She leaned over the small round table next to her and quickly sketched a simple house with a cross on it, along with a little figure lying down next to it, his brow furrowed.
She held the notebook up to the old man's face.
Seeing the clear "hospital" picture and the little figure's pained expression, the old man's stubbornness crumbled, and he deflated like a punctured balloon, his lips pursed, looking utterly unwilling.
Vice Mayor Zhai tried to persuade the old man in a low voice, but it was no use; the old man simply didn't want to go.
Zhou Qiqi could see clearly that the old man truly loved Zhouzhou and was also genuinely afraid of going to the hospital.
Her heart softened, and she stepped forward, speaking gently:
"Grandpa, please listen to Mayor Zhai. The way you looked just now really scared Zhouzhou and me. If you go to the hospital and get better, the family will be at ease, right? Tell me which hospital you're staying at, and I'll definitely bring Zhouzhou to see you in a couple of days. She can keep you company and help you pass the time, okay?"
That hits the nail on the head.
The old man looked at his son's anxious face, then at Zhouzhou's clear, worried eyes and Zhou Qiqi's sincere expression, and knew that there was no use in arguing anymore.
He sighed heavily, his cane tapping on the ground:
"Alright, alright, I was a soldier when I was young, and I live in the city's military hospital. It's a promise, girl, you have to come see your grandpa!"
"must!"
Zhou Qiqi smiled and assured her.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Vice Mayor Zhai quickly helped the old man, who kept turning back to look at him, into the car and drove away.
As soon as the noisy main character left, Zhuo's mother quickly urged everyone to continue eating.
Zhou Qiqi was about to take Zhouzhou and say goodbye when Zhuo Guangming and his father, Zhuo's father, came downstairs.
The father and son were busy hanging pictures and hammering nails in the room, working up a sweat, and hadn't noticed what was happening downstairs at all.
Zhuo Guangming spotted Zhouzhou at a glance, his eyes sparkling as he ran over, excitedly pointing upstairs:
"Zhouzhou, come look! Your painting is hanging above my bed! It's so beautiful!"
Zhuo's father also came over and said apologetically to Zhou Qiqi:
"Comrade Zhou, I'm so sorry, I was busy upstairs and didn't have time to greet you. Is everything alright down there? You don't look too well."
Before Zhou Qiqi could speak, Zhuo's mother quickly stepped in to smooth things over, glossing over the matter in a few words, saying it was just a small misunderstanding caused by children playing around, and that it was all in the past, before speaking warmly.
"It's alright, it's alright, Qiqi. Look how much Guangming likes Zhouzhou's painting! Come on, let Guangming take Zhouzhou up to see it!"
Seeing Zhouzhou being led by Zhuo Guangming's little hand, and finally a relaxed smile appearing on her face, Zhou Qiqi nodded and stayed.
On the other hand, the Chen family of three was in an awkward situation.
Director Chen's face turned ashen; he just wanted to get out of this humiliating place as soon as possible.
Chen's mother was also embarrassed and pulled her daughter, saying, "Jiaojiao, let's go home!"
"I'm not leaving!"
Chen Jiaojiao stared longingly at the remaining half of the cream cake on the table, reluctant to part with her brother Guangming whom she had just met. Her little mouth pouted.
"I haven't finished eating the cake yet! I want to play with Brother Guangming!"
She broke free from her mother's hand and ran towards the cake.
Seeing this, Zhuo's mother sighed inwardly but had to keep a smile on her face. She quickly nudged her daughter, Zhuo Qiuyu.
"Xiaoyu, hurry up, take Jiaojiao to your room and find that new dress for her to change into. It's so uncomfortable for her to wear a dirty dress."
Zhuo Qiuyu reluctantly agreed and pulled Chen Jiaojiao upstairs.
While changing clothes, Chen's mother stood in front of the dressing mirror in Zhuo Qiuyu's room, fixing her daughter's hair while muttering a complaint to Zhuo's mother:
"Sister Zhuo, you too! That old man is Vice Mayor Zhai's father, why didn't you say so sooner? You made our whole family lose face!"
Zhuo's mother looked helpless:
“Sister-in-law Chen, didn’t I specifically mention to you downstairs before that ‘the old man also has status’? You were like that at the time…”
She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear—it's your own fault for not taking it seriously.
Chen's mother choked, her face turning even redder, and she lowered her voice resentfully:
"Hmph, that country seamstress got incredibly lucky! She actually ran into the deputy mayor's father! ...Hey, Sister Zhuo, what's her family background? Besides sewing, do they have any other connections?"
Mother Zhuo shook her head: "Qiqi is just skillful and honest, but as for anything else... I don't know."
She knew perfectly well that Chen's mother's inquiry was not for any good reason.
Even if she knew, she wouldn't tell Chen's mother.
Today is her son's birthday, and she was hoping to have a good celebration, but this family has ruined everything for her.
She turned around and told her husband to stop associating with them.
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