Qin Xiaoyu overheard Qi Si mention that he had been delivering meals to Commander Zhou's family since he returned, preparing three meals a day with varying dishes, so she didn't need to worry about dinner tonight.
She went to the guest room and knocked on the door, but it was ajar. When she went downstairs, she saw a note on the coffee table written by Xiao Jin: "I'm home. Thank you."
When Qin Xiaoyu went out, she went around to Deng Jianyan's window and saw that the lights were on inside, including the kitchen light, so she didn't disturb them.
The ward was lively. Dinner was personally delivered by Qi Si. Because Commander Zhou was in a good mood, he didn't leave immediately and stayed to chat for a while.
"Hahaha, you little rascal, if you had met me earlier, I would have thrown you into the army and given you a good lesson. You're a real general!" Commander Zhou laughed heartily, seemingly amused by Qi Si, and pointed at him as he spoke.
"Big sister, I'm here! I'm still starving, and you guys are eating and drinking like crazy! Humph!" Qin Xiaoyu pouted.
“You’re right to go hungry! While you were inside, we waited without eating or drinking. Now that you’re out, shouldn’t we have a big meal?” Zhou Xing’s mother said, her eyes reddening again.
"It's all in the past, let's not talk about it anymore," Commander Zhou interrupted Zhou Xing's mother.
Seeing the abundance of food on the table, almost like a banquet, Qin Xiaoyu's stomach immediately rumbled, and she sat down to eat heartily.
Hanhan and her younger sister, who were playing on the side, came over when they saw this. They stopped making a fuss and quietly watched over her.
"Here you go." Qi Si pulled out a woven bag, which was bulging and its contents were unknown.
"Hmm, what is that?" Qin Xiaoyu swiped her foot at it; it wasn't too hard.
"Your fourth sister-in-law's mother insisted that I bring it. I said no, but she chased after me and tried to stuff it into the car. It's last year's mugwort. She said that soaking it in water to bathe would get rid of bad luck. Women really have so many fusses." Qi Si sighed.
Qin Xiaoyu was somewhat touched; she never expected that her fourth sister-in-law would still remember her.
"Please thank her for me when you get back. I'll definitely use all of it." Qin Xiaoyu finished eating a chicken wing and wiped her hands.
"You're eating cat food again, have some more!" Zhou Xing's mother kept glancing at her, then picked up another shrimp dumpling and handed it to her. Qin Xiaoyu felt full, but she had no choice but to eat it.
Zhou Yue arrived late, and after a few words, Commander Zhou looked tired.
"I'm leaving, Uncle, you should rest." Qi Si, being perceptive, stood up.
"Don't let anyone send so much food; it'll all go to waste if we can't finish it," Zhou Xing's mother added.
"I don't know what you like to eat, so I'll bring you more. Surely there's something you'll like. If you eat one more bite, Xiaoyu will be happy. If Xiaoyu is happy, I'll be happy, hehe." Qi Si grinned like a child in front of Zhou Xing's mother.
"This child is really good, it's a pity he has bad luck." After seeing Qi Si off, Zhou Xing's mother sighed.
"What's wrong with that? If things aren't good when you're young, they'll be better later. Everyone's fortunes change over time; nobody has a smooth life forever." Commander Zhou wasn't happy to hear that.
Zhou Xing's mother, unusually, did not retort.
Qin Xiaoyu felt a mix of emotions; Zhou Xing's life hadn't even lasted thirty years.
That carefree guy, who said he didn't want to become a famous doctor, didn't want to be an official, and just wanted to drift through life, still risked his life for a complete stranger who was injured. People, who can you even talk to?
That evening, Zhou Xing's mother insisted on staying. Qin Xiaoyu saw that the room was very comfortable, so she didn't insist. The old couple depended on each other for survival, so it was better not to separate them. She and Zhou Yue took the child home.
Both children were sleepy and swayed as soon as they got in the car. Zhou Yue sat in the back seat, holding one child in each arm, while Qin Xiaoyu drove.
"Little Fish, you really scared me to death." Zhou Yue stroked her little sister's soft hair and sighed softly.
"Don't even mention you, I was almost scared to death myself." Qin Xiaoyu looked at her in the rearview mirror and said with a wry smile.
“My dad seems to be in some trouble this time,” Zhou Yue said hesitantly.
"What's wrong?"
"I heard that when you were detained, he actually led a group of people to demand your release and caused a disturbance at the detention center. It was later reported that his retirement had been delayed, but apparently it has been approved this time. I guess it's a form of punishment."
"It's all my fault. I've ruined my reputation that I've built up over most of my life."
"Don't say that. If it weren't for this incident, I really wouldn't have known that Dad loved us so much. He said, 'I've already lost two children, and I only have two precious daughters left. No one can hurt them.' Haha, at that time, I really hated myself for being so weak."
"It's all in the past. I'll be careful from now on and protect myself so you can all rest assured." Qin Xiaoyu slowly drove the car into the military compound, glanced at the dormitory, and then felt uneasy. "Sister Xiaoyue, I told Xiaojin about Sister-in-law Deng's matter."
“We should tell them. Those two kids are smart. I saw Lisheng crying while holding a cake the other day, but he wouldn’t say anything when I asked him.”
"Xiao Jin took Li Sheng home by herself and refuses to stay at our house. What should we do?"
"That won't do. I'm worried about leaving the two kids at home. You take Hanhan and the others back to stay here. I'll go to the Deng family's house." Zhou Yue took Qin Xiaoyu home and then turned to leave.
The two children had already been sleeping in separate beds, but tonight they both clung to her, insisting on sleeping in the same bed.
"Let's go, just this once!" Qin Xiaoyu knew they felt insecure, so she agreed.
The mother and her two children lay on the comfortable bed, pulling the blankets up to their chins. They looked at each other and smiled.
"Mom, I'm so happy." Hanhan said as she came over and hugged Qin Xiaoyu's neck, kissing her a few times on the face. Her little sister followed suit and rushed over.
"Okay! Mommy's about to run out of breath." Qin Xiaoyu noticed that her two children had grown taller again. Hanhan was almost 1.4 meters tall. Was she about to surpass her?
Three days later, Deng returned to the city with a thoughtful expression, carrying an ebony carved urn.
The funeral had already been held in Nenjiang County. Commander Zhou helped him find an inconspicuous spot in the cemetery, where Sister-in-law Deng was laid to rest.
Not far from her, there was a simple gray stone tablet.
Zhou Xing, dressed in black and white, looked even more handsome and imposing, with a cool smile on his lips and a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
Qin Xiaoyu wiped the dust off his portrait with her hand and whispered, "Sleep well, I will take good care of them."
Because of Qin Xiaoyu's warning, the transition for the two Deng children was relatively smooth. It's said that children from poor families mature early, and they were already used to being tough, so the three of them quickly returned to normal life. Zhou Yue would occasionally go over to help out; Xiao Jin was alright, but Li Sheng was becoming increasingly close to her.
“Xiaoyu, do you think this was all arranged by fate? I never wanted to return to the city. I always felt that we wouldn’t last long after I came back. I never expected that my words would come true.” Deng Jianyan was full of self-blame.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
