Chapter 241: Startled
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Han Qiao’s heart tightened.
“I owe you an apology.”
“And also owe you a thank you.”
Han Qiao was silent.
“All these years, we all know about what happened to Sister in the Sun family. However, Sister never went home to tell us. We thought…”
“Ah-Ming, don’t talk about this anymore. 1 don’t want to talk about the past.” Han Qiao interrupted Han Ming.
She wasn’t the one suffering in the Sun family.
She had no right to say that she had forgiven him or that she had no grudges.
“All-Ming, people always have to look to the future. If you continue to say these things, I’m not willing to listen, and neither will your brother-in-law.” Han Qiao said.
Han Ming suddenly came back to his senses.
Yes.
Han Qiao remarried.
Who would want to hear your wife’s ex-husband?
Han Ming felt bad.
Something stings his eyes.
He didn’t dare to look at Han Qiao and say these words, afraid that he would feel uncomfortable seeing the indifference in her eyes.
Han Qiao didn’t know why Han Ming suddenly did this. Was he trying to stir things up? Or was he planning to do something? Or rather, it reminded her of the brother-sister relationship she had in the past, and she agreed to his rude request.
However, with his sudden actions, she was on high alert and did not give him a chance to speak no matter what his request was.
If he didn’t say anything, she didn’t have to reject him.
She patted Han Ming’s shoulder and said, “It’s a little uncomfortable for you to press down on my leg like this.”
Han Ming immediately sat up straight.
He felt a little uneasy and opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say.
“It’s already late and I’m a little tired. You should sleep early. You still have to go to the Zhou family tomorrow.”
“Sister, you should rest early too”
When Han Qiao returned to the house, she was still wondering what Han Ming wanted to say.
Han Ming returned to the house dejectedly. Madam Mu quickly asked him, “Did you tell Third Sister?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
Han Ming swallowed his saliva, “1 only said a few words while laying my head on Third Sister’s knee, and Third Sister interrupted me. She doesn’t want to listen anymore.”
Madam Mu’s eyes widened, “How old are you? Why would you lie your head on your sister’s lap? She’s pregnant too, that can’t be comfortable for her.”
Han Ming’s eyes were also wide open, “Didn’t you lie on my knees the other day and say that women are soft-hearted and that it’s fine to talk while doing things like that?”
Madam Mu looked at her husband in surprise.
To be honest, she had chosen a good husband. He was good-natured, tall, handsome, and kind-hearted. He had never said anything bad to her.
It was just that her stomach was not up to par, and he did not give her any face even after giving birth to a few daughters.
He had always been smart and capable.
However, he did something stupid this time.
“Then how can I be the same as you? 1 was acting coquettishly like that to you.
It was a couple’s interest. You and Third Sister are both adults. Is it appropriate for you to lie on Third Sister’s knee like that? Think about it yourself,”
Han Ming thought about it and his face turned red.
“If Brother-in-Law did something like that, then it’s also a couple’s interest.” Madam Mu said.
Madam Mu was not stupid.
The only thing she had been obsessed with was having a son, and she had neglected her daughters.
Fortunately, now that she had turned around, she also understood that her daughters were doing very well.
They were considerate to everyone.
As for a son, she could talk about it later. She was still young. There would be more time for her to conceive one.
“Then… Then, what should we do?”
“Forget it. I’ll tell Third Sister tomorrow.”
Early the next morning, Heng Yi and the others set off for Zhou Family Village. This time, the head of the Han Family and the Xishan Village Chief went with them.
When Han Qiao woke up, the sun was already high up in the sky and the children were whispering to one another in the courtyard.
Sun Xiu and Sun Yi taught Han Yuan and the others the needlework they learned.
Han Chi and the kids were digging earthworms outside the courtyard to feed the chickens.
“Third Sister, you’re up.”
The matters in the kitchen didn’t need to be handled by Madam Mu.
Han Qiao had brought along maids and old women, so they could do these trivial things well.
After Han Qiao washed her face and combed her hair, she ate a bowl of porridge.
Only then did Madam Mu help her to sit in the central room.
Seeing her like this, Han Qiao’s heart skipped a beat.
As expected, she couldn’t hide.
Madam Mu did not beat around the bush and said directly, “Third Sister,
Brother Ming and I have been discussing for a few days. We plan to buy a small courtyard in town.”
Han Qiao thought that they would be borrowing money.
Borrowing money was fine.
“We still owe you money, so we wanted to discuss with you if we could pay you back later.”
Madam Mu knew that her sisters-in-law had already saved up enough money to pay off their debts and were thinking of returning them to the county one day.
If she didn’t buy a courtyard, she could still pay it back.
However, the courtyard was quite nice. Han Ming had also gone to take a look.
It was in a good location and was spacious as well. It was close to the river and they could catch some fish.
If Han Ming couldn’t make it home in time, he could stay there.
There was no need to rush back overnight. They could rush over in the morning.
“And this courtyard. If we move to town, I want to give this house to
Ah-Xiang.”
Han Qiao looked at Madam Mu.
She was surprised that Madam Mu would suggest that.
“In this family, all of us have let you down, but we have no choice. Sometimes, we have no choice.”
“It’s not easy for Brother Ming to run a business outside. I didn’t want him to worry about Ah-Xiang.”
“I like this house very much. The children like it very much too. We have protected every blade of grass and tree in this courtyard very well.”
“These days, Brother Ming came back and told me that he had been running around outside for more than half a year. Only then did he realize that it was not easy to be a woman. He was very apologetic about what happened to you in the Sun family, but he did not know how to say it…”
Han Qiao suddenly understood why that happened last night.
“If there is a courtyard that you fancy, buy it. You can pay the money back slowly.”
Madam Mu heaved a sigh of relief, “Sister, do you hate your family?”
Han Qiao was silent for a moment. She couldn’t say whether she was resentful or not. After all, ten fingers had different lengths, and hands had different palms and backs. Her heart was only one, and it was still long. “If I really hated them, 1 wouldn’t have come back.”
“My request to the Han family is that they do not do evil, do not bully the weak, and do business fairly. 1 won’t force you to do anything else.”
She had a lot of things to do every day.
There would only be more after she gave birth. She didn’t have the time or energy to think about whether the Han family was biased or not.
Han Xiang’s current state was half due to her own fault, half due to Father Han, Elder Brother Han, and Han Yuan’s favoritism, and half due to her being a bystander and adding fuel to the fire.
Did Han Qiao regret it? She had thought about it for half the night last night, but she did not regret it.
Han Xiang was a person who would shine brightly with a little sunlight and would get carried away when someone was just a little nice to her. Moreover, the Zhou family was greedy.
If she showed Han Xiang a good face, she might still cling to herself and Heng Yi.
As for the Han family, they had helped her before, and now she had repaid them.
At least she didn’t forget about her parents.
“What about this courtyard?”
“It’s up to you. I’ll give this house to you and you can do whatever you want with it. Whether you give it to Han Xiang or sell it, I won’t object.”
As Han Qiao spoke, her gaze swept across the hall.
It was indeed well protected.
But she cherished Heng Yi who slept beside her pillow and her children around her knees more.
See, she was also a biased person.
She could also rationally distinguish who was her family, who needed to be repaid, and who was someone she could not abandon and had to take care of.
Therefore, everything was open and casual.
If we unite, we will gather together; if we don’t, we will scatter.
Everything had followed this pattern since ancient times..