Chapter 108 Ringing the doorbell relentlessly, disturbing the peace.
“I’m your mother, your biological mother!” Tian Keshu said. Of course she knew whose mother she was, but this was her second marriage, not her first. She had married her current husband without any children to rely on, and he was wary of her. What could she do? “Your uncle has two children, they…”
“I don’t care how many children he has,” Qin Li’an said. “All I know is that I am your biological son, and this is how you treat me.”
“Son, I have no choice. I’m under your roof, so I have to bow my head,” Tian Keshu said. “You’re only staying here for a while; I’ll be staying here longer. Can you please calm down and stop making a scene?”
"Me making a fuss? Am I making a fuss?" Qin Li'an said indignantly. "All you ever say is that I'm wrong, that you're doing a great job, doing an exceptionally good job."
"No, no, don't be like this," Tian Keshu explained. "Didn't Mom already tell you? It'll be a while. Your dad felt the same way too. Just bear with it a little. Your dad will feel sorry for you. You're not going to live with Mom forever."
"Since I'm not going to live here for the rest of my life, can't you at least give me a room? Do I have to sleep on the sofa?" Qin Li'an said.
"I……"
“If your family doesn’t have a house, you can rent one.” Qin Li’an knew that his father had a house that was rented out, so his mother could rent a house for him to live in.
"Well... I'll discuss it with your uncle." Tian Keshu did have some money, but not much. She was worried that if she rented a place for her son, he might have other requests that she wouldn't be able to fulfill.
The Qin family is well-off, and they have always treated Qin Li'an very well.
"Discuss it? Can't you make the decision yourself? Why do you have to discuss it with him?" Qin Lian said. "Is that your money or his money?"
“Your uncle has always been quite frugal,” Tian Keshu said. “Let’s go back first. Let’s be polite like this for today. We can talk about other things tomorrow, okay?”
Tian Keshu pulled Qin Li'an back, and Qin Li'an eventually followed her. When the mother and son returned, Tian Keshu's two stepsons had already gone back to their room. When Tian Keshu went back to her room, her husband had already closed his eyes.
Tian Keshu wondered if her husband was asleep, but since he already had his eyes closed, she didn't want to wake him. Regardless of whether he was asleep or not, Tian Keshu decided to assume he was.
"Have you found the person?" Weng Guoqiang asked.
"It's been found," Tian Keshu replied. She felt much more at ease when Weng Guoqiang spoke up; otherwise, she would have waited until tomorrow to talk to him, "Do you think we can rent a single room for Li'an since we don't have enough room at home?"
“It’s not like we don’t have a place for him to sleep at home. Is your son that precious?” Weng Guoqiang said. “How long can your son stay with us? A day or two, a week, or a month? At most, it’s a month. He has to go to school and study. He can’t stay with us for long.”
Weng Guoqiang's meaning was clear: he wanted to send Qin Li'an back before the start of the new semester. Weng Guoqiang couldn't possibly pay Qin Li'an's tuition and living expenses; a month was the time he could tolerate.
"A month is enough time to bear with it," Weng Guoqiang said. "Or do you want him to sleep in the room and the eldest son to sleep on the sofa?"
"No, no need." Tian Keshu dared not let her stepson sleep on the sofa. Her two stepsons slept in the room in bunk beds. The two brothers were sleeping peacefully, and her own son couldn't squeeze in. "Let him sleep on the sofa; it's better for him to sleep on the sofa."
"Do you still need to rent a place?" Weng Guoqiang asked.
"I'm not renting it anymore, I'm not renting it anymore. It's only for about a month, let him endure it," Tian Keshu said.
“Your ex-husband probably sent him over because he thinks our family isn’t well-off and wants him to suffer,” Weng Guoqiang said.
Weng Guoqiang didn't deliberately remain silent; he just wanted to make things clear to Tian Keshu so that she wouldn't do other things behind his back.
"Your son has gotten into trouble, and people..."
"That's when they brought him over," Weng Guoqiang said. "If you keep doting on your son, your ex-husband's efforts will be in vain."
"..." Tian Keshu was not unaware of Brother Qin's intentions, but if she were to play the villain, her relationship with her son would only worsen.
