The arguing inside the room had become so intense that Qi Ziyue pinched her second brother’s arm before he finally lowered his head to look at her.
“What is it?” Second Brother asked.
Qi Ziyue lifted the wallet in her hand and asked, “How did Second Sister-in-law agree to let you bring me money?”
In the original story, this second sister-in-law of hers had never been an easy person to deal with.
Qi Ziyue asked whether he had suffered for it.
Second Brother raised his chin proudly. “I can still make some decisions myself.”
Qi Ziyue: …
She counted the money and ration coupons inside the wallet.
A full two hundred yuan.
There were food coupons, oil coupons, cloth coupons—even nationwide coupons. Their value was definitely not low.
Qi Ziyue pressed down on his shoulder and leaned close to whisper, “Brother, tell me honestly. Did you secretly take this money? When you go back later, won’t Second Sister-in-law make you kneel on a washboard?”
Second Brother instantly looked embarrassed, but he still stiffened his neck and said, “No.”
Qi Ziyue replied, “That’s strange then. Second Sister-in-law is probably furious enough to kill me right now, so how would she ever agree to let you bring me this much money? Which means you definitely stole it.”
The moment she finished speaking, Second Brother hurriedly covered her mouth.
“My little ancestor, keep your voice down! Half of this is my personal savings. I know your personality—if you say you’re going to the countryside, then you really mean it. I was afraid you’d suffer down there, so I gave you all the private savings I’ve hidden over the years. The coupons were included along the way.”
Qi Ziyue froze for a moment.
She asked, “Then how much did you get from Second Sister-in-law?”
“F-fifty.”
Second Brother turned his head away, his neck turning red with embarrassment.
Instantly, Qi Ziyue felt warmth spread through her heart.
She had always thought Second Brother was the type to sway whichever way the wind blew, but it turned out he genuinely cared for his little sister.
No wonder the moment she said those words earlier, he had immediately switched sides to support her.
She remembered how, in the original story, Second Brother had later been sent down to the countryside after the entire family was burned to death. His wife divorced him and ran away, and he later had to scheme against the big villain nephew for revenge. In the end, even his two children disappeared without a trace.
Qi Ziyue sighed softly.
She grabbed Second Brother’s hand and pulled him away from the battlefield of arguments inside the room.
On the way, Second Brother asked, “You’re not listening anymore?”
Qi Ziyue shook her head and said directly, “Second Brother, things outside are getting dangerous. You should find a way to transfer your job. Either voluntarily move to a farm or switch to a factory that doesn’t attract much attention.”
Second Brother stopped walking immediately.
“Why?”
“I had a dream. In the dream, our whole family died. Later, you were sent down to the countryside, Second Sister-in-law ran away with another man, and your two children probably died too.”
The moment she finished speaking, Second Brother froze in place.
He frowned at her. “You’re serious?”
Qi Ziyue nodded.
Seeing that he still didn’t believe her, she added, “Brother, you know better than I do what kind of person Sister-in-law is. If one day you lose your future and our family falls apart, and a better option appears for her, what do you think will happen?”
Second Brother kept frowning as he carefully studied her face.
Deep down, he wondered whether his little sister’s madness truly hadn’t fully healed yet.
But recently, the outside environment really had become increasingly grim.
Like when they were children, he reached out and rubbed her head.
Instead of directly responding, he only asked, “Where are you dragging me to?”
“My courtyard.”
As they spoke, the two of them had already arrived at the western side courtyard in the back compound.
Qi Ziyue told him to wait a moment before going inside. Soon she returned carrying two small military coats and two pairs of cloth sneakers patched with fabric—one large and one small—and stuffed them into his arms.
Qi Ziyue deliberately hadn’t given the children down jackets.
Mainly because Second Sister-in-law herself was like a ticking time bomb. Qi Ziyue feared complications, so she simply avoided giving anything too valuable.
Second Brother looked confused.
“What’s this?”
“Brother, look at it after you go back. Also, I’m definitely not marrying into the Lin family. But if Second Sister-in-law wants those jobs, that’s fine too. Just find out what the Lin family likes and give them gifts directly. That’ll solve it.”
Second Brother was about to open the black bag when Qi Ziyue pressed down his hand.
So he stopped.
“But if you really go to the countryside as a sent-down youth, can you actually survive?” he asked worriedly.
While pushing him toward the exit, Qi Ziyue explained, “I survived being crazy for years, didn’t I? Being a sent-down youth is nothing. Brother, danger is coming for our family very soon. The safest method is to donate some family property in exchange for peace. And if you really care about Sister-in-law, then make her restrain herself a little.”
Second Brother wanted to say it was “just a dream,” but he had always indulged his little sister, so in the end he only said, “I’ll think about it.”
Second Brother’s name was Qi Ziyun.
Among the Qi siblings, he ranked second, and because his age was closer to Qi Ziyue’s, they had always been closer while growing up.
Qi Ziyun was afraid of his wife.
