Chapter 4 Chapter 4
"No, definitely not!"
Qiao Wangdong quickly adjusted his glasses to deny it. He glanced at Qiao Jiaxin beside him with a flickering eye, then immediately retracted it, "We're all family, how could I not support her?"
Qiao Wangdong said this without any confidence.
He didn't mean it from the bottom of his heart, but simply wanted to please Liu Shuqin.
Not only him, but also several other uncles, after taking a look at Qiao Jiaxin, they all shifted their gazes elsewhere.
It was at this moment that Qiao Jiaxin suddenly understood why the original owner was not so close to his uncles.
She is a granddaughter, not a granddaughter.
Even though she took her eldest sister's surname, the extra word "wai" was destined to separate her from the Qiao family.
Back then, when the old couple said they wanted to raise Qiao Jiaxin, their sons were naturally unwilling to do so.
A daughter who is married off is like water spilled.
Whether it is Qiao Wangdong who is a teacher or Qiao Wangnan who is a businessman, they all remember this feudal old way in their bones. What's more, Qiao Jiaxin is like water that has been poured out and caused splashes.
What’s the point of bringing it back and raising it?
When she grows up, she will still marry into another family. No matter how much she is loved, she will not be a member of the Qiao family.
Of course, the brothers didn't say it explicitly at that time. After all, Qiao Jiaxin had just lost her parents, and the old couple had to raise her.
Since the burden does not fall on them, there is no need to be the bad guy.
But, things are different now...
Qiao Jiaxin felt a lump in her throat when she realized that her uncles had never considered her a family member and that she was the superfluous and disliked one in the family.
But she resisted the urge to cry and just looked at her uncles in silence.
"I tell you, you must support Jiaxin!"
Just when she felt isolated and helpless, it was Liu Shuqin who held her tightly in her arms and argued for her, "You owe the boss this!"
Grandma's arms were warm, shielding her from the surging malice on behalf of her mother and father.
Although they have always called Qiao Wangdong "big brother" over the years, after all, the late Qiao Fenglai is the boss of this family.
In order to take care of her younger brothers, she became the pillar of the family at an early age. With her strong character, she grew up to become an excellent people's policeman and the pillar of the people.
Later, Qiao Fenglai married another policeman named Shi Lei and they started their own family together.
The couple was busy with work and did not have a daughter, Qiao Jiaxin, until they were in their thirties. Because Shi Lei was an orphan, the couple discussed and let Qiao Jiaxin take the surname Qiao Fenglai.
When Qiao Jiaxin was four years old, the couple were on a mission to intercept drug dealers together. Unfortunately, they died in the line of duty. Qiao Jiaxin then went from being a "treasure in the palm of their hand" to a "burden".
Qiao Fenglai and his wife are martyrs. They protected the lives and health of the people of Yu City.
Little did they know that the biggest beneficiaries were not them, but the four brothers of the Qiao family.
Liu Shuqin originally didn't want to mention these things. After all, they were all family, and there was no need to get too involved in some things.
But today, they should know how much they owe Qiao Jiaxin!
"Let's put it this way, Wangdong. If you weren't a martyr's family member and hadn't benefited from your sister's influence, would you have been able to become the school's principal?"
"And you, Qiao Wangxi, your wife had a difficult labor and heavy bleeding when she gave birth to Xiaopeng, but it was your sister who donated the blood!"
"You took the money from your business? Hmm? If you hadn't given your sister's pension..."
"Oh, okay!"
Before Liu Shuqin finished speaking, Qiao Wangnan couldn't stand it any longer and fiercely crushed the cigarette butt in his hand on the table: "You're getting off topic. Didn't we come here today to discuss providing for your retirement?"
Qiao Wangxi chimed in, "That's right. It's been so long since that happened. What's there to talk about?"
They knew very well how much they had benefited from Qiao Fenglai, but they didn't want to admit it.
Liu Shuqin didn't want to mention it either. Losing her daughter was a lifelong pain for her.
But if it wasn't for Qiao Jiaxin, if it wasn't for the sake of striking their consciences, why would she have revealed the scars?
Over the past few decades, Liu Shuqin has always been protected by Qiao Wensheng, so she has a gentle personality and is easy to talk to.
It was the first time she stood up for her granddaughter, and her sons were not moved at all, but her eyes were red with anxiety and her voice was choked with sobs.
"Anyway, no matter what, I've paid a lot for you since you were little. Your father and I have never opened our mouths for you all these years. Now that your father is gone, you uncles can't just ignore Jiaxin!"
Supporting an elderly person is already stressful enough, and now you have to support a student in school?
The huge pressure made the brothers hang their heads.
Occasionally, they would look up and glance at the old man's black and white photo, and sigh: If only the old man were still alive...
"Okay, I'll go back and discuss it with Dongmei." Qiao Wangdong took the initiative to break the awkward atmosphere in the room.
I don't know if it was a change of heart or what, but he took the initiative to say: "Don't worry, we are all family, and I will definitely give you and Jiaxin an explanation."
