Mid-Autumn Festival was just around the corner, and Qin Xiaoyu took some time to go shopping. There were quite a few vendors selling mooncakes, all requiring ration coupons, and the prices weren't cheap. The problem was that most of them were mixed nuts (five-nut filling). Qin Xiaoyu groaned, "Why does this inhumane thing like mixed nuts still exist? It has no reason to exist!" After visiting many stores, she finally found a jujube paste filling, bought two for Hanhan and two for her younger sister, and carried them home like precious treasures.
Hanhan has only ever watched others eat mooncakes all her life. Now, holding one in her hand, especially one with jujube paste filling, she's drooling with delight, but she just can't bear to eat it.
"Eat up, Mom will buy you more tomorrow," Qin Xiaoyu said with a smile. Hanhan walked over, stood on tiptoe, and brought the mooncake to Qin Xiaoyu's lips. Qin Xiaoyu took a small bite; it was so sweet.
Master Wang will be busy again on Mid-Autumn Festival, so she needs to go there early. Her cousin-in-law has already arranged for Hanhan and her brother to come over for lunch and dinner, so she can rest assured. Now, her cousin spends time with Hanhan whenever he has time, which to some extent makes up for the absence of their father, and Qin Xiaoyu is very gratified.
Qin Xiaoyu didn't finish work until 11 o'clock. As she was about to leave, her boss caught up with her and stuffed a bag of mooncakes into her hand.
"Thank you, Master. Please keep it for yourself." Qin Xiaoyu was surprised that Master Wang was so thoughtful; in her memory, this old woman was extremely stingy.
"Take it back for your child, don't be reluctant to part with it," Mr. Wang instructed as he pushed her out the door.
Qin Xiaoyu was startled when she entered the courtyard and saw that the house was dark. She listened to her cousin's room and heard no movement, so it seemed that she had already gone to bed. She rushed into the house in a panic, turned on the light switch, and the room was immediately lit. The brother and sister were sleeping on the kang (a heated brick bed), and her cousin's wife was lying on the side fully clothed.
"Be gentle, what are you doing? You've scared the child awake." My cousin-in-law complained as she sat up and moved off the bed.
"Why are you still sleeping here? You don't even have a blanket. What if you get cold?" Qin Xiaoyu felt sorry for you.
"Something came up, I'll talk to you tomorrow." Her cousin-in-law yawned as she walked out, and Qin Xiaoyu's heart sank, sensing that something was amiss.
Usually, Hanhan and the others watch TV at their cousin's house, and when it's almost time, they bring their little sister back to wash up and go to bed. They don't need any adults to take care of them. Now that their cousin's wife is here to watch them sleep, she's afraid something might happen.
Qin Xiaoyu glanced at the main room, where lights were on on both sides. She looked at the mooncake in her hand; it was a mixed nut mooncake. Her child didn't like the candied fruit peel inside, so she thought she might as well give it to someone as a favor. She should at least try to smooth things over.
With that thought in mind, she carried the mooncakes and headed towards Grandma Hanhan's house.
"Sigh, Wenzhi is gone, the child is so pitiful. Take two mooncakes over tomorrow." Grandpa Hanhan still dotes on his grandson.
"Didn't you see they've already started eating? That slut can't possibly go hungry! She's eating and drinking well all day long, never missing a thing. She's just wasting Wenzhi's money!" Grandma Hanhan's words were truly awful. Qin Xiaoyu hadn't even eaten a single mooncake herself, so how could she be accused of indulging in gluttony? She was so angry that she turned around and came down the steps, refusing to even feed the mooncakes to the dogs.
She thought about it, but how could she bear to actually feed it to the dog? She glanced at the light in the upper room and had an idea. When she opened the door and went in, she could hear the television playing in the inner room, so they probably hadn't heard her come in. Without saying hello, Qin Xiaoyu went straight into the lady's room.
The lady was already in bed, not asleep, and the radio beside her was playing a model opera. She was startled when she came in, but didn't get up.
"Madam, these mooncakes are for you. I'm going back now." Qin Xiaoyu was inexplicably afraid of the old lady, so she threw down the mooncakes and ran away.
