"I am a very traditional woman. When my husband was alive, I naturally listened to him. Now that he's gone, I listen to my children. Jiang Hai is my son-in-law, just like my own son, so what he says and the decisions he makes also represent my decisions." Looking at Qi Song, Qi Li's mother firmly sided with Jiang Hai this time.
Because, when it came down to it, she had no kinship with Qi Song and Qi Yuanlong.
If Qi Li's father were still alive, Jiang Hai wouldn't need to worry about this matter. But with Qi Li's father gone, it was fine for Qi Li's mother to make the decisions. The reason she made concessions in previous years was simply because Qi Li hadn't yet secured her position, so they needed them to behave so Qi Li would have more time.
But now that Jiang Hai had descended like a divine soldier, directly sweeping all internal threats out of the company, it had nothing to do with Qi Song and Qi Yuanlong. Smiling at them was because she had good manners. If they wanted to stir up trouble, sorry, she wasn't involved.
"You, you, this is your attitude!" Seeing that Qi Li's mother had spoken, Qi Song and the others were stunned. Qi Song, with a trembling hand, pointed at the people in front of him and roared with indignation.
It should be known that both Qi Song and Qi Yuanlong coveted the Qi Group. In Qi Yuanlong's view, the company should be like the Song Dynasty; when Emperor Taizu of Song died, his younger brother, who was still in his prime, should inherit the company. Moreover, this was China, where sons were favored over daughters. He had a son, while Qi Li was a daughter, so the company should rightfully be inherited by his son, because it was tradition.
Passing it down to sons, not daughters, was inevitable. It must be said, he was indeed thinking a bit too much... As for Qi Song, he had always believed that the reason Qi Li's father was able to succeed was because he had taken him to the capital to do business. The result was that he hadn't risen, but the other had. It was merely because the other had ridden on his coattails. This Qi Group should be his, not just a tiny share of the stock.
Under such twisted psychology, both of them believed that the Qi Group should be theirs. Truly, shameless people are invincible.
No matter what one does, one must ask, 'Why?' When Qi Li's father died, he clearly had a daughter, and she was grown up and capable of inheriting the company. Why should it be passed to your son? Just because you say you had a son?
If Qi Li's father knew, he'd probably jump out of the underworld. Your son isn't his son, so why should he give you the company?
As for Qi Song, he was even more shameless. He didn't have the ability or the drive to build a company, but when someone else did, he wanted to snatch the fruits of their labor? Who do you think you are? Qi Yuanlong at least had a blood relation, but you, a cousin from a previous generation who separated, still have the nerve to pop up? It's truly incredible that they could say such things.
But the problem now was that these two were precisely that brazen; they truly believed you owed them, and that this belonged to them.
So, human hearts are never satisfied. These guys are truly not good people.
"Ahem, that's our attitude. If you're here as relatives, wanting to spend the New Year, then everything is negotiable. If not, the door is over there, and we won't see you out!" Hearing Qi Song's words, Jiang Hai also said with a smile.
"Who do you think you are? Do you have a place to speak here? This is a matter for the Qi family." Hearing Jiang Hai's words, Qi Liangcai, Qi Song's son, who had been silent all this time, finally couldn't hold back. He looked at Jiang Hai and said with a grim face.
"Indeed, as a son-in-law, it's not really appropriate for me to meddle in Qi family matters. But the issue now is that you're talking about the Qi Group's affairs. If I may be so bold, I am currently the largest shareholder of the Qi Group, so tell me, is this matter related to me or not?" Looking at Qi Liangcai, Jiang Hai met him head-on, speaking to him without any politeness. Hearing what Jiang Hai said, Qi Liangcai choked a bit. This was trouble!
"Damn it, what are you being so arrogant about? Do you believe I'll set your house on fire!" Seeing Jiang Hai single-handedly leaving everyone speechless, Qi Zhengtao couldn't take it anymore. He was originally hot-tempered and immediately roared.
