Chapter 155 Daughter Inherits Mother's Business 2 "Does customs need drug-sniffing dogs?"...
There isn't actually any direct evidence that Shen Qinghuai was cheated on, and he's already so negative before the results are even out, which shows that there's practically no trust between him and Liang Yuting.
It's ironic, really. They were husband and wife for over a decade, sharing the same bed, yet the woman couldn't accept the man's child with his ex-wife, and the man couldn't accept the mystery surrounding the child's blood type.
What's the point of being a couple like this? They might as well get a divorce.
However, Qiu Xiaoman had no say in this matter. Besides, it wasn't that Shen Qinghuai didn't want a divorce; it was that the Liang family was dissatisfied with the distribution of benefits and insisted on dragging it out. Now, they had even sent Liang Yuting to a mental hospital. It was likely that the divorce wouldn't be finalized anytime soon.
She could only let Shen Qinghuai answer the phone, and tried to persuade him with reverse psychology: "It seems that I don't mean much to you."
Shen Qinghuai retorted weakly, "Silly child, I'm not angry with you, why are you worrying so much?"
Qiu Xiaoman couldn't help but sneer: "Am I being paranoid? You're not eating or drinking, are you planning to just fall ill and never wake up, so I'll raise your child? Is this what you call fatherly love? Why should I? It's not my child."
Shen Qinghuai was speechless: "How could I think that way? I just can't accept it right now."
"The results are in?"
"not yet."
"Since it hasn't happened yet, why are you overthinking it? Look on the bright side, Yao Yao's maternal grandmother's attention to Yao Yao is indeed unusual. She doesn't care much about the other children. Maybe Yao Yao is her biological granddaughter."
"Your own granddaughter?"
"Yeah, isn't your brother-in-law a spendthrift? Why doesn't he switch his own child with yours? The two kids' birthdays are close together, and you're not around, so you wouldn't even know if they were switched, right?"
“That makes sense. I’ll have to find a way to get him and his daughter tested.”
“That’s right. Once you find something wrong with the test results, go and settle accounts with them. What kind of person stays at home all day looking so gloomy?” Qiu Xiaoman spoke very bluntly. Shen Qinghuai was clearly hit where it hurt, and he did not refute her.
After a long silence, she said, "It's all my fault. I'm such a grown-up, and I still make you worry about me. Don't worry, I'll handle this as soon as possible and I won't hold you back."
"That's more like it. You better pull yourself together. What if I have a child and you're already gone? Who will I ask to help me take care of the child? Fuze is young and doesn't know any better, and my master is a rascal who's never home. Isn't it all up to you?" Qiu Xiaoman was at her wit's end, so she had to push him a little harder to make him feel a sense of crisis.
Don't feel like the sky is falling just because a child isn't yours. Other children are so innocent, she is so innocent.
Shen Qinghuai glanced subconsciously at Fu Ze, who was making a crib, and smiled: "You're okay with letting me take care of the baby? I don't care about the company anymore?"
"You've already sold your company, what do you care about air?!" Qiu Xiaoman knew that he would eventually bring the company back, but he hadn't made a move yet, so why shouldn't she have the audacity to order around a nobody like him?
Shen Qinghuai laughed: "Okay, you can rest assured that I'll take care of them. How many children do you plan to have?"
"One child isn't enough? Can you even handle it?" Qiu Xiaoman threatened irritably. "I don't care. If I come back from my business trip and find you've lost weight, I won't help you take care of any children we have. You're not even responsible for yourself. What kind of grandfather are you? Who would dare let you take care of their children?"
She then slammed down the phone, leaving Shen Qinghuai stunned for a long time.
Fu Ze, after tightening a screw, laughed and said, "Oh, what did I just hear? Grandpa? Who's going to be a grandpa?"
Shen Qinghuai's face burned with embarrassment. Even though his eldest daughter didn't acknowledge him, she was willing to let the children call her Grandpa!
Although we don't even know where this child is yet.
He chuckled foolishly as he hung up the phone: "Fuze, where's the pork ribs you stewed for lunch? Give me a bowl."