If anyone else had said such things to him, he probably would have gotten angry. But because it was his little sister speaking, he cast aside his wife’s influence for once and seriously thought about her words.
When he returned home without emotions clouding his mind, the room was filled with his wife’s scolding and the children crying.
Qi Ziyun walked in, took a sip of tea, and asked Xuanxuan, who was crying with tears all over his face, “What are you crying for? Every time I come back, someone’s crying.”
Xuanxuan sobbed, “We wanted clothes and shoes like Rui Rui and Hao Hao’s, but Mom hit us.”
Huihui was slightly older, but her eyes were also swollen with tears.
Qi Ziyun lifted his daughter into his arms and asked, “You really wanted them that badly?”
Qi Ninghui nodded and said in her childish voice, “Dad, now even the little beggar dresses better than us…”
The moment the words “little beggar” left her mouth, Qi Ziyun’s expression changed.
“Little beggar?”
“Dad, Sis means our cousin.”
For the first time, Qi Ziyun felt that he had failed to educate his children properly.
He glanced at his wife and asked, “You call An’an that too?”
Second Sister-in-law was still angry.
“What do you mean, I call him that? Isn’t he already rejected by your family anyway? He’s dirty all day long. People outside are the ones who call him that.”
Qi Ziyun frowned deeply.
He called the two children over and sternly instructed them, “Your father loves your little aunt very much. So from now on, you’re not allowed to call your cousin that anymore. Understand?”
The siblings immediately refused.
“Why should we? You love Little Aunt, not us!”
Qi Ziyun nearly raised his hand to hit them.
Second Sister-in-law immediately grabbed his arm.
“Go ahead, hit us to death too while you’re at it! We worked so hard helping your sister get this marriage with the Lin family, but not only does she refuse to marry, she even says she’ll turn around and deal with me afterward. Is there really such a little sister-in-law in this world?”
“And you even gave her fifty yuan! Why not just hand the whole family over to her too?”
Once Second Sister-in-law started yelling, she also started crying, complaining about how she had borne him children and damaged her health, yet he still didn’t cherish his wife.
Qi Ziyun let out a long breath and suddenly said, “Little Sister said she dreamed our family was destroyed, and that’s why she wants to become a sent-down youth.”
“Destroyed?”
Second Sister-in-law instantly stopped crying.
“Has she gone crazy again to say such nonsense?”
She wanted to continue scolding, but seeing how terrible her husband’s expression looked, she reluctantly shut up.
Still unwilling to give up, she muttered angrily, “Even if what she said is true, that’s even more reason for her to marry into the Lin family.”
Qi Ziyun’s face darkened.
“Then why don’t you ask someone from your own natal family to marry into the Lin family and sacrifice for you?”
Second Sister-in-law pointed furiously at him.
“Qi Ziyun, do you even have a conscience? You’re the one saying your family is in danger. Your sister was crazy for years—don’t think I don’t know how many things you secretly sent her all this time! Now that the family is facing trouble, what’s wrong with her sacrificing a little more?”
“And don’t act like your precious little sister is so affectionate! Did you know she gave Rui Rui and Hao Hao military coats and shoes? What did she ever give your children?”
Second Sister-in-law’s chest rose and fell violently.
“Do you know how long our children have wanted those clothes? Before, I endured everything because I wanted her to marry into the Lin family. Now that she refuses, why should I keep tolerating her? Is she my father or my mother?”
Qi Ziyun felt his chest ache with anger.
He directly threw the black bag into his wife’s arms and snapped, “Little Sister said that in the dream, after I was sent down, you divorced me, abandoned the children, and ran away. At first I didn’t believe it, but now it seems if anything really happens to this family, you’d probably be the first to flee!”
His head throbbed with fury.
Second Sister-in-law nearly exploded.
“What do you mean I divorced and ran away? If you became useless, why shouldn’t I leave? I wasn’t sold to your family!”
“And besides, what right does a little sister-in-law have to interfere in her brother’s marriage?”
Qi Ziyun suddenly stood up.
He raised his hand as though to slap her, but in the end he smashed his fist heavily onto the table instead.
Bang!
The entire table shook violently.
The two children screamed in fright and burst into tears after seeing their parents’ explosive argument.
“And what right does a sister-in-law have to interfere in her husband’s little sister’s affairs? Her brothers and parents are still alive! If you didn’t meddle with her first, would she bother meddling with you?”
Qi Ziyun’s chest heaved furiously.
Then he called the two children over and sternly ordered, “Stop crying.”
Second Sister-in-law wanted to shield them, but seeing her husband’s expression darker than ever before, she held herself back and only muttered, “Why are you taking it out on the children?”
“Open that black bag first before criticizing her again. The children are already this old, yet you’re not teaching them proper manners. If something happens in the future, you’ll have plenty of time to cry.”
Qi Ziyun pulled the two children closer and emphasized one sentence:
“From now on, don’t call your cousin ‘little beggar.’ If I hear it once, your father will beat you once.”
The two children were stunned into silence.
Xuanxuan, being younger, didn’t understand and asked in his childish voice, “Why?”