However, upon hearing his words, the expressions of both sides turned a little ugly. During the New Year, coming to someone else's house and threatening to burn it down—haha, this wasn't discussing matters, but clearly looking for trouble!
After hearing this, Qi Jie also put her phone aside. She knew martial arts, and looking at Qi Zhengtao, she was ready to teach him a lesson. Seeing her reaction, Jiang Hai cleared his throat, thinking it was better for him to speak.
"You can light it, go ahead. You smoke, you should have a lighter in your pocket, light it... It's just a villa. You should know something about my financial power. I can buy ten thousand such villas. Of course, it would be a bit of a shame to burn it down. As compensation, you can spend the rest of your life in prison. Don't worry, if I say you'll spend your whole life there, you will." Jiang Hai's eyes narrowed as he spoke calmly to Qi Zhengtao. Hearing Jiang Hai's words, the three people from Qi Yuanlong's family couldn't help but tense up.
"Bullshit! If you've got the guts, arrest me! If you've got the guts, kill me! Come on, kill me! Let's see if you dare!" However, these three clearly did not include Qi Zhengtao. As soon as this guy heard Jiang Hai's words, he started arguing back, sticking out his neck and shouting. Hearing his words, Jiang Hai looked at him with a half-smile.
"First, tell me, why wouldn't I dare? Can you tell me if I lack the ability or the money?" Looking at Qi Zhengtao, Jiang Hai even laughed. This thuggish behavior wasn't something ordinary people could imitate.
"You..." Hearing Jiang Hai's words, Qi Zhengtao also froze for a moment. He knew Jiang Hai was ruthless, he knew Jiang Hai was rich, and he naturally knew Jiang Hai had considerable influence. Even the third generation of powerful families didn't dare to touch him, which showed his significant influence in China. Moreover, he was now a major shareholder of the Qi Group; even with just this identity, a word to a judge could keep him in prison for life. Suddenly, he realized Jiang Hai might actually be able to do it... "If you've got the guts, do it! Let's see what everyone thinks of you." But words had led to this point, and backing down wasn't his style. Looking at Jiang Hai, he continued to shout with his neck craned.
"Are you an idiot? If I've already done it, why would I care what others think of me? What's more, my business is in America. I only come back a few days a year. So what, is someone going to cross me for your sake?" Shaking his head in amusement, he wondered how this guy's brain worked, acting like a child. Was he just starting junior high? Probably close enough.
"I, you..." Hearing Jiang Hai say this, Qi Zhengtao was truly in a pickle. If he followed his temper now, he should really go and burn down the house, but thinking about spending a lifetime in prison after doing so, he... "Oh, Jiang Hai, we're all family. Those words are too harsh. Zhengtao has been spoiled by us over the years and got a bit carried away. Please don't take it to heart!" Just then, Zhang Yu, who had been sitting next to them, spoke up.
Jiang Hai had introduced Zhang Yu as Qi Yuanlong's wife, though not his original wife. She was only three years older than Qi Li. She used to be a third-rate star, always dressed glamorously, and was quite attractive. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to charm Qi Yuanlong, that old lecher, so completely.
She followed Qi Yuanlong, naturally not for love or anything like that; she was only interested in money.
But now that Qi Yuanlong was out of money, she was very anxious. In fact, her alliance with Qi Song was something she had instigated from the very beginning.
When Jiang Hai first came, when he met these two families, Qi Song and Qi Yuanlong were clearly not on the same side.
At that time, Qi Song was still with An Changwu, while Qi Yuanlong mostly remained neutral, not participating in anything.
The second time they met, the two had joined forces, and this woman named Zhang Yu had put in a lot of effort to make it happen.
Now, seeing that negotiations were about to break down, she couldn't sit still. If Qi Yuanlong were truly driven out of the Qi Group, she would be the one least able to accept it.
"Sister-in-law, you see Yuanlong is not young anymore, and he values his reputation greatly. More importantly, our family has no income; we can't just sit around and do nothing." Seeing that Jiang Hai was difficult to deal with, Zhang Yu turned her gaze to Qi Li's mother. At this point, the men's words were too aggressive, so she had to step in.
