Chapter 124 Shortcuts: Parents' Orders

"Go back." Qin Li'an had no intention of eating the dumplings.

"Are you still angry?" Zhu Meng asked. "My dad doesn't know what happened that day. I've already told him. Don't be angry anymore. Let's eat dumplings first."

“Take it back, I have food to eat,” Qin Li’an said. “It’s not that I don’t have food to eat.”

"Eat up, you..."

"Zhu Meng!" Zhu's father came over; he didn't want his daughter to have much contact with Qin Li'an.

Zhu's father picked up the lunchbox and reached out to grab dumplings to eat.

"Dad, why are you doing this?" Zhu Meng clearly didn't expect her father to do such a thing.

"Go back," said Father Zhu. "Don't stay here."

Zhu's father believed his daughter shouldn't be with Qin Li'an; others would think she was immoral. Even if Qin Li'an had helped Zhu Meng before, so what? Qin Li'an himself wasn't a good person.

"You all go back, I still have business to do." Qin Li'an wasn't too disappointed; he hadn't had any expectations of the Zhu family to begin with. Back in prison, Qin Li'an knew how unpopular he was; people called him worse than an animal.

Qin Li'an just wants to run the supermarket well now, at least it's his, under his name. The store wasn't rented; his older brother and father bought it. The store isn't particularly expensive now, and his brother and father genuinely care about Qin Li'an and have arranged a path for him.

Brother Qin works for a private company and earns a good monthly salary. He doesn't squander his money; he saves it up. Besides buying a shop for Qin Li'an, Brother Qin also has a younger son, and he needs to think about his son's future. Qin Li'an has already ruined most of his life; he can't afford to ruin his younger son's too.

"Dad, don't pull me." Zhu Meng wanted to stay, but her father insisted on holding her back.

Zhu Meng had no choice but to go with her father. While walking, Zhu Meng was very dissatisfied.

"Dad, why did you drag me back?" Zhu Meng said. "Qin Li'an helped me; he didn't do anything wrong."

“Then you can’t associate with him. He’s no good,” said Father Zhu. “He used to…”

“That’s all in the past, and we can’t blame him entirely,” Zhu Meng said. “He was young and didn’t know any better back then, and no one taught him much. Now, he knows he was wrong.”

“He’s been to jail; he has a criminal record,” Zhu’s father said. “What are you trying to do by getting close to him? Do you want to be his wife?”

"I……"

“You’d better not think that way,” said Father Zhu. “He’s not fit to be our son-in-law.”

“Dad, it’s good to admit your mistakes and correct them.” Zhu Meng frowned. “It’s not right of you to talk about him like that. If it weren’t for his help, I would be in a completely different situation now. You even told me to talk less, and when the neighbors misunderstood, you didn’t explain much. It was Qin Li’an who helped me! I’ve run into other people on the street, but they all pretended not to see me.”

This is also one of the reasons why Zhu Meng thinks Qin Li'an is a good person. She ran into another neighbor on the road, and the neighbor wasn't just one person, but a mother and son. They walked away quickly, and the mother wouldn't let her son even come close to Zhu Meng.

Zhu Meng was truly hurt; she was genuinely terrified, afraid something terrible was about to happen to her. Fortunately, she went to Qin Li'an's shop, and Qin Li'an helped her; otherwise, she doesn't even want to think about what might have happened.

Therefore, Zhu Meng thinks Qin Li'an is a good person. Qin Li'an has changed and is no longer the same as before.

“Any normal man who saw that should help you,” Mr. Zhu said. “If he had any conscience at all, he wouldn’t have stood by and done nothing. Don’t always try to speak up for Qin Li’an; he’s no good. If you stay with him, he’ll commit another crime…”

"Dad, this is discrimination," Zhu Meng said angrily. "He's already been to jail and has been punished. What, just because someone has made a mistake, does that mean they can't correct it? Is their life ruined? Can't they start over? He's making a living with his own hands now. Besides, his family is better off than ours. His dad earns more money, his grandfather has a pension, and he owns his own shop. Apart from his past mistakes, what's wrong with him? He only graduated from junior high school, and so did I..."

