Continuing from last time, Gao Xinci and I spent the whole night together and did get some work done. Although I woke up with a sore back in the morning, I didn’t have much to do. I persuaded him to be my “technician” and rubbed my back before I got dressed and went out. I was afraid that if I was a little later, I would have to apply for an annual card as a technician…

I can't afford it, so I'm leaving.

I was too lazy to go to the west courtyard, so my brother took my sister-in-law to the hospital for a check-up early in the morning. She was more than three months pregnant, and brother Qingyun came along too. We sent the children home and sent them to school. There were only a few people left in the family, so there was no need for such a large dining room. I asked people to put the food in the living room in the middle courtyard, and sat around with Gao Xinci and Zhizhi.

Oh, there is another one, who is standing in the corner with his head down.

Hui Xin seemed to have been sent to me last night. Zhizhi told her to pick a room to stay in and asked someone to send her clothes in the morning. But she was probably scared for too long and was very polite and weak. She stayed in the servant's room in Beiyuan that had not been occupied for a long time. The next day, Li Xi almost couldn't find her with her clothes. I thought she had sneaked away. When she reported it to me, I was also shocked. What should I do if Shu Yi misunderstands that I am mistreating my brother and sister-in-law?

Tsk tsk tsk, I'd better arrange it myself.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing standing there? Come and sit down." I waved my hand and looked around but didn't see Li Xi. I stretched out my hand and poked Zhizhi: "Where's Li Xi? I haven't seen her this early in the morning."

"Lingling and her friends have an activity at school. Since you didn't get up, Li Xi went with them. She'll find out what's going on and come back to tell you. You have to go next week." Zhiyi said calmly while eating.

I suddenly felt guilty. How could I not get involved in my daughter's affairs? I even troubled her aunt to do it. Thinking of this, I patted her lightly in anger: "Why didn't you call me?"

"How dare I call you." Zhizhi said without looking up.

I was stunned for a moment, thinking of some "not so good" things. I looked back at Gao Xinci and thought he was sensible and gave me a thumbs up, but I slapped him back. Only then did Zhizhi come to his senses and glared at Gao Xinci.

"I'm not talking about you two. It's not just the Qi family that's going bankrupt in the school. After Wei Defu pitted our family, no noble family is willing to befriend him. He wanted to establish himself when our family gave in, but he didn't expect the Gao family to take action. Since he couldn't rob our family, he could only find ways to ruin small businesses and gather the meager subsidies to resist our revenge. Now that the Qi family has succeeded in asking you, other families have set an example and want to find you. So you'd better go to school less often. If you go to other places, they can't contact you at all, so they won't be afraid."

"Why not let them find me?" I laughed out loud.

"Do you like the feeling of a hungry tiger pouncing on sheep?" Zhizhi shrugged, "Or maybe you want to pick a few companies that are worth using. Shishi, I told you directly when Fu Shuyu was not at home, he doesn't want you to get involved in business matters, you give in step by step, in the past few years he could still thank you and use you, now he is getting stronger, if you continue to be 'nosy' he will plot against you next. We are cautious and can still leave Ruiyi, so that you have some confidence in the business world and some qualifications to speak for him, but if this step is too big, he will have to hide you at home and not show you."

I covered my mouth and looked at Hui Xin from the side, frowning and a little afraid to listen. When she saw me looking at her, she quickly put down her chopsticks and covered her ears with her hands pitifully.

"What's the point? I did everything for him." I pulled Hui Xin's hand away with a smile, "Every time I go out, I speak up for Cheng Cheng. How can he lock me up?"

"If he is alone for the rest of his life, he is willing to be inferior to you, but what if he gets married? What if he has children? What if everyone says that his children are lowly and inferior and not as good as you? He is the head of the family, how can he be willing to give up the flesh and blood that fell from his body if he is shameless?"

As Zhizhi said this, he put some food into my bowl, and in this serious scene, he secretly gave Gao Xinci the middle finger.

