âI donât know the outcome yet. Iâm observing that old manâs reaction.â If the old man gets discouraged because of her interference, that would mean he doesnât love her mother enough, and he doesnât deserve to be her stepfather.
âBoss Qian, Iâm glad Iâm your friend, not your enemy.â Qiuqiu said emotionally.
Qian always supports her friends and family but usually uses various tactics against those who conflict with her, not stopping until they are powerless to fight back.
âThereâs something Iâve always kept in my heartâ¦â
âWhat?â Xiao Qian looked at Qiuqiu, who swallowed hard.
âAre you really not a strong T?â
There are two types of women in a lesbian relationship, T refers to women with a masculine consciousness, and P refers to beautiful women. Xiao Qian gives Qiuqiu the feeling of a T with a P appearance, and a formidable T at that, who would annihilate whoever dares to mess with her.
Xiao Qian rolled her eyes, âIâm not. But if Yu Minglang one day turned into a P, I wouldnât mind being a T myself.â
Love has nothing to do with gender; she just happened to fall in love with a man named Yu Minglang. If Yu Minglang were a woman, would she become a lesbian? Xiao Qian thought wickedly.
Qiuqiu was heartbroken. Hey! She had just broken up, and Xiao Qian was feeding her dog food! (rubbing her relationship in her face)
Two days later, Xiao Qian received a call from Mother Yu.
âAunt, whatâs up?â
âXiao Qian, your eldest sister-in-law and I have discussed this, and we shouldnât hide it from you any longer. But donât be anxious after you hear it.â
âGo ahead.â
âYour mother had an appendicitis surgery yesterday. Everything went well, and she wanted to keep it from you, but your eldest sister-in-law and I ultimately thought you should come back and visit her.â
âSurgery?!â Xiao Qianâs head exploded.
Her mother had surgery and hid it from her?!
âDonât worry, thereâs no problem, and the recovery is going exceptionally well. Your eldest sister-in-law and several of your aunts are taking turns caring for her, and she has friends accompanying her too. Itâs just a minor surgery, and sheâll be fine after a few days of bed rest. However, I believe a daughterâs companionship is better than friends, so can you take a leave to visit her?â
One advantage of living close to home is being able to return twice within a week. Itâs convenient since itâs less than a two-hour drive.
Xiao Qian went back immediately after receiving the call.
Mother Yu arrived after work and waited for Xiao Qian at the door.
âAppendicitis surgery is minor surgery in general surgery. I got an old friend to perform the operation, and it went smoothly with no problems.â
Worried about her mother on the way back, Xiao Qian felt a surge of anger after learning she was okay.
âShe kept it from me!â
Wasnât her mother the dependent type of person? In the past, she wished she could discuss every purchase with someone. Now, sheâs improved by not informing her about the surgery!
âSheâs worried youâll miss your classes. Every mother is like that, always worried about their children. Itâs understandable. Go see her; her friends are there.â
âFriends?â
âDirector Liao. I just found out he is your motherâs neighbor. Old Liao is a good man. He comes over after work. With him around, our familyâs aunts barely need to help out. He even brought over homemade soup.â
âAunt, do you know him?â
âHis wife lived in our hospital before passing away. She suffered from a complex chronic disease, which was practically waiting for death while consuming her life and money. Any ordinary family would have given up long ago, but the two of them spent their life savings to care for her until the end. Their son is very filial. When his mother was delirious, he stood by her bedside, reciting quotes from great people. He said that his mother was a high school Chinese teacher who loved studying quotes from famous people and classical literature. The boy would go to the hospital straight from school and recite, hoping to wake up his mother. I really feel pity for the two of them. Itâs been so many years already.â
Mother Yu talked about things from many years ago when Liao Fuguiâs mother passed away. Liao Fugui was still a student then.
Ordinary families would have long given up on an incurable disease that cost so much money and didnât heal. It had been like a bottomless pit. Father Liaoâs care for his wife was enough to demonstrate his character.
Xiao Qian had done some side investigation on Father Liao and his late wife, but she didnât think that Liao Fuguiâs fondness for reciting quotes was because of this.
One of the reasons she disliked Liao Fugui was because he always went against her in his past life. Another reason was that he sounded like a fake righteous person when he spoke. But she didnât expect such a story behind this habit she disliked.
âOld Liao has quite a good reputation in the legal field, and heâs a low-key and discreet person. He also treats your mother quite well. I can tell that the food he brought for your mother is homemade, and it wouldnât have taken him less than a few hours to make. Itâs really considerate for a hospital director to go to this length. I heard from your brother that you have some issues with the father and son, but I hope you can have a proper talk with them. Itâs not easy for your mother at this ageâ¦â
Mother Yu truly liked her future daughter-in-law, Xiao Qian. Because she liked her, she could talk about these things with her.
Xiao Qian remained expressionless and thought that Chen Zilong was quite a little brat for not telling her about her motherâs illness, but gossiped with her future mother-in-law.
âXiao Qian, are you angry?â Mother Yu asked.
âNo, Aunt, can you tell me more about Uncle Liao?â
âDonât you want to see your mother now?â
Xiao Qian snorted, âShe has company now. It would be inappropriate for me to go.â
She made it seem like she was driving a wedge between Cowherd and Weaver Girl. She didnât want to carry this scapegoatâs burden any longer.
âAlright, letâs go to your eldest sister-in-lawâs office. Iâll tell you about him slowly.â
Mother Yu, worthy of being a gossip flag bearer in the high society circle, was especially fluent in talking about these gossips. She introduced Liaoâs entire life story to Xiao Qian once again.
Some things Xiao Qian had already found out, but there were others she didnât know.
From his character to his work, to the details of him caring for his first wife, Xiao Qian felt that her future mother-in-law had the potential to be a storyteller if she retired from being a doctor in the future. She started with a third-person omniscient perspective and ended up with a vivid and lifelike description, as if she witnessed everything herself.
It took almost an hour for Xiao Qian to know everything about Father Liao.
âThe situation is just like this. Itâs just the two of us here, so let me be frank; itâs not easy for middle-aged people to reorganize their families. If the two of them genuinely have a good relationship, you, as a child, shouldnât be too stubborn.â
âAunt, Liao Fugui is still single. Donât you have someone suitable to introduce him to?â Xiao Qian skillfully changed the subject.
As expected, Mother Yu perked up upon hearing this.
âI saw the boy when he came to visit your mother yesterday. Heâs not bad and not disabled. Where does he work now?â
Xiao Qian repeated Liao Fuguiâs personal details, and Mother Yu immediately remembered them.
âThen you should ask the young man what kind of girl he is looking for. Iâll see if there is anyone suitable in our hospital for him. If not, I have a circle of classmates. A son educated by Old Liao canât be wrong⦠Oh, Xiao Qian, what do you think about him and Sister Xiao Xi?â
âCough!â Xiao Qian choked.
âWho?!â