Chapter 110
"...Don't you feel ashamed saying such affectionate and hypocritical things?"
"A loving couple who've shared a bed for over ten years?" Shi Yujia said sarcastically, "If you were really as affectionate towards my sister as you claim, how could you not recognize me as her?"
She looked at Mr. Qiao, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Actually, I've always been curious whether you recognized me as not Shi Yuling, or if you didn't..."
Mr. Qiao shouted, "Of course I didn't recognize him!"
He took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "Yes! I did have my doubts, but I'm not a god. How could I have imagined that my wife would be replaced by someone else? If you were in my shoes, would you have thought about it?"
Shi Yujia pursed her lips and said, "I'm not you, how would I know what you're thinking? Maybe you already guessed that I'm not Shi Yuling, but you're pretending not to know because you think it doesn't matter if you have a different wife?"
“Yueyue, my dear niece,” she smiled at Qiao Xinyue, her smile carrying a deeper meaning, and said, “Don’t blame your aunt for not reminding you, men are all the same, even if that man is your own father… So, you really need to be careful. Your dad is really hard to tell whether he’s a wolf or a tiger. Be careful, don’t let him sell you out and still be counting the money for him.”
"Who knows? He might have seventy or eighty illegitimate children outside of marriage."
Mr. Qiao was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at Shi Yuling and stammered "you, you, you" for a long time before finally managing to say, "Don't try to sow discord here. Yueyue is my own daughter. Would I sell her?"
He turned to Qiao Xinyue and hurriedly explained, "Yueyue, don't listen to this woman's nonsense. Believe your father. I really don't have any illegitimate children outside. You're my only child!"
Qiao Xinyue's expression was somewhat dazed. For the first time, she realized with absolute clarity that the woman in front of her was not her mother, Shi Yuling.
In her memory, her mother was gentle and kind. Even when she laughed, she exuded elegance and composure, as if she were laughing while holding a ruler—a typical lady of a well-to-do family. In Qiao Xinyue's memory, she seemed to have never seen her mother laugh loudly or get angry.
But the woman before him was different. All her joys and sorrows were exceptionally clear and sharp, like a raging fire that seemed capable of burning everything around her to ashes.
She is definitely not my mother. My mother, my mother is really dead?
At that moment, Qiao Xinyue suddenly felt very sad because she suddenly realized that she would be a child without a mother from now on.
*
Xu Gui had said he would call the police, and he wasn't lying; the police arrived shortly afterward.
They need to take Shi Yujia back to the police station and conduct a detailed investigation into the case.
"Mom, Mom..." Zhou Qingping grabbed her mother's hand in a panic, "Where are you taking my mother?"
Compared to her unease and fear, Shi Yujia appeared quite calm. Looking at Zhou Qingping's reaction, her expression even showed some disappointment.
“You really are nothing like me from beginning to end.” Shi Yujia shook her head and said disappointedly, “Sure enough, despicable genes are like a bone-deep infection; even if I wanted to erase them, I couldn’t completely eliminate them.”
Upon hearing this, tears streamed down Zhou Qingping's face. She stood there, pale and looking incredibly pitiful.
"Wait!" Qiao Xinyue suddenly remembered something. She quickly ran to Shi Yujia, looked at her intently, and asked, "You still haven't told me where you buried my mother!"
Shi Yujia looked at her, then suddenly reached out and touched her face, saying with a touch of nostalgia, "Actually, you look a lot like your mother. When your mother was little, she was just as lively as you..."
Qiao Xinyue: ?
Just as Qiao Xinyue was feeling somewhat lost, Shi Yujia suddenly withdrew her hand, her expression turning cold again. She told Qiao Xinyue a place name and said, "There are mountains and rivers there, your mother will definitely like it."
Shi Yujia was taken away by the police, and shortly after the police left, Qiao Xinyue's maternal grandparents, having probably heard the news, rushed over.
"That unfilial daughter! I knew she was no good! I just never imagined she would do something so heinous!" Mr. Shi roared angrily as soon as he entered. "Lingling is her own sister, how could she do this?"
The old man was furious: "I think she might be the one who killed Lingling!"
Qiao Xinyue sat there, and for some reason, suddenly said, "She said it was just an accident..."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Shi turned around and sneered, "She says it was an accident, so it's an accident?"
Qiao Xinyue remained silent, watching as Shi's father paced angrily back and forth in the living room. On the other side, Shi's mother, Qiao Xinyue's grandmother, sat there shedding tears.
"Crying? You still know how to cry? This is all thanks to your good upbringing!" Mr. Shi shouted angrily, pointing at Mrs. Shi.
Shi's mother did not refute this, but silently shed tears.
Watching this scene, for some reason, Qiao Xinyue felt a wave of disgust and felt no emotion at all, until she saw Zhou Qingping sitting in the corner, wishing she could curl up into a ball.
