To Qiao Jiuyin, perhaps the lawâs punishment for her was not a real punishment.
The real punishment was that she would not be able to see her son with her eyes even till her death. She would not be able to touch her son.
In a car far away, Qiao Jiusheng and Fang Yusheng sat side by side. Qiao Jiusheng watched as Fang Mu carried Fang Shan into the Bentley and left. She curled her lips and said, âYusheng, we have to do more good things to benefit our children.â
Fang Yusheng held her hand and gently pinched the tip of her finger. The soft flesh felt very comfortable in his palm. âOkay.â
He vowed that when he was done with the last thing as soon as possible, he would never do anything bad again.
Thinking of something, Qiao Jiusheng asked again, âI bit Qiao Jiuyinâs ear and blinded her. Will I go to prison?â
Fang Yusheng shook his head. âNo, Iâve already gotten someone to settle it.â
âThatâs good.â
Qiao Jiusheng did not want to go to prison after giving birth.
On the night Qiao Jiuyin was imprisoned, Qiao Yunfanâs condition suddenly worsened. Qiao Jiusheng and Fang Yusheng, who had already arrived at the airport in a car and were preparing to return to Binjiang City, immediately rushed back after receiving Ji Qingâs call.
When the security guards and helpers in the manor saw Qiao Jiusheng, their expressions turned complicated.
In the past, who did not envy the Qiao familyâs twins being as beautiful as flowers and having a good relationship? However, these days, the matter between Qiao Jiuyin and Qiao Jiusheng had spread throughout the city. It was reported in papers and on television. Now, everyone knew about the despicable things that the Qiao familyâs twins had done.
The amount of envy and praise those people had for the Qiao family in the past was nothing compared to the amount of slander and contempt the family was getting now.
Pushing open Qiao Yunfanâs door, Qiao Jiusheng was about to enter when Fang Yushengâs phone suddenly rang.
He looked at the name of the caller, grabbed Qiao Jiushengâs hand, and said to her, âGo in first. I have a call to pick up. I have something to tell you later.â Fang Yushengâs expression was serious. Qiao Jiusheng stared at him before nodding.
Qiao Yunfanâs breathing had become very heavy. It was so heavy that it was almost inaudible.
Seeing Qiao Jiusheng come, Qiao Sen stepped aside and reserved a seat for her.
Ji Qing pulled Qiao Jiusheng to her side and said to Qiao Yunfan, âGrandpa, Xiao Sheng is back!â
Qiao Yunfanâs eyes seemed to be spinning. A trace of saliva flowed out of the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were a little red.
He had probably heard some rumors from the helper that had worsened his condition.
Even though he could not speak, his fingers, which were hanging on the bed, were trembling slightly.
Qiao Jiusheng looked at her grandfather. She had many consoling and unwilling words to say, but when those words reached her mouth, she lost the courage to speak them.
This home was broken.
She was too ashamed to face Qiao Yunfan.
Qiao Yunfan stared at the ceiling. Gradually, the light in his eyes disappeared.
It looked like Old Master Qiao Yunfan wouldnât make it through tonight.
As the eldest grandson and the only adult man in the family, Qiao Sen was responsible for handling all the matters after Qiao Yunfanâs death. He did not have time to stay here all the time. He still had to go with the butler to prepare the things needed for his grandfatherâs funeral. After Qiao Sen left, only Ji Qing and Qiao Jiusheng were left in the house.
Ji Qing suddenly said, âIt should be tonight.â
Qiao Jiusheng nodded. She could tell as well. The Old Masterâs breathing was getting longer and heavier. It was a question if he could survive the first half of the night.
Ji Qing brought a soft chair and handed it to Qiao Jiusheng. âSit down for a while. Youâll also fall ill if you keep standing.â
âThank you, Sister-in-law.â
Qiao Jiusheng sat down in the chair. Ji Qing pressed the bell and said to the helper downstairs, âPlease send a cup of coffee and a cup of honey pomelo water.â She added, âThe honey pomelo water has to be heated.â
âAlright, Young Madam.â
Ji Qing brought a chair for herself.
When the helper brought the drinks, Ji Qing picked up the coffee and drank it. She saw Qiao Jiusheng lowering her head to drink the pomelo water and could not help but say, âAh Yinâ¦â She glanced at Qiao Jiusheng and saw that she was not resistant to discussing this topic. So, Ji Qing continued,â Actually, I had realized long ago that something was wrong with Ah Yin. â
Qiao Jiusheng looked up at her and frowned, her expression filled with doubts.
