Chapter 13 Qingqing, you mean well, but you can't do that to a child...
Thanks to her family's help, her three children are sensible, and Song Zhao is considerate. Nie Qingqing is raising three children in her second marriage, and her life is even more comfortable than in her first marriage.
It's been half a month, and Xiao Yuan's biological mother still hasn't come to pick him up. Tang Guizhi reminds Nie Qingqing every other day: "Xiao Yuan and this child are quiet and well-behaved, very easy to take care of. Don't just go and ask Song Zhao when his ex-wife is coming to pick up Xiao Yuan. What are you going to tell him?"
The distant biological mother brought the child over without saying hello, and I can't get an answer no matter how I ask when the wedding is going to take place.
Nie Qingqing said, "I don't want Song Zhao to contact his ex-wife. Song Zhao is the one who earns the money to raise the children. The children live in their own rooms, which doesn't affect me. They can stay as long as they want. Why would I be stupid enough to start a fight?"
Tang Guizhi said with relief, "That's the right way to think. How many bites can a little kid eat? Besides, we really like Xiaoyuan. Sigh, I'm worried that Tangyuan will definitely cry when Xiaoyuan is taken away."
Now the two little brothers have each other's company. Tangyuan said he would take care of his younger brother Xiaoyuan. He's become much more sensible, which has saved Nie Qinqing a lot of trouble.
When she got home, she laid out a mat on the living room floor for Tangyuan and Xiaoyuan to play on.
After taking a shower, mopping the floor, and washing the clothes, Song Zhao had little else to do. She went into her room and busied herself with the blueprints she had brought back at her desk. Meanwhile, she told stories to the two little ones in the living room, all in an orderly fashion.
After finishing her homework and packing her schoolbag, Xiaoyin came out before going to bed and said, "Aunt Qingqing, I'm going to sleep now."
Nie Qingqing looked up at the clock and realized how fast time had flown by: "It's already ten o'clock, you should go to sleep."
She told Tangyuan and Xiaoyuan to go to sleep too: "Put away your sketchbooks, fold your mats, and then go to bed."
Tangyuan wasn't sleepy at all. She clung to her arm and swayed, saying, "Mommy, tell me another story from 'Journey to the West,' and then we'll go to sleep."
Nie Qingqing yawned from sleepiness, picked him up and took him to the room: "You can handle it, but Mom can't. If you can't sleep, look at your picture book for a while."
She ran back to the master bedroom, where Song Zhao was still working. The way he was working so diligently touched her heart.
Nie Qingqing didn't want to disturb him, but she couldn't resist, so she leaned on his shoulder, pressed her face against his neck, and kissed him: "If you're not finished with your work, I'll go to sleep first."
Song Zhao held her soft, slender fingers, feeling at peace. He closed the documents and said, "When you're done, let's sleep together."
"Okay, I'll lock the door."
Coincidentally, just then, the sound of something being smashed suddenly came from the quiet apartment across the hall, which had been quiet ever since she married into the family. This hadn't happened a moment ago. Who's coming here to argue so late at night?
Nie Qingqing, who was about to close her bedroom door, suddenly rushed to the living room door and pressed her ear against it to listen to what the people across the hall were arguing about.
Like Nie Qingqing, Tangyuan loved to join in the fun, so she jumped out of bed and ran over. Xiaoyuan followed her around like a little shadow, following everyone else wherever they were. Only Xiaoyin didn't care about the excitement and didn't come out even when she heard the noise.
Tangyuan scratched her head anxiously, "Mom, what did you hear?"
Nie Qingqing shushed them and said in a low voice, "The neighbors across the hall are arguing. Keep your voices down, I can't hear you."
Xiao Yuan quickly followed suit and said, "Tangyuan, don't talk. Aunt Qingqing will tell us to be quiet if she hears you."
...
Song Zhao watched from the doorway, wanting to laugh. The two kids, one big and one small, were arguing so much they didn't want to sleep, and they couldn't hear clearly anyway. They might as well ask him for directions.
He came over and, hearing the arguing was quite loud, explained, "It must be Director Yu's daughter. She already went to the factory to argue this afternoon."
Nie Qingqing was surprised: "What's all the commotion? Didn't we agree to his dad getting married?"
