Having found a demon, I've decided to raise her.

Of course his wife would cherish him. Looking at her petite figure, Chen Ming smiled, squatted down, and nuzzled her cheek, saying—

"I'm glad you care about me."

Liuli nestled in Xiao Guqing's arms, looking at his unlucky appearance. Her blue eyes showed a hint of pity, and she reached out her little paw to touch him, saying—

"Master, why didn't you dodge?"

"Because there are some things you can't hide from; you can't run away from what you're protecting."

He smiled and patted her head. Although he had been hit, it calmed everyone down. In fact, his actions in stopping the old man after being hit made him seem responsible.

If he had dodged it, the effect wouldn't have been as good.

Of course, he didn't think that much at the moment. He simply felt that he should help Chen Mei take the blame, even if it meant shifting the blame. As long as it wasn't directed at his lover, it didn't matter.

Upon hearing his words, Liuli's eyes widened slightly, a thought flashing in her blue pupils.

Having someone who cares and cherishes you is the best thing, something that no other thing can compare to, the most fulfilling happiness.

He has many such blessings.

He took Gu Qing's hand, pressed it against his face, thought for a moment, and said—

"Why don't you guys stay here and not come to watch? I reckon what's coming next... will be very bloody..."

A bead of cold sweat slid down Chen Ming's forehead.

They have already toured the village and have basically dispelled the heavy rumors surrounding Aunt.

So what's next...?

Chen Ming swallowed hard, finally arriving at the front of his old home. He looked at the tightly closed gate, the white walls on both sides weathered and mottled from wind and rain.

In the future, the courtyard wall has been demolished and rebuilt many times. Due to the extremely primitive environment, in addition to being exposed to the wind and sun, many vines would spread up and cover the wall with a thick layer, causing it to corrode quickly.

When Chen Ming was a child, he liked to climb by grabbing onto those thick vines, which was quite dangerous. His uncles would cut the vines down, and each time they cleaned them up, he would feel quite disappointed.

However, these cleanups became much less frequent later on, as everyone moved out and rarely returned to the village. Only those who couldn't make a living outside would stay in their hometown to look after houses.

Of course, there are still many people living here now.

He leaped lightly over the wall and landed on the uneven, rough stone-paved road. But this road had stood for a long time; it was only recently paved with cement.

As you walk into the courtyard, through the brick and stone corridor that is green with moss, the wooden handrails are blackened from long use, but they are not rotten.

A two-story building was constructed against the rocky hillside, with a Western-style building surrounding the tiled houses. It was called a Western-style building, but only because its style resembled Western cement architecture, distinguishing it from the tiled houses.

It also looks somewhat old.

He walked up the steps and looked down. A row of black-tiled houses was surrounded by trees. In front of the buildings was a pond with bamboo planted on the edge, swaying gently in the wind.

It feels familiar, yet not so familiar.

In his memory, there weren't this many tiled houses.

"Owner?"

Cerberus, seeing his dazed expression, followed his gaze and said—

"Was this your master's old home?"

"Well... I guess so. After all, it's my hometown. I just don't live there very often. I usually stay with my parents at their workplace, mainly for convenience when I go to school."

It's because rural hometowns are inconvenient, and people need to go out to study and work, so everyone is moving away, which is a normal phenomenon.

Even his father lived with his grandfather at his workplace, while his grandmother stayed in their old home to manage the household for his grandfather.

My grandfather married my grandmother through a local custom. A matchmaker acted as the go-between. The two families didn't look at each other's appearances or have any conversation. He simply carried his wife home and then lifted her veil. Whether she was beautiful or ugly was already a lifelong matter.

This seems quite incredible now.

But my dad told me that my grandparents have always been very close to each other. Even though they rarely communicate throughout the year due to work and the times, they still have a very deep bond.

Chen Ming was filled with mixed emotions, his mind in turmoil.

He had thought that he would be beaten by his family if he confessed to his aunt about what happened, but he never expected that he would return to this era and suddenly go from being beaten by his parents to a nightmare where his grandparents, uncles, and aunts would all join in.

This is some kind of abyss difficulty level!

Oh, so this is the abyss. Never mind then.

Chen Ming pursed his lips, suppressing his fear of his elders, and resolutely walked up the steps.

