Chapter 48: Whose Wife Is This Plump Girl?

Being a simp to this extent—even as his sister, Qiu Yinuo found it downright embarrassing.

“Ow, ow, ow! Sis, don’t poke my temples! That hurts!” Qiu Qianjin cried, wincing. Why were his sister and his mom both so aggressive? One wrong word and they were ready to hit someone.

Qiu Yinuo was furious. “You couldn’t talk Mom into it, so now you’re trying to sweet-talk me? Is Qian Zhiqing really worth all this?”

Qiu Qianjin simply flopped over on the stool. “She is. I want to marry her.” But the moment he saw his sister’s darkening expression, his confidence shriveled, and he started glancing around nervously. Still, even scared half to death, he stubbornly added, “If you won’t help me, I’ll just go to Grandpa and Grandma. They’ll help me for sure.”

Of course. This brat really was asking for a beating.

“You think Grandpa and Grandma are someone important? Why would Qian Zhiqing care what they say?”

“T-they’re elders! Don’t young people always say we should respect the elderly?”

Qiu Yinuo took a deep breath, resisting the urge to knock him upside the head. “They’re your elders, not hers. Just because someone’s old, they get to force others to do what they don’t want to? With that attitude of yours, if you do manage to win her over, I’ll eat my shoes.”

Qiu Qianjin’s eyes lit up. “So, Sis, you mean you do have a way to help me chase her?”

“…”

Yep. This little idiot wouldn’t give up until he hit the wall face first.

She held out her hand. “Give me the soap. I’ll tell you after I wash my face.”

It was freezing outside. In a bit, the water in the basin would probably be close to freezing over.

Soap left her face feeling tight and dry, not soft at all—but in this kind of hardship, she couldn’t afford to be picky.

After washing up, she tucked the soap away and waved at her dimwit brother. “There’s a lot to do today. I’ll tell you how to win her over later.”

“Really?”

“Mm.”

“So can you—”

“No. Even if the Jade Emperor himself showed up today, she still wouldn’t come. If you keep being this stubborn, I really won’t help you anymore.”

“Okay, okay! Don’t be mad—I’ll do as you say!”

“Then go help wash the vegetables.”

Qiu Qianjin happily grabbed a small stool and scooted over to Aunt Hehua. “Auntie, any more veggies to wash?”

Seeing that he wasn’t fixated anymore, Qiu Yinuo returned to her room to dry her face. She applied the snow cream—its cheap, cloying fragrance hit her immediately. It was undoubtedly the most budget-tier product she had ever used.

Still, no matter how cheap, the facial massage routine couldn’t be skipped. It was the last bit of respect she had for her own face.

Cheng Hongying slipped into the room while she was busy, lowering her voice on purpose. “Just now, I heard you. Are you really encouraging Jinzi to chase after Qian Zhiqing?”

“Sort of.”

“What kind of terrible idea is that?”

“Everything has two sides. Honestly, having someone like Qian Zhiqing around to motivate him might not be such a bad thing. I’m more afraid he won’t have anything to push him forward.”

Cheng Hongying frowned. “What do you mean?”

Qiu Yinuo leaned in and whispered her plan.

Cheng Hongying stared at her daughter’s head, studying it carefully. It didn’t look any different from anyone else’s, so how come it was always full of schemes?

If only half of that cleverness could be transferred to Jinzi, she wouldn’t have to worry so much.

“…Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

Around 10 a.m., the elderly couple from the Qiu family arrived.

Seeing the food and drinks they had prepared, they couldn’t help but feel a bit of discomfort.

However, they were always concerned with face and didn’t say anything directly.

Dabao, worried that the elderly couple might blame his mother later, excitedly stretched out his chubby little hands and asked for a hug as soon as he saw them.

Grandpa Qiu was momentarily stunned. “This child actually remembers us?”

Grandma Qiu quickly took Dabao into her arms and was greeted with a flattering kiss on her cheek. “Oh, this child is kissing me?”

The old lady was stunned. After all, how could a four-month-old baby understand anything?

Seeing this, Grandpa Qiu immediately moved his face closer to Dabao. “Dabao, give great-grandfather a kiss too!”

Dabao, trying to suppress his dislike of the old man’s wrinkled face, reluctantly planted a kiss.

It was met with a hearty laugh from Grandpa Qiu. “Such a little rascal, this child must understand what we’re saying. Oh, just four months old, and when he grows up, he’s going to be something else!”

When the other village officials arrived, they happened to witness this scene and couldn’t stop praising Dabao’s intelligence. The elderly couple from the Qiu family and Cheng Hongying’s family never let their curtains down.

The feeling was a bit different from being praised for money.

Qiu Yinuo, holding Erbao who was radiating thoughtfulness, mainly focused on accompanying and observing. As long as she didn’t have to do any work, she was content with whatever they asked her to do.

Looking at the new house that the Qiu family had built—bright, spacious, and filled with sunshine—everyone couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

“Grandpa, Grandma, the house is finished. Jinzi said that during the New Year, he’ll bring you both over to stay for a bit.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, people either looked at the elderly couple with envy or jealousy.

Some of them didn’t have a grandson as bright and generous as Jinzi, and even if they wanted to visit someone, they had to notify them beforehand. Being personally invited like this had never happened before.

Looking at this, it was clear that the Qiu family’s elderly couple was truly fortunate.

Grandpa and Grandma Qiu straightened up instantly, feeling a surge of pride. They felt that the money spent on today’s celebration was well worth it. At the very least, their granddaughter had given them plenty of face in front of others.

It wasn’t until lunchtime, when the meal was about to begin, that their younger uncle and his family arrived, fashionably late.

“Second sister-in-law, we must be late, huh?” He looked around, then added with a chuckle, “Though it doesn’t seem that bad. Big brother’s family isn’t here yet, either?”

His eyes inadvertently glanced at Qiu Yinuo, and his wife hesitated for a moment before calling out uncertainly, “Yinuo?”

It was the first time Qiu Yinuo had seen her younger aunt since coming back.

This was a woman who always tried to take advantage of others—someone who could escort you thirty miles out without even eating a meal herself if there was some gain to be had.

“Oh my, just look at you. You’ve clearly been living a good life. What kind of husband’s family lets you splurge like this?”

 Qiu Yinuo: … What’s with that mouth?

Her younger aunt didn’t care at all about how unpleased Qiu Yinuo looked and started chatting again. “Second sister-in-law, Yinuo, look at you and your daughter, always asking others for help. We’re all family—why are you treating me like an outsider? If you’d just told me, I would have come earlier to help you out.”

Cheng Hongying couldn’t help but twitch her lips. She had always disliked her third sister-in-law’s mouth—always talking without lifting a finger.

Qiu Yinuo smiled and said, “Auntie, don’t worry. After we’re done eating, I’ll definitely let you wash the dishes.”

She let out an awkward laugh but didn’t respond.

Just then, their eldest uncle’s family arrived as well.

They said a few unpleasant things, and only quieted down after being snapped at by Grandma Qiu, who called one of them a hen that couldn’t lay eggs. Faced with this entire lineup of troublesome relatives, Qiu Yinuo felt a massive headache coming on.

After today, she figured it’d be best to minimize contact with them.

For now, she just had to get through the day.

Meanwhile, Secretary Yang, along with the village head of Taolin Village, arrived at Ping’an Village. The two were going around asking people if they had seen a chubby young wife from someone’s household.