Qiao Qiqi swallowed back the words she was about to say and said to Aunt Zhou, "Well, my stomach has been a little upset lately, but it's okay, I'll just eat something light."

Aunt Zhou was relieved to hear that everything was alright. "Then I'll go stir-fry some vegetables for you."

"Thank you, Aunt Zhou."

Aunt Zhou went to the kitchen, and Qiao Qiqi returned to the dining room.

Xiao Tanghai happened to walk in from outside. When he saw her, he frowned slightly. "Why are you back?"

Before Qiao Qiqi could speak, the old lady frowned. "Qiqi is Huai'er's wife and a member of this family. Isn't it only natural for her to go back to her own home?"

Xiao Tanghai's brow twitched, and he quickly changed his words: "Mother, that's not what I meant. I was just a little surprised to see her come back."

Madam Qin now knows Xiao Tanghai's true colors. Although she doesn't know if her daughter's death is related to Xiao Tanghai, it's certain that Xiao Tanghai was involved in the bearing factory incident.

They have obtained some evidence, but not the crucial evidence, so they are not making any moves that might alert the enemy.

However, Xiao Tanghai is now at his limit in the bearing factory. In the past three months, all his cronies in the bearing factory have been removed under various pretexts, and the management of the bearing factory has now been replaced with reliable people.

It's absolutely impossible for Xiao Tanghai to stir up any more trouble at the bearing factory.

Out of consideration for her two grandsons, Old Madam Qin did not completely destroy Xiao Tanghai, but instead told him about Qin Huai's injury.

When Xiao Tanghai learned that Qin Baojun and his wife had come from Heilong City, he said in a sarcastic tone, "This couple adopted Huai'er, which is like raising a golden nugget. They won't have to worry about food, clothing, or daily necessities for the rest of their lives. They are truly a couple who have been blessed for generations."

"What are you saying? They saved Huai'er; they are Huai'er's saviors. Even if they didn't want our gratitude, I couldn't express it even if I gave them half of my family fortune." The old lady disliked Xiao Tanghai's tone.

Xiao Tanghai didn't think he was wrong either. "Didn't Qin Huai start earning money at the age of ten? That means he was raised by the Qin family for ten years, and he repaid them for ten years. In short, he has paid off their kindness in raising him."

Madam Qin put down her chopsticks in displeasure. "Can gratitude be calculated like this? If Huai'er hadn't met them when he was born, he would be dead by now. How could there be any gratitude or repayment later on?"

Xiao Tanghai didn't come here to argue. Seeing that the old lady was unhappy, he immediately changed the subject, "Mother, the bearing factory is undergoing reforms recently, and I can't adapt to the ideas of those young people, so I want to change jobs. Can you help me?"

Madam Qin's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained impassive. "Where do you want to go?"

"I think a meat processing plant or a grain depot would be nice; they're easy jobs, just give me a quiet one."

These two factories may seem inferior to the state-owned bearing factory on the surface, but they are just as lucrative. Old Madam Qin saw through Xiao Tanghai's intentions at a glance, but did not refuse. "Alright, I'll give it a try."

"Then I'll thank you in advance, Mother. I'll wait for your good news." Having achieved his goal, Xiao Tanghai went back first.

As soon as he left, Qiao Qiqi came to the dining table and asked, "Grandma, why did Xiao Tanghai change jobs?"

Madam Qin snorted coldly, "All the people at the bearing factory have been replaced. He can't do anything, so it's normal for him to want to move to another place to develop his career."

Qiao Qiqi understood. Seeing that even the old lady understood, she asked, "So you really intend to change it for him?"

Madam Qin looked up and met Qiao Qiqi's curious gaze. She immediately smiled and said, "Since I promised, I will naturally change it for him. Didn't he say he wanted a sinecure? Then I will change it for him."

Qiao Qiqi's eyes flashed, and she immediately understood the old lady's intention.

"Alright, the food's getting cold. Sit down and eat!" The old lady turned her gaze away and called Qiao Qiqi over to eat.

Just then, Aunt Zhou finished stir-frying the vegetables and brought them over.

"Why are you stir-frying vegetables again?" the old lady asked, puzzled.

Qiao Qiqi quickly replied, "My stomach was a little upset a few days ago, so I can't eat greasy food and can only eat light food."

The old lady frowned. "How can you get nutrition just by eating vegetables? You've lost weight since you came back. You need to eat more meat to replenish your body."

"I'll definitely eat meat in a few days when I feel better. I love meat the most. Even if you don't let me eat it, I'll still sneak some."

Seeing that she could still joke, the old lady was sure she was really alright, so she smiled and said, "Alright, alright, just tell Aunt Zhou when you want to eat meat, and she'll make it for you."

Aunt Zhou also said, "Yes, young mistress, just tell me what you want to eat. I may not be good at other things, but my cooking skills are passable."

Aunt Zhou was being incredibly modest. Her cooking was truly delicious; besides Qiao Qiqi herself, she was the second best cook at home.

"Okay, I won't hesitate to eat it if I want to."

After dinner, Qiao Qiqi went upstairs to sleep.

The next morning, she and the old lady went to the hospital to see Qin Huai.

Wang Guihua and Qin Baojun had arrived early and were having breakfast. Today's breakfast consisted of fried dough sticks and soy milk. Qiao Qiqi could smell the oil as soon as she entered the door.

"Ugh!" She gagged and immediately turned and ran out.

When she returned to the ward, everyone looked at her with suspicion, especially Wang Guihua and the old lady, who stared at her intently with doubtful expressions.

Qiao Qiqi's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously took a step back. "Why are you all staring at me?"

Wang Guihua stepped forward first, took her hand, and asked, "Qiqi, how long have you been feeling nauseous? Besides this, is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Qiao Qiqi shook her head, "No, it's just nausea from the smell of meat. The symptoms lasted for less than 10 days."

“No! You’re also excessively sleepy! You’ve been sleeping much more these past few days than usual.” Wang Guihua immediately pointed out the second difference.

After saying that, without waiting for Qiao Qiqi to speak, he pulled her out and said, "Come on, you and your mother are going for a check-up."

Qiao Qiqi finally realized what was happening!

Realizing that Wang Guihua and the old lady had clearly figured it out, she immediately grabbed Wang Guihua's hand and said, "Mother, there's no need to go."

"Why?" Wang Guihua turned around.

Qiao Qiqi looked a little embarrassed. Seeing that not only Wang Guihua and the old lady, but also Qin Huai sitting on the hospital bed and Qin Baojun sitting by the bed were looking at her, she hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and speaking.

"I had a check-up the day I arrived in Beijing, and it turned out I was pregnant. I'm three months along now."

"What?!" Wang Guihua's eyes widened.

The old lady was also quite surprised, and immediately complained, "You child, how could you keep such a big thing from us all this time!"

Qiao Qiqi stuck out her tongue: "It's not that Qin Huai is sick, I was afraid you wouldn't let me take care of him, so I wanted to wait until he was discharged from the hospital before we talked about it."