How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 110 The Wushan Incident (7)

As dawn broke, Boss Fan returned through the fog, and Wang's anxious heart finally settled down.

"solved?"

"Hmm," Boss Fan said in a muffled voice, his whole body exuding a chilling aura.

With a "pfft," Boss Fan coughed up blood. He had already used up all his strength and endured the pain the whole way; it had been truly exhausting.

"Husband, are you alright?" Wang Shi hurried over to check on him.

“I’m fine, it’s just…” Boss Fan gave a bitter laugh, “Let’s go to Xiaoshan’s hometown and take a look. If there are no worries, we’ll officially recognize him as our son. If there are still entanglements, we’ll just give him more money and that’s it.”

Wang knew him well, and upon hearing this, she realized that her hopes of having children were slim.

"Okay, sure."

As soon as it was light, the two of them, without telling either of them, hurriedly took Li Xiaoshan to their hometown.

Li Xiaoshan's home wasn't too far from Wushan. It was a small village nestled among the rolling mountains, isolated from the outside world. No wonder Li Dachuan would go to the mine to make a living.

Upon arriving home, Li Xiaoshan was the first to jump off the carriage.

"Grandma, I'm back, Grandma."

No one responded to him, and Li Xiaoshan's heart pounded, fearing that something he couldn't accept might happen.

"Grandma, where are you?" Li Xiaoshan cried out, his voice trembling with tears. He had searched inside and outside the house, but he couldn't find his grandmother anywhere.

The little one had already guessed what was going on: a frail old man who hadn't sought medical treatment or medicine for so long was probably in grave danger.

Wang looked reluctant and turned to lean against Boss Fan, wiping away her tears.

"Is Xiaoshan back?" an old voice sounded from behind.

Boss Fan turned around and saw an old man with white hair. "Hello, sir. We are Li Xiaoshan's godparents. We're here to see his grandmother when he comes back. May I ask who you are?"

The old man sighed, "It's too late, the person is already gone."

Although they had suspected it, hearing this was still hard to accept, especially for Li Xiaoshan. He rushed over, grabbed the old man's hand, and asked, "Grandpa Village Chief, where is my grandma? Is she still alive?"

The village chief reached out his withered hand and touched Li Xiaoshan's head. "She's gone. Her image is in the village ancestral hall. Your father doesn't care about her; it's been sitting there for three days now. Your uncle is the same; the messengers always say they can't find him. Sigh."

“My uncle…my uncle is dead too,” Li Xiaoshan cried out.

The village chief had not expected this, and his already troubled face became even more deeply furrowed.

"Alright, let's bury your grandmother first, we can't afford to delay."

No matter how unwilling Li Xiaoshan was to accept reality, he had no choice but to prioritize the old man's affairs after his death.

Fortunately, the villagers were very kind and honest. Especially after they learned that Li Dachuan had been swept away by the flood while secretly mining coal to make money, they felt even more sympathy for Li Xiaoshan, the only son. So all the relatives and friends helped with the funeral arrangements.

Boss Fan wasn't a member of the Li family, so he couldn't interfere. He gave the village chief fifty silver dollars, instructing him to make sure the funeral was conducted properly.

"No need, no need for so much." The village chief had never seen so much money before and immediately tried to refuse.

Upon seeing this, Boss Fan admired the man's character even more, and therefore did not allow him to refuse. "Please accept it. I see that the village is not well-off. If there are any elderly people like this in the future, please take care of them."

After the two refused again, the village chief reluctantly accepted it, and couldn't help but sigh, "You're right. If Xiaoshan's grandmother could have waited for these fifty silver dollars, she wouldn't have died with resentment. Alas, it's all fate."

After the village chief received the money, he sent a young man to invite a religious ceremony outside the village. As the only filial son and grandson, Li Xiaoshan naturally carried the memorial tablet and smashed the basin.

Li Dachuan was swept away by the water, and his body was never found. So a cenotaph was erected next to Li's mother.

