But Mu Mu had been seriously ill and he was not particularly energetic. Gu Qingyao made him a bowl of porridge and a hardboiled egg for breakfast, and he had to drink his medicine again.

The child looked so much like Little Xu that Gu Qingyao naturally could not dismiss it. No matter what, she would have to investigate.

Jiang Jing and Mu Mu were brothers. According to Jiang Xun, they had the same father and mother, which meant that if Mu Mu was related to the Mo family, then Jiang Jing would be too.

She looked closely at Jiang Jing's features and realized that he did look somewhat like Mo Beihan.

He bore some resemblance to the two children from the Mo family, although it was not very obvious. He probably took after his mother.

Gu Qingyao decided not to tell Jiang Yingqiu before Mo Beihan came back. After all, she was not sure whether the two children were related to Mo Beihan's sc.u.mbag father. If she told Jiang Yingqiu, it might reopen her old wounds.

Everything could wait until Mo Beihan got back.

Mu Mu's health was very fragile. The child was too young and had suffered too much when he was young. If he was not carefully looked after, he probably would not live more than a few years.

So Gu Qingyao did not permit him to go home. She made him stay with her so that she could look after him.

Mo Beihan would be back in a few days. Gu Qingyao could afford to wait that long.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xun did not know what to do. Of course, he thought it was embarra.s.sing to stay with someone else, but Mu Mu was in poor health. His last illness had thoroughly frightened Jiang Xun. Now that Gu Qingyao had forbidden him to go back to his hard life, Jiang Xun really did not dare to bring him home.

But he knew full well that the Gu family had discovered that Mu Mu looked like the other child. The Little Xu they referred to might be Mu Mu's relative.

Under these circ.u.mstances, he did not dare to leave Mu Mu.

So he had no choice but to obey Gu Qingyao and stay.

Jiang Xun was embarra.s.sed to have the four of them living with the Gu family. Both he and Jiang Ping rose early every day to work. Jiang Xun would clean the cowshed with Gu Chonghua and Wen Ruyu, while Jiang Ping did the household ch.o.r.es.

He swept the courtyard of its snow almost every day.

It had been snowing heavily for the past few days. It was impossible to clear all the snow in the courtyard, but the stone pathways had to be cleared, as well as the corridors and the ground below the eaves. Jiang Ping swept these clean every day.

Gu Qingyao saw that these children were unbelievably mature.

Mu Mu was too young and could not do much. He was also in poor health and he enjoyed sticking to Gu Qingyao.

He liked to hug her and lean on her. Even if he did not do anything or say anything, he liked to be around her.

While they stayed with the Gu family, Mu Mu slept with Gu Qingyao every night.

The children seldom went out in winter, especially the Gu family's children who were strictly brought up. Little Six, Little Nine and Gu Fangting all had to stay home and learn to read and write.

Gu Qingyao also needed to do these things, but with Mu Mu pestering her, she was unable to enter her inters.p.a.ce. So she remained outside and taught the children to read and write together. She herself read the medical notes that Jiang Yiru had given her.

Mu Mu had never studied before. So when he saw that Gu family's children holding books, he looked on curiously.

When Gu Qingyao saw his bright, dark eyes, she smiled and carried him to sit next to her on a bench.

“Mu Mu, the older boys are learning to read. Shall I teach you how to read too? If you read more, you will be very capable when you grow up.”

Mu Mu's eyes immediately brightened when he heard that he could become even more capable!