Seeing that Liu Shuqin didn't respond, Qiao Wangdong quickly winked at the other two.
Qiao Wangxi: "Brother is right, we are all family."
Qiao Wangnan: "Well, I'll go back and discuss it with my wife. After all, there are two more people in the family, so I have to tell her."
The matter finally has an explanation.
Wiping away the grievance from the corners of her eyes, Liu Shuqin wanted to scoop out the dumplings that had just been cooked in another pot, but they had all fallen apart because they had been cooked for too long.
The dumpling skins became lumps of dough and were mixed with pork vermicelli to form a thick soup. When it was scooped out, you could still smell a hint of the paste at the bottom.
"Mom, you don't have to work hard. There's food prepared at home. I'll go back first." After taking a look at the spoiled porridge in the pot, Qiao Wangdong said and prepared to leave.
"Take some back with you. I thought you'd come today, so I packed more."
Even though Liu Shuqin was a little angry just now, after she calmed down, she still spoke to her son in a gentle voice as usual.
There were still a few bowls of dumplings in the bowl on the kitchen cabinet. They were all freshly cooked, but they were a little cold.
As he spoke, he started looking for a plastic bag to put the dumplings in.
Qiao Wangdong didn't intend to take it. "No, you can keep it for yourself."
As soon as Qiao Wangdong said he was leaving, Qiao Wangxi and Qiao Wangnan stood up from their chairs and said, "Then we'll go back first and come back to see you in a few days."
Liu Shuqin: "Eat some dumplings before you go. I made all your favorite dumplings today."
"No, no, I won't eat anymore. Let's talk about it next time."
The three brothers were in a hurry to go out, fearing that if they walked too slowly, the dumplings in the plastic bags would be stuffed into their hands.
However, in Qiao Jiaxin's opinion, their hasty departure seemed more like an escape after the truth was revealed.
The house became quiet again, with only the bubbling sound coming from the pot in the kitchen.
After closing the door, Liu Shuqin's face was filled with fatigue and loss.
There was no joy and laughter as she had imagined, only sunflower seed shells scattered on the floor and cigarette ashes on the table. Although she had a vague premonition when she called, she had no idea that things would be even worse than she had imagined.
Pour the dumplings back into the bowl, Liu Shuqin shook out the dumplings that were stuck together and said, "It's okay, let's eat. We made a lot today, so we don't have to cook tomorrow."
As she said that, she picked up a dumpling and stuffed it into her mouth, as if nothing had happened, then turned around and went back to the kitchen.
In the past few decades, Liu Shuqin has suffered a lot, but she can always find a trace of joy in the hardship.
It's okay, don't be afraid, it's okay, don't worry...
No matter what difficulties she encountered, her grandma would always comfort her in this way.
Before, she could say, "Grandpa is here," but from now on, she is the only one left to support the family.
At around seven o'clock in the evening, when Qiao Jiaxin and Liu Shuqin were eating dumplings, they heard someone knocking on the door again.
Knock knock!
"mom?"
It was the voice of my fourth uncle Qiao Wangbei.
Qiao Jiaxin got up to open the door. As soon as she opened it, Qiao Wangbei rushed in anxiously.
He must have just gotten off work, still wearing his blue work clothes.
With his slightly handsome face and slim figure, you can't tell that he is already 34 years old this year.
But what’s the use of being handsome?
Among my four uncles, he is the least promising.
He hadn't finished junior high school and had been living off his parents. He was incompetent at everything he did and always got into trouble. A few years ago, he got married and, arranged by his grandfather, got a job at a cotton mill. Only then did his temper calm down a bit.
Seeing the plates of dumplings on the table, he stretched out his hand and pinched one into his mouth as if he hadn't eaten in several lifetimes. "Where's my brother? Is he gone?"
Liu Shuqin brought another pair of chopsticks and a bowl and placed them in front of him. "Well, there are things going on at home."
"Didn't you say you had something to discuss? Why didn't you wait for me and leave?" Qiao Wangbei took the chopsticks and stuffed several dumplings into his mouth one by one. "What's the matter?"
Liu Shuqin: "Oh, your father is gone now, right? Let's discuss what Jiaxin and I should do next."
Although she knew that her youngest son was a hopeless person and could not be relied upon, Liu Shuqin still told him what had just happened.
“That’s too much!”
He banged his chopsticks hard on the table and spat out a lot of vermicelli noodles in his mouth. "My sister took such good care of us back then, how could they be so heartless?!"
While picking up the minced meat on the table, Qiao Wangbei vowed, "Don't worry, if they don't care about you, I will! We are all family, I definitely won't let you suffer!"
When Liu Shuqin heard Qiao Wangbei say this, her eyes instantly turned red again.
She never expected to hear such weighty words from her most disappointing son.
As expected, it is difficult to draw the bones of a dragon or a tiger, and you can know a person’s face but not his heart.
Finally, I have a son who didn’t let me down!
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