Chapter 116 Unresolved Family Ties 3 What? Amnesia? What exactly happened back then...?
At the Peace Hotel, Qiu Xiaoman and Shen Tenglong entered the private room one after the other.
Two large tables were already occupied inside. Apart from Shen Qinghuai and his four other children, Shen Tenglong's parents, Jiang Mingyuan and his son, as well as Liu Kun and Manager Zhao, Qiu Xiaoman didn't recognize any of the others.
However, the one sitting between Shen Tenglong's parents should be Shen Yuehu. His eyebrows and eyes are five or six points similar to Shen Tenglong's, but unfortunately he looks malnourished and has a weak feeling like a wilted eggplant.
Qiu Xiaoman glanced around and noticed that everyone in the private room, young and old, was looking at her with curious and inquisitive eyes, some with a hint of watching a show, and some with obvious hatred.
Without asking, the curious old man and woman are probably Shen Qinghuai's parents, and the girl who hates her is probably Shen Qinghuai and Liang Yuting's eldest daughter.
She didn't want to get involved in this trouble; she just wanted to find a place to sit down quickly.
Unfortunately, there were only two empty seats: one to Shen Qinghuai's left and the other between Liu Kun and Manager Zhao. She walked straight to Liu Kun without hesitation.
After all, today is the home turf of the Shen Tenglong family, and the empty seat left by Shen Qinghuai is next to her uncle Shen Qinghai. She has no need to steal the limelight; she is not a member of the Shen family.
But she still politely addressed him as "Auntie" and "Uncle," and when she looked at Shen Qinghuai, she said in the same way as always: "Hello, Mr. Shen."
Shen Qinghuai was already used to it, and introduced with a smile, "Come and sit down, this is your second brother, Yuehu."
Qiu Xiaoman smiled and called out "Second Brother," then casually pushed Shen Tenglong over, saying, "No, Mr. Shen, Second Brother just got back. Let him have a good reunion with Big Brother. I'll sit here with Manager Zhao."
Liu Kun silently pulled out a chair for her, completely ignoring Shen Qinghuai's child-eating gaze.
After Qiu Xiaoman sat down, he asked in a low voice, "Aren't you going to driving school today?"
"I asked the coach for leave on the way." Qiu Xiaoman smiled at him, then turned to greet Manager Zhao, "Hello Manager Zhao, it's been a while, you look great."
Manager Zhao was a little embarrassed. He should have let someone else sit here. Looking at President Shen's depressed look, he sighed.
With so many people watching, he could only try his best to save face for President Shen. He smiled and said, "Of course! I've made a lot of money with President Shen lately, I'm practically floating on air. When President Shen came, he told me that he's making so much money for you kids, he doesn't want you to suffer. You should also check on him, he's been quitting drinking lately, his appetite is poor, and he went to Shanxi, I don't know if he ate well on the way."
Qiu Xiaoman had to admit that Manager Zhao was a really thoughtful younger brother, never forgetting to sing praises to his boss.
However, to be honest, a good boss is one who can help his employees make money. As long as he doesn't break the law, he deserves praise. So she chimed in, "Don't worry, I call him every day to urge him to quit drinking and eat properly. He'll take care of his health."
Upon hearing this, Manager Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, and his gaze towards his boss held a hint of relief and understanding.
It seems he was overthinking it. The father and daughter have probably reached some kind of tacit reconciliation. Although they no longer address each other as father and daughter, they have really made a lot of progress compared to before.
He said with a smile, "No wonder Mr. Shen always complained that I was long-winded when I called him. It turns out you had already told him. That's good."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a girl, not even ten years old, stood up angrily and smashed a teacup with a loud crash, clearly giving someone a hard time.
Qiu Xiaoman ignored her and continued chatting with Manager Zhao. Unexpectedly, the girl pointed at her and started yelling, "Hey! How can you be so rude! Don't you see your grandparents are here? Can't you greet them? How dare you be my father's daughter? Get out of here!"
Even if Qiu Xiaoman didn't want to think too much, she could tell that these words were directed at her. She looked over in surprise and saw only hostility and resentment on the child's face, unlike the little sister from the Cao family, who was so cute that it made one's heart melt into sugar water.
She suddenly felt a bit ironic. Was this the kind of daughter Shen Qinghuai had raised?
Fortunately, she was raised by adoptive parents and wasn't like that, otherwise she would definitely be severely punished by society when she grew up.
However, since society would discipline such an ill-mannered child, she decided not to waste her emotions and continued to ignore him.
Unexpectedly, what followed was even more accusations. But this time, before the child could finish speaking, a resounding slap ended it all.