“You are belittling yourself,” said Father Zhu.

"Then go find me a good match," Zhu Meng said. "Someone with a house, a big house, and a wealthy family. Their family can't be worse off than Qin Li'an's. Go find one, find one for me."

Father Zhu was furious with his daughter. Everyone knew that the Qin family was one of the wealthiest families on their street. Not everyone owned a large house, not everyone had other properties to rent out, and not everyone could be a high-ranking executive in a private company like Brother Qin. They used Brother Qin's connections within the system. As long as it wasn't illegal, Brother Qin could get things done reliably.

Brother Qin's friends didn't expect him to be a sales genius; they just wanted someone who could cultivate good relationships with relevant departments. Having come from within the system, Brother Qin understood its intricacies and knew how to operate within it.

“Dad, do you think everyone is like you?” Zhu Meng said. “I heard that some families are planning to introduce their daughters to Qin Li’an. They say that as long as he reforms and has a shop, his dad will eventually give him a house, and he won’t have to worry about not having a good life. Supporting the family will definitely not be a problem, and the whole family won’t have to squeeze into a small house.”

"You...you..." Father Zhu hadn't expected his daughter to think this way.

“Dad, think about it carefully, am I right?” Zhu Meng said. “I’m all grown up now, not a child anymore, not someone who doesn’t understand anything. I know he made a mistake, a big one. But he accepted the punishment, he didn’t get away with it forever. A family like the Qin family, they have ways to prevent him from going to jail, but he still went to jail.”

Zhu Meng thought Qin Li'an was still acceptable; they shouldn't keep bringing up past events to criticize him.

Just as Zhu Meng thought, some neighbors did have their own opinions. Qin Li'an had made a mistake, but his family background was still quite good. Even if Qin Li'an's stepmother gave birth to a boy, the Qin family didn't only own one house; the house they were currently living in had many rooms, and Qin's father and older brother should still have a considerable amount of money.

If the family's daughter or granddaughter were to marry Qin Li'an, they could live a relatively comfortable life without having to struggle for money. The young couple could run a supermarket together, and they could manage to make a living.

Sure enough, a neighbor said to Qin's mother that Qin Li'an's supermarket might be too much for one person to manage, and that their daughter could go and manage it.

“You’ve watched my granddaughter grow up,” the neighbor said. “Your Li’an is old enough to date, right? They could give it a try.”

"Your granddaughter?" Qin's mother frowned.

“Yes, my granddaughter,” the neighbor said. “We’re all from the same street.”

Those in the underworld, those we know inside and out.

"This..." Qin's mother did not expect that someone would take the initiative to say this.

“My granddaughter isn’t a stunning beauty, but she’s pretty good-looking,” the neighbor said. “If the two of them were together and managed the supermarket together, they could make a living. You could even have a great-grandchild sooner, wouldn’t you say? Neither of them works in the public sector, so having one child doesn’t preclude having a second one.”

"Think about it, think about it." Qin's mother wanted to think about it some more.

The neighbor thought to herself, "What's there to think about?" She continued, "Your Li'an saved the Zhu family's daughter. When they heard others say bad things about your Li'an, they didn't explain. They all thought it was your Li'an's fault."

"Their family..." Qin's mother felt disgusted when she thought about the Zhu family. She thought her grandson shouldn't have helped Zhu Meng.

“They’re afraid their daughters will have any contact with your grandson, but not ours,” the neighbor said. “Every child makes mistakes, it’s just that your grandson’s mistakes are bigger. He was young and didn’t know any better before, but does he still know any better now? He’s much more polite on the street now. When he was little, he would kick stones at people while laughing.”

The neighbors watched Qin Li'an grow up, and the Qin Li'an of that time was very different from the Qin Li'an of today. The Qin Li'an of the past was extremely arrogant and didn't care about others at all, but the Qin Li'an of today is more reserved and much more polite, unlike the loud and boisterous Qin Li'an of the past.