Tian Keshu didn't want to be the villain at all, but now she was in a bind and had no choice but to play the villain. The moment she let her son sleep on the sofa, she became the villain.
Qin's mother watched as Qin Li'an was dragged away by his older brother, and she was also worried about Qin Li'an.
Early the next morning, Qin's mother packed some food and blankets and went to find her grandson. She was worried that Tian Keshu's husband's family wasn't very good, and she was concerned that her grandson might be mistreated.
However, before Qin's mother could even step out of the house, Qin's father stopped her.
"Where to?" Qin's father asked.
"I went to check on Li'an and made him some food and a blanket," Qin's mother said. "He wasn't sleeping at home; he wasn't sleeping soundly..."
"Don't take it," Qin's father said. "He's all grown up now, and he's a boy. If you spoil him like this, you'll ruin him."
Qin's father didn't know how Qin Li'an was doing now. What he knew was that he had to keep an eye on his wife and not let her help Qin Li'an. If his wife helped Qin Li'an and Qin Li'an didn't suffer, then Qin Li'an's efforts would have been in vain.
"He's your own grandson, how can you be so heartless?" Qin's mother asked.
"It's heartless," said Qin's father. "It's only because he's my grandson that I'm heartless, so he can understand some things. You're not allowed to go, not today, not tomorrow. We'll talk about it when he comes back. Time will pass quickly. You stay at home and don't go to his place."
"He's still a child, why are you being so harsh on him?" Qin's mother said unhappily.
“He’s in middle school now, he’s not a little kid anymore,” Qin’s father said. “He still needs to know some things, you understand?”
"Alright, if you don't want to go, then you don't want to go." Qin's mother thought she would go when Qin's father wasn't home.
However, Qin's father stopped going fishing; he just kept an eye on his wife. He thought Qin Li'an was still young and could be corrected, but if Qin Li'an grew older, it would be much harder to change him. Now that Qin Li'an was older, no one could easily discipline him.
Qin's father hoped that Qin Li'an could be more sensible. Qin Li'an could not work in the system in the future, and he would still have to go out to work. Qin Li'an could not sit at home and live off the family's wealth.
“We’re all so old, we can’t help Li’an for much longer,” Qin’s father said. “If you don’t make him realize his mistakes now, he won’t change in the future, and he’ll suffer for it.”
"I think he's a good person," Qin's mother insisted.
“If he were a good person, no one would say he’s bad,” Qin’s father said. “We’ve spoiled him too much.”
"..." Qin's mother remained silent.
Qin Li'an was not used to life at the Weng family's house. The food there was much worse than usual, and he was very picky and didn't like it.
"Mom, can't you stir-fry some meat?" Qin Li'an said.
The Weng brothers went out to play, and Weng Guoqiang was not at home either. Qin Li'an and Tian Keshu were talking over there.
"I'll make you some crispy pork in a couple of days," Tian Keshu said. "And some fried pork crackling and pickled cabbage pancakes, how about that?"
"Can't it be today? It has to be two more days?" Qin Li'an complained. "When are we going to rent a place, and where?"
“We’re not renting it anymore,” Tian Keshu said while washing the dishes. “You’re not staying here long, and renting a place for a month will cost more. If you live and dress well, your dad might not take you back. Your uncle and I discussed it, and we both agree that your dad sent you here to suffer. If we treat you too well, your dad will definitely be unhappy, and he might want you to stay here. Li’an, just bear with it; a month will pass quickly.”
"I think you just don't want to pay!" Qin Li'an gritted his teeth.
“It’s not that we’re unwilling to contribute, it’s just… you’re just a kid, you haven’t thought things through enough,” Tian Keshu said. “We have to consider your dad’s thoughts. You’ll have to go back later. If you don’t go back, you have a younger brother. Do you want your brother to inherit everything in your family? Look at your dad, and your uncle. Most of your grandparents’ things were inherited by your dad.”
Tian Keshu didn't want her son to end up with nothing, considering how much the Qin family had.
“Would your stepmother willingly give you all those things? No, she only thinks about her own children,” Tian Keshu said. “Just bear with it for a month, and your father will let you go back soon.”