"Yuanlong has been sighing at home every day since he lost his shares, saying he couldn't face his elder brother. I know Yuanlong did make some mistakes in certain matters, but after all, Yuanlong is elder brother's own younger brother, isn't he?" Seeing that she had spoken softly, Qi Li's mother's gaze was no longer so firm, and Zhang Yu continued.
"Sister-in-law, I really want these shares. At most, I'll return the money I received, as if I'm buying them back. What do you think?" Seeing Qi Li's mother's eyes waver a bit, Qi Yuanlong, who wasn't stupid, immediately followed up.
And Qi Song and Qi Liangcai also kept quiet at this moment. This was their goal. Although it seemed they had lost face, as long as they could get the shares back, that was the most important thing. Face could be regained later, but if the shares were gone, they were truly gone.
As long as Qi Yuanlong could open a breakthrough here, Qi Li's mother would probably find it hard to refuse their family's share then.
"Third Uncle, it's not that we won't sell to you, but we're afraid you can't afford it now." However, before Qi Li's mother could express her stance, Qi Li had already spoken with a chuckle, then looked at her Third Uncle with a playful gaze. He really wanted to have his cake and eat it too! Wanting to buy back the shares at the original price? It must be said, they were dreaming! (To be continued.)
Chapter 948: Feng Yunchen's Home
As the atmosphere at home gradually became lively, Jiang Hai and Qi Li returned to their original state.
They chatted and watched TV, but Jiang Hai, Qi Jie, and Qi Ya were all a bit awkward... Yes, it would be strange if they weren't, and Jiang Hai could only chuckle about it.
The day passed uneventfully. In the evening, the whole family watched TV together and made dumplings with Zheng Xiu'e.
They stayed up until the end of the year. Although the Spring Festival Gala has become increasingly uninteresting recently, it is more like a ritual. If one is alone, it doesn't matter, but if the whole family is together, then they really have to watch the Spring Festival Gala.
The programs on TV weren't great, but they had a good time chatting and laughing among themselves.
They were busy until midnight, then went outside to set off firecrackers. Since Jiang Hai's mourning period had passed three years ago, and Qi Li's had also passed three years ago, there was no need to refrain from putting up Spring Festival couplets or setting off firecrackers.
Jiang Hai himself wasn't particularly interested in setting off firecrackers; he just joined in for the fun.
As the crackling sounds rang out, it signaled the end of the past year and the arrival of a new one!
That night, Jiang Hai naturally went back to the room to sleep with Qi Li. Because it was quite late, there were no extra activities. After washing up, Jiang Hai held Qi Li and drifted into dreamland.
The next morning was the first day of the New Year. Qi Li's family didn't have the custom of celebrating the New Year, so it was business as usual.
They simply spent a quiet day, watching TV, playing on the computer, and surfing the internet. The day just passed.
However, when they went to bed that night, Jiang Hai wasn't so well-behaved. After dealing with Qi Li, he went to Qi Jie and Qi Ya. After all, they had been separated for a while, and to be honest, it was inexplicably exciting.
After they were done, on the second day of the New Year, Jiang Hai returned to his villa with Qi Li. The third day was originally supposed to be for visiting the wife's family, but Jiang Hai had already said that he would go to Feng Yunchen's house on the third day.
So today, Qi Li went back to her own family's home by herself. Actually, Qi Li didn't need to go back to her family's home today.
Because they had spent the New Year there, it didn't really matter whether she went back to her family's home or not.
But after all, there was still some estrangement between her and the people in Jiang Hai's family. It was fine when Jiang Hai was there, but when Jiang Hai wasn't, she felt a bit redundant. These girls were somewhat afraid of her, so there wasn't much point.
So, in the morning, Jiang Hai went to Feng Yunchen's house, while she returned to her mother's place.