Song Zhao said, "Director Yu originally promised to give the house he is currently living in to his daughter after he passed away, but he went back on his word as the wedding approached and refused to make a will. His daughter went to the factory in the afternoon to make a scene, saying that she would not agree to their marriage without a will."
Nie Qingqing understood who was opposing the move and said, "Factory Director Yu's wife is thirteen years younger than him. If Factory Director Yu were gone, she would still be alive. How can a married-out daughter compete with a young and beautiful stepmother? If she really wants to fight for benefits, she should call her father and give her the job that her stepmother promised. If she makes a fuss about the job, she might be able to get it right now."
Song Zhao laughed: "If Director Yu's daughter were to ask you to be her strategist, she would suffer less."
Nie Qingqing quickly waved her hand: "I don't care about other people's business. If I help his daughter, his new wife will hold a grudge. Let's not get involved in this."
Song Zhao nodded: "Yes, then don't listen to it, go to sleep."
"Wait a minute, I need to say something to Xiaoyin."
"The child is probably asleep, we'll talk about it tomorrow."
"How can anyone sleep with all that talking in the living room?" Nie Qingqing pointed to the two little ones and said, "Get them to sleep. I'll be quick."
...
Nie Qingqing said something that Xiaoyin would definitely be upset if she heard it. She stood at Xiaoyin's door and knocked: "Xiaoyin, are you still awake? I have something to tell you."
Song Xiaoyin hurried to open the door. Actually, she hadn't locked it, but Aunt Qingqing never opened the door directly.
"Aunt Qingqing, what's the matter?"
Nie Qingqing smiled and said, "I was talking to your father about the Yu family's situation. Their daughter wanted her father to make a will leaving the house to her. I said that's impossible, and I was afraid you would overthink it. Let's write an agreement about the house your father is entitled to. I will take half, and you and your brother will take the other half. What do you think?"
Song Xiaoyin was both amused and exasperated: "Aunt Qingqing, you're the one who cares the most about the family. You can leave it to my younger brothers. I don't want it. I'll earn it myself in the future."
Nie Qingqing admired the girl so much that she couldn't help but pat her on the shoulder: "You are really ambitious, much better than me. You know, my family has such a small house, and I still forced my dad to write a guarantee that I would have one-third of it. I put it in my dowry chest, but it's too much trouble to look through it. I'll show it to you when I air out the chest."
Song Xiaoyin's eyes widened: "After all that, you still have such a good relationship with Tanggao's parents?"
Nie Qingqing shrugged and spread her hands: "I don't know either. The fact that we're clear about money matters has actually made our sibling relationship better."
Song Xiaoyin admired her ability to handle interpersonal relationships. She had overheard the conversation outside and couldn't understand why her father's daughter couldn't share his things. She was indeed sad, but not now.
...
Song Zhao listened to her shocking remarks with a smile on his face. Xiao Yin said goodnight to them with satisfaction. After closing the children's bedroom door, he carried Nie Qingqing back to the room, gently locked the door, and turned off the light.
"Qingqing, I've never seen anyone teach a child like this before. Xiaoyin isn't your child, is she?" Song Zhao could hardly believe his good fortune in meeting Nie Qingqing.
Nie Qingqing didn't believe she was that good either: "Really? Actually, I was lying to Xiaoyin just now. No matter how good my mother is, she wouldn't think of giving me a third of the house. That's the Nie family's ancestral home, and it belongs to my brother. If I really had a third of it, I wouldn't be in a hurry to get married. I said that so Xiaoyin wouldn't overthink it. If giving away half of the house can make our family peaceful, I'm willing to do it."
Song Zhao was even more surprised. He sat up and turned on the light. Looking at the sincerity in her eyes, he was deeply moved, but then he suddenly remembered a serious problem.
"If you lie, what will happen if Xiaoyin really asks your mother?"
Nie Qingqing: "What's so difficult about that? Just ask my mom to help me tell a lie."
Song Zhao sternly corrected her: "Qingqing, you mean well, but you can't lie to the child, or the consequences will be more serious."
Nie Qingqing panicked, pushed him away, and said in annoyance, "What should we do? I've already said it. It's all Director Yu's fault. He went back on his promise and dragged me into this mess."
