Chapter 29

Before Qiao Xinyi could finish speaking, Qian Ke immediately shook his head. “It’s enough! Buy some good cigarettes, a bottle of good wine, and treat them to a meal—that will definitely cover it.”

He said it was about getting approval from the director, but it wasn’t just dealing with the director alone. One hundred and fifty yuan was definitely enough, maybe even leaving a little twenty or so in change. But Qian Ke also saw that Qiao Xinyi wasn’t the type to fuss over small amounts, so he didn’t mention returning the leftover change to her.

After Qiao Xinyi bought the houses, Qian Ke could still use those leftover funds to help her with connections to the construction crew. Qiao Xinyi was an open and straightforward person, so Qian Ke was open and straightforward in return. Besides, she was smart and didn’t need everything spelled out for her to understand, and the way she spoke made him feel comfortable, so Qian Ke was happy to help her out.

After setting the time, Qiao Xinyi thanked him and left with Fu Qingshan.

Once outside Qian Ke’s workplace, Qiao Xinyi’s smile was even brighter than when she left the bank.

“Fu Qingshan, I really feel like you bring me good luck!” Qiao Xinyi patted Fu Qingshan’s arm. “If you hadn’t brought me to see Qian Ke, I don’t know when I’d have been able to buy a house.”

She could get the house, but without Qian Ke’s connections, even if she bought those rundown bungalows, she could only afford to do minor repairs. So she said Fu Qingshan brought her financial luck.

“Want me to come with you tomorrow morning?” Fu Qingshan asked. “You’re probably only going to withdraw the money in the morning, right?”

“If circumstances allowed, I’d honestly write you another thousand-word thank-you letter,” Qiao Xinyi nodded vigorously, gesturing with her hands. “Having you with me makes me feel completely safe.”

After all, she was going to withdraw a huge sum of money from the bank tomorrow, then carry it all the way to Qian Ke’s workplace—that was quite a distance.

“Don’t you have plans tomorrow?” Qiao Xinyi asked.

“I postponed things by a day; it doesn’t affect anything,” Fu Qingshan said.

Qiao Xinyi headed back to the Qiao family compound. Fu Qingshan watched her get on the bus before they parted ways.

The bus jolted along for over half an hour before Qiao Xinyi arrived at the gate of the residential compound. It was already rush hour, and many people who recognized Qiao Xinyi greeted her along the way.

Downstairs, she ran into Aunt Zhang. As soon as they met, Aunt Zhang grabbed Qiao Xinyi and started talking.

“Your grandma, because your mom brought Qiao Baihe back, was yelling all afternoon at home. That old lady’s not young anymore, but when she’s cursing, her energy is impressive, tsk tsk tsk,” Aunt Zhang said. “Her voice could be heard across several buildings. She scared a few little kids into tears.”

After that, Aunt Zhang asked, “Didn’t Qiao Baihe go back to her birth parents’ place yesterday? How come your mom brought her back again? Don’t her birth parents want her?”

Hearing Aunt Zhang ask this, Qiao Xinyi realized Chen Yubing and Qiao Baihe hadn’t told her about what happened with the He family. Maybe they were too embarrassed to say.

But the word “shy” wasn’t in Qiao Xinyi’s vocabulary. She opened her mouth and quickly spilled the whole messy story about the He family.

Aunt Zhang’s expressions listening to the story were priceless—sometimes scolding, “So young but so scheming,” and other times, “Does she have the Pacific Ocean inside her head?”

After Qiao Xinyi finished speaking, Aunt Zhang patted her hand and said, “Out of your whole family, you’re the one I like best. Your mom’s mouth is sealed tight as if welded shut—she hardly ever says a word.”

“That day when I came back, Aunt Zhang treated me the best. I consider Aunt Zhang one of my own; there’s nothing I can’t say to my own people,” Qiao Xinyi said with a wide, innocent smile. Just calling someone “one of my own” made Aunt Zhang’s heart burst with joy.

