Chapter 136
The next few days were peaceful and the girls tacitly agreed not to mention the matter of the Su family in Yancheng. Liu Sanhua was the most taciturn. This matter was caused by her, and even though Zhong Qiao did not blame her, she felt guilty.
Zhong Qiao pretended not to see it.
She has explained everything clearly. She is not a teacher who will chew up the truth and feed it to Liu Sanhua. For the rest, she still has to figure it out on her own.
As for business, things were getting better and better, and the blue polka-dot skirts had earned her some repeat customers. Zhong Qiao looked at the design drawings in her hand and couldn't help but look to the future - the next new product would be coming out soon.
With the support of old customers, things will surely go smoothly.
"Qiao Qiao." With a creak, the door was pushed open, revealing a tired face.
It’s Mr. Zhong.
These days, Mr. Zhong has been busy with business matters, working from dawn to dusk. Zhong Qiao hasn't seen Mr. Zhong for a long time. When he saw him now, he was shocked to see his condition.
"Dad, why are you so haggard?" She rushed forward to support him. "Didn't the Ji family give you a deadline? There's no need to rush."
Father Zhong sat down with difficulty and waved his hand: "I am not thinking about completing it as soon as possible. When we make money, we can divide the family business earlier."
Zhong Qiao was silent for a moment, then said, "Dad, have you been wanting to split up the family for a long time?"
In fact, she had long been keenly aware that something was wrong with Mr. Zhong. Ever since she proposed to separate the family, Mr. Zhong had become particularly sensitive. Later on, he even seemed eager to separate the family, which was completely different from Mr. Zhong's initial rejection.
Father Zhong said, "Yes."
He looked at Zhong Qiao and sighed deeply.
"Have you never been curious all these years? Why have you never met your grandparents?"
Zhong Qiao has felt this sensitive topic since she was a child. Her family seems to be different from other families. Other families have their grandparents as their relatives, but she has been living with her grandmother since she was born, and has never seen her grandparents since she grew up.
She was also very curious before, but every time she saw the regretful and disappointed expressions on her parents' faces when they mentioned her grandparents, she dared not bring it up again. She never expected that one day, Mr. Zhong would take the initiative to mention it.
Father Zhong said, "I haven't told you and Siqi these years. The truth is, Dad doesn't know how to say it."
"You know your mother's family is much better off than mine, but you probably don't know that your father used to be a beggar."
Zhong Qiao was stunned.
She really doesn't know.
Father Zhong continued, "Your grandparents were born in the mountains. I'm the youngest in the family, with two older brothers and two older sisters. Ever since I can remember, I've been wandering around every day. Your grandparents, even after they gave birth to me, never took care of me."
"My sisters and brothers were like savages, begging for food with their bare bottoms. Later, when I grew up and went out into the world, I met your mother. She taught me how to be a good person and taught me all kinds of principles. As for that poor home, I have never returned."
"Anyway, your grandparents are very generous. They probably don't even remember losing a child."
"It's okay, Dad." Zhong Qiao's eyes were sour. "You have Mom now, and Siqi and I."
Father Zhong was very pleased, but as if he had thought of something, he sighed and said, "As for dividing the family, I did have this idea a long time ago."
"Your mother is good in every way and has been especially kind to me. Think about it, back when I was broke, your mother willingly followed me and actually suffered quite a bit. With her looks and financial situation, if she hadn't followed me, she would have lived a much better life and wouldn't have had to endure this hardship at all."
"Because of me, your mother has been criticized. It was okay in the past few years, but in the first two years after I married your mother, everyone outside scolded your mother, saying that your mother didn't want to marry someone from a good family, but had to pick up a beggar on the street and bring him back to marry."
"And your aunts aren't good people either. They didn't dare say anything before because of your grandparents, but now they're bullying your mother even more. So this family must be divided."
Zhong Qiao suddenly understood why he was working so hard.
It turns out that Dad didn't know nothing, but chose to pretend to be stupid and use his actions to prove that Mom's choice was not wrong.
"Did your grandfather tell you that he would give the old house to our family to live in?" Father Zhong asked suddenly.
Zhong Qiao didn't hide it: "Yes, but I've been too busy these days, so I haven't gone to take a look."
Mr. Zhong waved his hand: "Don't go."
"This wedding house was also given by your grandfather, but people outside always say that your mother and I are shameless. Now that we have money, we should not live under someone else's roof. When we split up, we have to find a home of our own, even if it's a small one."
"As for your grandfather's side, I will go and make it clear."
Seeing that he looked serious, Zhong Qiao didn't really want to spend time looking at houses herself. Since someone was willing to take care of this matter, she didn't have to worry about it.
"Okay." She agreed straightforwardly, "Dad, then tell me if you like any house."
"Right now." Father Zhong interrupted her and pulled out a blueprint from his sleeve: "Look, this is what the kid from the Ji family gave me before he left."
He unfolded the blueprint that depicted the layout of the neighborhood. The details were clearly marked, and even the roadside stalls were drawn vividly, which was enough to show the owner's care.
"This location is reasonably priced and quiet. The only downside is that it's a bit far from the market, but as long as it's away from the trouble, it's fine."
Zhong Qiao took a look at it in the light and found that it was indeed not bad. Just as Zhong's father said, it was far away from the market and quiet. It was also a good place for her to read and write.
Mr. Zhong's expression eased a little, and he talked about the price with Zhong Qiao. After discussing it, the two decided to go and take a look tomorrow and settle the matter as soon as possible to avoid any more trouble.
The next day, Zhong Qiao and his father went out.
The place they arrived at was a tube-shaped building. The person who was responsible for receiving them was a little old man. He looked quite old, with gray hair and all his teeth falling out.
The old landlord pushed open the door and showed them the layout inside.
"This is the house you're talking about. It has three bedrooms and a living room, but only one bathroom. You'll have to go out on your own, and be careful with the lights on at night."
"If you really want to rent it, we can give you a cheaper price. However, you are not from this place, nor are you a cadre. As the landlord, we have to bear the risk of renting the house. If someone asks you, just say you are my distant relative."
He chattered a lot, and Zhong's father was responsible for dealing with it. Zhong Qiao didn't pay much attention to him. Instead, he lifted the curtain and began to check the facilities in the room alone, such as the wardrobe, desk, bed, and the backyard.
After looking around, apart from some dust and old facilities, everything else was within Zhong Qiao's acceptable range.
After some negotiations with the landlord, we finally settled on a contract of 30 yuan a month, with a renewal period of six months.
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