"Grandma wouldn't refuse to give it to me..."
“Your grandma will get old sooner or later,” Tian Keshu said. “When that time comes, what will you do without your grandparents to support you? Okay, Mom isn’t ignoring you. Just listen to Mom and sleep on the sofa. It’ll only be a month, time will pass quickly.”
Tian Keshu kept emphasizing that time would pass quickly, not only for her son Qin Li'an but also for herself. Tian Keshu could foresee that there would be many problems after her son stayed here, but there was nothing she could do; the Qin family simply refused to let Qin Li'an go back.
The director of the research institute learned about Qin Li'an's fight with Qin Zihang and others, and he even asked Song Fenglan about the situation.
"I heard your brother-in-law's son was born to a woman from a spy's family?" the director asked.
“Yes,” Song Fenglan said, “His ex-wife’s uncle was a spy.”
“Then you have to be careful and don’t let your brother-in-law’s son come to your house,” the director said. “Children can easily make people lower their guard; they can do a lot of things.”
“I know.” Song Fenglan nodded. “I didn’t even let him into our house. I invited the kids from our old neighborhood to play in the capital, and my brother-in-law’s son wasn’t happy about it. He felt that we were nice to other people but not to him, so he started making a scene. That’s how they got into a fight. It wasn’t a big deal. My husband has already spoken to my brother-in-law, and he’s sending his son to his ex-wife’s house to let his son learn a lesson.”
"A leopard can't change its spots," the station chief said. "Don't let him learn to pretend later."
"It's alright, I don't have a good relationship with them," Song Fenglan said.
“That’s true.” The director knew how bad Song Fenglan’s relationship with the Qin family was. “I’m just reminding you not to accidentally step into a trap. Others are fine, but we still need to be careful with people who are connected to spies.”
The director didn't want their institute's data to be stolen again. Song Fenglan was a key member; many of the experiments were initiated by her. No one else could do what Song Fenglan did. They had to protect the data, and even more importantly, they had to protect Song Fenglan.
Someone like Qin Li'an, who so dislikes Song Fenglan's family, is very likely to harm Song Fenglan. Many middle and high school students, when they get emotional, will grab a knife and attack others.
"Keep your distance from him," the station chief said. "A while ago, two families got into a fight, and they started hacking at each other with kitchen knives. People were killed."
"Understood," Song Fenglan said.
Although Song Fenglan had someone protecting her, the director was still a little worried. He mumbled a few words before leaving.
When Song Fenglan returned, she told Qin Yizhou what the director had said.
“Actually, Tian Keshu’s uncle became a spy. They may not necessarily be spies, but…” Song Fenglan sighed, “If Qin Li’an were still like that, even if it wasn’t him who did it, others would suspect that he did it.”
Song Fenglan couldn't understand why the Qin family, who should have known about Qin Li'an's situation, hadn't disciplined him earlier. Instead, they waited until now, until Qin Li'an fought with Qin Zihang again, and Qin Yizhou went to Qin's father and elder brother before the Qin family was willing to teach Qin Li'an a lesson.
“He deserved it,” Qin Yizhou said. “If he had behaved better, who would have thought he did it?”
"..." Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou.
"I don't have a prejudice against Qin Li'an, but his actions were wrong," Qin Yizhou said.
“I didn’t say he was good,” Song Fenglan said. “People who are outwardly honest are easier to guard against; it’s those who are secretive that are the real danger. By the way, how are Xiaohu and Zihang doing?”
"It's alright, don't worry," Qin Yizhou said. "Zihang has already told Xiaohu, and Xiaohu said that if Qin Li'an dares to come and bully Zihang again, Xiaohu will beat Qin Li'an up."
"Xiao Hu is loyal," Song Fenglan chuckled. "Let the two of them study hard, and then go out for a stroll when they have time to rest."
“Xiao Hu is quite good,” Qin Yizhou said. “Xiao Hu called home and told us about the fight he got into. Isn’t he afraid of upsetting his mother?”
"What's there to be upset about? Xiaohu fought for Zihang," Song Fenglan said. "Besides, nothing serious happened. If Zihang did something, wouldn't he tell us?"