Aunt Zhang was usually stingy and talkative, often mimicking others, and not many people in the residential compound trusted her enough to be close friends. Hearing Qiao Xinyi call herself “one of my own” was something she’d never heard before, so she suddenly felt the joy of finding a kindred spirit.

“Your family has guests tonight, so I won’t keep you chatting now. When you have time, come visit me at my place, and we’ll talk more. Not to brag, but there’s nothing in this compound I don’t know about,” Aunt Zhang said, linking arms with Qiao Xinyi as they walked upstairs.

As they walked, Aunt Zhang told Qiao Xinyi about the situation with the Qiao brothers. After listening, Qiao Xinyi summarized that Aunt Zhang’s point was: none of Qiao Laiwang’s brothers were any good.

Qiao Xinyi arrived just in time. When she entered, the small living room was already full of people. At that moment, Chen Ju was angrily scolding Chen Yubing for the dinner she had prepared. Using Aunt Zhang’s words, it was no exaggeration—Chen Ju’s loud scolding could be heard across several buildings.

After Chen Ju finished yelling, Chen Yubing coldly replied, “My salary is only enough to feed my own family plain porridge with boiled vegetable leaves. I’m struggling to support my own kids, so what good meat and dishes do you expect me to prepare for your kids? If you want a proper meal, buy it yourself and cook it yourself.”

The third sibling, Qiao Dongmei, stood with her hands on her hips, cursing Chen Yubing harshly, “Are you an animal? A few days ago, my mom said you were going to starve her to death. I thought my mom was exaggerating, but I never expected you’d really do something like that! Are you really trying to starve my mom and my second brother?”

The fourth sibling, Qiao Chengda, chimed in, “Sister-in-law, if you’re upset, you’ve already vented enough, right? It’s been so long, and you’re still acting like this—isn’t it too much?”

Qiao Yunbai loudly retorted, “My mom has no money; our whole family eats like this. Even if we go hungry, it’s together. Aunt and Uncle, you scold my mom like this, why don’t you take my dad and grandma to live with you then?”

Qiao Xinyi silently praised the comeback as she stepped inside and slapped Qiao Dongmei’s hand that was pointing at Chen Yubing.

Smack! Qiao Dongmei cried out in pain. Only those who’ve felt Qiao Xinyi’s hand strength know how painful it really is.

“The whole compound knows Qiao Laiwang’s salary is all spent on supporting you siblings. My family relies on my mom alone. It’s normal for my mom to have no money, but you all have money—so why do you always come empty-handed? If you were really filial and couldn’t bear to see your mom starve, why don’t you take her out for a proper meal?”

Qiao Dongmei shook her wrist in pain, her head about to explode from Qiao Xinyi’s words.

“How dare you call your dad’s name? And I’m your aunt—how dare you hit me? You’re such an ill-mannered kid!”

“I even dare to call Chen Ju by name, let alone Qiao Laiwang. Whether I have a dad or not makes no difference. That dad from the countryside never taught me what manners are, so I’m proud to be ‘ill-mannered,’” Qiao Xinyi said, holding her head high with a look that said she was proud of her lack of manners.

“Didn’t you say you were coming to see me because you heard I was back? Wow, your Qiao family’s manners are pretty good—visiting someone for the first time and showing up empty-handed?” Qiao Xinyi said with a sneer.

“In that regard, our countryside manners are better. When we visit others, we always bring a few eggs, and even if we’re poor, we bring a basket of vegetables. In all my life, I’ve never seen anyone show up empty-handed to visit. I’ve only heard of freeloaders who show up empty-handed like you.”

The three siblings were silenced by Qiao Xinyi’s words.

Of course, they wouldn’t dare go empty-handed to others’ homes. But coming to Qiao Laiwang’s place, they were used to showing up empty-handed—eating and taking without ever leaving empty-handed.

They could be ruthless, but they still had some shame. Having Qiao Xinyi say this in front of the neighbors outside made them feel embarrassed.