Of course, to appease his 'main consort', Jiang Hai specifically dropped her off first. After she arrived home, Jiang Hai then drove to a nearby supermarket to buy some gifts. It must be admitted that in China now, the New Year is really not taken as seriously as before. This can be seen from the businesses. A long time ago, Jiang Hai remembered when he was a child, about ten years ago.
He was already in junior high school then and had some pocket money, New Year's money. That year, his parents didn't take his money, so during the New Year, he remembered it was probably the fifth day, he wanted to go to a bookstore to buy some comic books or something to read.
As a result, Harbin on the fifth day was completely silent. He waited for almost half an hour before a bus came.
He went to Xinhua Bookstore, but it was closed. He was a bit hungry and wanted to eat something, but no restaurants were open. He couldn't even treat himself to a meal during the New Year. Of course, the top-tier restaurants were still open, but he couldn't afford them.
Finally, after searching for a long time, he found a noodle shop that was still open, ate a bowl of noodles, and then went home dejectedly.
Although there was nothing on the streets at that time, the strong New Year atmosphere was present.
Now, during the New Year, buying things is truly too simple. Whether it's restaurants, supermarkets, or even some private fruit shops, most of them are open, which was incomparable to before.
Since it was Jiang Hai's first visit, he naturally had to prepare a lot of things. Before coming, he had basically asked Feng Yunchen what her parents liked. After all, he had been married before, so he knew the basic three-piece set.
One good pack of cigarettes and two bottles of good wine. That was the setup when he first went to Qi Li's house. But now that he had money, it became a carton of good cigarettes and two cartons of good wine. He didn't buy anything too extravagant; the cigarettes were soft Zhonghua, and the wine was Feitian Maotai and Wuliangye.
Although in the eyes of ordinary people, these things are already quite good, in Jiang Hai's eyes, they are not really considered good things. Not to mention anything else, just his red wine, even at the lowest price of 800 US dollars a bottle, is nearly 5000 RMB, and the regular Feitian Maotai and Wuliangye do not have such a price.
Maotai is about a thousand per bottle, Wuliangye is over 800, six bottles per carton. Jiang Hai's two bottles of red wine are equivalent to these two cartons of liquor.
In addition to these three cartons of items, Jiang Hai also specially brought two bottles of his own red wine, some beef, and some top-grade abalone that he had frozen and shipped over. These abalone were super top-grade from his estate, basically every one of them was a double-head abalone, only bigger, never smaller. Even if a catty is more than a jin, it can't compare to Jiang Hai's abundant spiritual energy, can it?
It's better to have quality over quantity, but these items were already quite a lot.
Driving Qi Li's BMW, Jiang Hai brought these things to Feng Yunchen's residential area. From a distance, he saw Feng Yunchen waiting outside the community gate in the heavy snow. Their community was considered a good mid-range community in Harbin, so the security was naturally good. It wasn't easy for outside vehicles to enter.
One needed to be brought in by someone from the community. Seeing Jiang Hai's BMW, although she knew it was Qi Li's, Feng Yunchen still greeted him with a smile. Watching Jiang Hai get out of the car, she immediately threw herself into his arms.
"Hehe, did you miss me?" Feng Yunchen asked with a smile, looking up at Jiang Hai.
"Just a tiny bit." Hearing Feng Yunchen's words, Jiang Hai gestured, but only received a playful punch in return.
After some playful banter, Feng Yunchen took Jiang Hai to the guardhouse. After registering, they drove the car in.
Parking the car downstairs at Feng Yunchen's home, Jiang Hai felt someone watching him as soon as he got out. But when he looked up, the feeling disappeared. He figured it might be a resident of the building. Then, Jiang Hai and Feng Yunchen began to move the gifts Jiang Hai had prepared out of the car, one by one. Occasionally, some passing neighbors would look at the gifts Jiang Hai had prepared and secretly click their tongues. Indeed, for ordinary families, these gifts were a bit too valuable.
But seeing the BMW Jiang Hai was driving, these people all fell silent, standing there, one by one, staring at Jiang Hai.