"You are good to him, but you have blocked his way too much. After going through all these hardships, he doesn't need you that much anymore. The relationship between you two is not equal anymore. He can't find the feeling of loving you and relying on you. You can't pamper him or control him. Besides, you have more than one brother. Do you dare to say that the Qi family was recruited for him? And Shen Qilin, don't expect him to pass on information to you all his life. He was brought into the family by Liang Sen, and now Liang Sen is gone. He has to live on his own."

I was stunned. I had seen Chengcheng's changes over the years, but I just didn't want to admit it. He was not a bad person, at least not to me. So I would rather sink into despair and live my own life. Then I could take more time to take care of him. But now, more and more people can see it clearly, and I can't seem to ignore it anymore.

Gao Xinci patted me lightly and said, "Don't think about that. I'm still here. At worst, I can cheat him out of it again. This time, I'll do it myself!"

"I'm just afraid that he won't believe you." I smiled and rubbed his chest again as if to comfort him. "I'm not worried about Chengcheng. I just think about those bankrupt companies. There are too many and too complicated. It's troublesome to pull them together. But if they are willing to put their fate in our hands, it might as well spend some effort. Chengcheng's business needs to go to Yudu, and someone has to continue the Linjiang business."

"That's his own job. Why bother you? You should think about whether our wedding should be held in spring or summer." Gao Xinci pinched my face, but then he turned around and remembered that the food in my bowl was picked by Zhizhi, and he felt disgusted. He picked it up and was about to throw it out, but Zhizhi pointed at his forehead with the "chopsticks of destiny".

It is shameful to waste food.

Gao: Well, I’ll eat it by myself!

Gao Xinci swallowed the beef in an exaggerated and infuriating way, and tilted her head like an ancient woman bowing: "Thank you, Brother Xiaofeng, it's really delicious."

Zhizhi held on to the table and vomited.

Xiao Gao was satisfied. He waved his hand to hold my shoulder, and let me stuff another chopstick of meat into his mouth, and said to me, "Eat yours. I was really thinking about something else. Let the two of you sit at the same table. I will order a long dining table for my house. If you two sit at one end each, there won't be any fight."

"If you're more partial to me, I won't argue with him." Gao Xinci grabbed my hand with a sticky look in his eyes.

"The child is still here." I quickly signaled to Hui Xin, and Gao Xinci calmed down. I put on an awkward but polite expression and poured Hui Xin some tea. "I don't know what we've been talking about for the past half day. I was just about to ask Li Xi. I asked her to arrange your food, clothing, housing and transportation. I asked my uncle to bring you here because I was afraid that you would have a harder time if no one protected you in a few months. So please stay with me for a few years and learn something serious, so that when Shu Yi comes back, you won't have anything in common with him."

"Come back?" He Huixin shuddered: "Shu Yi... where is the young master going?"

"It's not a big deal. I found a master for him to learn painting. I heard that tumors are emotional diseases. If he continues to listen to the quarrels at home, it's not good for him to go out and relax."

"Then...can't I go with him?" He Huixin was about to cry as she spoke, and her voice became smaller and smaller.

I leaned over to take the tissue and handed it to him, hiding my expression. "I know you feel bad for him, but I did ask about this. His master is too stubborn. He doesn't want to see his apprentice unable to endure hardships and need others to serve him when he eats, drinks, defecates or urinates. He's also afraid that the other children will feel unfair. I went to see them, and the whole yard is full of boys. It's not convenient for you to go. I will ask him to come back to see you often. Mainly, I also want Shu Yi to study hard, and you have to learn too."

"Me?" He Huixin gently wiped away her tears: "Miss, I am already fourteen years old. Before, I... now I really have nothing to learn."

