Chapter 54

Chen Yubing watched sarcastically as Qiao Laiwang carried Chen Ju away.

Even though Chen Ju had spent up twenty years’ worth of Qiao Laiwang’s wages, she was still his mother. Qiao Laiwang still had a few coins left in his pocket, but he wouldn’t think to buy a bite to eat for his two biological children. Yet even now, he was willing to carry Chen Ju to the factory canteen for breakfast.

Half an hour later, Qiao Laiwang returned with a stiff expression and carried Chen Ju back. After settling her in her room, he fumbled in his pocket for a long time before finally pulling out fifty cents and handing it to Chen Yubing.

“This is for lunch and dinner today for me and my mom. I’ll give you tomorrow’s money after dinner tonight,” Qiao Laiwang said self-righteously. “I’ve paid, so even if we don’t get meat, at least we should get a full meal, right?”

“Fifty cents for two people, two meals, and you think that’s enough for full meals? What do you think this is—a relief center handing out free food?” Qiao Xinyi, sitting off to the side with one leg crossed over the other, gave him a cold glance. “You’ve been freeloading for twenty years and still think you haven’t had enough?”

If Chen Yubing had said that, Qiao Laiwang might have argued. But with Qiao Xinyi looking at him so coldly, he quickly dug out another thirty cents and a one-jin grain coupon from his pocket and handed it over, not daring to say a word. He turned and left straight for work.

“Qiao Baihe, Qiao Yunbai, did you see that?” Qiao Xinyi said. “Some people know exactly what’s going on—they’re just too calculating. It’s like they’ll die if they don’t squeeze out a few extra cents. If you ever run into people like that, don’t give them face. Curse them to death.”

No one from the He family came early. Chen Yubing, being a diligent person, cleaned the house inside and out since she had the day off. Qiao Baihe and Qiao Yunbai went to the public wash area to do laundry, leaving Qiao Xinyi with nothing to do but wander around the family housing compound, hands behind her back, eventually strolling slowly back home.

The He family showed up earlier than Qiao Xinyi had expected—and there were more of them than she’d anticipated. In addition to He Shengli, Zhou Yun, and He Rou (whom Qiao Xinyi had already met), an old lady and a boy a bit younger than Qiao Yunbai also came.

A child from the housing compound led them over. When he saw Qiao Xinyi standing in the corridor, he called out, “Sister Xinyi, your guests are here!”

Before Qiao Xinyi could even thank him, the child had already turned around and dashed off to play with his friends.

He Shengli and Zhou Yun both had their hands full of items. He Shengli had met Qiao Xinyi at the Public Security Bureau and recognized her immediately. The moment he realized it was this girl—hands in her pockets, eyebrows slightly raised—who had reported him to Commissar Xu and Staff Officer Dong, all fondness for her vanished.

He hated her for meddling, for being ruthless, and for still, at her age, running to complain to leadership. To him, she was petty and vindictive.

But no matter what He Shengli felt inside, he still put on a smile.

“You’re Qiao Xinyi, right? Are your parents home? Is Qiao Baihe home?” he asked.

Everyone inside had already heard the child’s shout earlier. Chen Yubing came out, taking off her apron, followed by Qiao Baihe and Qiao Yunbai.

He Shengli recognized Chen Yubing at a glance.

He immediately stepped forward with a smile. “Comrade Chen Yubing, what happened last time was wrong on He Rou’s part. Her mother also wasn’t thinking clearly at the time and didn’t make proper arrangements, so He Rou ended up feeling wronged after returning home.”

Last time, He Rou had someone pass a message to Qiao Baihe and called her home—this was mistake number one. The He family had raised someone else’s daughter for nineteen years, and without any explanation or formal gesture, they just called the girl home. It sounded bad—made the He family seem thoughtless and rude.

Even worse, they claimed their biological daughter was just a visiting niece. That was the real scandal making rounds in the family compound lately, and everyone was talking about it with great interest.

In truth, if Qiao Xinyi hadn’t brought it up in front of the leadership, He Shengli actually approved of his wife’s arrangement. Otherwise, how were they supposed to explain He Rou’s identity to outsiders, suddenly gaining an extra daughter out of nowhere? Not to mention that He Rou had grown up with him and his wife and was emotionally closer to them. And considering He Rou’s fiancé’s background, this daughter had become incredibly important to him—more important than a dozen Qiao Baihes.

Because Qiao Baihe didn’t stop Qiao Xinyi from reporting the situation to the leadership, He Shengli found himself unable to arrange anything or explain things upon his return. So he held a grudge against Qiao Baihe too, despite her being his biological daughter.

But since the situation had blown up, with even the leaders paying attention to it, He Shengli had no choice but to take Qiao Baihe back home. That’s why he showed up today with his entire family. It was a gesture meant for the leaders—and for the whole family housing compound to see.

“This is my mother, and this is my youngest son. Except for my second son who couldn’t come, the whole family is here today. First, we’re here to thank the Qiao family for raising our daughter. Second, we’re here together to bring her home,” He Shengli said, handing over the gifts in his hands. “We came in a rush, so this is just a small token of appreciation. I hope you won’t mind.”

Zhou Yun quickly stepped forward to present the gifts to Chen Yubing. No one knew exactly what gifts they had prepared, but there were clearly quite a few bags. Yet even after the two of them held out the gifts for several seconds, no one from the Qiao family reached out to take them.

Seeing this, the old lady He—Madam He—spoke up. “Not taking it? Is it because you think it’s not enough?”

Her name was Li Chunfeng, but the arrogance that came through her bones was anything but like a gentle spring breeze. Every strand of her hair was perfectly in place, and she wore a pair of glasses on her nose—she looked like a cultured person, but her words were anything but pleasant.

Madam He pulled a bulging envelope from her bag. “There’s one thousand yuan in here—as payment to the Qiao family for raising our daughter for nineteen years. Take the money, give me a receipt, and from now on, Qiao Baihe has nothing to do with your family. I don’t want her having any further contact with you, either.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Baihe immediately said, “I’m not going back with you. This is my home.”

Madam He glanced at her, then swept her eyes around the Qiao house, her lips pressed down in disdain. “You want to stay here with these people? A grown girl who doesn’t even have a room of her own? You’re a schemer—already goading others into complaining to your father’s bosses. Don’t go crying later, saying your family wronged you and made you suffer.”

Every word was dripping with accusation, branding Qiao Baihe as a girl of bad character.

Qiao Xinyi gave a cold laugh and then kicked something Chen Yubing had set on the ground toward He Shengli.

“Old lady, don’t you go attributing all of Qiao Baihe’s good qualities to your He family’s bloodline,” Qiao Xinyi sneered. “Let me tell you—this silly girl Qiao Baihe doesn’t have the brains to goad anyone into anything. I’m the smart one who knew to report things to Commissar Xu and Chief of Staff Dong. So don’t just praise Qiao Baihe—why don’t you give me some credit too, huh~?”