Some of the children of the villagers, before they left, the bolder ones stepped forward and said to Zuo An and Lu Yun, "Let's play together from now on."
Actually, after the fight yesterday, they already admired these little ones very much. They were younger than them, yet their martial arts were so good. If they could play with these little ones in the future, no one would dare to bully them.
Lu Yun smiled and said, "Okay, I can teach you martial arts."
"Great," the children were extremely excited.
After seeing off the villagers, the Zuo family resumed their laughter.
Old Madam Zuo went forward to look at Old Master Zuo and suddenly exclaimed happily, "Eldest wife, second wife, quickly go and boil a bowl of congee for your father. Your father says he wants to drink white congee!"
"Really? Father has an appetite?" Wang Shi was overjoyed. To know that for several consecutive days, her father-in-law had only eaten two bites of food at each meal.
Cui Shi said happily, "It must be Madam Lu's medicine that's working!"
The Zuo family was very excited and deeply grateful to Bai Sheng and Granny Wu.
After the white congee was boiled, Old Master Zuo drank a small bowl. This made Old Madam Zuo so happy that she cried on the spot.
After drinking the congee, Old Master Zuo opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Lu Ye, Bai Sheng, Prince Yu, and others. Then, his gaze fixed on Lu Ye's face, and he mumbled incoherently, "Old... Old Fourth?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment. The eldest daughter-in-law, Wang Shi, immediately smiled and said, "Father, that is Young Master Lu, not our Old Fourth. Old Fourth... has gone on a long journey."
Zuo Siming quickly introduced Lu Ye and his party again.
Old Master Zuo's eyes never left Lu Ye.
Seeing his expectant gaze, Lu Ye made a decision in his heart. He exchanged a look with Bai Sheng, and Bai Sheng nodded at him.
The two called Lu Yun and Lu Yu, and the four of them walked together to Old Master Zuo's lounge chair and knelt down facing him.
The Zuo family, except for the three brothers, were all surprised. Consort Mei, Prince Yu, and Granny Wu were also stunned, not understanding what was happening.
Lu Yun and Lu Yu knew that their father had disguised himself before being with their mother, so the Old Master Zuo and Old Madam Zuo before them must be their grandparents.
Seeing their father and mother and two uncles kneeling, the four little cubs also toddled over to Bai Sheng and knelt down.
"Young Master Lu, Madam Lu, what is this..." Old Madam Zuo was so shocked she didn't know what to say.
Madam Lu had saved the Old Master, and it should have been her kneeling to them, so why was it reversed?
Tears flowed from Old Master Zuo's aged eyes, and he murmured hoarsely, "Old Fourth, it is... it is Old Fourth..."
Lu Ye, with red eyes, said, "Old Madam Zuo, Old Master Zuo, we only discovered this yesterday. Lu Yun, Lu Yu, and I are actually your biological grandchildren, and my sister Lu Hua is your granddaughter. Our father is Zuo Hanchen. Bai Sheng is my wife, your granddaughter-in-law, and the quadruplets are your great-grandchildren."
As Lu Ye spoke, everyone except those who knew was shocked.
The daughters-in-law and wives of the Zuo family looked at their husbands in surprise. The men nodded at them silently and whispered that they would discuss it later.
The children of the Zuo family looked at each other excitedly.
Old Madam Zuo, leaning on the back of her chair, trembled all over, "You... what did you say? You are my... Old Fourth's children?"
Zuo Siming and Zuo Mucheng stepped forward together, supported the old lady, and explained in a gentle voice, "The three of them are indeed Old Fourth's sons, and there is a little girl who looks very much like Old Fourth."
Old Madam Zuo broke free from her sons' arms, staggered forward, and tearfully stroked Lu Ye's cheek, saying, "My good... grandson, why did I feel... a sense of familiarity when I first saw you."
Lu Ye tearfully called out "Grandma" and was hugged by Old Madam Zuo.
Lu Yun and Lu Yu also cried out "Grandma," and Old Madam Zuo released Lu Ye and hugged them.
Then it was Bai Sheng and the four little cubs.
Lu Ye moved his knees to Old Master Zuo's side, held his hand, and said tearfully, "Grandpa, I am Zuo Hanchen's eldest son, your biological grandson."
Old Master Zuo's tears flowed, and he tried to move his arm to lift it. Lu Ye placed his hand on his cheek, "Grandpa, you must take good care of yourself. My wife and master have excellent medical skills, and they will definitely cure you."
"Okay," Old Master Zuo made a gurgling sound in his throat.
Old Madam Zuo was very fond of the four great-grandchildren, hugging them again and again. The four cubs also gave their great-grandmother a kiss on the cheek.
Old Madam Zuo seemed to suddenly remember something and looked at Lu Ye, "Xiao Ye, where is your father? Where is Old Fourth?"
Before Lu Ye could answer, Bai Sheng smiled and said, "Grandma, Father... he has a strange illness. We sent him to a doctor who specializes in treating strange illnesses. When Grandpa is better, I will take you to see him."
The three brothers of the Zuo family and the third uncle breathed a sigh of relief. For now, they could only keep it a secret from the two elders.
"He's sick, is it... dangerous?" Old Madam Zuo asked with a face full of worry.
Bai Sheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, Grandma, it's not dangerous."
Old Madam Zuo then asked, "Then, where is your mother? Whose daughter did Old Fourth marry?"
"Mother is with Father, taking care of him," Lu Ye said, wiping his eyes.
"Good, good, that's good," Old Madam Zuo murmured contentedly.
Zuo Siming, fearing that his mother would ask more questions about Old Fourth, pulled his family members to recognize them one by one.
Lu Ye and his party met their uncle, aunt, second uncle, second aunt, third uncle, cousins Zuo Song and Zuo Zhu, and the younger generation.
Zuo An scratched the back of his head and grinned at Lu Yun, "Little Yun, I didn't expect you to be my cousin-uncle, and I'm your nephew."
Lu Yun felt a sense of pride, like a liberated serf. Having always been the leader, he suddenly encountered Zuo An, who was a year older than him. He thought he would be forever suppressed by the title "Little An Ge" (Brother An). Unexpectedly, he was Zuo An's uncle!
A whole generation higher!
Lu Yun proudly patted Zuo An's shoulder and said, "Nephew, come, call me Uncle and let me hear it."
Zuo An grinned and called out "Third Uncle." Although his generation was lower, he now had a real blood relationship with Lu Yun, and they were truly family! This made him very excited.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yun said affectionately, "Don't worry, An'er. Uncle will look out for you from now on. No one can bully my nephew."
"Third Uncle, what about us?" Zuo Shan and Zuo Hai looked at Lu Yun expectantly.
Lu Yun took the opportunity to pull them into his embrace, "You are all my nephews. Of course, I will look out for you. When we return to the capital, I will take you to the street gangs so you can see your Third Uncle's style!"
Since they were going to acknowledge their ancestors tomorrow, Lu Ye and his party stayed at the Zuo family that night. Bai Sheng brought many new quilts, and with several carriages, there was enough space to sleep.