"Hey, you're ordering me around now." Fu Ze laughed, tossed the screwdriver into the toolbox, and stood up. "Fine, what can I do? You're my child's grandfather."
Holding his rice bowl, Shen Qinghuai found the home-cooked pork ribs to be so delicious and flavorful for the first time, and he ate two bowls in one go.
Fu Ze said with disdain, "If you can eat so much, don't try to steal food from my child in the future."
Shen Qinghuai smiled and went to wash the dishes: "Stop being silly, go use this as your crib."
"Why should I? You're the grandpa, why shouldn't you do it? Come on, here, I'll tighten the screws for you. If you don't finish, I'll tell your daughter." Fu Ze didn't dare let him wash the dishes. Last time, Shen Qinghuai washed the dishes and used the rag he used to wipe the stove as a dishcloth, which made him furious.
When I got to the kitchen, hey, this old guy actually made a mistake this time.
However, having already said it, he still handed the screwdriver to Shen Qinghuai.
After washing his own dishes, Shen Qinghuai took the screwdriver and started learning woodworking. As he screwed, he wondered what this piece of wood was for and what that board was for.
Fu Ze was quite patient; as long as Shen Qinghuai didn't cause him any trouble, everything else was negotiable.
After a while, the father-in-law and son-in-law got along quite well, and at the end, Shen Qinghuai asked, "You two really don't plan to get married?"
"How can we get married? My ID card is fake." Fu Ze raised an eyebrow. "Uncle, don't be so particular. A marriage in the conventional sense is just for show."
“That’s true, children are the real bond. By the way, is having children your idea or Xiaoman’s own?” Shen Qinghuai finished tightening the screws, stood up and stretched his limbs. Sure enough, he was getting old, and his back ached after bending over for just a short while.
Fu Ze laughed and said, "Is that even a question? Between my junior sister and me, I've never had the upper hand."
"Oh, so you mean not getting married means you have no security?" Shen Qinghuai thought about it seriously. It was true. In this materialistic society, not having a marriage certificate meant not having inheritance rights. Fu Ze was at a huge disadvantage.
Fu Ze couldn't help but laugh: "I already said, that's just for show, my junior sister and I don't need it."
"Aren't you afraid of her..." Shen Qinghuai decided to give his son-in-law a heads-up, after all, his daughter had vaguely dated someone before, and that guy surnamed Liu was still secretly protecting Xiaoman.
Unexpectedly, Fu Ze chuckled: "Uncle, you're hilarious. Are you wondering what I'll do if my junior sister abandons me?"
"Yes." Shen Qinghuai meant well, but he didn't expect to be ridiculed, which hurt him a little.
Fu Ze stood up and patted his shoulder: "Don't worry, if that day ever comes, it will be my junior sister's loss, not mine."
"Hey kid, you're pretty confident, huh?" Shen Qinghuai didn't expect this kid to be so carefree.
Fu Ze shrugged helplessly: "If you are truly let down, it just means the other party doesn't know what's good for you, so there's nothing to regret."
Shen Qinghuai didn't understand: "Aren't you sad?"
"Is that even a question? But can being sad solve anything? Love can't be forced. As long as I have a clear conscience, that's enough." Fu Ze got up, picked up his woodworking pen, and continued to work with the wooden board.
This attitude is actually quite admirable. Watching from the side, Shen Qinghuai couldn't help but ask, "What about you? Will you ever fall in love with someone else?"
"If that day ever comes, it will be my loss, not my junior sister's." Fu Ze repeated the same words from a different perspective.
Shen Qinghuai laughed: "You're a more insightful kid than I am."
"That's true, otherwise my junior sister wouldn't have taken a liking to me." Fu Ze smiled, picked up the saw, and went to cut the wood.
Shen Qinghuai watched from the side, his mind filled with thoughts.
This kid is really good. He's hardworking, capable, and can endure loneliness. He's proficient in techniques that require a lot of patience, qualities that Liu Kun doesn't possess.
On the contrary, Liu Kun was too starved for love, too anxious, and eager to grasp something, which ultimately led to his unexpected loss of something.