"Grandma, Uncle, don't worry, I've met good people, Boss Fan and Aunt Wang. They're my godparents now, and they said they'd take me south to support my studies. Look, the clothes I'm wearing were bought by them, aren't they nice? Please bless them from heaven so they live long and healthy lives. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll eat well, sleep well, and grow up to be successful, so you can have a good time in heaven too. I won't acknowledge my father anymore. He treated you like that, I'll never acknowledge him again..."

Xiaoshan kept crying and shouting, and no one could bear to listen anymore.

The village chief pulled Boss Fan aside and said, “Boss Fan, you are a kind-hearted man. We are all at ease with Xiaoshan following you. But I like to be upfront about this. If one day you have your own child and don’t want Xiaoshan anymore, you can send him back. Although we are poor here, as long as you have some strength, you can still make a living in the fields.”

Boss Fan immediately assured him, “Old man, please rest assured, no matter whether I have my own children in the future, I will never abandon Xiaoshan. This child is honest and filial, and I love him dearly. I just want to raise him to be successful so that he can benefit the community and bring good fortune to our village in the future.”

"Whether it's a blessing or not, just remember what I said. Even if I die, I will pass this on to my son. We must leave Xiaoshan a way out."

Boss Fan couldn't refuse any longer, and to put people at ease, he had no choice but to agree.

Seeing him nod, the village chief felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

With the money given by Boss Fan, Li's mother's funeral, though hastily arranged, was still conducted with proper etiquette.

After the burial, they took Li Xiaoshan back to the old house to pack their belongings.

There wasn't much to pack up. Anything valuable had already been looted by Xiaoshan's father. There was no need to take the few tattered mats and rags.

After distributing the few remaining usable items in his home to the villagers, Xiaoshan kowtowed three times before locking the old house.

"Godfather, wait for me a moment."

Mr. Fan was puzzled, but he still let Xiaoshan out of the car.

Xiaoshan ran out in a few steps, broke off a peach branch from the edge of the village, and returned.

"I love the peaches on this tree the most. They're so big and sweet. No other boy can beat me to them. I'm always the first one to eat them every year." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again.

Xiaoshan wiped away his tears forcefully. "I won't cry anymore. I want to live happily. My uncle said that the most important thing for a person to live in this world is to be happy."

Wang hugged him affectionately, "Yes, our Xiaoshan should live happily, study hard, and become a high-ranking official in the future."

What is a high-ranking official?

"A high-ranking official... a high-ranking official is someone who has money and connections, and holds a high position of power."

"A high position of power?"

"Just like the village chief, he has the final say in the village. The higher the official's rank, the more people he manages."

……

As he chattered on and on, Xiaoshan gradually forgot his tears, and the carriage swayed and rocked its way back to Wushan Town.

"Boss Fan." Guo Zixing was already waiting at the door.

"Don't worry, I didn't run away."

Guo Zixing touched his nose, feeling a little embarrassed that he had been seen through.

Li Xiaoshan got off the car with Wang Shi, and Guo Zixing understood after a moment's thought.

Boss Fan is indeed a very cautious person.

In the presence of the group leaders from the Wushan Town mine and Guo Zixing's group, Li Xiaoshan formally kowtowed and began calling them "father" and "mother." From then on, they were no longer godparents but officially adopted sons.

"Xiaoshan, we won't change your name, we'll only change your surname. From now on, you'll still be called Xiaoshan, but you'll be called Wang Xiaoshan."

Xiaoshan frowned. "I don't want to be called Xiaoshan anymore, Dad. Please change my name."

After thinking for a moment, Boss Fan continued, "Then let's change 'small' to 'roar,' evoking the roar of a tiger and the cry of a dragon, as steadfast as Mount Tai. How about calling it Wang Xiaoshan?"

"Wang Xiaoshan, Wang Xiaoshan..." Xiaoshan repeated it to himself several times, liking it more and more each time. "Okay, I'll be called Wang Xiaoshan. I want to be a high-ranking official and earn lots of money to support my parents in their old age."

"Haha..." The child's words made everyone laugh.

From then on, there was no "Li Xiaoshan," only "Wang Xiaoshan."