“How many of those men outside are good? Some haven’t made any mistakes yet, but they’re going to make them after they get married,” the neighbor said. “Your Li’an made a mistake before marriage, so he won’t dare to do it again after marriage. Besides, your Li’an was fooled by those hooligans back then, so you can’t blame him entirely.”

The neighbor even came up with a reason, which meant that Qin Li'an had already been taught a lesson, and Qin Li'an dared not make those mistakes again.

This was the first time Qin's mother had heard this explanation, and she was very satisfied with what her neighbor said. Yes, that's exactly it. How many of those men outside are without fault? It's just that Qin Li'an is young and doesn't understand things, which is why he was encouraged to make a mistake.

"I'll talk to him about it," Qin's mother said with a smile.

Not far away, You Yun overheard Qin's mother's conversation with the neighbor. She thought the neighbor was incredibly perceptive. The neighbor's concern was that if their daughter married Qin Li'an, her children wouldn't be able to work in the government system. However, if the daughter had money to help her family, that was fine. The neighbor was clearly more concerned about their own children and grandchildren than their granddaughter.

You Yun shouldn't interfere in Qin Li'an's marriage; as a stepmother, she shouldn't meddle so much.

If You Yun didn't dare, Song Fenglan certainly wouldn't care.

However, Song Fenglan had heard some rumors. After all, Zhu Meng had gone to see Qin Li'an several times, and some people said that Zhu Meng liked Qin Li'an. Song Fenglan, unsure of the truth of these gossips, naturally sought confirmation from Qin Yizhou.

As the two strolled in the courtyard, Song Fenglan held a quarter of a pineapple in her hand.

“Zhu Meng did go to see Li An frequently, several times,” Qin Yizhou said. “I saw it when I went to deliver money to my mother.”

When Qin Yizhou saw this, he didn't go up to her. It didn't matter to Qin Yizhou who Qin Li'an was with. When Qin Li'an got married, Qin Yizhou would just give her a red envelope, and that would be enough.

“It’s been quite a few days,” Qin Yizhou said. “However, the Zhu family doesn’t want her to have much contact with Li’an.”

“Her parents are thinking of her best interests,” Song Fenglan said. “To be honest, with your older brother and your father backing him up, your nephew will get a considerable share of the inheritance. If a girl in the family marries him, she won’t have a bad life. But this will affect her chances of taking the civil service exam. What if she wants to work in the system in the future? Families who truly care about their daughters and granddaughters are unlikely to let them marry your nephew.”

Not everyone is after the Qin family's money, but money can indeed be very useful.

"Yes." Qin Yizhou nodded. "My brother was also affected, which is why he can no longer stay in the relevant department. If Li'an hadn't made a serious mistake and gone to jail, my brother would still be in the system."

"Your older brother has actually benefited from this misfortune," Song Fenglan said. "Isn't his salary quite high now?"

“It’s quite good,” Qin Yizhou said. “My older brother is a rather cautious person and wouldn’t dare to do anything illegal. He’s quite knowledgeable about some things, and he’s doing what he’s good at. The salary is high, and he can buy shops quickly. Our family has bought several houses, and my older brother knows that our family is buying houses. He’s also thinking about buying houses and gold when the time comes.”

"He does that too?" Song Fenglan raised an eyebrow.

“Learn from us,” Qin Yizhou said. “Big Brother’s brain isn’t that sharp; he thinks that if he follows our lead, there shouldn’t be any major mistakes.”

Brother Qin is a rather conservative person, but he saw the crisis behind soaring prices—that money is constantly depreciating. They needed to stabilize the value of money, which meant investing. But ordinary investments were difficult; one wrong move and you could lose money. Buying gold bars and houses seemed like the most suitable options.

Many older people feel this way.

“It depends on him,” Song Fenglan said. “If housing prices drop in the middle of the year, he shouldn’t say that we dragged him down.”

"I told him to handle it himself," Qin Yizhou said. "It's not like we forced them to buy it, so what does it have to do with us?"