Qi Ziyun openly showed favoritism.
“Because she’s your father’s little sister. And because you still want gifts from your little aunt.”
Qi Ninghui stubbornly lifted her chin.
“Dad, then beat me to death. What could I possibly want from Little Aunt?”
In her heart, both Little Aunt and the little cousin had always been dirty and shabby. People outside had laughed at them countless times, so why couldn’t she call him “little beggar” too?
At that moment, Second Sister-in-law opened the bag.
When she saw the two military coats and the two pairs of shoes—one large and one small—she instinctively rubbed her eyes.
The shoes were beautiful.
And the military coats were clearly top-quality goods.
Instantly forgetting her anger at her husband, she hurriedly asked, “Where did these come from? Did you buy them for Huihui and Xuanxuan?”
Qi Ziyun replied coldly, “From the little sister you look down on.”
Second Sister-in-law clearly didn’t believe him.
“Impossible. She’d actually spend money on our children?”
Qi Ziyun couldn’t even be bothered explaining further.
He only relayed Qi Ziyue’s words:
“Little Sister also said that if you want those jobs, just find out what the Lin family likes and give gifts directly. It’ll work.”
Second Sister-in-law wanted to argue.
But when the children saw the coats and shoes, both immediately hugged them tightly with excitement.
She couldn’t say another word.
She had assumed her little sister-in-law was merely brushing them off casually, yet when Huihui and Xuanxuan tried them on, both exclaimed that the sizes fit perfectly and even asked whether their father had bought them.
Qi Ziyun simply said, “Who manages the money in this house? Your mother knows better than anyone.”
In the second branch, the wife handled all finances. That was also why people said Qi Ziyun feared his wife.
Second Sister-in-law finally fell silent.
She called the children over again and asked carefully, “The shoes fit too?”
She clearly remembered never telling her little sister-in-law their shoe sizes.
Qi Ziyun glanced at her but said nothing.
Qi Ningxuan and Qi Ninghui excitedly nodded together.
“Mom, they fit perfectly! They’re so warm!”
Qi Ziyun sarcastically added from the side, “Fit perfectly, huh? These were all prepared by your little aunt ahead of time. Weren’t you acting so stubborn just now? Then return the coats and shoes to your little aunt.”
Qi Ningxuan was the first to abandon his principles.
He immediately hugged his father’s leg and shook his head desperately.
“Dad, no!”
Qi Ninghui also said in a childish voice, “Dad, no… at worst, I’ll just stay farther away from Cousin in the future.”
Returning the gifts was impossible.
But calling him “cousin” was also impossible.
Qi Ziyun merely made his point and stopped there.
After carefully checking that the clothes and shoes truly fit, Second Sister-in-law quietly asked, “How did your little sister know the children’s exact sizes?”
Qi Ziyun only snorted.
Wasn’t it obvious?
It simply meant she had been paying attention all along.
That was the difference between caring and not caring.
Seeing that her husband was still angry, Second Sister-in-law finally stopped opposing him directly.
Still suspicious, she asked, “Can giving gifts really solve things?”
Qi Ziyun sent the two excited children off to sleep, casually washed his face, and prepared for bed too.
Before sleeping, he impatiently said for the first time, “Little Sister also suggested donating some family property. Whether it works or not, why don’t you try it yourself?”
“Fine, I’ll try. A dream is just a dream anyway. Could it really be that accurate?”
Second Sister-in-law lay down too, though she still absolutely refused to believe it.
Second Sister-in-law knew someone in the Lin family liked paintings and calligraphy.
Since such things were being harshly cracked down on lately, she had her natal family secretly send over some artwork as gifts.
A few days later, a letter arrived from her family.
It said her older brother had been promoted from temporary driver status and had officially become a long-distance driver.
Second Sister-in-law was utterly dumbfounded.
It actually worked?
That evening, when Qi Ziyun returned home, he noticed his wife glancing at him several times as if wanting to say something.
Still angry, he turned around and headed for another room to sleep.
But his wife hurriedly grabbed him.
Looking uneasy, she stammered, “Ziyun… L-Little Sister’s method really worked. Then… that dream of hers…”
Qi Ziyun stopped walking.
“So?”
Second Sister-in-law hesitated before saying, “What if what Little Sister said is true? What if you really get sent down someday? It’s one thing for the children to suffer, but you and I…”
She genuinely couldn’t endure that kind of hardship.
And if that happened, wouldn’t everyone laugh at her to death?
Hearing her say this, Qi Ziyun finally began taking the matter seriously too.
He pushed her hand away and said directly, “I’m going to discuss donating the family assets with Eldest Brother.”
Second Sister-in-law: ??
She never told him to donate the family property!
Because it was already too late at night, Qi Ziyun ultimately failed to find Eldest Brother.
Meanwhile, the next morning, Qi Ziyue had barely woken up when she heard that something had happened at home.
She had only just gotten up when someone started pounding loudly on the door outside.
“Little Sister! Little Sister! Something happened!”