"Aunt has delayed you and dragged you down. Now you finally escaped. Don't you want to live a good life in the future? Are you going to give up on yourself? It doesn't matter if you can't learn serious business. You have to find something to kill time and support your status, such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting." I put down my chopsticks and didn't feel like eating. I saw Hui Xin and I degenerate, thinking that it was a sin. "Hui Xin, don't worry about whether I call you Miss or not. We are a family. I have asked, and my uncle and Shu Yi are satisfied with you. You can just call me sister."

After a long pause, He Huixin bit her lip and said, "Sister... I, I know I am not worthy of Shu Yi. I was raised by the Fu family, and they can do whatever they want with me. I don't blame the Third Madam, and I don't dare to have any delusions. I call you sister, and if I get spoiled in the future, I'm afraid I'll get into trouble when I return to the old house..."

I sighed and considered my words. Seeing that persuasion was futile, I rested my arms on the table and started to joke, "There have always been rumors in this family that I am a heretic, different from other girls, mean and fierce. You have heard of it, right? So you should know that I am a person without rules. No matter how much trouble you cause, you can't get past me."

He Huixin didn't react and just stared at me blankly, almost in surprise.

I patted the back of her hand and said, "People know that you are a girl I brought up. If you have anything to say, you should scold me. Naturally, there are benefits. No one dares to bully you."

"How dare I throw dirty water on you!" He Huixin stood up excitedly and returned to his previous awkward look.

I pulled her to sit down again: "Do you want to be with Shu Yi?"

He Huixin paused and said, "I want to, I want to..."

"That's how we have to splash it. This is a unique skill of our family." I bit my lip to keep a serious look: "The dirty water will always be there. If our family doesn't work around the clock to bear it, how can we live?"

"I don't quite understand." He Huixin shook his head hesitantly.

I thought this was enough, so I left my hands and went to eat: "You don't need to understand. Life is just a mess anyway. Just eat and drink well here, and let me live up to Shu Yi's instructions. When you grow up, you will naturally understand a lot of things."

"I'm just afraid that Third Madam will nag me these days." He Huixin seemed to be relieved, and looked at me with determination: "Then cousin, what do I need to do? What do you want me to learn?"

Zhizhi refused to listen to my words, snatched Gao Xinci's chopsticks and put some new meat for me, rolled her eyes at him before putting it back, turned to face He Huixin and said, "These are up to you. You can learn whatever you are interested in. There are many children in your family, and all kinds of teachers have been hired long ago. You will not leave until you are eighteen years old. You can ask for advice as you like, as long as you feel it is enough. But you have to remember that no matter whether you marry Fu Shuyi in the future, you are already the head. You can't be demoted unless you make a big mistake. You have to live up to your status."

"Tsk tsk, look at how proud you are, so serious." Gao Xinci looked down on her, then smiled and teased Hui Xin: "By the way, sister-in-law, how old were you when you came to Shu Yi's side?"

He Huixin nodded politely: "It was this spring, but Shu Yi and I have known each other for a long time. After he returned to Jinhai, he transferred to my school. I knew he was a member of the Fu family. I wanted to repay the Fu family for raising me, so I often went to see him and did things for him."

Gao Xinci hummed thoughtfully, tilted his head and gave a rather frivolous smirk: "Then how old were you when you decided to marry him? You're only fourteen now, and you still have a long life ahead of you. Have you really thought it through?"

Hui Xin's face instantly turned red: "I, son-in-law... No, brother-in-law, please stop teasing me..."

"Oh - that means you really like me and are really determined, otherwise your face can't be redder than the tomatoes in the bowl." Gao Xinci deliberately lowered his head to take a good look at the bowl, and only behaved himself after I hit him. Unexpectedly, Zhizhi was on the left and pulled me to laugh.

"Fourteen-year-olds are pretty precocious nowadays."

I was speechless and decisively gave up and passed the matter to Gao Xinci: "Hey, I was scolding you."

Innocent Xiao Gao realized that he was also thirteen or fourteen when he proposed to me, so he looked at Xiao Feng with resentment. Xiao Feng had a stern face, sighed, covered his face and drank his porridge, and squeezed out a few words: "Shi Shi, there is no need to stir up trouble between us now, so you should save your worry."