“Hmm.” Song Fenglan nodded. “We don’t know how to invest, we don’t do anything else, so we’re content with what we have. We can’t handle those high-investment, high-return, high-risk things, so we shouldn’t do them, lest someone run off with our money.”

“That’s what my older brother thinks. He came from a relevant department and he’s the type to seek stability,” Qin Yizhou said. “He can’t take big steps forward.”

Qin Yizhou thought this was for the best; it was better than someone committing suicide after a failed investment. He had seen people climb to the top of buildings after investment failures. Many people tried to persuade them to come down, and those who were successfully persuaded did. The worst were those who jumped before anyone could even try to talk them down.

Qin Yizhou's relationship with his older brother Qin was just so-so, not as good as it was when they were kids. If his older brother said a few words, Qin Yizhou would just say a few words in return; if his older brother listened, he listened; if not, he just let it go.

“He is still your older brother.” Song Fenglan understood Qin Yizhou’s meaning. “You…you can tell him that he must pay his taxes on time and not evade taxes, both his personal income and the company’s income. Don’t be fooled by how many people are doing business now, growing wildly. In the future, the regulations will become stricter and stricter. If he gets caught, that’s a crime.”

“He knows it himself,” Qin Yizhou said. “Before he went to this unit, he told his friends that they couldn’t do anything illegal or criminal, and they wouldn’t dare to evade taxes. They want long-term development, so they naturally know that the petty gains in front of them are not worth it.”

“That would be best,” Song Fenglan said. “Paying taxes is fine if the tax rate is low, but if the tax payable takes up most of the income, people will feel the pinch and start thinking of all sorts of ways to avoid taxes. They’ll use other family members’ accounts to pay separately.”

"That's true," Qin Yizhou said. "I didn't expect you to know about these things."

“These things are simple,” Song Fenglan said. “I know what’s going on without anyone telling me. You know what? People say my taxes are high, that I can set up a company to avoid taxes. I didn’t. I said I pay my taxes normally and don’t do anything like that. Although the policy allows it, it wouldn’t be good if something else happened someday, so I’d better just pay my taxes honestly.”

Song Fenglan had no intention of tax evasion, even if it was legal.

It's all Song Fenglan's fault for watching too much TV and news. She always saw stories about celebrities or studios evading taxes. Those people never thought about paying taxes properly; they all wanted to pay as little as possible, giving money to individuals and setting up a studio to reduce their tax burden.

"Keep it simple," Qin Yizhou said. "Once you set up a company, you need someone to manage it, right?"

“I don’t care. Zihang will be doing scientific research in the future, so he won’t have time to manage it,” Song Fenglan said. “If someone else manages it, any mistakes will still affect us. It’s better to keep it simple. We don’t need to spend that much money. The money we earn is enough for Zihang to spend.”

"Mm." Qin Yizhou nodded.

"Time really flies. Qin Li'an isn't of legal marriage age yet, is he?" Song Fenglan asked.

"Not yet, still a little short," Qin Yizhou said. "But that doesn't stop him from dating and finding a partner."

When Qin Li'an

Hearing that Qin's mother wanted to let the neighbor's granddaughter work at his supermarket, and that the two of them could get to know each other, and if they were a good match, they could even get engaged and married.

"What?" Qin Lian thought he had misheard. How could anyone tell his granddaughter to jump into a fire pit? "Was it their family who said it, or were you the one who said it?"

“It wasn’t me who said it, it was her grandma,” Qin’s mother said. “Her grandma even praised you. She said you already know you were wrong, that you’ve worked very hard to run the supermarket, that you’ll have a good life in the future, that she thinks you’re a good person and wants you to be her grandson-in-law.”

"Grandma, it still depends on the girl's consent, not just yours." Qin Li'an thought of Zhu Meng. Zhu Meng had come to see him several times, but so what? The Zhu family didn't like Qin Li'an, and Qin Li'an carried a burden of guilt.

