But given the current situation, fearing that A Lei and Zhou Xing's mother might not allow it, I had no choice but to call my cousin-in-law again and ask her to try to handle the aftermath.
In fact, she also understood that, given Xiaoyu's father's character, her cousin-in-law's actions would lack any real impact.
Out of sight, out of mind, she comforted herself.
But the wind won't stop even if it wants to be still.
As soon as I arrived at the store that day, I sensed something was off. Qin Xiaoye wasn't on the first floor, and Sister Su and the other two sales clerks were looking at her timidly.
"What's wrong?" Qin Xiaoyu heard faint crying coming from upstairs.
“A few people from Northeast China came to buy something. They were from your hometown. They recognized Xiao Ye and said some unpleasant things…” Before Sister Su could finish speaking, Qin Xiao Ye had already run down the stairs like a gust of wind and rushed towards the door.
"Go after them!" Qin Xiaoyu called out to A Lei, who hurriedly chased after them, and the two figures quickly disappeared.
"What did you say?"
"They said Xiao Ye's father said at home that she married the mayor's son, so why did she come to Guangzhou? Is he lying?" Sister Su knew that Qin Xiaoyu was precious, so she quickly helped her sit down and didn't dare to say anything more.
From just those few sentences, Qin Xiaoyu had already guessed everything, and she feared the scene would be even more chaotic. Qin Xiaoye had already been the object of both envy and jealousy, so it was no wonder people were now relentlessly smearing her.
Qin Xiaoyu knew that Qin Xiaoye was very proud, and now she really couldn't go back to the Northeast. If she couldn't think straight, something bad might happen.
She waited anxiously for over an hour before a tired-looking A Lei returned.
"We sent her home and handed her over to her grandmother. We've already reached an agreement, so everything will be fine."
"Sigh." Qin Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief.
A Lei understood, sighed, and walked over to pick up the phone.
What are you doing?
"I'll book a train ticket. I can't fly; there's radiation going through security." A Lei couldn't have been more thoughtful.
"Can Boss Qin handle this?" Sister Su panicked.
“With her temper, she won’t have a moment of peace unless we go back.” A Lei’s face darkened.
Qin Xiaoyu suddenly burst into tears, one for A Lei's understanding, and the other for her unspeakable grievances—how could she have such a father?
All her relatives wanted to keep it from her, afraid of upsetting her or causing her distress. But only those who should have cared for her the most were stabbing her in the heart with a knife. Was this some kind of deep-seated hatred?
If that's the case, why bring her into this world in the first place? Was she born just to be hated?
Qin Xiaoyu kept asking herself, why her? She couldn't find the answer.
This trip back was different from the past; Qin Xiaoyu felt heavy-hearted.
Qi Si picked him up again. He's been running back and forth lately. He still needs to make some arrangements for his business back home. The foundation there has just been laid, and normal construction can proceed as planned. He doesn't need to oversee it, so his focus is more on the north.
"He's your father, and I really want to have him beaten up." Qi Si said, glancing at A Lei before shutting his mouth. He was practically the brother-in-law, and the woman's husband hadn't even spoken yet.
"Let's go to his place. The sooner it's over, the less trouble we'll have," Qin Xiaoyu said casually.
A Lei had no objections. Ever since Qin Xiaoyu learned about this, she hadn't slept well for days. A Lei was even more eager to go home than she was. It was best to clear her mind and let her get some rest.
The house is still the same house, it just looks much cleaner than before.
It seems the stepmother is more diligent now.
Presumably, with so many people bringing gifts, the mayor's in-laws couldn't appear too stingy. Even the creaking of the door hinges was quieter, and butter was smeared on them.
Without knocking, A Lei kicked the door open and escorted Qin Xiaoyu inside with Qi Si.
The room was filled with smoke; a banquet was being held there.
"Old Qin, you can really hold your liquor! Your mayor in-laws will probably be drunk under the table by you!" someone joked about Xiaoyu's father.
“He’s a leader, how can we not be reserved? We can’t force him to drink. Besides, we have to save face, don’t we? We can’t get so drunk that we lose our bearings, that would be embarrassing for our daughter.” Xiaoyu’s dad’s acting skills are so good that it’s a waste he’s not an actor. He speaks as if he’s eaten at the same table as Zhang Dahai’s dad, even though they’ve never actually met.
"I've heard that your eldest daughter married well?"
"Not bad, he's an old capitalist from Shanghai, he owns a small detached house." It seems that Xiaoyu's father doesn't know much about A Lei's family background and isn't entirely satisfied.
"Owning a small detached house in Shanghai is quite an achievement," the crowd exclaimed in amazement.
At this moment, Xiaoyu's father finally noticed that the room had gotten a little darker. He squinted at the door and immediately sobered up halfway.
"Oh my, my eldest daughter is back! Come in quickly! Why didn't you let me know? I'd like to get ready!" Xiaoyu's father's sudden exclamation made everyone at the table restless.
"This is the son-in-law! Come in and sit down, this is..." He recognized Qi Si but didn't dare to greet him. He knew what kind of person Qi Si was. "Little Ye's mother, come out and tidy up, the eldest daughter is back!"
The sound of a television came from the inner room, so loud that the sounds outside were inaudible; the stepmother did not come out.
Qin Xiaoyu was already furious when she heard him spouting such nonsense.
He's really shameless; he doesn't care about anything.
If they had been even slightly kind to her and their two children back then, or even just offered a kind word, they wouldn't have abandoned her completely. Now, their eagerness to climb the social ladder is utterly repulsive.
It turns out that the snobbery of relatives is more hurtful than that of an unwanted stranger.
She ignored Xiaoyu's father's attentiveness and looked up to see a black and white newspaper clipping in a frame on the wall opposite her. It was a news clipping of her being interviewed in Shanghai.
I rushed over in a rage, grabbed it, and slammed it to the ground.
A Lei was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he quickly came over to support her waist.
"Just tell me what you want to smash, don't hit me."
Qi Si didn't have A Lei's good temper. He went up and overturned the table, making a mess of the floor and splashing soup and water all over the people.
The people in the room were completely bewildered and at a loss.
A Lei has already coaxed Qin Xiaoyu into the yard, as the air inside the house is not good and could affect the fetus.
He helped Qin Xiaoyu to sit down on a stool, and after taking a few deep breaths, her complexion softened.
"What's wrong? Why are you so angry?" Xiaoyu's father came out from the inner room, knowing the reason for Qin Xiaoyu's anger, but pretending not to understand.
The group of people eating, sensing the danger, slunk out of the house. They had originally wanted to watch the commotion, but upon seeing Qi Si standing there like an iron tower, they dared not linger and ran away as fast as they could.
"Little Fish is back! Quickly tidy up the house and let the child in!" Little Fish's father called out to the inner room again. The stepmother, disheveled, ran out and stared blankly at them.
"What are you looking at? Go tidy up and let the child sit in the yard."
"You don't need to do anything, I just want to ask you a few questions." Qin Xiaoyu finally caught her breath and was able to speak.
"Go ahead and ask." Little Fish's dad was really nice.
"Are you going to tell others that the mayor of Shanghai is your in-law?"
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