“I didn’t know about this, and you should understand that I didn’t instigate it. He is your grandson, that’s true, but you know in your heart how you treat him. Saying anything else is useless; the child isn’t stupid. If you don’t reflect on your own actions, who else can you blame?”
Qin Xiaoyu had no intention of saving face for them. It was true that he was their grandson, but had he contributed money or effort? They never cared about him normally, and now he wanted to take advantage of his grandparents. Qin Xiaoyu wasn't going to fall for that.
Grandma Hanhan had taken a lot of money from Qin Xiaoyu, so she found these words sarcastic and immediately lost face. She haphazardly pulled out a few small bills from her pocket, threw them on the ground, and spat, "I don't want to hold your stinking money, get lost!"
Qin Xiaoyu knew that arguing with her would be pointless, so she strode out.
Her car was still parked at the alley entrance. She was initially worried that someone might cause trouble again. But when she got closer, she saw that it was spotless. She figured that Qi Si had come out again, and they were now wary of him.
"Little Fish, you're leaving already? I bought some fish. Have dinner before you go back." My cousin rode over on his bicycle with two large fish hanging from the handlebars, their gills pierced with grass roots, struggling on their own.
"No, there's no one to take care of the two kids." Qin Xiaoyu was about to say goodbye, but then stopped and called out to her cousin, "Brother, I heard you're going to find a few people to work on your own?"
"I just wanted to talk to you about this. I'm always a bit out of control."
"Brother, I really don't want to go into this courtyard anymore. Take the fish in and come to my house to talk in detail." Qin Xiaoyu was also worried about her cousin going out to make his own way in the world.
"Okay." The cousin obeyed, and after delivering the fish, he got into Qin Xiaoyu's car. Grandma Hanhan followed him outside and glanced at him, muttering something under her breath.
My cousin's idea of going it alone started when he was making range hoods for Qi Si. Following Qin Xiaoyu's instructions, he drew up the blueprints himself and, after some modifications, made a simple range hood.
The current state of production already meets the needs of Qi Si's store, and the market demand is also considerable. Producing directly according to this model is not a problem, and we can make money for two years.
But he thought much more deeply. Even if he became a factory manager, he was still just an employee, earning a fixed salary of a few hundred yuan, and still being envied by others.
Recently, he and the factory manager have traveled south quite a bit, and seeing the development of private enterprises and businesses has given him some inspiration.
“Brother, your idea is great. This is the way to go, let’s do it this way. I know it won’t be easy, but just go for it. I’ll support you financially. Whenever you need money, just have your wife tell me, and I’ll get the money from your savings account.” Qin Xiaoyu wasn’t making promises for nothing. In those days, having ten thousand yuan was like being a god, not to mention she had more than ten thousand yuan in her hands.
Starting two more projects is not a problem.
"I'm relieved to hear you say that. My only worry is money." My cousin scratched his head sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it now, just focus on your work. Brother, the fish stew is ready, go back and eat. I don't have anything good to eat here, so I won't keep you." Qin Xiaoyu guessed that her cousin's wife had already stewed the fish, so she didn't ask her cousin to stay.
No sooner had she finished speaking than Tang Fengqin knocked on the door.
She brought over two large pieces of fish in a large aluminum lunchbox, both from the meaty, boneless parts of the fish, still hot in the broth, and smelling delicious.
"This is quite a skill," Grandma Zhang praised when she saw the two children returning home.
"I told you I'd go get them, and you had to make the trip again," Qin Xiaoyu said apologetically.
"These few steps are nothing, just a stroll after a big meal. The city is not like our suburbs, there are too few places to walk." Grandma Zhang said with a touch of melancholy.
Qin Xiaoyu suddenly realized something. She said she came here for her son, but she had never seen her son show up. Her son's family didn't have any children for her to take care of. Could it be that she was arranged to come here?
Qin Xiaoyu shook her head. "You're overthinking it. No way."
But what happened next left her no choice but to think. On Sunday, Hanhan invited her classmates over to her house.
In the 1980s, the public security was good, and children were allowed to run around freely. Even though they were young, they would be left outside to run all day without eating or going home.
Six classmates lined up and entered Qin Xiaoyu's house, each giving Hanhan a gift. Even though Qin Xiaoyu was worldly-wise, she felt the gifts were a bit too expensive.
How much does a Rolls-Royce replica cost? This is a genuine import; you can't just walk into any store and buy it. And that kid giving the gift—his eyes were glued to the model car; he practically wanted to snatch them back. Is that the proper attitude for giving a gift?
These banana chips and pineapple chips are rare treats for kids in the north; you can't buy them in stores.
"Little friend, where does your dad work?" Qin Xiaoyu answered each question one by one, and then led him to the kitchen to cook for him.
"My dad's in the army, he's in charge of logistics." The child readily agreed, and an orange was quickly opened.
"My dad is the battalion commander of the third battalion!" the chubby boy said proudly.
“My father works at the grain bureau.”
Finally, there was an exception. Qin Xiaoyu wanted to deceive herself for a while, but she still felt unwilling. She asked another question because she couldn't help but ask.
Where does your mother work?
“My mother is the switchboard operator’s head, and she works in the military compound.”
Well, all six children are from military families, which makes Qin Xiaoyu wonder.
Well done, Commander Zhou! He's the most cunning and treacherous of them all. He remained calm and collected, spoiling those he wanted to pamper and protecting those he wanted to cherish, leaving his most precious treasures unharmed.
Poor Zhou Xing's mother, so hot-headed, was only concerned with venting her anger. Qin Xiaoyu would never believe anyone if they told her she didn't miss her little sister.
Needless to say, my younger sister has mastered the word "grandmother" to perfection, writing a neat and tidy piece of writing every day.
That must be the best love letter in the world; all the longing is written in just two words.
Qin Xiaoyu also took the opportunity to ask Hanhan if she had run into Hanhan's grandmother on the street.
"I ran into Grandma, and she called me, but Grandma Zhang told me not to talk to her and dragged me away." Hanhan is an honest child, and she spoke clearly.
Qin Xiaoyu chuckled to herself. So it was because of Granny Zhang. No wonder, even Qi Si couldn't be so heartless.
Grandma Zhang was a formidable character. She was a nanny from Commander Zhou's household, and she held the same rank as the head maid in the palace. Everyone looked up to her.
Qin Xiaoyu tried to subtly bring up the matter with Grandma Zhang. Unexpectedly, Grandma Zhang glared at her, making Qin Xiaoyu feel guilty.
"What are you pretending to be, a hypocrite? She poured cold water on you when you were at your lowest point. Don't tell me you never hated her. Just be straightforward. If you hate someone, you hate them. Don't pretend to be a good person." Grandma Zhang bluntly labeled Qin Xiaoyu as a "green tea bitch."
"I was just thinking about the child. After all, he has the surname Tang." Qin Xiaoyu also felt wronged.
“What Tang? Who knows, maybe one day he’ll be surnamed Zhou,” Granny Zhang said decisively.
"Do you think that's possible? They've already completely broken off relations."
"We've already fallen out, what am I doing here?" Grandma Zhang had never been very satisfied with Qin Xiaoyu's intelligence, so she deducted two points from her score.
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