If the girl Qin Li'an had hurt were still here, Qin Li'an thought he would take responsibility for her. That girl was pregnant with his child and had been severely harmed by him. If he hadn't violated her, she wouldn't have had to leave her hometown, and her family wouldn't have pressured her so much.

After his release from prison, Qin Li'an inquired about Gu Qian's situation and learned how badly the Gu family had treated her. The Gu family had exploited Gu Qian to gain benefits from the Qin family; those people didn't genuinely care about Gu Qian.

Qin Li'an couldn't forget the hurt he had caused Gu Qian, and he didn't want to hurt other girls now. If a girl wasn't willing, Qin Li'an couldn't date her; he didn't want to be an animal.

"Since ancient times, marriages have been arranged by parents and matchmakers," Qin's mother said. "If her grandmother agrees, her parents will definitely agree too. They've watched you grow up, and they know you made mistakes before, but you were too young. Now that you know you were wrong, they're willing to entrust their daughter to you. They believe you'll treat their daughter well."

“Grandma, whether the elders agree or not, it still depends on whether the girl agrees or not,” Qin Li’an said.

"Zhu Meng has come to see you several times. Does she want to be with you?" Qin's mother said. "But her family won't let her be with you."

“Her family is right,” Qin Li’an said. “I’ve looked into it. Children born to someone like me can’t join the army, can’t work in the system, and might not even be able to become teachers. My sister didn’t become a teacher because of her maternal grandfather’s family situation. How could parents who truly care about their children possibly let their child marry me?”

Qin Li'an wasn't ignorant; he already knew the extent of the impact his past mistakes had on him and his child. Qin Li'an now understood why his parents divorced—his father didn't want to be influenced by his mother.

"Just answer whether you're willing or not," Qin's mother said. "Don't worry about anything else."

"I don't want to," Qin Li'an said. "And you shouldn't force them."

"you……"

"Grandma, I want to marry someone who cares about me and will be filial to you alongside me," Qin Li'an said. "Would you like a granddaughter-in-law like my own mother?"

"That won't do!" Qin's mother shook her head at the thought of Tian Keshu.

“That’s right. I’m not doing this well, but the parents are still so enthusiastic. They probably just want their daughters to take things back from us,” Qin Li’an said. “They’re doing this for the sake of the men in their families, not for the sake of their daughters and granddaughters.”

"We'll have to see." Qin's mother didn't want to run into another Tian Keshu. "But you two can still get along. Don't let her work at your supermarket. You can see each other from time to time."

“It’s easy to meet. We’re on the same street, and we often run into each other,” Qin Li’an said.

"That's true." Qin's mother nodded. "Then I'll tell her that you two young people should get to know each other."

Qin Li'an breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his mother had stopped pressuring him. He was afraid that she would insist on forcing him. Qin Li'an wanted to get some benefits from his mother, but he really didn't want to hurt other girls.

Now, Qin Li'an dares not go in front of Qin Yizhou, nor does he dare go in front of Qin Zihang. After Qin Li'an was released from prison, his mother wanted to hold a welcome-back banquet for him, but Qin Li'an refused, saying that his mother's leg was injured and that there was no need to hold one.

Qin Li'an was imprisoned for a crime, and to hold a banquet immediately after his release would make others think he's provoking them. Qin Li'an knows his mother cares about him, so he has to be careful, but his mother certainly doesn't.

Sometimes, Qin Li'an wondered if his grandmother and mother had been more attentive to him when he was very young, perhaps he wouldn't have made those mistakes as he grew older. Spoiling him too much had become a fault. But Qin Li'an couldn't say they were wrong; his mother had genuinely been very good to him.

Because of Qin Li'an, Qin's mother could treat Qin Zihang badly, and she also had some opinions about You Yunsheng's son. She even thought about robbing Qin Yizhou's demolition compensation.

Jiang Yufei visited her aunt Yu several times to collect the compensation money for the demolished house. Each time, she brought some inexpensive fruit. After visiting so many times, she couldn't always bring expensive fruit; cheaper fruit was fine.