"Speak! What exactly happened! Who did this?!"

As he drew closer, he heard a strong, resonant voice, which startled him slightly, and then a look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

"Grandfather..."

He always called his grandfather "Grandpa," and that's how he's addressed him here.

Besides that loud and forceful voice, others kept trying to persuade him, but to little avail; instead, it only made him angrier.

Chen Ming walked up the steps and saw everyone gathered in front of the ancestral hall. The most eye-catching person was the girl kneeling in the middle.

Her flaxen hair reached past her waist, her head was slightly lowered, obscuring her pale eyes, she wore a blue and white school uniform, her pale lips were slightly parted, her hand gently stroking her flat stomach, her shoulders trembling slightly, she no longer knew what to do.

Faced with the gossip of the crowd and the anger of her relatives, it seemed as if everyone had become her enemy, and there was no place of peace in this world.

"How...did I get back here...?"

She murmured softly, her voice filled with helplessness.

Haven't I already traveled very far? From the village to the city, even beyond national borders, I've gone very far, letting time erase all the scars...

Were those just dreams? In truth, I have never left, I can never escape, I must face the darkest hour, a time without hope.

"Seventh Brother, calm down. Xiaomei, you too, tell us who the other party is, and we'll go and get justice for you. How can we let outsiders bully you?"

Another elderly person was trying to persuade him, holding the old man's hand and saying—

“Xiaomei made a mistake when she was young, but it’s not like it’s irreversible. I heard that surgery can be performed at the city hospital…”

Chen Mei's eyes widened suddenly. Clutching her stomach, she thought of Xiaoxiao, and her expression hardened. She looked up and said—

"No! This is my child!"

"What did you say?"

Grandpa was so angry he almost fainted, and said—

"Do you still want to give birth?"

"Yes."

Aunt's stubbornness completely enraged Grandpa. He was so angry that he trembled and swung his cane down hard, causing everyone to gasp in surprise.

"Seventh Brother!"

A young man rushed out to stop him, but someone was faster than him.

Bang!

The solid wood cane slammed heavily onto the person blocking Chen Mei's path, producing a dull thud.

Everyone was taken aback.

The young man had already grabbed the old man's hand, looked at him with his mouth agape, and said—

"who are you?"

“...My name is Chen Ming.”

Chen Ming glanced at the cane hitting his shoulder and felt that he had really suffered too many setbacks today. Everyone here was a highly respected elder, and it was really hard to handle.

What can Chen Ming do if they want to fight?

Lie down.

Okay, actually I figured I couldn't really hurt him anyway. Even though he was swollen, he had absolutely no strength...

The wound on his head suddenly burst open, spurting out a small jet of blood.

"..."

Grandpa was a little confused. He looked at his cane and realized that it had hit the other person's arm, so why was blood spurting from the other person's forehead?

Is this an attempt to extort money?

How dare someone so young try to fool an old man like me?

This is not good.

Chapter 848 Handsome guy, who are you...?

What did she feel at the moment of her birth? It seemed she didn't feel much joy, but rather a great deal of relief.

I really can't call myself a good mother.

She was given birth but not raised, and she was never able to face reality. But what could she do? She was just a child herself at the time.

There's no way to be responsible for anyone, and no way to make choices.

However, when she thought about the child in her womb being her own flesh and blood, her true family, she didn't want to give up no matter what.

She persisted, yelling and screaming, and even when her closest relative slapped her and told her to "wake up," she didn't give up.

Relying on the protection of her relatives, she willfully said that she would give birth to the child.

This was already the greatest protection for that child, being protected by her as an equally immature girl.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Her sister-in-law held her hand, looked at her with gentle eyes, carefully picked up the child beside her, and asked her—

"This is your child. Have you decided what name you want to give her?"

Her eyes were somewhat dazed as she lay on the hospital bed, tilting her head to look out the window. She had been up all night; the stars were about to disappear from the sky, only Venus shone brightly, and a sliver of light slowly broke through the horizon, gently caressing her face.

He stroked the young girl who had become a mother at such a young age.

"dawn……"

She murmured, a faint smile appearing on her face, and said—

"Let's call him Chen Xiao..."