated the time precisely. On the day your wife went into labor, I also 'went into labor' early and gave birth to my premature and weak son. My son was only twenty days later than the eldest son, so even if I had induced labor, he wouldn't have been so weak. I never expected that I would have overthought things during my pregnancy, which caused my child to be so weak."

Aunt Liu's eyes were vacant, as if she had returned to that chaotic night more than ten years ago: "That day, the delivery room was in chaos. The madam was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep. The midwife I bribed took the opportunity to switch the two children! Haha, the legitimate son that you and the madam cherished so much is actually my bloodline! And that sickly illegitimate son that you see as weak and sickly, needing careful care to survive, is the real legitimate son!"

Mr. Zhou was ice-cold all over and could barely stand. He was only able to stand up because Boss Wan never let go of his hand.

Seeing that Mr. Zhou was in very poor condition, Boss Wan said in a low voice, "Mr. Zhou, don't worry, taking care of your health is important. Sit down and rest for a while."

With Mr. Wan's help, Mr. Zhou sat down in a chair and took a deep breath before his emotions stabilized.

At this moment, Master Zhou finally understood why his "legitimate son," despite being born at full term, was so weak in his infancy. Meanwhile, his illegitimate son, who was born prematurely, had always been healthy and even stronger than the legitimate son.

He initially thought it was because Aunt Liu had a good constitution that her son, even though he was born prematurely, was still very strong.

He truly hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

"You wicked woman! Why did you do this!" Master Zhou roared hoarsely, his eyes bloodshot.

Aunt Liu said blankly, "Why? You were the one who provoked me first, yet I'm the one who ends up being a concubine, cousin? Why? Why! Since I'm inferior, then I'll make her son taste what it feels like to be inferior. I want my son to be raised as the legitimate son, growing up in luxury. And your legitimate son will be raised as an illegitimate son, always inferior because of his status, watching him being overshadowed by my son."

When Master Zhou heard Aunt Liu call him "cousin," his expression paused, and he was reminded of the past.

Aunt Liu was a distant cousin, but the two families had visited each other frequently in their youth and had a lot of contact. They were childhood sweethearts, but when they reached marriageable age, their families were not considering the feelings between the two young people, but rather whether the two families were suitable for a marriage alliance.

The Liu family's social standing was far inferior to their own, and the Zhou family was unwilling to discuss marriage with the Liu family.

Unable to withstand the pressure from her family, she finally agreed to marry Miss Li, whose family background was similar to hers.

At that time, he and his cousin still couldn't let go of each other. Later, his mother agreed to take his cousin as a concubine after the wedding.

He discussed it with his cousin, who was sad but eventually agreed.

And so, a month after the wedding, my cousin entered the household.

He only had one wife and one concubine in his entire life, and he never imagined that with just this one wife and one concubine, he would almost harm his own child.

Seeing that Master Zhou was lost in thought with his head down, Boss Wan asked again, "Since you have already switched the children and achieved your goal, why did you have to harm Scholar Zhou in the end? After all, he was the child you raised for more than ten years!"

"Why?" Aunt Liu asked, her tone puzzled, as if she herself was pondering the question.

Then, she slowly said, "Originally, I achieved my goal. That child was not as well cared for as my son since childhood, and I did not put much effort into his upbringing. But who told him to pass the imperial examination at such a young age! His fame has gradually overshadowed my son! I was worried and afraid. I could not let him continue like this, I could not let him have the opportunity to stand out and threaten my son's position! Since I cannot make him disappear, then let him be crippled! A crippled illegitimate son will no longer pose a threat!"

When Master Zhou heard what Aunt Liu said, he felt dizzy and a mouthful of blood rushed to his throat, but he forced it back down. He instantly collapsed.

He not only almost lost his true son, but also mistook a fish eye for a pearl, while discarding the real pearl as worthless!
He had always feared that the lack of distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children would give his illegitimate son undue ambition, so he usually showed limited concern for Rui'er. Only after Rui'er passed the imperial examination this year did he begin to treat him differently.

Thinking back on his attitude towards Rui'er over the past ten years, he felt like slapping himself twice. (End of Chapter)