Ji Qing explained, âWhen we went to Binjiang City and drank tea, Ah Yin subconsciously chose a cup of chrysanthemum tea, but she ignored the pomelo water right in front of her. At that time, I felt it was strange but didnât think too much about it. Later on, when Grandpa called you Xiao Sheng, I saw that Ah Yinâs expression was strange, so I dared to think deeper.
âYour big brother is a rough man. All these years, not only has he been managing the jewelry company, but he has also had to divert his attention to take care of Grandpa and look after the two of you. To him, the two of you have grown up happily and are healthy. If you donât take the wrong path, his mission will be completed. Heâs a man, and heâs not as careful as the women. He didnât recognize you. Donât mind himâ¦â Ji Qing was worried that Xiao Sheng would be dissatisfied with Qiao Sen.
The human heart was really unpredictable.
Ji Qing had thought that Qiao Jiuyin loved Fang Mu too much. When Qiao Jiuyin saw that Qiao Jiusheng was dead, she wanted to replace her identity and marry Fang Mu. However, Ji Qing did not expect that Qiao Jiuyin would be so ruthless to Qiao Jiusheng in order to get Fang Mu.
It was hard for anyone to kill their own sister.
Ji Qing was a psychologist and had always known that human psychology was complicated. She had seen many people with twisted minds, but she did not expect that such a person would be her sister-in-law.
She thought that she had already seen through peopleâs hearts, but after what happened this time, she realized that she was still too inexperienced.
Worried that Qiao Jiusheng would be prejudiced against Qiao Sen, Ji Qing had no choice but to speak up for him.
Qiao Jiusheng was no longer the naive girl from the past. When she heard Ji Qingâs words, she knew what her sister-in-law was thinking.
Shaking her head, Qiao Jiusheng said, âI understand. Big Brother is also a person. He canât understand everyone around him.â Qiao Jiusheng smiled at Ji Qing and continued, âItâs enough as long as he understands you and takes good care of you.â
Ji Qing raised her eyebrows but did not argue.
âOh right, whereâs your Yusheng?â
Qiao Jiusheng looked out of the door and said, âHe has something to do. Heâll be here soon.â
After a while, Fang Yusheng arrived.
He looked at Qiao Yunfan, who was lying on the bed and on his last breath. Placing his hand on Qiao Jiushengâs shoulder, the eldest young master of the Fang family made a suggestion. âWhy donât you sleep for a while? Iâll keep watch here. If the situation changes, Iâll wake you up.â
âNo.â Qiao Jiusheng shook her head. She did not feel sleepy. Perhaps, she was worried about Qiao Yunfanâs condition and could not sleep. âLetâs stay here together.â
âOkay.â
Fang Yusheng pulled over a chair. The three people accompanied Qiao Yunfan and chatted occasionally.
âDo you know the gender of the children?â
âI donât know yet.â Fang Yusheng looked at Qiao Jiushengâs slightly protruding abdomen and said, âWhen we go back to Binjiang City this time, letâs get it checked.â
âAlright, after you know the gender, you can prepare things in advance.â
âYeah.â
âWhat are you going to name the babies?â
Qiao Jiusheng said, âThe girls are called Fang Meili and Fang Keai.â
Fang Yusheng raised his eyebrows. âThatâs too casual. Their nicknames can be Beautiful and Cute.â
âItâs fine to be called beautiful and cute,â Qiao Jiusheng insisted.
Fang Yusheng helplessly looked at her. He did not argue and only asked, âWhat if itâs a boy?â
Qiao Jiusheng said, âYouâre the one in charge of naming the boys.â
After thinking about it, Fang Yusheng said, âIf itâs a boy, the older brother will be called Fang Zicheng and the younger brother will be Fang Zikai.â
Upon hearing this, Qiao Jiusheng could not help but tease Fang Yusheng. âWhy isnât the elder brother called Fang Youqian and the younger brother Fang Facai?â
Fang Yusheng was a person who loved money, so Qiao Jiusheng found it strange that his childrenâs names did not contain the word âmoney.â
Fang Yushengâs face darkened. âAre you calling me stingy?â
Ever since he was scolded by the drunk Qi Bufan, Fang Yusheng had become especially sensitive to the words âstingy,â âloves money,â and âis stingy.â
Qiao Jiusheng stopped talking rationally.
If she continued, she would get a beating.
Ji Qing quietly listened from the side. She regretted it. She realized that she should not have asked this question. She had been asking for trouble. With a smile, she watched the two of them show off their love. She thought that when she had a child, she would also pull Qiao Sen around to show off his love.
