Chapter 12: Breaking off the relationship. Support her.
The gate of the Qiu family's courtyard was open, and there was no one at the door.
The yard was dead silent, with many things thrown everywhere. If Qiu Yun hadn't known that there were still people in the house, she would have suspected that the house had just been robbed.
Zong Xiao followed behind her, and his expression hadn't been good since he came in. He exuded a gloomy aura, as if someone owed him money.
Qiu Xuan was so busy listening to the gossip that she didn't notice anything unusual. She walked away saying, "If they try to make trouble for you, don't take it to heart. If they ask you for something, just refuse."
As he was speaking, a man walked out of the room.
Qiu Xuan took a look and saw that it was Hu Zi.
Hu Zi, who used to be so arrogant, was now like a frost-bitten eggplant, holding the wall with one hand and his butt with the other.
It seems that the slightest movement will cause severe pain.
Qiu Xuan had a vague suspicion in her mind. She walked forward with a bamboo basket and asked with feigned concern, "Hu Zi, what's wrong with you?"
Hu Zi almost lost his balance because of her pull.
He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and cursed, "Bad luck, don't touch me."
Qiu Xuan tried hard to suppress her laughter, but continued to express her concern, "But he fell. Do you want to see a doctor?"
"What are you looking at? What a waste of money." Qiu Shitou came out of the next room, smoking his pipe, and glared at Hu Zi fiercely. "You are still embarrassing yourself here. Go back to your room."
Hu Zi felt depressed. He just wanted to come out and get some fresh air. How could he be so unlucky?
Qiu Xuan withdrew her gaze and stopped looking at Hu Zi.
She shouted, "Dad, Zong...Ji Lang and I came to see you."
She paused midway and looked up at Zong Xiao.
Although they have been together for three days, Zongjia always calls him Erlang Erlang, so she still doesn't know his real name.
Zong Xiao lowered his eyes and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Xiao, Zong Xiao."
Although Qiu Shitou has been angry these past two days, he has not forgotten that today is the day he returns home.
He had been thinking about Qiu Xuan since early morning, hoping that she would bring him some good wine and meat.
Look, his eyes were fixed on the bamboo basket. If he hadn't been concerned about Zong Xiao being next to him, he would have wanted to snatch it away to take a look.
"Girl, why do you bring anything with you? Daddy will make you a good meal this afternoon."
Qiu Xuan nodded obediently and continued to play dumb, "How can I let Mom and Dad cook? I'll do it. By the way, Dad, why haven't I seen Mom since I came in?"
Qiu Shitou's face darkened, and he couldn't calm down when he thought of Lin Cuihua.
She has been in charge of the family's money over the years, and he never asked about it. Sometimes when he saw her taking things from her parents' home, he turned a blind eye. But now most of the money is gone. He calculated it privately and found that even if Hu Zi stole a lot, it would not be enough. There was still several taels short of the total.
Thinking about it this way, who else could it be if not Lin Cuihua?
Little did they know that Lin Cuihua, who had returned to her parents' home, was also thinking the same thing. Only she and Qiu Shitou knew about the family's money. Hu Zi had stolen some of it, but where did the rest go? Lin Cuihua thought Qiu Shitou must have been involved in some of it, and he must have secretly taken it and spent it.
"She's back home, so she's not here today." Qiu Shitou changed the subject. "You and Erlang should have a good drink with Dad today."
Qiu Yuyuan had no plan to eat here, but when she heard this, she had an idea in her mind.
She said, "Then Daddy will talk to Zong Xiao. I'll go to the kitchen to prepare the meal."
Qiu Xuan deliberately avoided Qiu Shitou's sight so that he couldn't see what was in the bamboo basket.
If Qiu Shitou saw this now, how could he stay for dinner?
Qiu Xuan went into the kitchen alone, and the place that had been clean before was now in a mess.
Fortunately, the pots and pans were clean, so she just had to cook.
Qiu Xuan cut the meat that Lin Cuihua had been reluctant to eat into thick slices, and went to the backyard to get a few eggs.
This meal had enough meat and large portions of food, which made Qiu Shitou feel very distressed.
She was busy in the kitchen, while Qiu Shitou led Zong Xiao into the house.
Zong Xiao was tall and had a scar on his face. Qiu Shitou was a little afraid of him at first glance.
But then I thought, since this guy brought Qiu Xuan back, he must be someone easy to get along with.
Qiu Shitou said with a smile, "Erlang, my girl is quite capable. She has been diligent since she was young."
Zong Xiao took a sip of tea and didn't respond.
Seeing that there was a topic to talk about, Qiu Shitou continued, "My girl has always loved her brother since she was young. You just saw how much she cared for the child when she came back. The two siblings have a good relationship."
Zong Xiao suddenly remembered what Qiu Xuan said while crying yesterday, and the string in his mind instantly reacted.
"Really? I don't think Hu Zi likes this sister very much." Zong Xiao didn't respond.
Qiu Shitou smiled awkwardly, "How could that be? The child was beaten for being naughty yesterday, so he's feeling wronged today."