"Yes." Qin Yizhou nodded.
When Fatty Sister learned that Qin Zihang's cousin was going to beat someone up, she was speechless. Fatty Sister also learned from Zhang Xiaohu how bad Song Fenglan's relationship with her in-laws was; Song Fenglan hadn't talked much about her in-laws when she lived in Nancheng.
Song Fenglan didn't mention her in-laws, but the plump woman had a feeling that it was mostly their fault. She hadn't expected the Qin family to be this bad. Song Fenglan's house was part of her dowry from her family, not the Qin family's. What right did the Qin family have to make decisions for Song Fenglan?
When Fatty Sister mentioned this to Zhang Chenghai, she kept talking about how difficult Song Fenglan's life had been.
In the morning, while we were eating, my wife said that she wanted her eldest son to hear it too.
“Fenglan suffered because of the special times back then, and she was so young,” the plump woman said. “Her family was on the farm, so she could only hide at her aunt’s house, and those people took advantage of her. They were used to bullying her, and now they still want to bully her. They are so vicious, treating their in-laws like that, it’s really…”
"Is Xiaohu coming back?" Zhang Wen asked.
“No, we don’t need to worry about Fenglan’s in-laws. If we let Xiaohu come back now because of them, it will only make her sad,” said the plump woman. “That wouldn’t lighten the burden on your Aunt Fenglan; it would be like stabbing her in the heart. It would make her think that we find it troublesome and want Xiaohu to avoid those troubles.”
Fatty Sister and Song Fenglan had known each other for several years, so she understood Song Fenglan quite well.
“Those people are really outrageous,” Zhang Chenghai said.
“There are plenty of unreasonable people,” said the plump woman. “These people don’t appreciate others’ kindness at all; all they do is make things difficult for others. Fenglan is such a good person. It’s only because Xiaohu went there that he knows a little more about her. Even if the adults don’t say anything, the children might still know. Children know how to gossip too.”
Thinking about what Zhang Xiaohu had said, the plump woman thought that if she were by Song Fenglan's side, she would definitely rush to Song Fenglan's in-laws and make them understand that Song Fenglan was not someone to be trifled with. However, Song Fenglan's family was so kind that they would surely consider her feelings.
The Song family members are civilized people. They did not rush into the Qin family, but when they saw the Qin family members outside, they did not greet them and showed them no respect.
“They weren’t born to the same parents, yet he has the nerve to expect others to treat him well. What right does he have?” said the fat woman. “Xiao Hu was right to hit him; he deserved to be hit.”
Children fight a lot, and adults shouldn't get too involved. If adults do get involved, they shouldn't hit the children.
At the time, that's what Song Fenglan's neighbors thought. Some of them deliberately waited until the child hit Qin Li'an several times before leaving. As long as he wasn't killed, minor injuries weren't important. The children Qin Zihang played with were all of decent character; Qin Zihang had stopped playing with the ones who weren't.
So, when Shi Guilan went back to her hometown to visit relatives, she came to Nancheng again. She went to Fan Yani's house to see Guo Furong.
"Are you here to take Furong away?" Fan Yani asked.
"No, I just came to see her and see if she's doing well," Shi Guilan said. "I'm relieved to see that she's doing alright."
"You came here on business and just happened to drop by to see her, right?" Fan Yani didn't think Shi Guilan had come specifically to see Guo Furong.
"I have business to attend to," Shi Guilan said. "Since we're already here, we might as well come and take a look."
“If you people don’t want to take her back, if you don’t want to treat her well, then don’t come to see her,” Fan Yani said. “You’re just here to give her hope, to make her think you’re nice people?”
Fan Yani thought Shi Guilan was just weird. If Shi Guilan really cared about Guo Furong, she would have taken Guo Furong away. The fact that Shi Guilan didn't take Guo Furong and even came to check on her meant she was worried that these people weren't treating Guo Furong well.
Of course, these people really should come and see Guo Furong; it wouldn't be right not to.
Fan Yani simply disliked these people; they weren't genuinely kind to Guo Furong at all. Family ties were irrelevant.