After thinking for a moment, she quietly moved closer to the other person and sat down.
...
On the other side, after Qiao Xinyue's maternal grandparents arrived, Xu Gui and the others had already left the Qiao family. After all, the atmosphere at that time was not suitable for outsiders like them to be present, although Fu Xia was somewhat worried about Qiao Xinyue's current mood.
On the way, Fu Xia suddenly asked, "Do you think Uncle Qiao knows that his wife has changed?"
Xu Gui casually replied, "Who knows?"
Fu Xia glanced at her, thinking to herself: I don't know about the others, but you definitely do.
However, Fu Xia did not ask any further questions.
After leaving the Qiao family's house, the group did not return to Fu Xia's house, but instead casually walked to a small garden in a residential area and sat down to rest.
After sitting down, Xu Gui looked around curiously and said to Fu Xia, "You guys have so many little gardens here..." Along the way, so-called "gardens" could be seen everywhere.
These small gardens are not large, with a small pavilion enclosed by flowers and trees, which is decorated very beautifully. When you sit inside, you feel like you are surrounded by flowers and trees.
【Peony Garden】This community is mostly composed of detached villas, and there aren't many houses. Instead, there are peony gardens everywhere. Even the roadside greenery is planted with peonies. Because they are all-season peonies, they bloom in all four seasons. As they walked along, they could see quite a few blooming flowers.
Looking at it this way, the Peony Garden doesn't really resemble a residential community; it's more like a flower farm.
Looking at the surrounding scenery, the topic of conversation in the live stream finally shifted away from the Qiao family—as the camera panned across the area, everyone gained a general understanding of the scenery of the [Peony Garden].
The landscaping in the Peony Garden is really nice; there's plenty of greenery and few houses. The houses, nestled among the red flowers and green trees, all look quite beautiful.
I can't even imagine how happy I would be living here. With my monthly salary of three thousand, will I ever be able to live here in my lifetime?
No wonder the property prices in Peony Garden have been rising year after year. The happiness of the rich is so simple. I want to live here, and I'll be just as happy.
I just saw several peonies, and they're quite expensive!! Are they just planted like that by the roadside in this neighborhood? That's so extravagant!
【Otherwise, do you think the "Peony Treasure Garden" is fake? I've heard that this community grows every kind of peony in China, whether you can name it or not. And you haven't even seen the "Peony Garden" in the center of the community yet; that's the real "Peony Garden." It's said that it not only has that king of peonies, but also countless other precious peony varieties—it's absolutely gorgeous!】
[I really want to see it!!! Can Xu Gui take us to see it?]
[Yes!! Isn't Xu Gui at the Peony Garden right now? I've heard people say the peonies there are growing really well, let us see!]
After being reminded, everyone finally remembered that Xu Gui was currently in the peony garden. Couldn't they ask Xu Gui to take some pictures of the scenery inside the peony garden? Now, everyone was tempted and started throwing gifts at Xu Gui, hoping that she would show them the scenery of the peony garden in return for the gifts.
Ideally, we could take them to see the big peony garden in the neighborhood, the one with the king of peonies.
The high school student didn't say anything, but silently continued to shower Xu Gui with gifts. Xu Gui's long-time fans in the livestream saw that familiar ID and couldn't help but feel happy: "High school student, you're finally here! We were wondering why we hadn't seen you today!"
A high school student replied: "School's back in session, so I don't have time to watch the live stream anymore. It's break time now, and I'm watching it secretly."
After sending that message, she showered Xu Gui with several expensive gifts. After that, she went offline, which was exactly what she had said before: she was secretly watching during her break.
[Looks like the high school students have already gone to class~] Everyone said.
High school students really love Xu Gui.
...
Here in the peony garden, since Yang Haolin could also sit down and rest in the pavilion, he simply pointed the camera at Xu Gui.
At this point, he also had time to check the messages in Xu Gui's live stream, and then he saw everyone's eager anticipation.
After glancing at it, Yang Haolin looked up and whispered, "Teacher Xu..."
Xu Gui, who was talking quietly with Fu Xia, looked up at him with a puzzled expression. Yang Haolin said, "Everyone says they want Teacher Xu to show them what the peony garden in the community looks like..."
He was speaking to Xu Gui, but his gaze was fixed on Fu Xia, clearly indicating that he was actually asking for the opinion of Fu Xia, the owner.
Xu Gui also looked at Fu Xia.
Fu Xia thought for a moment and said, "It's not that it's impossible, but at this time of year, most of the peonies in the garden have already faded, so even if we go to see them, there won't be much to see."
Upon hearing this, everyone simply said, "We're just curious about what a peony garden looks like! It doesn't matter if there are no flowers!"
This is what netizens are saying...
“Alright!” Fu Xia stood up. “Then I’ll take you to see it.”