Feeling wronged? If he felt wronged, shouldn't he have cried into Qiu Xuan's arms? Why would he say his sister was unlucky?
Zong Xiao looked unhappy, and the smile on his face disappeared.
In the kitchen, Qiu Xuan had already prepared the meal. She fried an egg with young sprouts and a plate of snake gourd and pork slices.
She brought both dishes to Qiu Shitou's house and left nothing for Old Lady Qiu and the others.
"Dad, the food is ready." Qiu Xuan brought the food to the table and sat next to Zong Xiao.
When Qiu Shitou saw the meat dishes, he thought it was the meat that Qiu Xuan brought herself.
He was delighted and took out all the wine that he had been reluctant to drink in the past.
He also had his own plans. He wanted to take advantage of the drinking today to talk to Zong Xiao as an elder, asking him to be a good brother-in-law in the future and take better care of Hu Zi.
It’s a pity that he didn’t know that Zong Xiao could drink so well. After a few drinks, he felt dizzy, but Zong Xiao just blushed.
Seeing that he was drunk, Qiu Xuan took the opportunity to ask, "Dad, what happened to Hu Zi? Why is he injured so badly? And Mom, why did Mom go back to her parents' home today?"
Qiu Shitou was already drunk. He sneered and cursed, "That woman gave all her money to her parents and taught Huzi nothing. Huzi stole some silver. What do you think, should he be taken care of or not?"
When Qiu Xuan saw that it was really about money, her heart finally settled down.
With Hu Zi and Lin Cuihua being the unlucky ones, this matter has nothing to do with her anymore.
"Daya, you must not forget your father. You must remember what your father said. From now on, the Zong family will be yours, and yours will be Hu Zi's." Qiu Shitou was drunk and started talking nonsense.
Qiu Xuan didn't expect Qiu Shitou to say such words in front of Zong Xiao. Her eyes turned and she immediately began to cover her face and cry.
When Zong Xiao saw her crying, his heart ached again.
Qiu Shitou was such a piece of shit, he actually said these words right in front of Qiu Yu and him. If the relationship between the couple was not good, how would the girl live in her husband's family in the future?
No wonder Qiu Xuan was forced to this point and could only cry silently alone.
Zong Xiao was angry, he picked up the teacup on the table and poured it on her.
He didn't tolerate it any longer. Some things and some words had to be dealt with immediately.
"Ouch." Qiu Shitou had his face poured with hot tea, which sobered him up instantly.
"You...what are you doing? I'm your father-in-law." He picked up a cloth and wiped it quickly, cursing.
Zong Xiao looked at him coldly and repeated what he had just said, "What belongs to the Zong family is yours, and what belongs to you is Hu Zi's."
Qiu Shitou was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. How could he know what he was thinking?
"Today is the last time I will visit you. From now on, Qiu Xuan will have nothing to do with your Qiu family." Zong Xiao held Qiu Xuan's hand and comforted her.
"She...she's my daughter, how can she have nothing to do with my family?"
"Have you forgotten the five taels of silver?" Zong Xiao didn't want to mention the word "debt repayment" as he was afraid of bringing up Qiu Yun's sad memories.
Qiu Shitou was choked and didn't know how to respond.
"Let's go." Zong Xiao couldn't bear to see Qiu Xuan cry any longer, so he put his arm around her shoulders and led her out of the house.
In the yard, Hu Zi was peeking through the door. When he saw them coming out, he quickly hid aside.
He didn't dare to mess with anyone now, but seeing Qiu Xuan crying so hard, he actually felt no pain in his butt anymore.
The old lady of the Qiu family also came out of the house. She originally wanted to use Qiao to lecture Qiu Xuan and Zong Jia Erlang.
But when she met Zong Xiao's eyes, she lost her courage and could only watch the two men walk out of the yard.
"Grandma, are they gone?" Hu Zi asked.
Old Mrs. Qiu: "Gone."
"They brought a bamboo basket of things when they came. I didn't see them take it away just now. I'll go look for it." Hu Zi felt that there must be good things in the bamboo basket, otherwise how could the smell of meat waft out of the kitchen.
He hurried to the kitchen, not caring whether his butt hurt or not.
"My dear grandson, have you found it?" Old Mrs. Qiu closed the gate of the courtyard, as if she was afraid that Qiu Yun and the others would come back again.
"I found it." Hu Zi curled his lips, threw the bamboo basket to the ground, and said disdainfully, "Grandma, it's just a bunch of wild fruits, nothing valuable."
"Wild fruit?" Old Mrs. Qiu took a closer look and found that it was indeed a wild fruit.
I only brought wild fruits, so where did the meat smell? Old Mrs. Qiu came to her senses and finally remembered the piece of meat she bought yesterday.
She took a step forward and rushed into the kitchen, only to see that the two pounds of meat on the bamboo board was now reduced to a piece of pig skin.
Old Lady Qiu sat down on the ground and cursed angrily, "Shameless money-loser, you even came home and ruined my flesh."
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