Chapter 531 - 561: Sometimes Infuriating, Sometimes Pitiful
Well, that settled it. All three houses could be left to the third son.
The village chief was stunned. He stared wide-eyed for a long moment. "Brother," he stammered, "you... how could you..."
Mr. Qin, whose lungs were bothering him, broke into a violent coughing fit. He finally said, full of self-righteousness, "Am I wrong? It’s their own fault! Neither of those two brothers knew how to give our Old Qin Family an heir. All they produced were useless girls! What good are they? It had to be the third son—he gave me a grandson!"
The truth was, the village chief also preferred grandsons over granddaughters, but he wasn’t fanatical about it like Mr. Qin.
In the end, he could only walk away with a helpless sigh.
’Those two brothers were right to do what they did,’ he thought. ’An old man like that... he really doesn’t deserve their devotion!’
Meanwhile, Qin Jiao, along with her mother Su Yun and her younger sister Xiao Shi, arrived at her maternal grandmother’s house.
The Su family was quite large, so with so many people, things naturally got complicated.
Besides, Old Mrs. Su and Old Su also preferred their sons, but they weren’t overly harsh with their daughters.
Their daughter hadn’t been back in a long time, so they were naturally happy to see her return with her family of four.
Most importantly, their daughter had become successful, and her life was getting better and better. How could that not be a good thing?
Her eldest brother, Su Feng, was there with his family of five, as was her younger brother with his family of three. Aside from a younger sister who had married and moved away, her second-eldest brother, Su Lei, who lived in the county town, had also returned with his family of four.
The large group of people made for a lively and bustling atmosphere.
Qin Jiao helped her mother hand out the gifts. There were a lot of people, but they had bought plenty for everyone.
Even the children got a share of the specialty pastries and candies brought from North City.
Su Lei’s wife, Sun Miaohong, who was wearing a wool scarf, smiled and said, "Oh, Xiao Yun, you’re really going places. When my little girl gets into a university in North City, you’ll have to look after her."
"Of course."
"And your Xiao Jiao has become so successful! Xiao Shi is looking more vibrant and prettier by the day, too. Xiao Yun, you can just sit back and enjoy the good life from now on."
Everyone who received a gift was naturally overjoyed, and Su Yun herself was beaming.
Even though the family was large and they didn’t get to see each other very often, it was wonderful to gather like this in such a warm and harmonious atmosphere.
Qin Zhonghui arrived in the evening, just in time for dinner. He explained that he had been delayed by some business and drank a glass of wine as a self-imposed penalty. The Su Family didn’t make a fuss about it.
Later that night, as they were getting ready for bed, Su Yun finally asked Qin Zhonghui how things had gone.
"It’s all taken care of. I only realized later that my father just doesn’t want to get treatment. But even though he won’t see a doctor, he still wants to get more money for our third brother."
Qin Zhonghui wasn’t as hurt when he said this.
His calmness came from having no more expectations.
Su Yun nodded and squeezed her husband’s hand comfortingly. Qin Zhonghui suddenly remembered something. "Xiao Yun," he said, "my older brother told me that if Mom can’t manage on her own down the road, she should go live with him. He and his wife will take care of her. I was thinking, when that time comes, we should contribute some money, too."
"Yes, that’s what we should do."
Old Mrs. Qin had her faults—she had also favored boys over girls in the past—but she mostly just didn’t have a mind of her own. She had been controlled and bullied by Mr. Qin her entire life.
At times, she could be infuriating, but more than that, she was just pitiable.
"Let’s just leave it at that," Qin Zhonghui said with a final sigh.
Their family didn’t stay long at the Su family home, just two days. They then returned to the county town, stayed for a night to get together with Qin Bogang’s family of three, and planned to take the bus back to North City the next day.