This is Liu Kun's misfortune, but also Xiaoman's good fortune. This kind of immature man will only drag her down with him, and living like that would be exhausting.
In comparison, Fuze is almost perfect, although he has some minor flaws, such as his tendency to be sarcastic and talkative. He will also get angry if someone messes up his kitchen or takes the wrong dishcloth.
It may seem like nitpicking, but it's actually a unique kind of vibrancy.
He has his own set of wisdom in dealing with things, and only he can steadily support Xiaoman's impetuousness, anxiety, and loneliness.
Thinking of this, Shen Qinghuai suggested, "Give me your bank account number, and I'll transfer some money to you, just for the baby's milk powder."
"No need. If I ever really run out of money, just lend me your supplementary card." Fu Ze didn't have a proper ID, so he had to make do with this. He changed the direction of the wooden board and continued pulling, saying to himself with a laugh, "It shouldn't be that bad. Even if I make some wood carvings and sell them, I can still support my whole family."
That's true. Shen Qinghuai suddenly asked curiously, "Besides wood, what else can you carve?"
"Anything is fine with me. Give me a radish and I can carve it into a beautiful shape for you." Fu Ze was busy and didn't even look up.
Shen Qinghuai laughed: "Then, how about I give you a piece of jade?"
“No problem. Just draw me a picture of what you want. If you can’t draw it, just tell me your requirements in detail, and I’ll try my best to satisfy you. But I’m warning you beforehand that jade carving is very time-consuming, and the labor cost is not low.” Fu Ze was quite happy to take on some work. Even if his junior sister really wanted to have a child with him, he wanted to support the child himself.
Shen Qinghuai smiled and said, "No rush, let me ask my friend and then I'll give you an answer. By the way, you also know how to make gold and silver jewelry?"
Fu Ze stopped what he was doing and began to polish the wooden splinter: "What's there to not know? Ask your junior sister, there was that strange beast she wanted but couldn't catch no matter what, didn't I carve one for her? I used gold inlaid with jade. But she probably didn't bring it back, so you can't see it, what a pity."
Shen Qinghuai was completely convinced: "Okay, with this skill, making money won't be a problem. I happen to have a friend whose wife is more than three months pregnant. Why don't you make a gold lock for his family?"
"Where are the blueprints?"
"There's no pattern. The baby's due date is next year, the Year of the Monkey. Feel free to improvise."
How is the labor cost calculated?
"I'll give it to you at twice the market price, and I'll pay you half as a deposit first."
"Twice is fine, let's just go with the normal market price." Although Fu Ze didn't know what the market price was here either.
Shen Qinghuai verbally agreed, but actually quoted double, two hundred.
Fu Ze didn't press for the truth, but just smiled and said, "At my speed, a gold lock can be made in three days at most. I'd appreciate it if you could help me get some more work, since I'm bored staying at home anyway."
“Okay, I’ll make a call.” Shen Qinghuai immediately thought of Chen Baihui’s jewelry store, but he knew that his daughter didn’t like her biological mother, and his son-in-law would most likely be in the same boat, so he had no choice but to go to the balcony to make the call.
When the call connected, Chen Baihui was quite happy to hear that Shen Qinghuai wanted to introduce her to a skilled goldsmith.
Upon hearing that he was to pay double the market price for processing, he immediately yelled, "Are you crazy? I run a jewelry store, not a charity! Double the processing fee? I'll lose money hand over fist!"
Helpless, Shen Qinghuai could only ask her, "Don't you want to make it up to Xiaoman?"
“She doesn’t care.” From the time Chen Baihui gave birth to the time she was in postpartum confinement, and even after the baby turned one month old, she never saw Qiu Xiaoman. She had long since given up on this daughter.
But wasn't this her own doing? Shen Qinghuai was furious: "Fine, Chen Baihui, let me tell you, this is your last chance to mend your relationship with Xiaoman. If you don't want it, don't come crying to me later!"
Chan Pak-wai was furious: "Can you be reasonable? She didn't even visit me when I was in the hospital. She doesn't even consider me her mother anymore!"
