Shen Yunchu smiled gently and nodded. “Alright.”
Old Man Qiao hadn’t managed to give them money earlier, so now he handed it directly to his daughter-in-law.
“I heard from Wengang—you two are doing something worthwhile. Take this money. If things get too busy, bring Lihua over. We can watch her.”
Yunchu was grateful for his good intentions, but she absolutely couldn’t leave her daughter alone at the Qiao house.
“Thank you, Dad. But my mother also gave us money. We’re doing fine. Please keep this for yourself.”
Old Madam Qiao ground her teeth with hatred. If she could, she would’ve snatched the money back—she didn’t want even one milliyuan going to Yunchu.
At that moment, Wu Min returned to the factory in a rage.
She had just quarreled with Tang Qiang, furious that he made her lose face in front of Shen Yunchu.
When she happened to witness Old Man Qiao offering money to Yunchu, she clicked her tongue loudly and strutted over.
“Tsk tsk, Uncle Qiao, you’re giving money to Yunchu? Times have changed! She’s not the same as before. She practically bought half the department store just now. Does she still need your small change?”
Old Man Qiao stiffened, instinctively glancing at Yunchu.
Yunchu’s expression remained soft.
“Dad, my mother just bought me a villa, and we need a lot of things for it. We happened to meet Wu Min at the store. Maybe I bought a few too many watches… I suppose that scratched her fragile, sensitive heart. Aiyah, not my fault she doesn’t have a mother like mine.”
Her tone was sweet. The knife hidden within? Razor sharp.
Wu Min nearly coughed blood on the spot.
But her words made both Qiao elders nearly drop their jaws.
Villa?
Department store?
Too many watches??
For a moment, they wondered if they were hallucinating.
Old Madam Qiao was the first to react—predictably with disbelief.
“That’s impossible! A villa costs a fortune. Don’t brag so hard you sprain your back!”
Yunchu smiled calmly.
“My mother is arranging the house right now. She also said she’s grateful for your care over the years. When it’s ready, she’ll invite you over. You’ll see whether it’s real or not.”
She turned to Wengang.
“The nutrition milk we ordered for Lihua at the hospital should’ve arrived. We should pick it up.”
The family waved cheerfully and left—light as clouds.
Old Madam Qiao opened her mouth to speak, but Old Man Qiao glared at her.
“What? You embarrass your daughter-in-law outside—what face do you have? Prepare a proper gift! A heavy one! We’ll need it when we visit the in-laws!”
“Old man, you really believe her? She’s a quail—if she had ability, would her stepmother have walked all over her? And that so-called biological mother—if she were capable, why did her husband abandon her? I don’t believe it for a second—”
Old Man Qiao had just barely digested the shock.
Now her words disturbed him even more.
But—did his daughter-in-law lie?
He knew his son wouldn’t.
And Wu Min’s jealous, resentful eyes were real.
She wasn’t the type to help someone put on an act.
So he cut her off.
“Do as I say. No more nonsense.”
Back home, Yunchu practically fluttered into Nan Lingyi’s arms like an excited butterfly. She grabbed her mother’s hands and began recounting everything that happened today.
“Mom, you should’ve seen my mother-in-law’s face—like she wanted to eat me alive! But I wasn’t scared at all. And Wengang protected me!”
“I bought so many things! And I got a whole bunch of watches. That way, when you find my younger siblings, I can give them gifts!”
“And that awful Wu Min—she used to bully me at the factory. Today she flaunted herself in front of me on purpose. But I was amazing! With the money you gave me, I paid for everything so calmly—she was furious! Hahaha!”
At last, she had someone she could pour her heart out to.
In her mother’s presence, she became a carefree girl again, sharing her tiny triumphs and grievances.
Nan Lingyi stroked her hair, smiling, listening, never interrupting or judging.
Meanwhile, the sound of Wengang and Lihua laughing in the bathroom drifted through the house.
Yunchu, exhausted from the long day, soon began yawning mid-sentence. Nan Lingyi waved her hand gently.
“Go rest. Tomorrow all your things will arrive. You and Wengang will need to think about how to arrange the house.”
After she left, Nan Lingyi slowly closed her eyes, remembering her earlier meeting with President Liao.
His efficiency was remarkable. Once she asked him to dig up information, he immediately mobilized every connection he had.
“Madam,” President Liao had said, “your children’s records were hard to trace, but fortunately, your ex-husband does have some reputation. I had a friend look into it. Word is that Shen Wentao is currently in Xuancheng trying to find a way to climb higher. He contacted one of my classmates. What do you plan to do?”
Nan Lingyi recalled how she smiled when she heard this.
“His career? I’ll buy it.”
President Liao was not surprised. He grinned.
“I thought so. I’ll inform my classmate immediately. Don’t worry—we’ll handle everything. As for your other children, I should have news for you soon.”
Once Shen Wentao was located, the rest would naturally be easier.
Nan Lingyi estimated that once the Qiao elders came to visit, she would head to Xuancheng herself.
She had settled Yunchu’s life.
Now it was time to search for her other poor, missing children.
Shen Wentao returned home with a dark face.
His wife, Fan Qiaolan, hurried forward with tea.
“Well? Did it go smoothly?”
He gulped down the tea and growled,
“No! That man took the bribe but refused to do anything! Everything is stuck unless I give him more. The man’s a greedy bastard!”
Fan Qiaolan frowned, then said,
“I’ll go back to my family and borrow more money.”
When she married Shen Wentao, she saw him as a promising man. And she’d been right—when she married him, he was just a village boy admitted to college. Now he was…
Except for those children from his first marriage.
She hated them all.
Fortunately, they had stayed far away. Only one troublemaker remained—
But she would deal with that one soon.
Everything in this family should belong to her children.
Those burdens from the past could disappear for all she cared.
As she calculated quietly, Shen Wentao, hearing her words, suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.
“Qiaolan… you truly are my good wife. What would I do without you?”
(End of chapter)