"No, I just wanted to see her. Since I'm already here, how could I not go see her?" Shi Guilan said. "This child was originally supposed to call me 'aunt,' but Li Hui and I..."
Seeing that Fan Yani's expression was not good, Shi Guilan realized that she had made a mistake. She shouldn't have brought up Li Hui's matter. Li Hui eloped with another man and was trafficked. This matter had nothing to do with Fan Yani. Guo Peng was hurt by Li Hui, so it was impossible for him to think well of Li Hui anymore.
"Let's not talk about Li Hui anymore," Shi Guilan said.
“If you want to talk, then continue,” Fan Yani said. “I heard she was abducted, but that’s her own business and has nothing to do with us.”
“I didn’t say it had anything to do with you; it was definitely her own doing,” Shi Guilan said. “She’s back in her hometown now, and she’s not doing very well…”
“Speak,” Fan Yani said, “What’s wrong with it?”
“She often argues with her parents, and her sister-in-law is also unhappy with her.” Shi Guilan sighed. “She’s having a hard time now, and she really can’t take the child back. As for me, I’m a stepmother, so it’s even more difficult for me to take the child back.”
"Heh." Fan Yani sneered, "You've got plenty of excuses."
At the doorway, Guo Furong stood there, having overheard Fan Yani and Shi Guilan's conversation. Guo Furong had long known that her biological parents didn't want her, nor did her adoptive mother, who was also her aunt. None of her other relatives wanted her; only the Guo family was willing to raise her.
Guo Furong had heard others talk about the Guo family. They all said the Guo family was stupid and should have just thrown her into an orphanage instead of letting her stay at home. Guo Furong had new clothes to wear and pastries to eat; she was better off than some of the children in the compound.
"Furong." Guo's mother walked to Guo Furong's side. "Go and see your little sister. She's awake and not crying."
“Okay, let’s look at my sister.” Guo Furong nodded.
Guo's mother led Guo Furong to see the daughter born to Guo's sister-in-law.
After seeing Guo Furong, Shi Guilan called the Li family and told them that Guo Furong was doing well. Of course, Shi Guilan wasn't saying this to Li Hui, but to Li's mother.
When Shi Guilan returned to her hometown, she also went to the county town and visited the Li family. Knowing that Shi Guilan was coming to Nancheng, Li's mother asked her to check on Guo Furong, just in case the Guo family had abandoned her, even though they claimed they were keeping Furong.
Li's mother did not call Peng; when she did, Guo Peng did not answer.
“Furong is very good,” Shi Guilan said. “I think the hair tie on her head is quite pretty, and they combed her hair.”
"Yes," said Li's mother. "She lives in their house and was originally meant to be Guo Peng's daughter."
“Guo Peng has a biological daughter now,” Shi Guilan said. “I heard he dotes on his daughter very much.”
Shi Guilan heard about it from people she knew in the family compound. They all said they never knew Guo Peng loved his child so much. They knew Guo Peng's attitude towards Guo Furong was very lukewarm; he didn't treat her like his own daughter. But this child born to Guo's sister-in-law was different. Guo Peng treated his biological daughter exceptionally well. He bought her new clothes and bought her very good formula, buying several cans at a time, afraid she wouldn't have enough to eat.
Guo Peng didn't have much patience for Guo Furong, so he directly asked his mother to take care of her.
“He…” Mrs. Li sighed, “If only your cousin hadn’t divorced him…”
“Aunt, please don’t talk about this. Li Hui’s problem is her own fault, and she can’t blame anyone else,” Shi Guilan said. “If she were willing to live a good life, none of this would have happened.”
Guo Peng didn't mind that Li Hui couldn't have children before; it was Li Hui's own fault.
Shi Guilan stayed in Nancheng for one night, took care of her business, and then left without staying any longer.
Fan Yani didn't tell Guo Furong much about Shi Guilan. Shi Guilan originally lived in the family compound, and many people there knew about her. Perhaps someone else had already told Guo Furong before Fan Yani even had to.
Guo Furong knew the Li family wouldn't take care of her; she had to hold onto Fan Yani and her mother tightly. She had to stay here. Only by staying here could she have a good life. Guo Furong had once considered going to an orphanage, something she had discussed with Fan Yani.