After all the items were moved, Jiang Hai locked the car and walked into the building with Feng Yunchen.
Feng Yunchen's home was bought not long ago, about four or five years ago, so it was an elevator apartment. But even though it was an elevator apartment, Feng Yunchen's parents didn't like living too high up. According to Feng Yunchen, once, her parents went to her aunt's house to play, and her aunt lived on the thirty-first floor. The key was that the elevator was broken, and thinking they had already come all this way, they decided to climb.
After that climb, her parents never mentioned living on a high floor again. So, when she decided to buy a house, her parents chose this fourth-floor unit. As they put it, even if the elevator breaks, they wouldn't have to climb too high, right?
Soon, the elevator reached the fourth floor, and Jiang Hai walked out, carrying several large boxes. Feng Yunchen was only responsible for carrying the wine, abalone, and beef. The three boxes were all Jiang Hai's. With Jiang Hai's current strength, three boxes weren't heavy, but carrying them would definitely block his vision. He wobbled to the door, and just as he knocked, the door was opened from the inside.
"Oh, you're here! You just had to come, but you brought so many things, you're too kind!" The door opened, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman. Looking at Jiang Hai, her face was almost creased with smiles, saying with a beaming face.
"Auntie, hello. It's my first time visiting, and I didn't know what you liked, so I just bought some random things, and some are from my own production." Hearing the middle-aged woman's words, Jiang Hai put down the boxes and said with a smile.
He naturally knew this was Feng Yunchen's mother, because he had seen her at parent-teacher conferences when he was in school. Although he didn't have much of an impression, since he and Feng Yunchen didn't have much interaction back then, he still recognized her face.
"Come in, come in quickly!" Hearing Jiang Hai's words, Feng Yunchen's mother also smiled and let Jiang Hai in. Of course, before coming in, Jiang Hai also moved all the items inside. Then Feng Yunchen led Jiang Hai to the living room.
At this moment, in the living room, a man with a slightly dark complexion was sitting there watching TV. Seeing Jiang Hai approach, he also stood up, forcing a slight smile, but he didn't say anything.
"This is my dad. You should have met him before." Feng Yunchen was clearly quite pleased that this man could manage a smile. After saying this to Jiang Hai with a smile, she hooked her arm through his and led him to sit on the nearby sofa.
"Young Jiang, tsk tsk, I saw you back then. You weren't a good student at all back then. I often heard your homeroom teacher criticize you by name at parent-teacher conferences. But who would have thought? The mischievous kid back then has now become successful!" Sitting on the sofa, looking at Jiang Hai, Feng Yunchen's father couldn't help but say with some emotion. (To be continued.)
Chapter 949: A Conversation Between Sisters
"Uh, haha, I guess I was just young and foolish back then. Even now, though, I probably still wouldn't be able to stick with studying, haha." Jiang Hai awkwardly rubbed his nose and chuckled in response to Feng Yunchen's father.
"Everyone has their own path. If you had focused on studying back then, you might not be the man you are today." Feng Yunchen's father smiled, appreciating Jiang Hai's genuine response. He was, overall, quite satisfied with Jiang Hai.
He was tall, and while not exceptionally handsome, he wasn't bad-looking—just an average guy.
His financial situation was quite robust. If Feng Yunchen could actually marry a man like him, it would be a truly excellent outcome.
The only pity was that he was already married, and his wife was the CEO of a major corporation. He couldn't divorce her, which was unfortunate.
Before Jiang Hai arrived, Feng Yunchen had already given her parents some details regarding his situation.
Naturally, she didn't tell them everything, only the favorable aspects: Jiang Hai's current wealth, his annual income, his influence in the United States, and, crucially, the story of him and Qi Li. She recounted how Jiang Hai had struggled, how Qi Li had given him money when they got together, but how she hadn't treated him as a true husband—even going to the company the day after their wedding.
Since Qi Li had shown Jiang Hai kindness, he couldn't divorce her. Of course, she emphasized that this was the situation from a long time ago.