Aunt Yu knew that Jiang Yufei had come for the demolition compensation. "Didn't I tell you? Don't even think about the demolition compensation. Your household registration isn't here, so you're not entitled to any."

“Mom, your and Dad’s household registrations are here. Grandma just died at the worst possible time. If she had lived a few more years…”

"Don't talk about your grandma." Aunt Yu's face turned cold. "I'm telling you the truth. The house was already allocated to your eldest and second eldest brothers. We live here, and our household registration is here too. We still need to take care of ourselves in our old age, so we need to save money for that."

"Do you really need that much money for your retirement?" Jiang Yufei asked.

"Whether we need it or not is our business," Aunt Yu said. "Look at other people, Du Xinyue used to make a fuss, but she's not making a fuss about demanding demolition compensation now."

“That’s because she made a lot of money. She doesn’t care about that money anymore,” Jiang Yufei said. “If I made a lot of money like her, I wouldn’t want the demolition compensation. I would buy you and Dad delicious food every day.”

"She can make a lot of money because of herself. What about you? Don't you know how to rely on yourself?" Aunt Yu asked.

"Me?" Jiang Yufei pouted. "Do you think I don't want to? Investing isn't easy."

"My second sister-in-law invested, but she was scammed out of her money. The Song family's companies are profitable, but they don't need our investment. Song Fenglan doesn't need to worry about the company; she has shares and can directly receive the money. Her eldest brother's family also has shares and receives dividends. I don't think my aunt and the others really care about you; they…"

"You're just after their money," Aunt Yu rolled her eyes. "Aren't you tired of always thinking about this and that?"

"I'm not tired," Jiang Yufei said. "What's tiring about it?"

“I’ve told you so many times, but you’re still the same. You’d better rely on yourself,” Aunt Yu said. “This money is not something you should be thinking about.”

“Mom, you keep saying the same thing over and over again. Why don’t you just say that you’re sexist?” Jiang Yufei said. “My aunt isn’t like you. She’s not sexist. She even gives her daughter a house, money, and a lot of other things.”

"Do you think our family can compare to theirs?" Aunt Yu said. "If our family were that rich, we would have given you all those things too. We don't have any money, so we can't give you this little bit, which is why you shouldn't even think about it."

“Mom,” Jiang Yufei said.

“Your second brother and sister-in-law have many children. After they get a house, they still need to buy a shop,” Aunt Yu said. “The new house may not have such a big yard. They can’t make tofu in the yard. They have to find a place to do it, and the hygiene has to be acceptable. Your eldest brother and sister-in-law are the same. They have many children. They need a house to get married. They need money for dowry and bride price. We will have to live with your eldest brother and sister-in-law.”

"A small apartment would be fine with me," Jiang Yufei said.

"No," Aunt Yu refused. "You already have a place to stay."

"Mom, you're being too stingy," Jiang Yufei said. "Just because I don't have children doesn't mean my children shouldn't get married."

“Your in-laws will figure something out,” Aunt Yu said. “Over the years, you’ve taken a lot from home. Don’t try to take advantage of everything…”

"Mom, you just want my eldest brother and sister-in-law, and my second brother and sister-in-law to be filial to you, right? You and Dad don't need us to be filial to you, so we won't be filial to you." Jiang Yufei stood up, and as she turned around, she took the fruit off the table, leaving none for her mother.

"..." Aunt Yu rubbed her temples; her daughter was truly spoiled.

There are simply too many children and grandchildren in the family, and there's not enough to go around. Jiang Yufei insists on coming over to get a share, which the eldest and second eldest sons' families will definitely not agree to.

Jiang Yufei always comes over and says things so openly and honestly. Yes, the country talks about gender equality, but how many families actually achieve gender equality? Besides, Jiang Yufei's household registration isn't at her parents' home, but at her husband's home.

This is just a rumor; the policy hasn't even been finalized yet, and Jiang Yufei is already saying these things. Couldn't Jiang Yufei wait until the policy is officially released? If they really had a lot of money, it wouldn't be unreasonable for the elderly couple to give Jiang Yufei some.

