Chapter 56

The next day, Qiao Qi's ward.

"Son-in-law..." As Qiao's mother packed her suitcase for discharge, she looked up anxiously and called out to Zheng Juyong. But then she realized that things were different now, and even if she was very happy with her son-in-law, it was irreversible. He had a father and a mother, so how could he endure such humiliation from her daughter? If it weren't for the fact that her father-in-law was so stubborn and soft-hearted, and couldn't stand her crying and begging beside the hospital bed yesterday, and if it weren't for the rare loyalty and loyalty of her son-in-law, how could her Qiao family have the face to ask the Zheng family for such kindness? She immediately changed her tone, feeling embarrassed to call him son-in-law anymore, "Juyong, are we really in such a hurry to be discharged? This confinement period will take at least two weeks..."

Qiao Qi, already dressed, leaned against the edge of the bed, sneering at her mother for still being reluctant to leave Guangzhou: "Mom, why don't you stay?"

Mother Qiao was displeased: "Qiqi, what are you talking about! I've tried my best to accompany you. I want you to stay here for a few more days. Isn't it for your own good?"

Qiao Qi no longer had to hide anything in front of Zheng Juyong. She had encountered an unexpected change and could not adjust her mood in the short term. She was even more angry at this moment: "I'm doing this for your own good. Didn't you stay at my good brother and sister-in-law's house for the past two nights? I just had the operation, and it was the first night, and you were in a hurry to go. It's only been two nights so far, how could you have stayed enough? Why don't you stay a few more days? I usually give so much money to their family, it's just right for them to be filial to you! If you go back to Yunnan with me, there will be no other nanny who will volunteer to help you take care of me, a troublesome person!" Qiao Qi pouted at Zheng Juyong who was waiting on the side. She didn't feel any guilt towards him at all. By now, everything had been said and they had parted ways, and even the names were open.

Zheng Juyong always thought she was an only child, but he didn't know that she had a brother and sister-in-law and their family in Guangzhou.

Mother Qiao glanced at Zheng Juyong and said angrily, "How could you say such things to Juyong's face? I'm your biological mother, so I'm fine with putting up with you, but Aunt Zheng took care of you for two nights. No matter what, you should have gone downstairs this morning to see her off properly, or at least said thank you! And now, even I'm not pleasing to you? You have to drive away all of us who have done so much for you, so you can feel satisfied?"

Qiao Qi shed two tears, which landed on the lacquered white bed frame. She cried, "For my own good? You didn't care about me before, so why are you still bothering me now? Now I'm done. You can't get anything from me anymore!"

Originally, to take care of the others present, the mother and daughter spoke Mandarin. But when Qiao Qi talked about this, probably because she mentioned something that the Qiao family did that was not suitable to be told to outsiders, Qiao's mother squatted beside the suitcase, gave her daughter a look, and suddenly said a bunch of dialect that Zheng Juyong could not understand, but he could feel that it was a strange and unpleasant ridicule.

Yesterday, when Qiao's mother ran to Ward 205 and cried and pleaded with her mother for her daughter, her mother's words of love for her daughter were so touching that her mother was moved and could not bear her pleading, so she acquiesced to many of Zheng Juyong's ridiculous decisions. Although she was still secretly sad this morning, she finally followed Guan Ying back to Jingxi out of compassion.

Looking at Qiao's mother now, her expression has changed. It's completely different from yesterday's. She's very sharp and aggressive. Qiao Qi is traumatized both physically and mentally. Even if she did something wrong and deserves a lesson, shouldn't her mother, like her own mother, feel the pain first? It's clear that their mother-daughter relationship is not good at all!

The more Qiao Qi listened, the more she couldn't stop crying, but she was too stubborn to let her tears fall. She lowered her head and blinked continuously, her eyelashes already wet.

Seeing that Qiao's mother was still talking endlessly, Zheng Juyong couldn't bear it any longer. He interrupted, "Auntie, I don't know who arranged this hospital, but I'm afraid it has a lot to do with Qian Shaowei... Qiao Qi would be better off moving as soon as possible. At a time like this, the family's information is more private, and you'll be safer... I've discussed it with Sister Ling. The environment in Yunnan is better, and it's more convenient for you to recuperate. Plus, it'll be more convenient for you to take care of Qiao Qi at home."

Qiao Qi still blinked, her head bowed, but she sneered faintly, a hint of emotion woven into her. She'd never shared family matters with him before, and he'd only considered her independent, carefree, and uniquely individual. He'd assumed she must have a family that gave her plenty of freedom. Now, it seemed, she wasn't exactly happy.

At the last, low-key engagement party in Jingxi, with everyone present, he'd only noticed her mother's unusual warmth and her father's fondness for alcohol...so much so that he'd failed to discern any conflict. Or perhaps, seeing Qian Shaowei already feeling uneasy, he'd neglected to observe any undercurrents within the Qiao family. Alas, it was his carelessness that had perhaps eluded him, perhaps oblivious to the injustice Qiao Qi had suffered. Even now that he knew, there was nothing he could do for her. He had to return to Saudi Arabia tomorrow for business matters, leaving him only one day. All he could do for her was escort her.

When Qiao's mother heard him speak, she realized she had gone too far and finally stopped talking. Smiling, she pushed the suitcase towards Zheng Juyong and switched back to Mandarin: "I'm getting old and confused. That Qian guy is not a good person. If Sister Ling hadn't reminded me, I would have gone to the production team to make a scene. I would have skinned him alive and felt so sorry for my daughter's loss!"

