"He thinks I can't get out, huh?" Qi Si sneered.
"Pah, he's just a snob! I knew Fourth Brother would be fine. We asked him to cut off the power, but I thought about all the good stuff in his fridge and freezer. If the power was cut off, wouldn't it all go bad? How much money would that cost? The moment they cut off the power and the inspectors left, I immediately turned it back on!" A chubby boy sitting in the corner said excitedly.
"Little Fatty, come here, I really have to toast you." Qi Si waved his hand, and the people next to him were perceptive enough to give way with their cups in hand. Little Fatty came over happily, clinked glasses with Qi Si, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Little Fatty, just let me know if you ever need anything. I've decided to be your brother."
"Oh, Fourth Brother, you flatter me. I'll just be your little brother." The chubby boy smiled, his eyes crinkling into crescents. Everyone immediately chimed in, praising him for being loyal and righteous, and he managed to blend in with the crowd.
"Brother, what did you do to him?" Qin Xiaoyu had been curious about how Section Chief Bai had become like that, and asked him immediately after the banquet.
"Nothing much, they just sent a few men to his mistress's house in the middle of the night, dragged him out of bed, took him to the riverbank, took off his shoes and threw them into the river, and made him walk back to the banquet," Qi Si said dismissively.
"Damn it!" Qin Xiaoyu imagined the way back from the riverbank and then realized what Section Chief Bai's feet had gone through. To protect the embankment, it was covered with sharp gray pebbles, all of them jagged and sharp; stepping on them was no different from torture.
Qi Si is really clever. He neither restricted his personal freedom nor used torture. He wanted to leave on his own, so is it my fault?
There was still no news from Zhou Xing, and Qin Xiaoyu had never experienced such torment. But she had no legitimate reason to search for him. With the turmoil subsiding, she couldn't risk putting her two children in danger any longer; all she could do was pray.
"Xiaoyu, you've suffered such a great injustice, why hasn't Zhou Xing shown his face at all?" Her cousin-in-law spoke up for her, feeling indignant.
"I heard he was injured, but I don't know how he is." Qin Xiaoyu was originally helping her cousin-in-law sort through the yarn balls, but when she heard this question, she panicked and her hands went into disarray, and the yarn tangled into several knots.
"Are you hurt? You should be alright." My cousin-in-law snatched the ball of yarn away, but she couldn't figure it out either. In a fit of anger, she ran her fingers through it, turning it into a tangled mess again.
"It should be alright, he's the commander's son after all, he should be able to get the best medical resources." Qin Xiaoyu kept reassuring herself like this.
"That's not necessarily true. Guns don't have eyes. Even the Chairman's son sacrificed his life..." The cousin-in-law blurted out and regretted it as soon as she finished speaking. Seeing Qin Xiaoyu hanging her head and not saying anything, she quickly comforted her, "I was just talking nonsense. Look at my mouth. It's okay, it'll be okay."
"I don't want to think about it too much. Whether something happens or not, life goes on the same. Let's take care of Hanhan's schooling first." Qin Xiaoyu really thought so. Men are just big pigs; what can they do besides cause trouble? You can't rely on anyone else. It's best to rely on yourself!
Commander Zhou used to take care of everything regarding Hanhan's primary school enrollment, but now it's time to start the registration process all over again.
Hanhan is only six years old, a little younger than the required school age. Qin Xiaoyu just didn't want him to waste his time at home. She wasn't capable of providing Hanhan with the same systematic education at home as he did at the Tang family home, and he would likely be busy starting his own business soon, so starting school early was the best solution.
What worries her even more is her younger sister. She wasn't very clingy before, but because of the trauma she suffered, she now becomes extremely anxious whenever she's separated from her and Hanhan.
She made some inquiries and decided to buy a piano for her younger sister, find a teacher, and resume piano lessons.
Now that Qi Si is so capable, getting Hanhan enrolled in school is a simple matter for him.
The best school, the best class, the best teacher.
When Qin Xiaoyu led Hanhan's little hand into the school, Hanhan's eyes were so excited she couldn't take it all in.
Upon hearing that he had never attended kindergarten, the teacher hesitated slightly.
"Hanhan, recite a poem for the teacher." Qin Xiaoyu quickly gestured to Hanhan.
“When you are old and gray and full of sleep, and nodding by the fire, take down this book…” Hanhan recited it off the cuff; he had long since memorized Yeats’s poem.
"This..." The teacher was dumbfounded.
"No, not this one, we need classical Chinese poems," Qin Xiaoyu reminded her.
"The ancient road is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven..." A clear, childlike voice echoed in the office, and the other teachers in the room all came over to see what was so special.
"This child is so smart."
How old is she?
"She looks just like her mother, she's beautiful."
"You're so smart, you could come straight to our third grade. Do you want to skip a grade?"
The teachers were discussing it animatedly.
"Your child has passed the entrance exam. School starts on September 1st. Here is the admission notice. Just prepare the stationery as instructed." The teacher immediately helped with the procedures, afraid that this precious child might be snatched away.
"Thank you, teacher." Hanhan puffed out her little chest and walked out of the school with Qin Xiaoyu.
Qin Xiaoyu felt at ease leaving her younger sister with Qi Si, so she took Hanhan to buy a set of stationery.
Everything Hanhan chose was military green, with patterns related to the military—all his favorites. Qin Xiaoyu knew that, though he didn't say it, he was always thinking about Grandpa Zhou.
As Qin Xiaoyu passed by the toy counter, a small percussion piano caught her attention. The piano was miniature, only the size of a stool, and the keyboard was very short, but the sound was crisp.
Qin Xiaoyu bought it without hesitation, thinking it would be good to quench her little sister's thirst first.
She bought two cassette tapes for her younger sister, both containing world-famous piano pieces, hoping to give her a taste of classical music.
After leaving the department store, there was an ice cream parlor across the street. Qin Xiaoyu pulled Hanhan inside and ordered a dessert and ten popsicles.
The cold drinks of the 1980s were truly delicious because they used high-quality ingredients and had a rich, creamy flavor that was intoxicating.
My younger sister had been coughing, and the two of them were sneaking out to eat. It always felt like they were up to no good. They looked at each other and smiled, their happiness overflowing.
"Hanhan, do you miss Grandpa Zhou?" Qin Xiaoyu took the opportunity to give Hanhan some psychological counseling. It's wrong for the grudges between adults to affect the child; it shows that the adults are acting too immaturely.
"Yes, I miss Grandma Zhou and Uncle Zhou too." Hanhan lowered her eyes, her thick, long eyelashes covered with a layer of frost.
“There are some things you can’t understand right now. Remember, you’re not wrong, your mother isn’t wrong, nobody is wrong, it’s just that everyone has a different perspective. You can have doubts, but don’t hate. There’s nothing in this world worth hating.”
"I know, Mom. I trust you." Hanhan looked up, her eyes smiling.
"Yes, believe in Mom, we will definitely be happy and live a good life." Qin Xiaoyu felt full of energy, and she was about to set off for her son.
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