“Uh, go ahead then. I’m listening.”  

Qin Tianru stuck out her tongue sheepishly, realizing how fickle she must have seemed. Since she had chosen to trust him last night, she ought to have more faith in him.  

“My family is quite simple. My parents are wonderful people. I’m the eldest, with a younger sister and a younger brother below me…”  

As they walked side by side, Qi Han began recounting the details of his family in a calm voice, while Qin Tianru listened quietly. The journey was filled with a harmonious atmosphere.  

The Qi family, tracing back several generations, were originally just ordinary farmers. However, unlike other families in the village, the Qis had inherited a craftsmanship in woodworking.  

This skill had been passed down through generations of Qi men. Perhaps due to their natural talent in woodcraft, each generation always produced at least one exceptionally gifted individual.  

Qi Han’s great-grandfather was the standout of his generation. With a sharp mind and this inherited skill, he started from scratch and opened a carpentry shop in town.  

This marked the turning point for the Qi family, transforming them from rural farmers into merchants.  

After settling in town, the great-grandfather’s status also changed. Following the old customs of the time, he took a concubine.  

His legal wife bore two sons and a daughter, but only one son survived—Qi Han’s grandfather, Qi Deming.  

The concubine gave birth to one son and two daughters, with one son and one daughter surviving: the younger son Qi Desheng and daughter Qi Shuhui.  

Qi Deming inherited the Qi family’s talent for woodworking, even surpassing his predecessors. Because of this, he earned the favor and high regard of his great-grandfather.  

On his deathbed, the great-grandfather naturally entrusted the family shop to his eldest legitimate son, Qi Deming, while leaving the rural farmland to his illegitimate son, Qi Desheng.  

Since ancient times, the coexistence of legitimate and illegitimate branches has been fraught with tension. Fearing discord after his passing, the great-grandfather deliberately allocated the farmland to his illegitimate son, sending him and his family back to the ancestral home in the countryside.  

This way, one brother could bring glory to the family name while the other guarded their roots, ensuring someone would remain to tend the graves and pay respects during festivals.  

Qi Deming did not disappoint his great-grandfather. He expanded the small shop all the way to the provincial capital, growing it from a simple carpentry store into a woodcarving shop, a furniture store, and a woodworking workshop.  

Qi Deming had two legitimate sons and one illegitimate daughter.  

The eldest legitimate son, Qi Yuanping, married Yang Meilian, and they had a son and a daughter. Their son, Qi Ming, was now 21 years old. He had been sent abroad to study last year and, before leaving, married his classmate Wang Caiyan.  

Their daughter, Qi Shishi, was now 17 and currently attended a girls’ high school in the provincial capital.  

The second legitimate son, Qi Yuanhua, married Shen Yuerong, and they had two sons and a daughter. The eldest son, Qi Han, was now 19 years old. He had just graduated from university last year and was now following in his father’s footsteps, helping to manage the family business.  

The eldest daughter, Qi Qing, was 17 and currently attended a girls’ high school in the provincial capital. The youngest son, Qi Jun, was 14 and in middle school.  

The illegitimate daughter, Qi Wenfang, married into a working-class family in the provincial capital and had a son and a daughter, living a relatively comfortable life.  

Five years ago, Qi Deming passed away from illness. On his deathbed, he divided his assets equally.  

The furniture store and the woodworking workshop went to his eldest son, Qi Yuanping, while the woodcarving shop was given to his second son’s family. The family’s wealth was distributed evenly among his two sons and daughter, without any favoritism.