Fan Yani took Guo Furong to the orphanage. After the trip, Guo Furong didn't want to go to the orphanage anymore; she wanted to stay there.
Fan Yani tried her best to treat Guo Furong well, but inevitably she still didn't consider the other person's feelings. She hoped that Guo Furong wouldn't go astray in the future.
Tian Keshu's current husband's house was allocated by his work unit. It doesn't have a private toilet, so she has to use a public toilet, which doesn't smell very good.
Qin Li'an felt miserable living here. If he lived at home, he would have a toilet and it wouldn't be so troublesome.
Qin Li'an stayed there for less than a week before returning to the Qin family home, hoping they would open the door and let him in. The Qin family refused to open the door or let him in.
"Li'an, Li'an." Qin's mother ran to the door and looked at Qin Li'an through the iron fence. "Look at you, you've lost weight."
Qin's mother quickly stuffed two apples into Qin Li'an's hands, afraid that others would see it. Qin's father, following behind his mother, saw what she was doing but didn't stop her. It was just two apples, nothing more.
"Grandma, please open the door and let me in. No one can live over there." Qin Li'an stretched out his arm so his mother could see it clearly. "Grandma, look, my arm is covered in mosquito bites."
Qin Li'an's arm was covered in red spots, and Qin's mother felt very distressed when she saw them. She wanted to open the door to let Qin Li'an in, but Qin's father stopped her.
"Don't open the door," Qin's father said. "The time hasn't come yet. Let him continue living with his mother."
“He’s in this state.” Qin’s mother said, her eyes red. “You may not feel sorry for your grandson, but I do.”
“If you really care about him, then don’t let him come back now,” Qin’s father said. “When the time comes, if you want to go and pick him up yourself, I won’t stop you.”
"Grandpa." Qin Li'an didn't expect his grandfather to say that.
“Li’an, you’re a man. Your father said you should stay with your mother, so you should stay,” Qin’s father said. “Don’t even think about coming back.”
"Grandpa, that place really can't be lived in..."
"Why can't people live there? Everyone else can live there just fine, why can't you?" Qin's father said. "You can stay there for a while and experience life there."
Qin's father recalled that when he was fighting in the war, he lived in the wilderness, and those were truly difficult days. They lacked food and clothing and had to endure all sorts of hardships. Qin Li'an, on the other hand, hadn't suffered much hardship at all; he was staying with Tian Keshu, which was considered relatively comfortable.
“My mom only knows how to be good to her two stepsons; she treats me very badly,” Qin Li’an said.
Actually, Tian Keshu didn't treat Qin Li'an too badly. Qin Li'an was just talking nonsense here in order to come back.
"Go back," Qin's father said coldly.
Qin Li'an didn't want to go back, so he sat outside the Qin family's gate and didn't want to leave until nightfall.
When Brother Qin returned, he didn't let Qin Li'an in. Qin Li'an tried to go in, but Brother Qin shut the door on him.
“Dad.” Qin Li’an looked at his father.
“I already said, if you’re not staying at your mom’s place, you can sleep on the street,” Brother Qin said. “Sleeping under a bridge is fine too.”
Brother Qin still refuses to let Qin Li'an return. If he lets Qin Li'an back so soon, he won't be able to explain it to Qin Yizhou. Besides, Qin Yizhou is right; Qin Li'an is his child, not Qin Yizhou's. Brother Qin still wants Qin Li'an to have a better life.
It was past 11 p.m. when Qin Li'an was still squatting at the door.
In the middle of the event, Qin's mother brought Qin Li'an two steamed buns, but Qin's father and the others wouldn't let her bring anything else. Qin Li'an wanted to go inside, but couldn't.
You Yun was still awake. She went to the door and saw Qin Li'an there. Qin Li'an and You Yun made eye contact. He assumed You Yun had come to let him in and said impatiently, "Open the door quickly."
“Go to your mother’s,” You Yun said. “Your father won’t let you into the house.”
"Weren't you here to open the door?" Qin Li'an asked, his eyes wide.