Zheng Juyong took the suitcase and glanced around the room. "You didn't forget anything. Have you got everything? Let's go. The car is already waiting in the yard."

Qiao Qi followed behind and retorted, "Oh, yes, why don't you go find him? Maybe you can get a lot of money back. My brother and sister-in-law are waiting for money, right?"

Qiao's mother, who had been walking in front, turned around, as if she was about to raise her hand to slap someone. Zheng Juyong saw that this was not good, so he stepped in between them and said, "Auntie, we shouldn't let the taxi driver wait too long downstairs. I'm afraid he'll have to charge us more."

"Really? He hasn't turned on the meter yet, has he?" Qiao's mother turned around quickly and walked out, not caring whether her daughter needed help walking alone behind her.

Qiao Qi followed Zheng Juyong closely, her hands empty. Her voice was low, as if speaking only to him: "After only a few meetings, even you've seen through her... She still thinks she's pretending to be rich, huh."

If he didn't know that the couple in front of him were mother and daughter, he would have thought that Qiao Qi was dissing some unworthy opponent.

Along the way, the mother and daughter exchanged a few quiet words in their dialect in the back seat of the taxi. Qiao Qi was eloquent, but her mother was even better. Fortunately, it was a taxi, so they were more reserved to avoid being noticed by outsiders.

The taxi driver, curious, glanced at Zheng Juyong through the mirror and thought to himself: "Why doesn't this guy try to talk down the women at home? They're making so much noise in this hot weather, aren't they?"

Zheng Juyong was worried that he might recognize Qiao Qi, but seeing the driver only glancing at him, he smiled awkwardly, "I don't understand either, haha... How about you turn up the volume on the radio?"

The taxi driver shook his head and turned up the volume.

When they arrived at Baiyun Airport, Qiao's mother walked ahead with a gusto, as if she was a frequent visitor. Zheng Juyong pushed the luggage cart, stopping every three steps to wait for Qiao Qi. He was always looking ahead, not behind, and looked back, not ahead, and he looked a little embarrassed. He was used to being worry-free when traveling, and had never had to deal with so many situations.

"Why are you chasing her? She has her ID card with her, so there's no need for you to teach her how to check in. Let's just go in!" Qiao Qi, hands on her hips, slowly followed, fully dressed from head to toe, completely covered. She'd probably put it on herself while following him earlier; she'd never had such a celebrity burden before, but now she was cautious.

"Do you... want to get on?" Zheng Juyong pointed to the airport luggage cart in his hand.

Most of Qiao Qi's luggage in Guangzhou was taken over by Sister Ling. This time when she returned to Yunnan, she only brought a 20-inch small suitcase from the ward, on top of which was Zheng Juyong's large mountaineering bag. In the cart frame were two or three bags of sundries from Qiao's mother. She was short and light, so it was convenient for her to sit on it.

"Can you push it?" Qiao Qi doubted his physical strength.

Zheng Juyong flattened his backpack, placed it in a secure position, and used it as a cushion for her to sit on. He said casually, "I'm doing fine recently..."

Qiao Qi glanced at his figure through the sunglasses. He has indeed changed a lot now... Although he looks a little haggard, he is much better than the pretty boy in front of him.

Zheng Juyong wanted to help her, but Qiao Qi dodged and slowly stepped onto the bike: "Thank you."

When no one was paying attention, Zheng Juyong pushed her along the way, saving her a lot of effort. Only when they came across a sentry post or a work window would he let Qiao Qi get off and walk a few steps. After that, he let her get on the car again and pushed her all the way to the security check gate.

Outside the security check area, Qiao Qi watched him bend over the cart, shuffling luggage. His muscles were incredibly strong, and she thought to herself: He didn't have this much strength before, and he never dared to do something so unruly... He was still naive, trying to show off his courage and strength now! Or, was he making her regret her blindness for falling for an old man like Qian Shaowei?

Zheng Juyong had already put on his backpack and was pushing his suitcase towards her. "I thought I saw Auntie talking to a man over there. Do you want me to go over and tell her?"

Qiao Qi looked in the direction of his finger: "Why would I rush to see him?"

Zheng Juyong saw that the man was only a few years older than himself and looked very similar to Qiao's mother. He speculated, "That man must be your brother, right?"

Qiao Qi was unhappy: "His last name is Li, and mine is Qiao. We are not even considered family! Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Oh..." Zheng Juyong pondered. Could they be half-brothers? He recalled the conversation she had with Qiao's mother in the hospital ward before they left. Although he didn't understand much, he had a general idea. Qiao's mother probably used a lot of Qiao Qi's earnings to subsidize her son who lived in Guangzhou. Judging by the images of mother and son getting along over there, perhaps Qiao's mother still had the old idea of ​​favoring sons over daughters.

"I saw Auntie stuff something into his hand just now, and he also looked towards us a few times... I wonder if it has anything to do with you..." Zheng Juyong had worked in a foreign port for some time and had learned to keep his eyes and ears open, unlike before when he was careless about everything.

Qiao Qi snorted, "He's just giving money to her precious son. What else can he do? He feels sorry for me for taking money for free. Shouldn't he have considered my reaction? Ignore him! Besides saying a few nice words, what else can he do?"