Qi Si treated Zhou Xing's mother like his own mother. Despite being a tall man of 1.9 meters, he was like a child in front of her. He would act spoiled and act cute, just to make her smile, and he didn't care about embarrassing himself.
Qin Xiaoyu and her husband are always busy, rarely home. Zhou Yue is carefree and has many children at home; she's also rather insensitive and easily gets into arguments with Zhou Xing's mother. Commander Zhou and Hanhan's grandfather seem more like a couple.
Qi Si was the one who kept Zhou Xing's mother entertained. He would make time to come over and talk to her, listen to her ramblings, and let her rest a bit.
Zhou Xing's mother became the family's dumping ground; everyone poured their worries into her. She only dared to tell Qi Si her innermost thoughts, because her fourth son was reliable.
After losing Zhou Xing, Qi Si filled the void in Zhou Xing's mother's heart. Although A Lei was a good man, he was ultimately a son-in-law, not a son. A Lei was also such a well-mannered and polite person that there was always a certain courtesy between them, and mutual respect and courtesy were paramount.
But Qi Si is different. This son of his can both beat and scold. He can even call Commander Zhou a little brat.
He would put his arm around her shoulder and call her "Mom," and he would also occasionally surprise her with unexpected gifts.
It wasn't just any old-fashioned clothes she couldn't wear, but also incredibly tacky gold chains and rings. She could even swallow the stinky durian cakes he bought her. She liked everything her fourth son gave her, genuinely liked it from the bottom of her heart.
She always thought that this son would take care of her in her old age and see her off in her final days, which was such a blessing.
She was overwhelmed by how easily the money was taken away from her.
"Mom, this period may be tough, but we have to get through it." Qin Xiaoyu put her arm around Zhou Xing's mother's shoulder and gently patted her back.
"I know, I'm just crying for a bit, it'll be fine. You go ahead and do your work, leave the kids to me." Zhou Xing's mother patted Qin Xiaoyu's hand and slowly walked out.
"I'll go handle the aftermath tomorrow and try to get my brother out."
"You must save my fourth son. I don't know what he was like in the past, but he's a good person now," Zhou Xing's mother said, turning around to give another instruction.
"Go to sleep, Mom. You'll be tired tomorrow." Qin Xiaoyu saw Zhou Xing's mother to the stairwell.
Zhou Xing's mother walked unsteadily, gripping the stair railing tightly with one hand, dragging her entire body up the stairs.
Qin Xiaoyu felt both guilty and heartbroken. She had done too little for the family and had only ever caused trouble.
Qin Xiaoyu brought out a glass of milk but didn't go upstairs immediately, afraid of disturbing Xiao Jiajia who was asleep. Instead, she sat on the sofa in the living room and made another phone call back home.
My cousin's wife wasn't asleep yet; they were discussing countermeasures, and she answered the phone immediately.
"Sister-in-law, it's easier to get information over there. You should investigate the situation; it's not easy to do things here."
"I understand, I'll go and inquire about it tomorrow."
"Fourth Sister-in-law is timid and not very steady, so please take good care of her."
"Okay, I've brought it over. Tang Hu's mom is taking care of it."
Fourth Sister-in-law's mother refused to come to Guangzhou with Fourth Sister-in-law, so after Qi Si and his family moved, she moved in with her son. After the incident, she immediately ran to find her cousin-in-law, who took her home.
"There are some things you can say, and some things you can't say. Keep that in mind. You should understand." Qin Xiaoyu couldn't say too much. Her cousin-in-law was a smart woman; she should figure it out herself.
"Xiaoyu, this time it looks like things are going to get really serious. I heard it's nationwide. Some people who weren't really in serious situations have been arrested, and they're said to be facing severe punishment. What can we do?" My cousin-in-law sighed.
"Let's take it one step at a time and figure out a solution," Qin Xiaoyu said, not entirely confident herself.
When she returned to the room, little Jiajia was already asleep in her crib. A Lei tiptoed to pack her luggage.
"I called and asked, and it's definitely a nationwide operation now. The crackdown on organized crime is inevitable. There's no escaping this. It all depends on Fourth Brother's luck." A Lei had called his uncle.
“His original fame was too great, there’s nothing we can do about it.” Qin Xiaoyu sighed, silently reaching out her hand. A Lei embraced her and gently kissed her hair.
“I just heard from Sister-in-law Xiao Si that Fourth Brother had long anticipated this day and had made all the preparations. But I knew nothing about it, I was only busy with my own affairs and had forgotten about him. If this incident really happened because he met Master K in Guangzhou, I cannot forgive myself.”
"You always take on everything. Don't overthink it. If something happens, we'll try our best to resolve it."
"You should get some sleep; you have a long drive tomorrow."
"I'm jotting down some things. I'm a bit rusty with the work now, and I'm afraid I might make a mistake." A Lei took out his notebook and started writing quickly.
"Oh, right, remind Sister-in-law Si to bring her divorce certificate." Qin Xiaoyu reached for the phone.
"Stop hitting me, I'll ask tomorrow."
"What else is wrong? My mind is a mess." Qin Xiaoyu pulled her hair hard.
"Get some sleep, you'll have a headache tomorrow." A Lei turned to his side and planted a kiss on her head. But his eyes never left his notebook, and Qin Xiaoyu, afraid of disturbing his work, didn't dare to speak.
The two said they wanted to sleep for a while, but after discussing it back and forth, they couldn't sleep no matter what, and before they knew it, it was dawn.
The arrangements were made last night to have Zhou Yue and Deng Jianyan stay at their home. They have too many people, and the biggest help they can give is to keep them from causing trouble.
These are extraordinary times, and the store is also preparing for Paris Fashion Week. Many things need to be overseen, so Zhou Yue is focusing her attention on the store and temporarily filling in for Qin Xiaoyu.
Qin Xiaoyu warned everyone not to bother her with anything related to the shop unless the sky were to fall.
Commander Wang and Tang Fengqin arrived early to help Zhou Xing's mother prepare breakfast. Madam Fang, unusually early, came over herself, sat on the sofa, and watched everyone bustling about.
"Fengqin, you two move in tomorrow and stay in my house for now. It's been empty all this time," Madam Fang said hurriedly to Tang Fengqin.
"It's okay, I'll drive my mom over, it's not far."
“It’s not far, but it’s not as close to my house as it is. It’s just a few minutes’ walk. I’m worried about leaving the child at home when you come out. Why don’t you move here first?” Mrs. Fang always meant what she said, and Tang Fengqin didn’t dare to argue with her.
"I'll do as you say, we'll move." Commander Wang wasn't one to pretend or be pedantic; he knew that Madam Fang had made this decision with the big picture in mind, and now that they lived closer, it would indeed be much more convenient.
Xiao Xinxin has always been taken care of by Xiao Si's wife, and she is closest to Qi Si. Now that her parents are no longer around, Zhou Xing's mother is afraid that the sudden separation will cause her distress, so she has been taking care of her. Xiao Jiajia has been handed over to Commander Zhou.
Fortunately, Jiajia is a tough child. She is always happy with everyone and never cries or fusses. She just keeps nibbling on her chubby little hands.
"This child is teething and his gums are itchy," Mrs. Fang nodded and said.
"Grandma, you know so much." Qin Xiaoyu was surprised that Madam Fang had even a little bit of experience in raising children.
"That's how my wet nurse brushed me off back then," Mrs. Fang said helplessly.
Qin Xiaoyu got up early to take A Lei and Xiao Si's wife to the airport, and then went to the hotel.
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