The next morning, her cousin-in-law came over and pulled Qin Xiaoyu aside furtively, saying, "Let me tell you, I know what it means to be bad. This family is related by blood, how can they be so wicked!" As she spoke, she pointed sharply in the southwest direction. Qin Xiaoyu understood that she was referring to Wenzhi's older brother's family.
"What's wrong?" Qin Xiaoyu guessed it was related to what happened last night and hurriedly asked.
"Last night there was a Mid-Autumn Festival gala, and we watched TV the whole time. My little sister doesn't like watching these things, so she played on the floor. After a while, she stopped moving, and I felt something was wrong, so I rushed out to check. Guess what? That Tang Hu was using a piece of candy to lure my little sister outside! I was so scared that I picked her up and brought her back. Although I told Hanhan to lock the door properly before going to bed last night, I was still worried. Your brother said I should keep an eye on her while she sleeps, so she won't get lost during the holiday."
After hearing her cousin-in-law's story, Qin Xiaoyu trembled with anger. So that's how her little sister had gone missing last time! No wonder the child had run out in the pouring rain. Tang Hu must have tricked her out. When Hanhan discovered her sister was missing and went out to look for her, he locked the door from the inside. Even if the children had disagreements, was it really necessary to be so vicious?
Qin Xiaoyu wanted to confront her sister-in-law, but her cousin-in-law saw through her thoughts, pulled her back, and advised, "I'm telling you the truth, but don't sell me out. Living in this courtyard is like walking on thin ice, so be careful and don't cause any chaos."
Hearing her cousin-in-law say this, Qin Xiaoyu felt discouraged. But then she thought that Tang Wenwen was right last time. If this matter was left unresolved, the other side would only escalate the situation. No matter how powerful she was, she was still in the open. Hanhan was still a child, no matter how smart she was. Who knew when she might fall into a trap? If the child was hurt, it would be a serious matter. She had to get to the bottom of this.
"Oh, didn't go to the hair salon today?" The older sister-in-law asked as she picked out rice, lifting the basket as she spoke. This was unusual; she usually wouldn't even look at Qin Xiaoyu.
Qin Xiaoyu was preoccupied with Tang Long's matter and didn't bother with her, pretending not to hear.
"Hey, sister-in-law, I have something to tell you." The sister-in-law had no choice but to hurry over.
"What's up?"
“My brother works at the coal mine, and they all need to buy coal now. If you want to buy some, come with me. He’ll give you a receipt for big chunks of coal, which are much easier to burn than coal dust.” The sister-in-law’s face was all smiles, but Qin Xiaoyu felt a chill run down her spine. What was she up to? It was good enough that they weren’t pouring water into her coal, let alone talking about big chunks of coal. What were they thinking?
"Well, that wouldn't be right, it would be too much trouble for others," Qin Xiaoyu quickly declined.
“My brother is your brother, what’s the trouble! Burning coal in winter is different from cooking in summer. If the coal is not good, it’s easy to get carbon monoxide poisoning. Your child is young, so you have to be careful.” The more her sister-in-law spoke, the more reliable she seemed, and Qin Xiaoyu started to have some faith in her.
"How about we go take a look tomorrow?"
"Okay! Tomorrow it is! Um, there's something else." The older sister-in-law has a quick temper and strikes while the iron is hot.
"What is it?" Qin Xiaoyu guessed that this was the important matter.
“My son Tang Hu’s grades have never been very good. Look at the trouble you’ve caused with Tang Long. You should at least teach your own nephew a lesson,” the sister-in-law said hesitantly.
"Oh, is that so?" Qin Xiaoyu chuckled inwardly. She was waiting here, but it was a miracle that Tang Hu hadn't lost his little sister. He wanted her to tutor him? She smiled coldly and said, "Tang Hu is smart enough. He doesn't need tutoring. He can just focus on his studies."
Qin Xiaoyu's refusal was too harsh, leaving no room for negotiation. The sister-in-law was a little embarrassed, and the smile on her face froze.
"Go buy coal tomorrow?" Qin Xiaoyu saw right through her little scheme and teased her on purpose.
"We'll see, I have something to do tomorrow." The eldest sister-in-law turned and went into the house, slamming the door shut. Qin Xiaoyu almost burst out laughing. If this were a palace drama, she wouldn't even survive half an episode. She would clearly be the one who gets a ten-foot-long whip.
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