“No,” You Yun said. “I just came to check if you were still here. Your father is angry and won’t let you in.”
You Yun reminded Qin Li'an, but Qin Li'an completely ignored it.
"Aren't you going to try to persuade my dad?" Qin Li'an said. "I call you Mom, and this is how you treat me."
You Yun found it laughable; she shouldn't have come out to take a look. Qin Li'an was no good, and he deserved to continue being bitten by mosquitoes. You Yun didn't give the mosquito repellent sachet to Qin Li'an; she went back inside.
"Is he still here?" Brother Qin asked when he saw You Yun return.
“He’s still here,” You Yun replied. “He’s stubborn; there’s no way he’d leave. He probably thinks it’ll get late and you’ll let him in.”
"Let him stay outside," Brother Qin said. "Don't let him in."
“I didn’t open the door, and that upset him,” You Yun said.
"Let him suffer a bit," Brother Qin said. "It's not the dead of winter, he won't freeze to death."
Brother Qin made up his mind; he wouldn't let Qin Li'an come back.
Tian Keshu frowned as she waited for Qin Li'an to return. Her husband was unhappy that she was leaving.
"Going out so late?" Weng Guoqiang asked.
"Li'an hasn't returned yet," Tian Keshu said.
"Could he have gone to his father's place?" Weng Guoqiang asked.
“His dad said he’s not allowed to go in,” Tian Keshu said. “I have to go check on him, and if all else fails, I’ll have to make a phone call.”
"It's so late, where are you going to make a call?" Weng Guoqiang said. "Everyone has already gone home from get off work."
“This…” Tian Keshu said, “Then let’s go to the Qin family to take a look.”
"Don't go," Weng Guoqiang said. "If he were really in the Qin family, would they not care about him? He's a grown man, not a child anymore."
“But…” Tian Keshu hesitated.
“If you go there, your son might not get in. If you don’t go, there might still be a sliver of hope,” Weng Guoqiang said.
And so, Tian Keshu didn't go looking for Qin Li'an. Qin Li'an waited outside the Qin family's house all night, but he wasn't allowed to go in. Qin Li'an drifted off to sleep, dreaming that the Qin family invited him in and that there was lots of delicious food. When he woke up, there was nothing there.
This infuriated Qin Li'an. He stared at the tightly closed gate, then at the sky; it was still dark. Qin Li'an stood up and slammed his fist on the iron bars. Then, his foot started to hurt.
Qin Li'an was unwilling to give up. He kept ringing the doorbell, waking up the neighbors next door.
"What's going on?" a neighbor asked as they came out.
The neighbor, seeing Qin Li'an's actions, started cursing, "What are you doing? Didn't your parents open the door for you?"
"They won't open the door for me," Qin Li'an said.
Qin Li'an kept ringing the doorbell, he kept ringing it, because the Qin family was forcing him to do it. If they let him in, he wouldn't do it.
Then, Brother Qin took out a feather duster and started beating Qin Li'an. Brother Qin's anger was flaring up; he just wanted to teach his son a lesson, but his son was too disappointing and insisted on doing this.
Qin Li'an hid there, and eventually, he was let in. Brother Qin couldn't refuse to let Qin Li'an in; he was afraid Qin Li'an would ring the doorbell again. He might dismantle his own doorbell, but he couldn't very well dismantle someone else's.
Qin Li'an was threatening his older brother over there, yet he could still ring other people's doorbells.
Tian Keshu breathed a sigh of relief after learning that Qin Li'an had returned to the Qin family safely. Qin Li'an came over to Tian Keshu's place to take his things; he didn't want to sleep on the sofa at all.
"Mom, no one believes you're my biological mother; they all think you're my stepmother." Qin Li'an deliberately said these unpleasant words before leaving. "You never think about me at all; you only think about yourself and your stepson. I still have to rely on myself."
"Li'an." Tian Keshu was heartbroken. How could her son say such a thing to her?
"Alright, you don't need to take me. I'll go back by myself." Qin Li'an sneered. "From now on, I'll never come to stay with you again, so you don't have to worry about your husband being unhappy or your stepson being upset."
"No, I..."