Qiu Xiaoman sighed silently. Why bother? If she had known that everyone from the Shen family was coming, she wouldn't have come to join in the fun. Anyway, she wasn't anyone in the Shen family.
She stood up and said bluntly, "If you have any family conflicts, you can resolve them yourselves. There's no need to invite me to watch the show. I have to go to my driving lesson, so I'm leaving now."
Shen Qinghuai panicked and quickly pushed away Yao Yao, whom he had just slapped, and got up to chase after her: "Xiaoman, don't be angry. It's all my fault for not taking good care of your sister. Wait a minute. Your second brother was able to be found thanks to your help. If you leave like this, your aunt and uncle will be heartbroken."
That's true. Qiu Xiaoman was willing to come entirely because of her aunt's kindness. She stopped and looked back at the doorway: "Aunt, actually I wasn't much of a help this time. It was Liu Kun who had sharp eyes and recognized that it was my second brother. Besides, if it weren't for Liu Kun's intervention, my second brother would have been abused by the Liu family. You should thank Liu Kun properly; he's still injured and it wasn't easy for him to travel all the way to Shanxi. I have other things to do; I'll visit you another day."
After saying that, Qiu Xiaoman pulled her hand off her sleeve and turned to leave.
Shen Qinghuai chased after her, wanting to say something more, but Qiu Xiaoman said coldly, "It's the father's fault if he doesn't raise his child properly. If you don't educate your daughter properly, she'll cause trouble for you sooner or later. Alright, go inside now. I'm not familiar with them, there's no need to force myself. I'm going back."
However, Shen Qinghuai felt very guilty. He really didn't expect Yao Yao to have such deep hatred for this older sister. He was very sad and wanted to persuade her again. It was rare that Yuehu had been found, wasn't it?
But before he could speak, Qiu Xiaoman said, "Don't force me anymore, or I'll get angry. Also, be nice to Liu Kun. He's not a bad person by nature; it's Liu Yuandou who's bad."
Having said all she needed to say, she didn't give Shen Qinghuai another chance to speak, and quickly walked out of the restaurant, leaving this place of trouble behind.
Shen Qinghuai stood at the window on the rooftop and watched her take a taxi and leave before returning to the private room with a sour face.
Everyone was looking at him, except for Manager Zhao, who was looking at Liu Kun and complaining, "President Chen, I can't persuade Xiao Liu anymore, he wants to leave too."
Shen Qinghuai sighed silently: "Liu Kun, Xiaoman told me to treat you well. Sit down. We need your help this time. You are a benefactor to our Shen family. You have to eat this meal. If you leave, Xiaoman will be angry."
This statement, half true and half false, actually fooled Liu Kun.
After all, he didn't want to upset Qiu Xiaoman, so he could only sit down silently.
During the meal, everyone had their own thoughts on the matter. At the table, Shen Qinglan asked, "Brother, can we appease Xiaoman?"
He really knew how to rub salt in the wound. Shen Qinghuai himself didn't realize it, so he could only laugh awkwardly: "It's okay, you'll calm down soon. It's just that Yaoyao is too insensible. Has she been in contact with anyone lately?"
Shen Qinglan thought for a moment and said, "Grandma Yao called her, but I don't know what she said."
"Then I understand." It's obvious the mother-in-law has instilled some twisted ideas in the child; it's truly incomprehensible.
Well, today's mess is all because of what Xiaoman said—"It's the father's fault for not raising his children properly."
Shifting blame is useless; perhaps he should start paying attention to Yao Yao's mental health.
He looked at Yao Yao, whose face was swollen like a five-finger mountain, and asked, "What did Grandma say to you?"
"Qiu Xiaoman is not your daughter, she's a bastard! She's here to fight me, my sister, and my brother for the family property!" Yao Yao was filled with righteous indignation, looking as angry as if she wanted to devour her half-sister.
Seeing her like this, Shen Qinghuai felt heartbroken. The little bit of fatherly love that had just emerged was instantly dissipated by her ferocious appearance with gritted teeth.
Unable to hold back, he slapped her again.
Yao Yao covered her face and burst into loud sobs: "Why did you hit me? Why? My classmate's mother had a child with another man, and that's considered a bastard! You had a child with another woman, so aren't you a bastard too? What did I say wrong!"
Enraged, Shen Qinghuai immediately made a phone call, ordering his bodyguards to come and take this troublemaker back. He commanded, "From now on, keep an eye on her and don't allow her to answer anyone's calls!"
After his wailing daughter left, he didn't forget to warn his other two daughters: "Don't be like your sister Yaoyao, or Daddy won't be so polite to you!"
The two younger daughters looked at each other without saying a word, only finding their father terrifying.
