First Watch.

-------------

Knowing the truth of the matter, Old Lady Zhao sighed heavily. She used to think Liu Zhenqiang truly adored his granddaughter, but now it seems he had no choice but to compromise. How long can this facade last?

"Grandma..." Despite feeling a bit embarrassed, Chuxia blushed as she comforted Old Lady Zhao, "Liu Zhenqiang may be unable to have children, but he’s still a man."

Startled for a moment, Old Lady Zhao felt a bit embarrassed too, and she laughed while rubbing Chuxia’s head: "I know, it’s tough on you too."

"Hehe..." Chuxia laughed awkwardly, "It’s not really tough. Talking to grandma, there aren’t many taboos, hehe..."

"Not many taboos, but why are you giggling?" Old Lady Zhao looked at her granddaughter with amusement, "You’re going to be a mother soon; there’s nothing wrong with discussing these things. Just now, I was puzzled why Liu Zhenqiang let Zhong Hongying go. Now it makes sense, since Qiyan can’t have children, whether he cares or not is irrelevant."

"He got what he deserved..." Pausing for a moment, Chuxia continued, "And if it weren’t like this, he wouldn’t have settled down with Sister Qiyan. In any case, we should perhaps thank Zhong Hongying for it."

Old Lady Zhao laughed and shook her head: "If Liu Zhenqiang hears you, he’ll be infuriated."

"I’m just telling the truth..." Chuxia shrugged, "He pursued Sister Qiyan, he chose to marry her, and Sister Qiyan had his child. Because of his betrayal, Sister Qiyan almost lost her life. The punishment he’s getting is already light."

"That’s true..." Old Lady Zhao sighed, "Things have happened as they did, and overthinking is pointless. As long as he treats Qiyan well, that’ll be enough.

Speaking of which, Qiyan isn’t perfect either. She’s been overly ambitious since childhood. Now that she’s like this, it’s good she’s become more aware. It’s better than hitting a bigger snag later."

"Grandma..." Chuxia laughed, "Did you and Grandpa use to worry about me like this?"

"Yes, you were quite worrisome in the past, but you turned mature very quickly compared to Qiyan. Your grandpa and I haven’t worried about you for a long time.

Moreover, whether it’s your character or personality, you’re far better than Qiyan. Our worry for you was different from our concern for your Sister Qiyan.

Your Sister Qiyan, like your second aunt, excels at nothing yet insists she excels at everything, sigh..." The old lady sighed and didn’t continue.

"But grandma, even my second aunt is different now, why worry?" Chuxia laughed, embracing the old lady’s arm, "If I’d known you’d react like this, I wouldn’t have mentioned it."

"I’m not bothered at all; just thought of it and said a few words..." Old Lady Zhao quickly changed to a smile, "Alright, let’s talk about something joyful. Today your grandpa walked by himself without needing any assistance, even got in and out of the car by himself."

"Really?!" Chuxia’s face instantly lit up with joy. Recently, Old Master Zhao’s health had greatly improved, yet he often needed a walking stick or someone’s support. Now it seems he’s recovering faster than expected!

"Yes, he didn’t let anyone help him. Initially, he shook a little when he started walking, but later he was quite brisk..." The old lady also showed a joyful expression, "Looks like by the time his grandson and granddaughter come out, he’ll be back to normal."

"He’s been normal; just slightly restricted in movement," Chuxia said with a smile, glancing at her grandpa who was engrossed in a chess game with Old Master Zhou, "Grandma, if grandpa hears this, he’ll protest again."

Old Lady Zhao smiled helplessly: "Oh, you’re always so picky."

"Hehe..." Noticing the time, Luo Xiaoqiong looked toward the old lady, "I won’t hold on to grandma. Tomorrow we’re heading back to the Capital City, go chat with Eldest uncle and aunt. I’ll find Sister Qihui for some words, haven’t seen her all these days, can’t let her get away this time."

The old lady smiled and shook her head: "She’s afraid you’ll ask about her and Liu Lianbao, so she’s avoiding you."

Chuxia felt a bit downtrodden. At first, she just wanted to clarify the situation, but after understanding Zhao Qihui’s stance, she didn’t bring it up again, right? "Sis, I’m leaving for the Capital City tomorrow. Don’t you want to chat with me?"

No longer able to feign ignorance, Zhao Qihui smiled at Chuxia: "Seeing you chat so warmly with Grandma, I didn’t go join in..." She pointed at Luo Xiaoqiong beside her, "You can ask Xiaoqiong if you don’t believe me."

Luo Xiaoqiong nodded quickly: "Yes, Sister Qihui and I planned to come over, but seeing you and Grandma discussing something secret, we felt awkward interrupting."

"You brothers and sisters-in-law are now wearing the same pants..." Chuxia pouted, "Mutual testimonies between you two are invalid, I don’t believe it."

"I’m being honest..." Luo Xiaoqiong felt downtrodden, "You know my personality, right? Besides, I’ve known Sister Qihui for a long time, why would I fake evidence just to please her?"

"Sister-in-law, it’s really inappropriate to keep calling me that..." Zhao Qihui looked at her sister-in-law with resignation, "Not to mention when you weren’t married to my brother, but now it doesn’t fit."

"But calling you by your name feels embarrassing to me."

"You’ll just have to get used to it..." Chuxia interjected, "Sister Qihui is my brother’s biological sister, you are clearly her sister-in-law, yet you call her ’Sister,’ doesn’t it feel odd? Considering, I should call you sister-in-law..."

Luo Xiaoqiong interrupted urgently: "Please stop! If you call me sister-in-law, I’ll want to find a hole to crawl into."

"Is that necessary, though?" Chuxia looked at her speechlessly, "You are my sister-in-law, after all, and my brother married you properly. Why should I feel awkward calling you that?"

"Alright alright, from now on..." Biting her lip, Luo Xiaoqiong turned to Zhao Qihui, opened her mouth, but couldn’t make a sound. After a while, emotion finally gathered, "Qihui."

That felt... way too formal, didn’t it?

"Yes." Helpless, Zhao Qihui responded solemnly, but her face had a slight touch of embarrassment.

Luo Xiaoqiong also felt her actions were a bit childish, so she nudged Chuxia awkwardly: "Annoying, it’s all your fault, I just don’t know what to do now." (To be continued. If you enjoyed this story, feel free to vote at Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation tickets, monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)