Qin Li'an refused to listen to Tian Keshu's explanation. He believed she was simply unwilling to part with the money and worried about upsetting her current husband. Qin Li'an felt that in Tian Keshu's eyes, his son was completely unimportant.
Tian Keshu watched helplessly as Qin Li'an left, and she felt even more heartbroken.
Tian Keshu's husband and stepson were overjoyed, finally free from seeing Qin Li'an and the disdainful look he gave them.
A day later, Song Fenglan and her husband learned that Qin Li'an had returned, which didn't surprise them. With the Qin family around, how could they possibly control Qin Li'an? He wasn't a three-year-old; he was fourteen or fifteen. A child that age couldn't possibly be ignorant, and Qin Li'an couldn't just sit there idly; he was bound to cause trouble.
"Li'an is doomed," Qin Yizhou sighed.
“Who knows?” Song Fenglan said.
It's a little past six in the evening. Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu went to the Song family's house to see Qin Zihang's cousin. They were going to take a walk and play together. Song Fenglan told them to come back early and not too late, and then left it at that.
Zhang Xiaohu has a pretty good temper, and Qin Zihang's older siblings treat him fairly well.
“They said before the start of school, but… this can also be considered before the start of school. From the time the holiday starts until the start of school, this period can be called before the start of school,” Song Fenglan said.
“We can’t believe everything they say,” Qin Yizhou said. “They let him in after less than a week.”
“We can’t not let him in. He’s ringing doorbells everywhere, waking up other people. They’ll be scolded,” Song Fenglan said. “That’s disturbing the peace.”
If Song Fenglan were in that situation, she probably would have no choice but to let Qin Li'an in. Otherwise, letting Qin Li'an cause trouble outside and upset the neighbors would be a huge sin. It's better for her own family to suffer a little and let Qin Li'an in.
"But it's alright, as long as Qin Li'an doesn't come over here," Song Fenglan said. "Your older brother and the others are basically completely under Qin Li'an's control."
“They can’t really put him in the police station,” Qin Yizhou said. “If he does go to the police station, they’ll still be the ones to discipline him.”
“Yes.” Song Fenglan understood this. “Having a child like this is worse than not having one at all. There will be a lot of trouble later on.”
Song's mother made some pastries, and she asked Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu to sit down and eat them first.
"Zihang, take some pastries back to your mother later," said Song's mother.
"Okay," Qin Zihang said. "Mom really likes Grandma's pastries. With Grandma around, Mom rarely makes pastries anymore."
“Grandma doesn’t work; she stays at home and bakes pastries when she has free time. Your mother, on the other hand, has to go to work, which is very hard for her,” said Song’s mother.
"Yes, my mother used to make pastries for me a lot when she lived in Nancheng," Qin Zihang said.
“I ate too,” Zhang Xiaohu raised his hand and said, “My brother ate too.”
"That's because Grandma isn't there, so your mother has to cook for herself," Song's mother said with a smile. "Xiaohu, eat more too, don't be shy, make yourself at home."
“I’m not being polite, it’s delicious, I’ve already eaten several,” Zhang Xiaohu said.
After Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu finished eating the pastries, they took them back to Song Fenglan.
"Mom, Grandma gave you this. I'm going out to play with Brother Xiaohu now." Qin Zihang put the pastries on the table.
"Go, go." Song Fenglan waved her hand.
Qin Zihang left in a flash. He liked playing with Zhang Xiaohu and the others; they were going to play basketball.
Song Fenglan didn't go with them. The children are all grown up, and if the adults still follow them, the children will get annoyed.
"Let's have some pastries." Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou.
"From Mom's side?" Qin Yizhou had just come out of the bathroom when he saw the pastries on the table.
“Yes, it wasn’t sent from my mom’s side, so who else could it be?” Song Fenglan said. “Eat up.”
On this day, Fan Yani's younger brother and sister-in-law, Niu Cuihua and her husband, moved into the house they had bought. The house was already furnished. There weren't originally that many rooms; the original owners had added them to the yard. They stopped working here, so they sold the house.
“I’ll have Mom move in later,” Niu Cuihua said. “We have enough room here.”
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