The peony garden in the community is located in the middle. It is a huge garden surrounded by climbing roses.
Most climbing roses only bloom once in spring, so when they arrived, the flower wall outside the garden was mostly covered with lush green leaves, with only a few bright flowers occasionally interspersed.
Netizens expressed some regret: "If it were spring, I wonder how beautiful this would be!"
Moreover, it's clear that the flowers and plants in the Peony Garden community are being taken care of by dedicated staff, and they are growing vigorously. They would definitely be beautiful when they bloom, but unfortunately, we missed it this year.
Once they arrived at the peony garden, everyone finally saw its true face.
There are so many peonies planted inside, and they are all growing very well. Even people who don't know much about peonies can tell that they are growing very healthily and the plants are very robust.
In front of each peony plant, there is a sign that says the name of the peony.
As Xu Gui and his group walked in, they saw the famous Yao Huang, Wei Zi, and Qinglong Womochi, all of which had been renowned since ancient times. In addition, there were also new varieties developed through modern grafting and cultivation. In short, the variety was extremely complete.
When they reached the middle of the courtyard, they finally saw the peony flower.
It's called a peony flower, but more accurately, it should be called a peony tree. It grows extremely tall and large, with intertwined roots that grow in all directions, producing countless branches, eventually forming a large clump.
This single peony tree alone could be considered a small flower bed.
This peony garden in the community is only open to residents and outsiders cannot enter. Therefore, the flowers are not fenced off, but there are surveillance cameras installed around the perimeter. People can easily touch the peonies by bending down.
Xu Gui bent down and gently touched the peony's thick leaves. She asked Fu Xia, "What's the name of this peony?"
Fu Xia: "This is a white peony called Yulouchun... I think it's also called Baixueta. It has a very long flowering period every year, from March to July. It's a pity, if you had come two months earlier, you could have seen the last flowers."
Xu Gui stood up and said, "You can come back next year too!"
Fu Xia nodded: "That's true."
As the group strolled around the park, they encountered other residents who were also there. The park also had pavilions where people could rest when they were tired.
Many of these people recognized Fu Xia and greeted her when they saw her. Some were also curious about Xu Gui, and Fu Xia introduced him to them.
“...She’s my friend, and I brought her to see the peonies in our garden,” Fu Xia said.
Hearing her say that, everyone nodded in agreement and said with great pride, "The peonies in our neighborhood are indeed very famous outside!"
As they finished strolling through the garden and were preparing to leave, Fu Xia encountered an acquaintance, an elderly man who seemed to be a close elder to her. Fu Xia treated him with affection and respect, and Xu Gui overheard her addressing him as:
"Grandpa Jiang..."
Fu Xia exchanged pleasantries with Grandpa Jiang, while Xu Gui pulled Yang Haolin aside and asked him to take a picture of a peony plant next to them. This peony was probably a four-season peony, the kind that blooms several times a year. Although it was September, it still had several red flowers, which looked quite beautiful.
Over there, Fu Xia was talking to Grandpa Jiang, and they were talking about another of her elders.
"...Your Grandpa Li's grandson has been possessed by an evil spirit. He's so worried that he can't even eat, let alone go for a walk," Grandpa Jiang sighed.
The Grandpa Li he mentioned was his good friend; the two were inseparable. If you saw one of them, the other was usually there too. But now, only Grandpa Jiang was strolling around the garden.
Fu Xia couldn't help but ask, "Is Grandpa Li's grandson possessed? Could he be sick?"
Grandpa Jiang shook his head and said, "It doesn't seem like he's sick. He's been crying and making a fuss, and he was even eating raw meat in the kitchen in the middle of the night..."
"Eating raw meat?"
"That's right... His parents were terrified back then, and now your Grandpa Li is worried about finding a master to exorcise the evil spirit from that child."
Grandpa Jiang and Grandpa Li are good friends, having been friends for many years. Now, when this matter is brought up, he can't help but worry for his friend. He added, "I heard that there is a very remarkable Master Liaowu in Qingcheng Mountain. I have already asked your uncle to help me make contact. I hope it will be helpful."
As Fu Xia listened, a thought struck her—possession and fortune telling…wasn’t this a perfect match for her profession?
Thinking this, she immediately approached Grandpa Jiang and said, "Grandpa Jiang! I have someone here who might be able to help?"
Grandpa Jiang: "Oh?"
...
"You want me to exorcise evil spirits?"
Xu Gui looked at the old man next to Fu Xia with surprise and curiosity. Just then, the old man was also looking at her with a critical and inquisitive gaze. Their eyes met in mid-air.