Shen Qinghuai couldn't help but sneer: "Isn't that because you no longer see her as your daughter?"
"Fine, I don't have that kind of money. Go find someone else. Don't bother me with anything related to her anymore. I don't have this daughter." Chen Baihui hung up the phone angrily.
Shen Qinghuai sighed silently, returned to the living room, and saw Fu Ze's all-seeing gaze. He couldn't help but feel melancholy: "You heard everything?"
“It can’t be forced; their bond as mother and daughter ended long ago.” Fu Ze began assembling the crib’s base. Shen Qinghuai wanted to help, but Fu Ze persuaded her to stay, saying, “Why don’t you water the flowers for me? Thank you.”
Shen Qinghuai wasn't in the mood, but he did as he was told. After watering the flowers, he came in and muttered, "I'll open my own gold shop! I'll go head-to-head with her! I refuse to believe that my son-in-law's gold jewelry can't take over the market!"
Fu Ze was both amused and exasperated: "Uncle, don't be childish. Just go to any other jewelry store and get me some odd jobs."
Shen Qinghuai refused: "No, I can't stand her pretentious attitude!"
Fu Ze had no choice but to advise, "Uncle, I'm serious. Even if you only get fifty yuan for the workmanship of a gold lock, I can make six a month, which is more than the salary of a state-owned enterprise employee here. You really don't need to open a gold shop. If there's a shortage of supply, I won't be responsible."
"No way, I have to make Chen Baihui suffer. I'm going to open a jewelry store!" Shen Qinghuai was determined. In the past few years, he ignored his eldest daughter just to compete with Chen Baihui. Now that Chen Baihui was provoking him again, he would not be Shen if he did not deal with her!
*
After interrogating the thief, Qiu Xiaoman went to sleep in the police station's duty room. She was waiting for the other teams to return so they could summarize the situation.
However, many people slept on the beds in the duty room, and there was a strong smell of hair oil, which she couldn't stand. So she could only sit on the edge of the bed and lean against the wall to take a nap.
She had just dozed off when the phone rang. For some reason, Chan Pak-wai called to yell at her.
She overheard it, too lazy to explain, and rudely questioned, "What? You think I'm losing my job and want to steal your business from the jewelry store? Am I crazy or are you crazy?"
With her fiery temper, how could Chan Pak-wai tolerate being scolded by a younger generation? After all, she was always the one scolding others. Enraged, she started cursing in her dialect, calling them names like "worthless good-for-nothing," "idiot," "unfilial daughter," and "insatiable greed."
Qiu Xiaoman understood a little bit, but she was too lazy to argue with her. After Chen Baihui finished cursing, she asked, "Aren't you a woman? Aren't you a good-for-nothing? Didn't your mother scold you for being a fool? You ran off to the capital and left your mother in your hometown. Aren't you an unfilial daughter? Sigh, what can we do? Like father, like son. You're my only role model. I'm sure I won't learn anything from you. Just accept your fate."
These words were like daggers to the heart, making Chen Baihui tremble with anger. She almost smashed the phone. Her loud cursing startled the older children, and the three siblings all ran out of their bedroom to watch.
Faced with the children's reproachful gazes, she could only awkwardly cover the microphone and explain, "Someone was causing trouble, and Mom got a little agitated and couldn't control her temper—"
Before she could finish speaking, Yan Yan snatched the phone away and quickly apologized, "Sister, Mom is like a different person after she gave birth to my sister. Don't take it personally, sister. Don't be angry. I'll talk to my brother about her."
Hearing Yan Yan's voice, Qiu Xiaoman immediately perked up: "Oh, it's Yan Yan! Still awake? Don't you have school tomorrow?"
“Sister, I heard what Mom said to you, don’t pay attention to her.” Yan Yan was not distracted by her sister’s change of topic. She said seriously, “Uncle Zheng doesn’t like his daughter, so Mom is like a madwoman. She keeps saying that my sister is a money-loser and doesn’t breastfeed her properly. It’s really unreasonable.”
"Oh." Qiu Xiaoman had no affection for this baby sister she had never met before, so she instructed, "You should stay in the room next door so as not to affect your studies."