Shen Qinghai, who was standing nearby, advised, "Alright, Qinghuai, the child is still young. Just educate her a bit more and she'll be fine. Don't be angry. It's rare for your nephew to come back, so let's all be happy, okay?"
Shen Qinghuai knew, of course, that today's incident was truly infuriating.
He picked up his chopsticks and started eating, his melancholy evident in his expression.
Sitting at another table, Shen Qingjiang asked, "Third brother, your eldest daughter has quite a temper. Is she upset that we didn't let her acknowledge her ancestors? What are your plans for this? Actually, we can acknowledge her. Although she's just a dog trainer, she's still a formally employed member of the public security system, which wouldn't disgrace the Shen family."
Before he could finish speaking, Liu Kun couldn't help but sneer, "You guys are hilarious! Officer Qiu earned his job through his own abilities, don't act like he's doing you a favor. It's laughable! I can't eat anymore, you can leave now. There's no need for any gratitude. If it weren't for Officer Qiu's sake, who the hell would bother running errands for you? A whole family of lunatics!"
After venting his anger at the Shen family, Liu Kun quickly went out to comfort Qiu Xiaoman.
Shen Qinghuai chased after him again, sighing at the mess he'd made today.
He stopped Liu Kun: "Xiao Liu, don't repeat what my second brother said to Xiao Man, it will hurt her. I'll handle this, just give me some time."
Liu Kun turned to look at Shen Qinghuai, his expression clearly disdainful: "Whose fault is it? It's all your fault, Boss Shen. You never intended to acknowledge this daughter in the first place. Naturally, no one else would take her seriously either, don't you think?"
Shen Qinghuai was so embarrassed that he wanted to disappear. His face burned with embarrassment, and he could only smile bitterly and say, "It's all my fault. I'll apologize to her after the party."
"You should just forget about it. She's in a bad mood today, so don't upset her." Liu Kun turned and left, feeling that this place was unlucky and he didn't want to stay there for another second.
When Shen Qinghuai returned to the private room, he had lost his appetite. He wanted to drown his sorrows in alcohol, but he was also worried about Xiaoman's prohibition against him drinking, so he could only drink some plain water to prolong the time.
Seeing his repeated setbacks today, the old man Shen Wanjun, sitting in the main seat, sighed and touched his gray hair, asking, "Third brother, what's the situation between you and this child? Tell everyone, otherwise, how are we, the whole family, supposed to keep things in check?"
"There's nothing to say. I want to acknowledge her, but I'm not worthy. That's it. I won't let her eat with you guys anymore." Shen Qinghuai swallowed the words "you're not worthy either," lowered his head, and drank his water silently, feeling utterly bored and disillusioned.
However, even if he didn't say it, Shen Wanjun could guess what he was thinking. No one knows a son better than his father. The reason he didn't invite his granddaughter Qiu Xiaoman to his birthday celebration was because he thought that Shen Qinghuai, as her father, didn't want to acknowledge her.
But he didn't want to escalate the conflict or touch his son's sore spot, so he said tactfully, "Blood is thicker than water after all. She still cares about you and remembers to call you to check on your health. You can decide for yourself. If you want to acknowledge your ancestors, just say so, and I'll cooperate with you."
Shen Qinghuai gave a muffled "hmm," and after enduring the banquet until it ended, he immediately drove to the courtyard house. Even if he didn't go in, just standing at the door to listen to the sounds and see if his daughter was in a better mood was better than doing nothing.
After he left, Shen Qinghai complained to Shen Qingjiang, "Second brother, look at the mess you've made! You're such a grown man, can't you speak properly?"
Shen Qingjiang, a reckless fellow, curled his lip and said, "Is it all my fault?"
"You compare yourself to Yao Yao? How old is she and how old are you?" Shen Qinghai was most annoyed with his second brother, and his third brother was the best. He couldn't help but scold him, "Even if the Shen family hasn't recognized Xiao Man yet, you are still Xiao Man's blood-related second uncle. How could you say such things to belittle her? What do you mean she's just a dog trainer? You train one and let me see! If you're so capable, you can make Director Wen and Old Wei fight over you!"
Shen Qingjiang hated it when his older brother lectured him, and couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Tch."
Shen Qinghai sneered: "The road ahead is long. I'll wait and see. One day you'll be begging this dog-training niece for help. We'll see!"
Shen Qingjiang wanted to argue a bit more, but Shen Wanjun scolded him to shut up. He could only awkwardly grab his keys and prepare to go home.
"Stop!" Shen Wanjun called out to him. "Have you cleaned your butt yet?"