I pulled the corner of my mouth: "I want to see a joke, otherwise it would be so boring."

Gao Mouzhimou: Haha, thank you very much.

I just lowered my head and didn't look at anyone. I finished my meal in peace and leisure. The auntie calculated that it was almost time and came to collect the plates. Zhizhi went to do something busy, Huixin went back to the room to pack her things, Gao Xinci also tidied himself up to get ready for work, I went back to the room to find a suitable suit for him, and it was not until a few aunties came in to clean the house and make the bed that I breathed a sigh of relief and remembered another important matter.

"What's wrong?" Gao Xinci put his arm around my waist without any hesitation.

I didn't care anymore and quickly patted him. Then I watched a few aunts with "weird" expressions looking at us as we slowly walked out.

This……

it's over...

"Gray sheets! Gray quilt!! I said it would be obvious!!!"

I waited until the bedroom door was closed again before I pounded Gao Xinci's chest with my fists. It was so embarrassing!

Gao Xinci didn't care, or maybe he was proud: "So what? Aunts...you are all quite old, you should be used to seeing things. I think their expressions just now were of appreciation."

"Appreciation!" I looked up in amazement and hit him harder: "You are happy for your descendants to be madly cleansed by others, right? Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. How can there be a person like you..."

"Auntie, your word order is all mixed up, what are you talking about? If you don't wash it off, do you think I should keep it?" Gao Xinci held my face and kissed me hard, "Besides, you have responsibilities too. As a mother, why don't you take in all your 'descendants'?"

I couldn't even laugh, my face was burning, and I was so uncomfortable that I "howled to the sky": "How disgusting - what kind of vicious words are you saying!"

Gao Xinci couldn't hold it in any longer, and he smiled and patted me on the back gently: "Okay, okay, it's not a big deal. I'll go to the warehouse to get the black one tomorrow."

I pushed him away angrily, pulled his tie down and bit his mouth, and let go after a while: "If you want to go, go quickly! Chengcheng is coming back, be careful he sees us, he might get angry and beat you up."

"Can he still beat me? I have the leverage over him." Gao Xinci hugged me from behind and wouldn't let me go. He rubbed my earlobe with the corner of his mouth: "It's even better now. Not only do I have the leverage, I also have his sister."

"It's too much, the heaven is blind, it's so cruel." I turned my head and shook my head, and after a while I couldn't help but kiss him again, and touched Gao Xinci's face with my palm: "Okay, you go to work quickly, if you don't go to work, who will support me? I spend money lavishly, don't earn more than I spend, or I will run away."

"Hey—" Gao Xinci stretched out his tone and turned over so that I was facing him: "Let's make a bet. What if you spend less than I earn today?"

"What kind of weird bet is this? I don't want to bet with you..."

"You are provoking me, aren't you? Tell me now. If you don't earn as much as I do, will you marry me? Do you admit it? You have to accept the loss, Miss Fu."

"I do not……"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and leaned back against his shoulder, but unfortunately Gao Xingci still caught up with me, and we even made a kissing pose like a song and dance, which made Gao very satisfied.

"Okay, I'm leaving. Remember our bet." Gao Xinci waved his hand.

I pushed the person out with a red face, and it took me a while to calm down. I was about to ask someone to come in and get Gao Xinci's changed clothes to wash, but just a short while after I calmed down, Li Xi rushed over in a hurry and told me that something happened again.

Somehow the news of Cheng Cheng being framed got back to the old house in Jinhai. Now the whole family has made an effort to call Cheng Cheng back to Jinhai and detained him. The eldest uncle sent someone to tell me that the clan elders have come forward and believe that Cheng Cheng has made a big mistake and is impulsive and irritable, causing panic among the whole family. He is no longer fit to be the head of the family, and everyone in the house wants to impeach him together.