However, Feng Yunchen intentionally avoided mentioning how many people were currently living in Jiang Hai's household. That detail was best left out.
Consequently, even though she was essentially becoming a mistress, her parents' opposition was significantly less intense than it might have been otherwise.
Now that Jiang Hai looked like a successful man, he seemed decent and trustworthy. More importantly, judging by his demeanor, Feng Yunchen wouldn't be mistreated by him. That was the main concern, which is why her father, who usually had a difficult relationship with Feng Yunchen, was so warm toward Jiang Hai.
"Alright, let's tidy up. Dinner is ready." While Jiang Hai and Feng Yunchen's father were engaged in casual conversation, Feng Yunchen's mother had finished preparing the meal. People in the Northeast emphasize auspiciousness during the New Year, so meals typically consist of six, eight, ten, or twelve dishes. Even if there was only one person in the household, they would still prepare six dishes.
This wasn't about waste; it was simply a custom for people in Harbin.
Feng Yunchen's mother followed this tradition today, preparing eight dishes for just four people. There was braised carp, symbolizing surplus prosperity (May you have abundance every year.), stewed pig trotters, representing a rake for gathering wealth, along with many other home-cooked specialties: mixed cold dishes, stewed ribs, fried chicken wings, braised pork knuckle, stir-fried cauliflower, and stir-fried zucchini. The eight dishes completely covered the table. After sitting down and exchanging brief formalities, they started eating. Since Jiang Hai had driven, he didn't drink, instead just chatting with Feng Yunchen's father, who was very curious about the United States.
In fact, it wasn't just Feng Yunchen's father; most people were quite curious once they learned that Jiang Hai's business was based in America.
Since it was a foreign land, their curiosity was natural. Jiang Hai answered their questions and invited them to visit sometime. They merely chuckled in response; enduring a flight of over ten hours was not a pleasant experience. As for flying first class, they weren't that extravagant. A single first-class ticket could buy a decent commuter car back home. Two round-trip tickets would easily cost over 200,000 RMB—the thought alone was painful.
When Feng Yunchen's mother heard the price of the tickets a couple of days prior, she had complained to her daughter, asking why she bothered coming back if it cost so much. It was simply too extravagant. She felt dizzy just thinking about it—that was over a hundred thousand yuan!
While Jiang Hai was engaged in deep conversation with Feng Yunchen's parents, Qi Li was feeling restless at home because her mother kept pressing her about having a child—a matter that certainly couldn't be rushed.
To escape her mother's interrogation, Qi Li looked at her two younger sisters and an idea struck her. Although she showered daily at home in the capital, now that she was back, she wanted to visit a public bathhouse. Naturally, she wouldn't go to a small, ordinary one; she would go to a large bathing center. Harbin has many such centers offering everything: bathing, massage, sauna/steaming, dining, and entertainment, along with some specialized services known mostly to men. However, the latter was only one aspect, and few centers specialized solely in that.
Many women frequented these centers, and Qi Li had gone as a child, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about. However, going alone now that she was back was dull; it would be much better to go with her two younger sisters today.
After a quick word with her mother, Qi Li drove her family's car away from the house, taking Qi Jie and Qi Ya toward a large nearby bathing center. Although Qi Jie and Qi Li didn't always see eye-to-eye, they were older now, and sharing half their blood meant they were naturally closer than ordinary people. The atmosphere in the car was quite pleasant.
Chatting and laughing, Qi Li soon pulled the car up to the nearby bathing center.
It was the third day of the Lunar New Year, so the place was packed. The lobby was crowded with groups of friends, families, and classmates. It was certainly busy, but luckily, the bathing center was large enough to handle the crowd. After queuing for a while, it was their turn. Qi Li bought the tickets, and the three of them headed into the women's changing room. Once they changed, their three slender figures naturally drew the eye of many women. It had to be admitted that the girls' current figures were truly breathtaking.