Jiang Yufei is already demanding this and that before the policy has even been released. What if there aren't enough things available by then?

Why didn't anyone else want the items, but instead gave them to Jiang Yufei?

That would be terrible!

Aunt Yu's idea was to wait for the policy to be released and for the final outcome to be determined. If there was a lot of money, they would share it with Jiang Yufei; if there was little, Jiang Yufei could forget about it. But Jiang Yufei insisted on a prompt answer and a promise from them.

Not to mention Aunt Yu, many families in the neighborhood are also thinking about the demolition compensation. The policy hasn't been finalized yet, and some brothers are already arguing. There are also the educated youth who returned from the countryside. The houses they live in were added later, and they also feel that they should receive demolition compensation, even if they don't have property certificates. They should still get something.

Since everyone lives so close, Aunt Yu heard it all. It's so tough; everyone's fighting over money.

Aunt Yu just wants her family to make ends meet, right? Why be so calculating? It would be better to wait for the policy to be implemented. Everyone is afraid that they won't get any benefits.

When Zhu Meng went to find Qin Li'an again, she saw a young woman standing next to her, which made her very unhappy.

"Are you dating?" Zhu Meng asked.

"No!" the girl quickly replied, "My grandma sent me here."

“If you don’t want to come, then don’t come,” Zhu Meng said. “You’re interfering with my dating life, and your actions will cause misunderstandings between us.”

Before Qin Li'an could speak, Zhu Meng went over and took his arm. Qin Li'an wanted to say that they weren't dating, but he didn't want to embarrass the girl. He also felt relieved that she didn't want to be in a relationship with him.

“Go back,” Qin Li’an said. “Just tell your grandma that I don’t like you, and she won’t force you to come here.”

"Then I'm leaving." The girl quickly walked away.

That girl genuinely disliked Qin Li'an. She didn't want a man who had forced himself on other women; she wanted a clean man. Even if he had dated other women, it didn't matter, at least it was aboveboard. Qin Li'an, on the other hand, was a criminal who had served time in prison, a fact known to many. The girl didn't want to become the subject of gossip, nor did she want people to say she was only after the Qin family's money.

It was her grandmother and her parents who had their eyes on the Qin family's money.

The girl didn't want to come, but her family was pressuring her, so she had no choice but to come.

"Look, she left so quickly, without even trying to win you over," Zhu Meng said. "She must have just breathed a sigh of relief, right? She never wanted to be with you!"

“I know she was forced by her family,” Qin Li’an said.

“Actually, you’re not bad at all, you’re a good catch, that’s why her elders are forcing her,” Zhu Meng said. “It’s just that my dad…”

“Your father didn’t do it, but I have a stain on my record that I can never wash away, and this stain will affect the next generation,” Qin Li’an said. “You didn’t take the civil service exam, you didn’t work within the system, so you don’t know. There were spies on my mother’s side, so I can’t join the army. I’m in jail, and my future sons and daughters will all be affected. When they get married, when they have grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, they will all be affected. Do you know that? It will affect several generations. It’s not just my generation that will be unaffected by others.”

Qin Li'an didn't want Zhu Meng to know nothing; she just wanted to be with him.

"I helped you once, you don't need to repay me with your body," Qin Li'an said.

"I genuinely think you're great and want to be with you, is that not allowed?" Zhu Meng said.

“No way!” Qin Li’an said, “Marriage is a matter between two families, and your family will never agree to it.”

"If they agree, would you be willing to be with me?" Zhu Meng asked.

“You can’t make a scene, crying, yelling, or threatening suicide won’t work,” Qin Li’an said. “It’s like forcing a melon; it won’t be sweet. If you really want them to agree, then they have to agree from the bottom of their hearts.”

Qin Li'an said this on purpose. He thought that if Zhu Meng wanted to persuade the Zhu family, then Zhu Meng wouldn't appear in front of him for quite some time. After a while, Zhu Meng would understand.

With a few days left in summer vacation, Qin Zihang invited Zhang Xiaohu to his home for dinner.