Fang Yusheng saw Qiao Yunfanâs mouth suddenly open. He immediately said, âGrandfatherâs condition is very bad.â
Ji Qing glanced at Qiao Yunfan and immediately called Qiao Sen.
Qiao Jiusheng held Qiao Yunfanâs hand and called him grandfather.
Qiao Yunfan opened his mouth wide and only took a few breaths. His eyes and mouth were wide open. His head leaned back a little, and his breathing suddenly stopped. Qiao Jiusheng panicked and anxiously called out âGrandpaâ again, unable to hold back her tears.
Ji Qing was also wiping her eyes.
A few seconds later, the Old Master suddenly took a deep breath and recovered.
When they saw this, Qiao Jiushengâs and Ji Qingâs hearts tightened, hoping that Qiao Sen would hurry over.
When he received the call, Qiao Sen was checking the paper money sent by the shopkeeper. He hung up the phone and ran upstairs. He saw Qiao Yunfan hanging on to his last breath, as if waiting for him.
Qiao Sen walked over and knelt on the ground. He held Qiao Yunfanâs hand and looked up at his face. âGrandpa, leave. Donât hold on.â Qiao Sen held Qiao Yunfanâs hand tightly and said, âWeâve all grown up. You can leave without worry.â
Qiao Yunfanâs eyes remained motionless, and his breathing gradually became uniform and gentle.
In less than a minute, he stopped breathing.
Fang Yusheng reached out and put his finger under his nose for a moment. Retracting his hand, he then looked down at his wristwatch. He softly said, âGrandpa left at 11: 23 pm.â
The moment Qiao Yunfan passed away, the news of it spread.
That night, all the relatives of the Qiao family rushed back from all over the world.
The undertaker came to the Qiao family and, with Qiao Senâs help, put on Qiao Yunfanâs graveclothes and put him in the coffin.
According to the funeral customs in Junyang City, Qiao Yunfan had to stay at home for three days after his death. Then, he would be transported to the funeral home for the cremation ceremony. The weather in August of the lunar calendar was very stuffy and hot. Qiao Yunfan was placed in an ice coffin for all his relatives and friends who came to pay their respects.
Junyang City was different from Binjiang City in many ways. When someone here passed away, all their relatives and friends had to kowtow to the deceased when they came to pay their respects. The deceasedâs family had to kneel on both sides of the mourning hall when the guests kowtowed to show their gratitude.
Qiao Sen was the Qiao familyâs eldest son. For the past three days, he had been kneeling beside the mourning hall. Fang Yusheng replaced the pregnant Qiao Jiusheng and knelt in the mourning hall.
On the third day, Fang Mu arrived.
When he arrived, almost all the guests had arrived. When they saw him, everyone had a strange expression on their face.
The second young mistress of the Qiao family married the second young master of the Fang family. At the same time, the second young master of the Fang family was also the ex-lover of the Qiao familyâs eldest young mistressâ¦
Fang Mu should have come to the funeral no matter what. However, everyoneâs expression turned strange when they saw him. They subconsciously looked at Qiao Jiusheng, Fang Yusheng, and Fang Mu.
Ignoring everyoneâs curious gaze, Fang Mu walked straight into the mourning hall, knelt in front of the ice coffin, and kowtowed.
Fang Yusheng returned the kowtow as the husband of Qiao Yunfanâs granddaughter.
When he kowtowed, Fang Yusheng felt light-hearted.
That was because he had the right to kneel here as Qiao Yunfanâs grandson-in-law, while Fang Mu had lost the right.
Fang Mu looked up and frowned at Fang Yushengâs calm gaze. He seemed to see provocation and pride in Fang Yushengâs calm gaze.
Stop being arrogant!
Fang Mu had already received news from Black today. Black had entered China. Fang Yusheng could only jump around for a few more days.
Fang Mu stood up and walked to Qiao Jiusheng. His heart ached when he saw Qiao Jiushengâs red eyes.
âXiao Sheng, my condolences.â
Qiao Jiusheng looked at him and nodded.
After nodding, she realized that Fang Yusheng was staring at her with a pair of sharp eyes. She quickly straightened her body and looked at the other guests, ignoring Fang Mu. Fang Mu felt melancholic. He turned around and glared at Fang Yusheng, his lips curling into a cold smile.
After lunch, Qiao Sen carried the old masterâs portrait and the coffin car to the Qiao family. He dragged the old masterâs corpse and cremated it.
That afternoon, Qiao Yunfan was buried.
That night, Qiao Jiusheng and Fang Yusheng stayed over at the Qiao familyâs manor.