Not only would men find them irresistible (though only Jiang Hai had seen them), but...
...the women who saw them felt envy, jealousy, and even resentment. However, the three sisters appeared completely unbothered by the stares.
After changing out of their clothes, the three first washed their hair, then settled into the hot spring that was the main feature of the bathhouse.
Soaking in the bath was truly comfortable. As soon as you sat down and the warm water rose past your chest, it felt wonderful. (I highly recommend trying it if you haven't; it's truly refreshing.) Once seated, Qi Li and her sisters slowly washed themselves by splashing the water over their bodies.
"Let me tell you, this hot spring is nothing special. Your brother-in-law's estate has a natural hot spring; *that's* where bathing is truly comfortable," Qi Li boasted to Qi Jie and Qi Ya while splashing water onto herself. Hearing this, Qi Jie and Qi Ya exchanged a look but remained silent. Of course, they knew Jiang Hai's estate had a natural hot spring, and they had bathed there far more often than Qi Li had. But they certainly couldn't say that right now.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Sensing the atmosphere was slightly awkward, Qi Li looked at Qi Jie and Qi Ya and asked with confusion.
"Oh, nothing, nothing. I was just curious. Don't they say hot springs only exist near volcanoes? How come Brother-in-law's place has one?" Hearing Qi Li, Qi Jie quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.
"How should I know? I'm not a geologist. I'll take you to visit when we have time; your brother-in-law's estate is beautiful." Shrugging, Qi Li had no idea where Jiang Hai's hot spring originated. All she knew was that it felt wonderful to soak in, and that was sufficient.
"You have no idea, Jiang Hai's place has so many fun things. The beef I gave you came from his place, and the seafood too. His ranch is right next to the ocean; it's beautiful..." Since she couldn't explain the hot spring, Qi Li excitedly switched topics and started talking to her two sisters. Hearing Qi Li, Qi Jie and Qi Ya exchanged glances. All they could manage were slightly awkward smiles, as they found it hard to comment while Qi Li was bragging about their "shared" husband.
"Ahem, Sis, please stop showing off your husband. We know Brother-in-law is great, but he's not really our type," Qi Jie said with a slightly awkward chuckle. Hearing her sister, who was usually critical of her, acknowledge that her husband was good, Qi Li was thrilled, and her smile grew even brighter.
"He is my husband, your brother-in-law, after all. Say, Xiao Jie and Xiao Ya, do either of you have boyfriends? Any plans for the future?" Qi Li asked cheerfully, looking at them. Her question, however, caused both Qi Jie and Qi Ya to freeze momentarily.
"I... I... my illness might still relapse. I don't want to drag anyone down," Qi Ya said, speaking first after a moment of consideration.
"Yes, Xiao Ya isn't fully recovered yet, and I still need to take care of her," Qi Jie added after thinking for a moment.
"Oh, my poor sister. Don't worry, your illness is definitely going to get better." Hearing their explanation, Qi Li bit her lip. She had momentarily forgotten that her sister's health situation was complicated.
Still, Qi Li felt confident. After all, Qi Ya couldn't even be exposed to the sun before, and now she was nearly cured. Perhaps she would be completely healed someday. Hearing Qi Li's encouraging words, the two sisters smiled, relieved that they had managed to slip past the subject.
"Should we eat here later, or go out? It's rare for us three sisters to be together; let's make the most of today." Steering past the slightly heavy topic, Qi Li smiled and asked her sisters.
"Let's just eat here. We don't know what we'd find outside." Hearing that Qi Li had finally dropped the sensitive subject, Qi Jie and Qi Ya smiled. As long as they avoided those topics, they felt quite comfortable.
Following their decision, they didn't soak for long, getting out after about ten minutes. They had a scrub, went to the sauna, ate dinner, and prepared to head home after enjoying themselves. However, while they were getting dressed, Qi Li noticed an ankle bracelet on Qi Ya. She picked it up to examine it, and a strange look crossed her face as she stared at the item. (To be continued.)