"Okay, don't worry, sis, we'll take good care of ourselves. Are you still working overtime?"
"Yes, it's in Shanghai."
"Have you seen Grandma?"
"No, I'm not familiar with her."
"Oh, I'm sorry, sister, I didn't mean to."
"It's okay, I'm not angry."
"Then you should go to sleep early, sister. My brother and I will take care of her here, so you don't need to worry about anything."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Yan Yan. I have to go to a meeting now, talk to you later."
"Be careful, sister. Goodbye, sister."
Qiu Xiaoman hung up the phone and couldn't help but sigh. Chen Baihui is already a mother of five, how can she still be so childish, like a giant baby?
Never mind, the other teams just happened to be back. She banished the unpleasant thoughts from her mind, got up, and went out for a meeting.
In short, their reconnaissance was on the right track, and Little Lightning and Mango did a great job! Captain Liu gave special praise to the two dogs, assigned tasks for tomorrow, and then adjourned the meeting, telling everyone to go back and rest for a few hours so they would have the energy to continue fighting.
Qiu Xiaoman and Wu Shirong were both arranged to stay in a nearby hotel, each in a single room.
At the same time, Captain Liu arranged for another team to lie in ambush outside the market. The suspect was a butcher at the market's meat stall, and they were determined to catch him the moment he appeared.
When Qiu Xiaoman woke up, the man had already been arrested.
Comparing the information found by Xiaoshandian, such as the cracked canvas shoes, cigarette butts, and teeth picked up from the garbage dump, it was basically confirmed.
After that, Qiu Xiaoman had nothing to do with the interrogation. By the afternoon, the truth came out—the motive for the murder was that his wife couldn't stand him anymore and wanted a divorce.
He refused to divorce her, so his wife had no choice but to leave with the children, returning every week to ask for money.
He didn't dare kill his wife, so the day after she left, he targeted the elderly, weak, women and children who were alone.
He smoked the cigarette butt while waiting for his chance in the alley, and he slipped and fell while dragging the corpse. Someone happened to be passing by, and he ran away before he could pick it up.
Later, he was busy with his business and thought it was just a pair of cracked shoes, so he didn't pay attention to it. Little did he know that it would become one of the key pieces of evidence to catch him.
As for the heart he took...
Qiu Xiaoman looked at the boxed lunch in front of her and suddenly lost her appetite.
The animal mixed the heart with pig offal and sold it to a sausage factory.
In Qiu Xiaoman's lunchbox lay a golden-brown fried sausage. Although it wasn't necessarily contaminated with a human heart, she really couldn't eat it.
He had no choice but to put the lid back on the lunchbox and asked, "Can we go now?"
"Sure. As for the dispatch reports for your two police dogs, I will complete them as soon as possible and fax them to you." Captain Liu sat down with a smile. This is the usual procedure when applying for police dog assistance. The applicant and the supporting party will each submit a report, which will be combined to evaluate the police dogs.
Since that's the case, Qiu Xiaoman prepared to go back; she could write her two copies on the plane.
However, she still called Liu to her office and asked him alone, "Does Liu know anyone at customs? My dog's special training has always been focused on drug detection."
Team Leader Liu became interested, picked up the phone, and called Old Wei: "Old Wei, does the customs need drug-sniffing dogs?"
"Drug-sniffing dogs?"
"Yes, Xiao Qiu personally trained him."
"Oh! You should have said so earlier! Yes, yes! Are you here now?"
"Yes, but... there might be some procedures to go through in the capital."
"Understood, I'll contact my friends at customs right away and recommend some drug-sniffing dogs to them. How many?"
"One, a female."
“Okay, tell her to go back and report for duty first, and then go to pick up the dog after the customs has submitted the application.”
After hanging up the phone, Captain Liu smiled and reassured Qiu Xiaoman: "Go back first and wait for news. We need to submit a report here, after all, these aren't dogs from our own base."