Song Zhao smiled and hugged her: "Alright, I'll talk to Mom and my older brother tomorrow and promise you won't break your promise in front of the children. But you have to promise me that you'll be honest with the children from now on."
"Okay, I promise you. So, what's your plan?"
"I'll tell you if Mom and my older brother agree."
Song Zhao seemed confident and could think of other things, but Nie Qingqing couldn't. She pushed him away, saying, "Tomorrow? I really'm not in the mood today."
Helpless, Song Zhao even felt a bit annoyed with the factory director, Shangyu. Didn't he know he couldn't break his promise to his child? No matter how old his daughter was, she was still his child. He had promised to give her the child, and he had to. He hadn't kept his word, so it was no wonder his daughter was making a fuss, and now he didn't even have a wife to hug at night.
...
Nie Qingqing didn't eat lunch at work. During her lunch break, she rushed back to her parents' home. When she got off work, her children were all there, so she didn't ask any questions.
"Mom, what did Song Zhao say to you this morning? He called my workplace this morning and said everything was settled, so I don't need to worry."
Her colleagues in the office were listening intently, but she didn't dare to ask. She would make an excuse to come back at noon and ask them before she could feel at ease.
Tang Guizhi smiled broadly and slapped her twice: "You're just making a mess of things and making Song Zhao spend money again. He came this morning and told me about your indiscreet remarks last night. I said I could just cooperate by telling a lie, but he refused, saying that wouldn't be good. He even said he would buy a third of our small house at market price, that's the solution."
Nie Qingqing was stunned, and joy rose from her heart: "I've never seen anyone as foolish as him."
Tang Guizhi: "Look, he also said that he's never seen anyone as silly as you, and that he likes you."
Despite her joy, Tang Guizhi spoke her mind: "Your brother was just thinking of tidying up the house to make the family more comfortable, but he didn't have any money and could only dream about it. Song Zhao's money is a timely help, and your brother is very willing. Qingqing, just say the word, and Song Zhao will go to great lengths to clean up the mess, contributing both money and effort. You should treat his two children well."
Nie Qingqing was moved: "Their two children are really good. To be honest, how much genuine love can one have for children who aren't one's own? But Song Zhao likes me, so he's good to Tangyuan. I like him, so I'm good to his children. In the future, Song Zhao and I will grow closer and closer, and this family will get better and better."
Tang Guizhi was pleased: "Go back to work. What self-worth does Song Zhao want you to achieve? Stop wasting your days."
Nie Qingqing didn't want to slack off, but everyone in the office was just coasting along, and she didn't want to be the one to stick her neck out.
...
We're going to a banquet on Sunday. Each family can have two adults and bring a few children, but no one will be there to look after them. The smaller children can be held in our arms, but the older ones will have to stand on the side, as there are no seats provided for the children.
Tangyuan wanted to go, and Xiaoyuan wanted to go too, but Song Xiaoyin disliked banquets the most, so she wouldn't go.
Tangyuan didn't go either; she was listless.
Song Xiaoyin was puzzled: "Go ahead and go. I don't like going. There are so many people, it's so noisy and chaotic. You like crowds, why don't you go?"
Tangyuan said, "Mom said that some things have to be shown to others. There are many people having drinks at noon, including Dad's colleagues and Mom's colleagues. They might say that our family only likes boys and doesn't like older sisters, so we're not bringing my sister along. I can't let that happen."
Song Xiaoyin rolled her eyes helplessly: "Let them say what they want, I don't care. If you want to go, go. Don't worry about what others say."
Tangyuan was delighted: "Sister, I'm going now!"
Xiao Yuan also said, "Sister, I'll bring back some candy for you to eat."
The wedding banquet isn't until 11 o'clock, but the wedding procession starts early, right across the street. We definitely want to see the excitement. Nie Qingqing said, "Xiaoyin, go see the bride first, then we'll go."
Song Xiaoyin didn't like joining in the fun: "Aunt Qingqing, I have a lot of homework to do. It's so noisy during the wedding procession today, I'd better go to Tanggao's house early."
“Okay, your dad will take it.” Nie Qingqing wanted to join in the fun. She got married half a month ago, and so many people gathered at her house to watch. This place was right across the street, and she loved to be a part of the excitement.
A note from the author:
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