"Xiaoxia, is this the expert you were talking about?" Grandpa Jiang spoke up, his tone strange. He looked at Fu Xia and said rather tactfully, "Isn't she a little too young?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Xia enthusiastically replied, "Grandpa Jiang, don't underestimate Xu Gui just because she's young. She's incredibly talented. Didn't you say that in many things, talent is more important than hard work? Xu Gui's talent in exorcism is absolutely top-notch!"
Upon hearing her words, Xu Gui couldn't help but glance at her: How come she didn't know that she was skilled at exorcising evil spirits?
"You have no idea, Xu Gui is incredibly skilled at fortune telling. If you search for fortune telling online, you'll see her name everywhere. She's the most popular fortune teller online right now!" To make her words more convincing, Fu Xia even searched on her phone herself and showed the search results to the old man.
"See, I wasn't wrong, was I?" she said proudly.
Grandpa Jiang tilted his head back a little, moving further away from Fu Xia's phone screen, before squinting at it and saying, "It seems that's really the case."
Fu Xia pulled Xu Gui to stand in front of him, her eyes shining, and said, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Xu Gui. Xu Gui knows everything, you know?"
Then she whispered to Xu Gui, "Grandpa Jiang and Grandpa Li are both very rich. Grandpa Li only has one grandson. If you can successfully cure his grandson's strange illness, Grandpa Li will definitely give you a lot of money."
A lot of money?
A lot of money = one step closer to earning 100 million... Xu Gui quickly reached this equation in his mind, and immediately the look in his eyes when he looked at Grandpa Jiang was different, filled with eagerness (all of it was a desire for money).
"Hello Grandpa Li, I'm Xu Gui, a fortune teller!" She took the initiative to introduce herself to the old man.
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Jiang looked her up and down and asked, "A fortune teller? Can you predict everything?"
Xu Gui nodded confidently.
Grandpa Jiang nodded slightly, as if to indicate that he understood, and then he said, "Since you put it that way, then help me calculate some interesting things that have happened to me recently..."
Xu Gui: "Something interesting?"
Grandpa Jiang nodded: "You're a fortune teller, you should be able to predict this, right?"
Xu Gui glanced at the old man, hesitated, and asked, "Anything interesting is fine?"
Grandpa Jiang nodded.
Xu Gui indicated that he understood, and immediately said, "Then, the day before yesterday, your maid crawled into your bed..."
Before she could finish speaking, a hand suddenly and quickly covered her face again. Xu Gui blinked innocently, looking at Grandpa Jiang's face, which turned red and then pale.
Xu Gui: Hmm, isn't it interesting enough that the maid crawls into bed?
Grandpa Jiang swallowed hard, released his hand from Xu Gui's mouth, and said in a dry voice, "This, this doesn't count. Tell me about the others."
Xu Gui: "Okay."
The viewers in the live stream went crazy:
【What? What do you mean, "getting into bed"? I didn't hear you clearly, Xu Gui, say it again!】
Is there anything my VIP membership prevents me from hearing? Xu Gui, I suggest you say it again (I'm not really that curious, though).
[Damn it, this old man is so old, yet his hands move so fast! I almost heard the maid crawling into bed!]
It's truly a great pity for everyone.
As for Xu Gui, she didn't know what the interesting things Grandpa Jiang was talking about, so she could only choose some things that she found interesting to talk about.
She did the math and finally picked out another interesting thing from them.
"Ah, last time you were at your daughter's house, you wanted to try the cat poop coffee she said was delicious, but you never expected that there was actually a real cat on the counter..."
This time, Xu Gui was cut off again by Grandpa Jiang, who was covered in sweat. Xu Gui looked at him innocently once more: So, wasn't this whole thing interesting enough?
Fu Xia, who was standing nearby, leaned over and whispered, "I didn't expect it to be real cat poop?"
Grandpa Jiang: "..."
He released his hand from Xu Gui's mouth and laughed, "How could that be? I'm this old, do you think I can't tell the difference between real cat poop and fake cat poop? You kid, you're just talking nonsense."
He stared intently at Xu Gui and said, "Is that right, Miss Xu?"
Xu Gui: Although she didn't understand what the other person meant, she could tell that this Grandpa Jiang didn't seem to want her to talk about this.
Thinking this, Xu Gui said, "...Ah, is that so?"
Upon hearing her answer, Grandpa Jiang's tense body quietly relaxed. Only then did he realize that he had been drenched in a cold sweat.
—I was sweating bullets! I almost ruined my reputation.
If everyone found out that he ate real cat poop... Grandpa Jiang glanced at the camera behind Xu Gui and felt cold sweat breaking out again.
Fortunately, he stopped Xu Gui in time.
Grandpa Jiang was relieved that he didn't see the comments in Xu Gui's live stream. If he had, he probably wouldn't have felt that his lifelong reputation hadn't been ruined.
In Xu Gui's live stream room:
This old man must have eaten real cat poop, right?
[Eaten real cat poop +1]
This is really interesting!
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