When Grandma Qin and the former headmaster brought little Qin, they stayed at Xing Zhaozhao's house.
Since none of the three of them had eaten breakfast yet, they decided to sit down and eat together.
With three more people, Xing Zhaozhao's prepared breakfast was definitely not enough, so she went to the kitchen to make another pot of dumpling soup.
Grandma Qin followed her, saying, "I'll help you."
"Okay." Xing Zhaozhao nodded with a smile, without refusing.
Fu Lan wanted to come and help, but was chased away by Old Madam Qin: "There are enough people. You go and eat with them first."
Grandma Qin took the bowl and flour from Xing Zhaozhao. While mixing the batter, she glanced warily at the main room to make sure everyone else was sitting at the table eating breakfast. Then she looked at Xing Zhaozhao, who was sitting in the stove lighting the fire, and said, "Thank you, Xiao Xing."
"Hmm?" Xing Zhaozhao looked at Old Madam Qin with confusion.
"Thank you for covering for us just now. Otherwise, we really wouldn't know how to explain it to Xiaoshi. As for the matter of becoming godparents, just forget about it after today and pretend nothing happened," said Grandma Qin.
Xing Zhaozhao smiled and said, "I don't mind. If you and the former principal are really willing to recognize me as your goddaughter, I think that would be great. Of course, if you are not willing, that's fine with me too."
Grandma Qin was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at Xing Zhaozhao. Realizing the meaning behind her words, she became somewhat at a loss: "W-what do you mean? You...you really want to be our goddaughter?"
“Of course. I’ve never had many close family ties with my elders. My parents passed away early, and I grew up relying on my older brother. After I got married, my relationship with my mother-in-law was also quite bad. It would be really nice to have a godmother and godfather like you and the former principal who can visit me regularly,” Xing Zhaozhao said. “Of course, it’s okay if you don’t want to.”
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Qin became anxious and said, "Of course we'd like to! We'd love to have a goddaughter like you."
As Grandma Qin spoke, a look of immense joy appeared on her face.
However, she suddenly remembered something, and her bright eyes quickly dimmed. She shook her head and said, "No, no, forget it."
Xing Zhaozhao asked, puzzled, "Why?"
Grandma Qin looked somber and said, "Our family is full of old and young people. If you become godparents to us, it will only be a burden to you. Let's just forget about it."
Xing Zhaozhao chuckled and said, "How could you be a burden to me? The money you and the old principal earned from me when you were young is more than enough for you to support yourselves. It won't tire me out at all."
"Isn't everything they earn thanks to your help?" Old Mrs. Qin said.
A sly smile flashed in Xing Zhaozhao's eyes: "I didn't help for nothing, I got a cut."
Grandma Qin looked at Xing Zhaozhao, still struggling with the question: "Are you really okay?"
Xing Zhaozhao smiled and nodded: "It's really no problem. If you and the former principal are really willing, we can set up a few tables and formally recognize each other as relatives."
Grandma Qin was somewhat tempted, but after thinking about it, she shook her head and refused: "We can just secretly recognize each other as relatives. We can skip the banquet and try not to let outsiders know. In the current situation, if outsiders find out about me and your godfather, it will only cause you trouble."
Xing Zhaozhao had no objections and asked, "So you agree?"
"Yes." Old Mrs. Qin nodded with a smile.
"Godmother," Xing Zhaozhao called out with a smile.
"Oh, my dear." Old Mrs. Qin responded, her nose tingling, and tears streamed down her face. She finally had a daughter again.
Hearing the commotion, the old headmaster came over and asked, "What's wrong?"
Grandma Qin grabbed the old principal's arm and said excitedly, "Old Qin, we have a daughter again!"
The old principal's heart tightened, and he looked at Xing Zhaozhao with disbelief: "Isn't... it fake?"
“It’s okay if it’s true, godfather,” Xing Zhaozhao said with a smile.
The old headmaster's voice choked, and his eyes welled up with tears. He nodded vigorously and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Good child..." Back then, when even their own children abandoned them, they thought that their connection with their children in this life had been completely severed. Unexpectedly, God was still kind to them and sent them another one.
"Alas, it's a pity that when they raided my house, they took away a lot of my good things. Now I can't even come up with a decent gift to give them as a token of our kinship," said Old Mrs. Qin with a bitter face.
