Chapter 41 Grandma, my sister doesn't like me, does she?

"Madam, the young mistress is back."

After the maid finished speaking, the two people in the living room looked over at the same time.

The aloof woman looked at Qin Shuzhi with a scrutinizing gaze.

The old lady was overjoyed and immediately stood up, saying, "It's Shuzhi who's back."

Qin Shuzhi, carrying the bag in her hand, called out "Grandma" and walked over with a smile. "I heard from a friend that a batch of new fertilizer arrived at the flower base today, so I went to get some for you."

"Good girl, you have the filial piety of your grandmother."

With a smile, Madam Shi stepped forward, took the things from Qin Shuzhi's hands, put them aside, and then pulled her over, saying, "Shuzhi, you've come back just in time. Come, let Grandma introduce you. This is your sister."

Qin Shuzhi followed her grandmother's gaze to the woman sitting on the sofa.

Actually, she had a rough idea of ​​who this person was, because she looked quite similar to Shi Yuanxing.

She is Shi Qingman, the eldest daughter of the Shi family.

"Hello, sister." Qin Shuzhi greeted her with a smile.

Shi Qingman remained seated, only raising her eyes to scrutinize her. "You are... my sister-in-law? Your name is... Qin Shuzhi?"

"Yes." Qin Shuzhi nodded, and quickly added, "Yuanxing and I were planning to treat you to a meal after you came back from your business trip, but we didn't expect to see you today."

If I had known we would run into each other today, I would have brought all the gifts I was supposed to give her.

"On business trip?"

Shi Qingman crossed her arms and scoffed, "Shi Yuanxing told you I was on a business trip?"

Isn't that so?

Qin Shuzhi looked at her in confusion, and was about to speak when she heard her grandmother exclaim, "Oh!" "Shuzhi, did you bring me soil too?"

Qin Shuzhi turned her head and saw her grandmother bending down to examine the things she had brought.

"Yes, this soil is perfect for growing flower seedlings."

"That's great, that's exactly what I need." Grandma picked up the bag and handed it to her. "Could you take this to the garden for me first? I'm going to the bathroom. Will you help me fertilize the plants later?"

"Okay." Qin Shuzhi didn't dare to delay and quickly took it, then politely said to Shi Qingman, "Sister, I'll talk to you again later."

Qin Shuzhi took the things and went to the back garden.

When she arrived at the small flower field that the old lady had fenced off, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to take her phone, so she went back to the living room to get it.

As she approached the door, she vaguely heard Old Madam Shi's displeased voice coming from inside.

"How could you treat someone like this on your first meeting?"

Qin Shuzhi suddenly stopped, hearing Shi Qingman's voice coming from inside:

"I didn't give her the cold shoulder, nor did I yell at her. What was wrong with my attitude?"

"She's your brother's wife, can't you be a little nicer to her?" Old Madam Shi said. "I don't care, you'd better watch your attitude during dinner tonight, don't scare her."

Shi Qingman said, "I'm sorry, I can't give you that kind of nice look you're looking for."

"you……"

"Since you have your granddaughter-in-law to have dinner with you tonight, you probably don't care much for my granddaughter."

Shi Qingman stood up, picked up her bag, and walked out, saying, "Anyway, I'm here to upset you, so I'm leaving."

"Hey, you brat, can't Grandma even say a few words to you?"

Shi Qingman walked straight toward the gate, waving her hand without turning her head, "I won't disturb you and your dear granddaughter-in-law's happy reunion."

"You brat."

Watching the person leave, Old Madam Shi sighed helplessly. Turning around, she suddenly noticed Qin Shuzhi standing in front of the side door.

Madam Shi's expression froze. "Shuzhi, how could you..."

Qin Shuzhi walked up to her, her face downcast. "Grandma, my sister doesn't like me, does she?"

Madam Shi quickly waved her hand, "No, no, don't misunderstand, she wasn't targeting you."

Qin Shuzhi said in a low voice, "I heard everything just now."

Grandma called her to the garden under some pretext, hoping to get this older sister to be more polite to her.

But because her sister was there, she left without even eating dinner.

It's clear that he dislikes her very much.

“No, that’s not it,” said Madam Shi. “It’s not that she doesn’t like you, it’s that she doesn’t like traveling far away.”

Qin Shuzhi suddenly looked up at the old lady, thinking she had misheard, "...A long journey?"

Madam Shi sighed deeply, pulled her to sit down on the sofa, and then slowly began to speak.

"You know that their mother, your mother-in-law, passed away early, right?"

Qin Shuzhi nodded.

"Do you know how she died?"

Qin Shuzhi paused for a moment, then shook his head.

She didn't ask about it, and Shi Yuanxing didn't mention it either.

Speaking of her daughter-in-law, Madam Shi sighed with regret, "She died in a car accident."

Qin Shuzhi's pupils dilated slightly, and then he heard Old Madam Shi continue.

“That was twenty years ago. Yuanxing was only seven years old and Qingman was only ten. My daughter-in-law took them to play at the house at the foot of Fengshan Mountain. That night, Yuanxing cried and said he wanted to eat glutinous rice balls from a famous old shop. His mother went out to buy them for him late at night. On the way, the car collided with an out-of-control truck... and he died on the spot.”

Qin Shuzhi's face showed great shock, and her heart ached sharply.

While feeling sorry for her mother-in-law's unfortunate experience, she also felt heartbroken for Shi Yuanxing.

He must have been heartbroken, grieving, and filled with guilt back then.

He was only seven years old then.

"Qingman blamed her mother's death on his departure, believing that he was the one who killed her. That's when the siblings started to drift apart." Old Madam Shi looked distressed but helpless.

"Not only Qingman, but Yuanxing also took the responsibility upon himself. Later, at the age of fifteen, he went abroad alone, ostensibly to study, but in reality, it was because he knew his sister didn't want to see him that he left."

Hearing this, and thinking of the sorrow he had endured during his years of traveling far away, Qin Shuzhi felt a pang of heartache.

She whispered, "He must be feeling very guilty and sad too..."

Whenever she thinks of her grandson wandering alone abroad, the old lady can't help but wipe away her tears. "For so many years, no matter how much I begged or coaxed him, he always refused to come back to China. At most, he would come back to see this old woman two or three times a year, and even then, it was only for a short stay."

Qin Shuzhi suddenly remembered what Shi Yuanxing said in the car that day: "Not everyone is lucky enough to have a mother's love and family affection again after losing them."

She only now understands the meaning of those words.

“Over the years, he must have missed his mother very much,” she said softly.

"Who can argue with that?"

Madam Shi said, "Every time he returned to China, he would go to that old house in Fengshan and stay there for most of the day."

Qin Shuzhi's long eyelashes fluttered.

The old house in Fengshan was where she and Shi Yuanxing first met.

"Everyone outside envies the Shi family for their vast wealth, and I, this old woman, have enjoyed all the riches and honors. But who knows the bitterness in my heart?" Old Madam Shi lamented.

“My grandson lives abroad year-round, and my son and granddaughter are both workaholics, so I’m rarely seen. This huge mansion is mostly empty except for me, an old woman. It’s so desolate that it doesn’t feel like a home.”

Qin Shuzhi felt a pang of pity seeing the old woman's eyes welling up with tears. Just as she was about to comfort her, she heard her say, "But things are different now."

Grandma Shi held her hand, looking at her with a face full of relief, "Shuzhi, Grandma really should thank you properly."

Qin Shuzhi looked puzzled, "...Thank me?"