"Yan Qiu." Mr. Xie sighed and walked over to Mrs. Xie, pulling her stiff body into his arms. Mrs. Xie didn’t struggle, letting him hold her. "Honey, Zhang Hongying won’t let this go. If Mom and Dad are living here, she won’t dare to act out. Mom is her nesis."
Mrs. Xie was silent. ’I know perfectly well that even though Jing Wu sent Zhang Hongying back to her hotown, she still managed to co back on her own. It’s just... I never would have dread that Zhang Hongying would have those kinds of intentions toward Jie Jianguo. For over twenty years, we’ve been raising an ungrateful wretch.’
Seeing she wasn’t speaking, Mr. Xie called out, "Yan Qiu."
"Hmph!" Mrs. Xie snorted. "Do you think I’m afraid of her?"
Jie Jianguo froze, his arms around her tightening. "You’re not afraid of her, but I am."
"Yan Qiu, I’m the one Zhang Hongying is after, the one she wants to get. Her thods are just too vile. Thinking about it now makes feel such regret. I was so close... my reputation would have been ruined, and our happy marriage would have been destroyed because of it." Mr. Xie paused, then continued, "So, I’m scared. I’m scared that the scheming Zhang Hongying will co back again, scared you’ll divorce , and scared of losing this happy marriage."
Mrs. Xie could sense his emotions. She wasn’t afraid of her husband being overbearing, but she couldn’t stand seeing him show this vulnerable side. Her heart ached for him, and she hugged him back.
A flicker of joy went through Mr. Xie, and he continued to press his case. "Yan Qiu, I promise, it won’t be for long. Just let my parents stay with us for a month. Only one month. Yan Qiu, I’m begging you."
A month wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either. Mrs. Xie wanted to refuse, but looking at her pleading husband, she didn’t have the heart. "They’re used to living in their own ho. I’m worried they won’t leave."
"They will. After one month, whether they want to or not, I will send them ho," Mr. Xie promised.
’It’s not that I’m afraid of Zhang Hongying coming back,’ Mrs. Xie thought. ’If she angers , I’ll make her regret it. After this incident, if she behaves herself, I’ll let it go—consider it repaynt for the life Zhang Hongyan saved. But if she remains unrepentant, then she can’t bla for being ruthless.’
"Jie Jianguo, you rember what you said. If you don’t send them away in a month, I’m taking the children and leaving," Mrs. Xie threatened.
"Darling, you’re as beautiful as you are kind. Marrying you in this lifeti is my greatest blessing." Mr. Xie cupped Mrs. Xie’s face and gave her a quick kiss on her red lips.
"What are you doing? Aren’t you afraid soone will see? We’re surrounded by neighbors! Have you no sha at our age?" Mrs. Xie pushed Mr. Xie away, giving his chest a light tap.
"It’s so dark, no one will see." No sooner had the words left his mouth than a bright beam from a flashlight shone on them.
Mr. and Mrs. Xie instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes from the light, their expressions unconsciously tensing.
"Dad, Mom," Qin i called out.
Hearing Qin i’s voice, their tense expressions visibly relaxed. Mr. Xie imdiately adopted a stern look and asked, "What are you doing out here?"
Qin i, wearing pajamas with a coat thrown over them, kept the flashlight trained on the two of them. "I heard a noise and was worried it might be a burglar, so I ca out to check."
"Xiao i, don’t do that again. If it really were a burglar, it would be dangerous for you to co out and check by yourself." Mrs. Xie gave an elegant smile and walked toward Qin i.
"Okay, I promise it won’t happen again," Qin i nodded obediently.
"Fourth Wife of Jing, stop shining that thing. You’re going to blind ," Mr. Xie said sharply.
"Lower your voice. Don’t scare Xiao i," Mrs. Xie retorted, turning to glare at Mr. Xie.
Mr. Xie fell silent. Qin i turned off the flashlight, and Mrs. Xie walked over, affectionately linking her arm with Qin i’s. "If you ca out to check, where’s Jing Si?"
’I wonder how much of my conversation with Jie Jianguo she heard,’ she thought. ’She definitely saw him kiss .’
"He’s hanging laundry under the eaves," Qin i answered truthfully. ’In reality, I ran out to eavesdrop after hearing my parents-in-law’s voices and just grabbed the flashlight on the way. I didn’t an to turn it on, but I did it without thinking.’
People were very conservative in that era. Even married couples rarely held hands in public, let alone kissed.
"Pathetic," Mr. Xie couldn’t help but mutter.
Mrs. Xie glared at Mr. Xie and said in a commanding tone, "Go get your parents settled. I need to have a word with Xiao i."
Mr. Xie pressed his lips together and gave a sullen nod before stepping into the courtyard.
"Xiao i." Mrs. Xie took Qin i’s hand, unsure of how to begin.
"Mom, don’t worry. Aunt Zhang didn’t succeed." Qin i knew exactly what was on Mrs. Xie’s mind. With sothing like this happening in the family, she knew that for the sake of peace, her father-in-law would lie to her mother-in-law, Grandpa and Granny would lie to her, and even Jie Jingchen would tell her a white lie. But Qin i herself would not.
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