Xing Zhaozhao shook her head and said, "What kind of gift? I don't need these things."
"Yes, I must." Old Mrs. Qin looked at her firmly and said, "Since you've become my goddaughter, you absolutely have to."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." Then maybe... we shouldn't do it?
The old headmaster saw through Xing Zhaozhao's little scheme and said with a smile, "You've already agreed. Now that you're on our pirate ship, it won't be easy for you to get off."
Grandma Qin nodded, looking at Xing Zhaozhao with the same sly smile as the old principal: "That's right."
Xing Zhaozhao watched in stunned silence. She felt she might have, probably, perhaps made a wrong decision. But now, it seemed...too late to regret it?
"It seems we'll have to make it up to Zhaozhao later," Grandma Qin sighed helplessly, looking at the old headmaster.
The old principal nodded: "That's the only way."
"Don't worry, Zhao Zhao, your godparents still have a lot of treasures hidden away. They just can't take them out right now. They'll make it up to you when things get better, okay?" Old Mrs. Qin asked Xing Zhao Zhao.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." She had never worried about it... No, she never said she wanted to.
"Sigh, I wonder if this movement will ever end?" Old Mrs. Qin said with a headache.
Suddenly remembering something, the old principal looked at Xing Zhaozhao and asked, "Zhaozhao, is the movement still continuing over there?"
Xing Zhaozhao shook her head: "It's over already."
Grandma Qin's eyes lit up as she looked at Xing Zhaozhao and asked, "When did it end?"
Xing Zhaozhao thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be 1976."
After doing the math, Old Mrs. Qin's face fell: "It'll take another 6 years."
"As long as it ends, there is hope," the old principal said.
"That's true." Old Mrs. Qin nodded.
As she spoke, she leaned close to Xing Zhaozhao and whispered, "Your godfather and I have hidden several boxes of treasures under the old villa where we used to live. There are calligraphy and paintings and antiques collected by your godfather, some of my jewelry, and a box of big yellow croakers. We'll divide them up between you and Xiaoshi later."
Xing Zhaozhao felt a throbbing pain in her head.
"Can I not take it?" she asked, looking at Old Mrs. Qin with pleading eyes.
"Because you're my daughter, it's my duty," said Grandma Qin.
"It was done," Xing Zhaozhao explained.
“They’re doing it for their daughter too.” Old Mrs. Qin said, looking pitifully at Xing Zhaozhao, and asked, “Zhaozhao, can you bear to watch your godparents’ life savings go to those ungrateful bastards?”
“I can give you the hourly rate,” Xing Zhaozhao said.
"You're too young to protect it." Old Mrs. Qin looked at Xing Zhaozhao seriously. "Actually, even if I give you half, you won't be getting it for nothing, Zhaozhao."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." She knew that, which is why she didn't want it.
"Please, Zhaozhao," Old Mrs. Qin said earnestly.
Xing Zhaozhao stared at Old Madam Qin for a moment, hesitated, and then nodded, saying, "Well... alright."
Grandma Qin hugged Xing Zhaozhao tightly: "Thank you, Zhaozhao."
"Oh, right." Old Mrs. Qin thought of something else and said to Xing Zhaozhao, "When you go over there and see Xiao Shi, tell him to go and see if the house is still there and if his things are still there. If everything is still there, don't let others have it, especially those ungrateful wretches."
"Okay." Xing Zhaozhao nodded in agreement.
"What are you talking about?" Qin Shi's voice suddenly came from the kitchen doorway.
"She didn't say anything," Grandma Qin replied casually, then smiled and looked at Little Qin, saying, "By the way, Little Qin, you're going to have an aunt now."
Xiao Qin looked at Xing Zhaozhao in confusion: "Didn't we already have one?"
Grandma Qin was taken aback for a moment, then quickly smiled and nodded, "That's right, it's already there."
"Is the dumpling soup ready? Once we've finished eating, I want to go out and play soccer with Dafei and Xiaoyumao," Xiao Qinshi said.
Perhaps because he felt that they had become godparents and their relationship had become closer, Xiao Qinshi was much more relaxed than before when he was here.
"It'll be ready soon," Xing Zhaozhao said with a smile.
“Okay, Auntie,” Xiao Qin said loudly.
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