He was talking about how he had secretly pooled money with his friends in Shanghai to speculate on stocks. Feeling guilty, Shen Qingjiang blurted out, "What? I'm fine. Okay, I'm going back now, Dad. Tell Mom when you get home."
After saying that, he made a hasty escape, like a student who had cheated.
Shen Wanjun said with exasperation, "He's hopeless."
Shen Qinghai also sighed: "Not everyone is as worry-free as the third son. Let's go, Dad, Mom, I'll take you back to the retirement home."
"No need, you two stay with Yuehu. The child just got back and is still shy around strangers. He doesn't even remember his grandparents. Go back and look through some old photos to help him recall his past memories." Shen Wanjun, after all, loved his grandson, and his tone became much gentler.
Shen Qinghai nodded: "Okay, then we'll go back."
After the children had all left, Shen Wanjun remarked to his wife, "Xiaoman's good fortune is yet to come."
After all, that old man Wan Ming has no children and is already preparing to come back and recognize this child as his heir.
Back at the retirement home, he called his younger brother and told him what had happened at the restaurant that day. He asked with a laugh, "So, how's it going? Can you handle such a hothead? Maybe you should consider other kids?"
Shen Wanming didn't say a word, slammed the phone down, and then called Shen Qinghai to inquire about his nephew Yuehu, who had just been found.
Shen Qinghai sighed and said, "Uncle, this child was probably hit on the head with a club. He has a scar the thickness of a finger on his head. It's been there for years. He must have been seriously injured back then. It damaged his brain. He doesn't remember anything now. He doesn't even recognize me or Guoying."
"What? Amnesia? What exactly happened back then?"
"I don't know. Tenglong said that the three of them went diving to catch fish together, and when they came up, Yuehu was gone."
Was the reservoir full that summer?
"It's not heavy, it didn't rain much."
"That's strange. It can't be that he came out early and was ambushed and taken away, right?"
"I don't know, Uncle. He doesn't remember anything."
“His adoptive parents might be human traffickers, or even if they weren’t, they bought him from human traffickers. You should tell Xiaoman about this and ask her to help you investigate.”
"I was going to say this during dinner today, but we had an unpleasant argument. It's all the third son's fault for not teaching the child properly and for saying such things."
"Qinghuai is just too outrageous. I get annoyed whenever I see him."
"No, Uncle, Qinghuai is a good person. After Tenglong was laid off, he was unemployed, so he called Tenglong over to help. He also personally went to Shanxi to help find Yuehu and spent 50,000 yuan to redeem him."
"Fifty thousand is alright, not a lot. Let's just consider it one of his few good points."
"Hey, Uncle, what should I do if Yuehu still can't remember?"
"There's nothing we can do. It's good enough that we found him. We should treat him well."
"Okay, then I'll go keep him company, Uncle. You should get some rest."
"Okay." Shen Wanming hung up the phone and quickly scheduled a follow-up examination. He wanted to go back in the best possible condition to recognize his successor.
Unfortunately, plans don't always go as expected. Something went wrong at the company, so we had to put the plan on hold until the company weathered the stock market turmoil.
*
On her way back, Qiu Xiaoman had a strong intuition that Mango was about to give birth.
Sure enough, when she got home, Mango had already started having an attack. She quickly boiled water and used a towel to apply a hot compress to Mango's belly to relieve the pressure.
I was busy when someone knocked on the door.
Sure enough, it was that idiot who's afraid of dogs. Qiu Xiaoman rolled her eyes: "What are you doing here? Aren't you afraid I'll unleash the dogs on you?"
Liu Kun didn't complain, so as not to upset Qiu Xiaoman. He smiled and said, "My intuition tells me that you need my help."
"You're crazy, you idiot. What are you pretending to be, a charlatan? Come on in. I'm not responsible if you get bitten." Qiu Xiaoman scoffed as she let him in, not forgetting to bolt the door shut so no one would bother her.
Liu Kun followed in with a smile: "If I bite you, you'll be responsible. Anyway, you can't escape. I know where your workplace is, so I'm sticking to you."
Qiu Xiaoman ignored him and went straight into the room to help Mango give birth.
Seeing this, Liu Kun asked, "Would you like me to cook something for Mango?"
"Go and boil the chicken breast. It's in the basin of water in the kitchen." Qiu Xiaoman unceremoniously ordered around this free labor. As for why he left halfway through, it was obvious without asking that the Shen family was being inhumane.
And this villain is most likely not Shen Qinghuai, nor could it be her aunt's family, so there's no need to ask any more questions; the others have nothing to do with her.
Just then, Shen Qinghuai's voice rang out from outside the door. Qiu Xiaoman quickly went out, pulled Liu Kun aside, and shook her head, preventing him from opening the door.
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