"Thank you very much." Qiu Xiaoman breathed a sigh of relief. Although she would miss Xiao Shandian very much after sending him to Shanghai, Xiao Shandian's determination was to inherit her mother's mantle, and Qiu Xiaoman would definitely seize every opportunity to help Xiao Shandian realize his dream.
The next day, she took Little Lightning and Mango back with her. As soon as she arrived at the base, Captain Meng called her over and asked, "You're really something, Xiao Qiu! The people in Shanghai have been urging me all morning to part with them. I was wondering how they knew about Little Lightning's abilities. Turns out it was you who recommended him."
"Do I need to recommend him? Little Lightning solved the case so quickly and accurately this time, who wouldn't be envious?" Qiu Xiaoman told Little Lightning the good news with a smile. "Little guy, do you want me to take you there in a couple of days?"
"It's okay, I can take the plane by myself." Little Lightning knew her trainer was busy, so she had to be sensible.
Qiu Xiaoman insisted, "Captain Meng, let me take her there. How many more days will it take for the paperwork to be completed?"
"Seven working days." Captain Meng sighed silently. Such a good dog, if Captain Lu doesn't want it, going to customs would be fine too.
As a result, Lao Wei was in a hurry, and the process was completed in five working days. Qiu Xiaoman boarded the plane again and personally handed Xiaoshan over to customs.
The person in charge of taking care of Little Lightning at customs was also a woman. After exchanging pleasantries with her, Qiu Xiaoman learned that she was a retired military officer who was in charge of the customs anti-smuggling dog team, which put her at ease.
She wrote down all of Little Lightning's preferences in a notebook, handed it to customs, and then left reluctantly.
From then on, Little Lightning will be active in places where large quantities of goods are handled, such as airports and ports, and may even be recruited by the coast guard to arrest bad guys on coast guard patrol boats. Just thinking about it is quite thrilling.
Hopefully, she can shine and become a highly successful anti-drug dog.
Back in Beidu, Qiu Xiaoman learned that Shen Qinghuai had rented a shop opposite Chen Baihui's jewelry store and was planning to open one. She finally understood why Chen Baihui had made that phone call.
She thought about it and didn't stop him. Let him go ahead and do it. Her senior brother also needs to do something so that he won't be short of money.
Although she has money, he definitely won't want it; it's better to let him do something himself.
The shop was quickly renovated, and the first batch of goods consisted mainly of mainstream products available on the market. However, there was one counter called "Master Craftsmanship" that displayed only two longevity locks. The locks were exquisitely crafted, with intricate designs and auspicious meanings, making them clearly different from the mass-produced products on the market.
Soon, a knowledgeable shopkeeper arrived and asked, "How much for this gold lock?"
The sales clerk was Shen Tenglong. He was a little unsure of himself, but he still followed Shen Qinghuai's instructions and quoted a price.
Hearing the exorbitant price, which was three times higher than the market price, the shop owner didn't even blink and bought both longevity locks.
After closing up shop that night, Shen Tenglong called Shen Qinghuai, worriedly asking, "Uncle, could that person have bought it to make counterfeits?"
Shen Qinghuai laughed: "No, that technique is very difficult, and others can't do it."
Shen Tenglong was unaware of Fu Ze's existence and could only worry as he continued his business as usual.
Strangely enough, a month passed and no counterfeit product appeared, and two months passed and still no counterfeit product appeared.
In the third month, there was a similar one, but the design was much simpler than the one they were selling, and the workmanship was much worse. The price was the same as the usual new models, only 30% more expensive than the mass-market product.
Their shop guarantees at least ten unique goldsmith-made pieces every month, which is far from meeting the demand. As a result, they had no choice but to raise prices to an astonishing level.
Some people are even willing to pay the full amount in advance just to snag a one-of-a-kind goldsmith's handcrafted piece.
Chen Baihui, sitting across from him, couldn't sit still any longer. After closing time, she stopped Shen Tenglong and asked, "What does your uncle mean? Is he deliberately trying to ruin my business?"
-----------------------
The author says: My mom is a giant baby. Not every mother loves her child, especially mothers who favor sons over daughters. Abuse is commonplace for them. Compared to them, Chen Baihui is nothing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com