There was movement on the stairs. Qin Xiaoyu, wearing a loose robe, yawned as she walked down, making her appear even more petite and delicate.
"Mom, I woke up hungry."
"Sit down there quickly, I'll get you some porridge."
"I can do it myself." Qin Xiaoyu tried to grab the bowl, but Zhou Xing's mother glared at her, and she had no choice but to let go.
"I think in a few days your mother will be feeding you. She's spoiling you rotten." Qi Si was a little jealous.
"You little rascal, you're talking against your conscience. When have I ever failed to serve you porridge right in front of you?" Zhou Xing's mother said as she passed by Qi Si, giving him a spoonful of rice.
Qi Si shrank his neck and laughed.
"My brother is the kind of person who just wants to be scolded; he goes around asking for it." Qin Xiaoyu, biting into a steamed bun, reached for a small plate, but accidentally looked up and was so startled that she dropped the bun into the porridge, splashing Qi Si's face.
"You, you, eat properly..." Qi Si wiped the soup off his face, and after uttering a scolding sentence, he fell silent.
A Lei rubbed his sleepy eyes as he came downstairs.
Qi Si looked at Qin Xiaoyu with a completely bewildered expression.
Qin Xiaoyu swallowed hard, unsure how to explain.
"Mom, I want to eat too," A Lei said, slumping down at the table.
"Pfft!" Zhou Yue came over from the living room with a glass of milk and immediately sprayed it out.
"What's wrong? What's wrong? Be careful not to choke! Come sit down quickly, the floor is wet, don't slip!"
Deng Jianyan darted out faster than a rabbit, arriving at the scene in a second and helping Zhou Yue to sit down on the sofa inside. He then ran to get a mop and carefully wiped the floor.
He also complained that the water stains were drying too slowly, so he picked up a fan and fanned the ground repeatedly.
Qin Xiaoyu and Qi Si watched him busy with nothing but helplessness. They exchanged a glance and silently shook their heads. He was hopeless; he had terminal stage of wife-doting syndrome.
"Not bad, bro, you're developing pretty fast." Qi Si turned to A Lei.
"It won't be that fast, let's take it one step at a time..." A Lei was only making things worse by explaining himself.
"He drank too much yesterday and insisted on bringing me back, so I had to leave him in the guest room to sleep for the night. Hey, you didn't throw up, did you?" Qin Xiaoyu quickly covered A Lei's mouth and explained first.
"I didn't throw up. I'm a good drinker." A Lei smiled, his eyes narrowed.
"Hmph!" Qin Xiaoyu thought of what happened last night and got angry. She glared at him fiercely. Was that what you call good drinking manners? They almost got into a fight.
"Fourth Brother, your sister is not easy to deal with," A Lei said seriously, turning to Qi Si.
"Oh dear, it seems you've learned your lesson. Congratulations, congratulations." Qi Si smiled broadly, but somehow he felt a little sorry for A Lei.
"Do you think my sister is so easy to win over? Keep trying!" Zhou Yue walked over, rubbing her belly.
"Xiao Deng, why does Xiao Yue's belly look so big? Could it really be a twin pregnancy like what Aunt Xiao Yu said?" Zhou Xing's mother felt dizzy just looking at Zhou Yue's belly.
"Mom, I really can't tell anything from this pulse diagnosis," Deng Jianyan said with difficulty.
"Mom, traditional Chinese medicine isn't fortune telling!" Qin Xiaoyu protested.
“Then I’ll trust your godmother. I think she’s pretty accurate. She even said they’re twins.” Zhou Xing’s mother was getting happier and happier as she thought about it, her mouth grinning from ear to ear.
"Little Fish, was your belly big when you were pregnant with Hanhan and Little Sister?" Zhou Yue, true to her carefree nature, left everyone speechless with her question, all turning to look at A Lei's reaction.
He was sweating profusely as he drank his porridge, his curly hair plastered to his forehead. When he looked up at people, his European-style eyes were as innocent as an angel's, and he seemed oblivious to their conversation.
"I, I, I don't remember." Qin Xiaoyu's face turned as red as a cloth. She couldn't remember anything about when she was pregnant. Now that the host had left, she had fewer and fewer memories of the past.
If it weren't for Zhou Yue's pregnancy, Zhou Xing's mother would have given her a good beating; now she can only threaten her with her eyes.
"Let's go upstairs, the floor is too slippery, let me help you! Take it slow!"
Deng Jianyan was afraid that Zhou Yue would blurt out something she shouldn't, so he coaxed and tricked her into going upstairs.
"Xiaoyue speaks without thinking. My sister has had two children, but she's younger than her and doesn't have much experience..." Qi Si felt the death stare from Zhou Xing's mother and suddenly stopped talking, wishing he could swallow his tongue whole.
Qi Si decided to leave as soon as possible, so he threw down his rice bowl and ran out to avoid Zhou Xing's mother taking out her anger on him as well.
"Are you going to the garment factory or Hengchang today? I want to go with you," A Lei said contentedly as he finished his bowl of porridge.
"I don't need you to come with me, it's too much trouble," Qin Xiaoyu said bluntly.
"Then I'll wait for you here. It's all just me over there, it's so boring. I prefer your house to be lively." A Lei said without any hesitation.
“Our home isn’t as comfortable as yours. You have dozens of people serving you, but my family has to be self-reliant.” Qin Xiaoyu didn’t want him to stay, otherwise she would have no freedom at all.
"It's alright, come stay if you want. We have plenty of empty rooms. There's nothing you need to do. There are people to cook and clean. Just don't mind the noise." As soon as Zhou Xing's mother heard that A Lei wanted to stay, she went over to explain the situation enthusiastically.
“Okay, I’ll stay.” A Lei happily agreed.
Qin Xiaoyu knew she couldn't reason with them, so she went upstairs to change her clothes, drove off, and left.
Since Tang Wenwen established herself at Shanghai No. 1 Department Store, orders have been pouring in. Although Tang Wenwen wasn't in the provincial capital, Jiang Fusheng had been helping manage things, and they made a fortune during the New Year's holiday.
After reviewing the accounts from various locations over the past few days, Qin Xiaoyu felt something was amiss in her office.
"Xiaoyu, do you think there's something wrong with Manager Chen?" Xie Lanhua wasn't one to be trifled with, and she hit the nail on the head.
"Yes, sales are too low, and the amount of goods transferred is also insufficient." Qin Xiaoyu said with a frown. If it were only a little less, it wouldn't be so bad, but this is more than half less than that in the provincial capital.
"Manager Chen is a seasoned veteran; I'm afraid there's something fishy going on," Xie Lanhua sighed heavily.
"I'll go myself. If it's just poor sales, that's fine, but I'm worried about something else." Qin Xiaoyu had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.
When she got home, she saw Lei's car parked at the door, and Xiao Chen and Qi Si were helping to unload things into the house.
The three of them were carrying a large speaker. They got stuck at the door for a while and took some time to adjust it before they could go inside.
"The door is too narrow," Qi Si complained.
"What's going on?" Qin Xiaoyu asked, puzzled.
“Ah Lei brought four truckloads of stuff over. I was worried that the single room wouldn’t be big enough, so I just had him move into the suite,” Zhou Xing’s mother said helplessly.
"Four cartloads of stuff?" Qin Xiaoyu knew that A Lei was capable of doing something like this.
"They brought over some supplies and two waiters to help clean the room. They haven't left yet. Go check on them," Zhou Xing's mother said, pointing upstairs.
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