Zhang Xiaohu spent almost the entire summer tutoring. When he wasn't tutoring, he handed out flyers or worked part-time at shops. He would do anything to earn some money. He wouldn't do anything illegal.

Qin Zihang asked someone to prepare several more dishes, including more meat dishes.

“Isn’t eating at my house better than eating at a restaurant?” Qin Zihang said. “It doesn’t have to be so expensive, and we can eat better.”

“Yes, your house is nice,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Hiring people also costs money.”

"It's alright," Qin Zihang said. "My mom has money."

"Aren't your uncle and aunt home?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.

"They went to see a movie," Qin Zihang said. "It's rare for them to have a day off together, so they went out to have fun without me, this big third wheel. I invited you over for dinner; they're not home, so we can eat as much as we want. My grandma even brought over some pastries this morning; you can have some too. Since you're free today, you can stay here."

"Nothing's been happening these past couple of days," Zhang Xiaohu said. "School's starting soon, and I've been working for so long, I was thinking of taking a short break."

Zhang Xiaohu rubbed his shoulders; he was really working hard to earn money. After school starts, he'll probably only have time on weekends; his weekdays will be fragmented. Even tutoring in the evenings will depend on the location; he can't go to places that are far away.

“I still gained a lot this summer,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “I’ll return half the money to you, and I’ll keep the other half.”

"Okay." Qin Zihang nodded. "As long as it doesn't affect your life and you have living expenses, that's fine."

“I didn’t ask my parents for living expenses; I said I would earn it myself,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “My mom said that if I needed money, I should tell her. Since she can’t send money over so quickly, she told me to borrow some from you first.”

“Your mother is in the south of the city, and you are in the capital. The distance is too far,” Qin Zihang said. “If anything happens, you can definitely come to us. My parents aren’t home. Come over and wait. There are so many people in our family; you’ll surely be able to wait for someone.”

“That’s right,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Then you can be considered my backup. If I’m a little short of living expenses, it’s easy to solve. I joined our school’s debate team, and sometimes I’m so busy that I don’t have time to do anything else.”

“Participating in some club activities is also good,” Qin Zihang said. “Now I basically spend all my time in the lab, attending classes and doing experiments.”

"Are you tired after doing experiments all summer?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.

"It's alright. I'll be very happy if I succeed," Qin Zihang said. "My mom will also come over to take a look and give me some pointers."

Qin Zihang met a senior student at the research institute. This senior student had been researching a certain area for a long time but still hadn't made any progress. Of course, the senior student's research was mainly done in the university's research lab; at the research institute, he did something else, and basically had to follow instructions, much like working at a company. Qin Zihang wondered how long the senior student would persist and whether he should change his research direction.

Others say that if we change direction, someone else can take over the research. What if someone else can finish it in no time?

This is not impossible.

Once, someone was struggling with a research project and asked Ding Wenbo to take over. When Song Fenglan learned about Ding Wenbo, she offered several suggestions, and Ding Wenbo quickly produced results and published a paper. The person who gave up regretted it terribly, but it was all for naught; he hadn't done a good job, nor had he made any contribution, while Ding Wenbo in the lab had succeeded.

Song Fenglan doesn't completely leave her students to their own devices; she still provides some guidance.

Sometimes, some people ignore advice and suggestions, thinking they are invincible. Even if they fail, they stubbornly continue the experiment. They believe that sooner or later they will have a flash of inspiration and be able to make the experiment work in no time.

"Standing on the shoulders of giants makes things easier," Qin Zihang said. "If there's a shortcut, would you take it?"

"Why wouldn't I take a shortcut that doesn't break the law?" Zhang Xiaohu said. He came to the capital for university and had more contact with Qin Zihang, increasingly aware of the gap between his family and Qin Zihang's. They were far inferior in terms of connections. Zhang Xiaohu knew that some people at the university had families with companies, allowing them to start working for their families early and learn more knowledge sooner. But Zhang Xiaohu couldn't do that. "If there's a shortcut for me, I'll take it too!"