I Got Rich in Period Fiction
Chapter 491: Sent a Pair of Tiny Shoes from a Thousand Miles Away

Chapter 491: Chapter 491: Sent a Pair of Tiny Shoes from a Thousand Miles Away

Zhang Xuanzi was well aware that their every move might not always be under scrutiny, but there was definitely someone paying attention.

But how should one put it?

Sometimes, it’s best to just go with the flow.

So even Qiao Qingyu never expected that on New Year’s Eve, Liu Ge and Wu Hong would actually show up at their house.

This was truly beyond words.

Wu Hong might not understand since he had just come back from abroad, but Liu Ge certainly knew—visiting someone’s home on New Year’s Eve, especially with such an awkward status, simply wasn’t done.

But what could she do? After all, she was He Xuerong’s biological mother.

Only after seeing her daughter did Liu Ge let her guard down. It was clear that she hadn’t been mistreated; she had grown taller, was dressed beautifully. From head to toe, she would stand out in any foreign country, not bringing shame to her mother, and her little face was a healthy pinkish-white.

But Liu Ge always had an air of superiority. Other than giving expensive gifts and shelling out money, she didn’t say much else. Qiao Qingyu didn’t expect words of gratitude from her. In fact, she would be disgusted if Liu Ge uttered any. It was better this way; she didn’t care for Rongrong for her sake.

Wu Qianyun also felt the situation awkward. How should it be said? This woman was Meng Siqi’s eldest daughter-in-law, although now, she should be considered an ex-daughter-in-law.

Fortunately, since it was New Year’s Eve and for a good omen, they had prepared eight dishes for the four of them.

That was certainly enough.

But Wu Hong had business to attend to and wanted to take Liu Ge to North City afterward, though he preferred not to discuss it with Qiao Qingyu beforehand.

He placed a box in his hand down and spoke softly, "Inside the box is a piece of Warm Jade, very beneficial for pregnant women, especially when worn in winter."

Before Qiao Qingyu could refuse, he added, "Consider it a little token of goodwill. Don’t turn it down—the Zhang Family once owned a mine, and Warm Jade isn’t anything rare."

So she accepted it. Qiao Qingyu indeed had a collection of jade, but this was the first time she had heard of Warm Jade.

Liu Ge half-coaxed, half-persuaded Rongrong to try on some new leather boots she had bought, only to be taken aback when Rongrong took a few steps, frowned, and promptly took the boots off. The young girl stood barefoot on the floor, her beautiful eyes fixed on Liu Ge as she calmly said, "You’re quite amusing as a mother, trekking all this way just to bring a pair of shoes. Those who know might appreciate your sentiment, but those who don’t might think you’re mocking me."

Liu Ge’s jaw dropped in shock, "..."

Qiao Qingyu could barely suppress a smile. Rongrong sure didn’t pull any punches. Still, she said, "Rongrong, put on your slippers. The floor is cold."

Liu Ge’s face shifted through a range of colors from pale to flushed. How could she know the child had shot up half a head in just the past six months, outgrowing last year’s shoe size?

It was only half a year.

She forced a smile and said reluctantly, "If you can’t wear them, then leave them for your little aunt’s little sister in her belly."

At these words, Qiao Qingyu’s and He Xiuyu’s expressions didn’t look too good.

It wasn’t because they valued boys over girls; it was simply not the way to say or do things.

He Xuerong was speechless as well. She placed the small leather boots back into the shoebox, "Mom, it seems you’ve forgotten how old I am this year. Well, I can’t very well let you take these boots all the way back. I have a classmate whose family has many children. Her parents are workers in a factory, and her grandparents are ill. Her feet are smaller than mine; I’ll give these boots to her."

Liu Ge’s lips moved, but she didn’t say anything.

Anyway, she felt that every time she came, she would get infuriated. This child must have been born to anger her.

After those two had left, Qiao Qingyu asked with curiosity, "Where did you learn this new term, ’petty’?"

"Well, I didn’t say it wrong, did I? These boots are indeed small, so they are ’petty’."

He Xuerong looked out the window, pouting and not very happy.

He Xiuyu and Qiao Qingyu exchanged glances.

He Xiuyu wanted to say something, thought about it, but swallowed his words, and at this moment Wu Qianyun couldn’t stay in the room any longer; she had gone to the kitchen to make dumplings.

During the first day of the New Year, Yuan Hengzhi came to wish everyone a happy New Year. He didn’t go back to Beijing this year, but stayed in Xichuan. It was also the first Spring Festival he had spent at the base.

He lived in the dormitory, which was also lively. After 10 pm, He Xiuyu had dinner with everyone in the base’s canteen, sharing a meal of dumplings.

No matter what, he was the chief engineer. Of course, he couldn’t just quietly hide at home, and he also needed to visit the workshop to comfort the front-line workers who were still working hard. So by the time he got back, it was already past midnight.

He had just lain down for a while when visitors began to arrive for new year’s greetings.

First came a group of children, then other colleagues arrived. Having elders at home was a blessing, Qiao Qingyu got up to find that Wu Qianyun had handled everything neatly.

Unexpectedly, coming with Li Mingguang was a little boy, the son of Zhao Guoqiang’s family. He didn’t have a formal name yet, everyone called him Gou Dan. That wasn’t a big deal, "Gou Dan" was a cheap name meant to make raising the child easier. Even in the Tenghai Research Base, by a rough count, there were seven or eight children with the nickname Gou Dan.

Qiao Qingyu grabbed a handful of candies, then gave a dime to each of the children who came to offer New Year’s greetings.

With a dime, they could now buy five pieces of orange candy at the base store, which wasn’t too little for kids these days. In a flash, a swarm of them came, and just as quickly, they were gone.

Half of the sugar Qiao Qingyu placed in the candy box was now gone.

He Xiuyu had just managed to sleep for a simple two hours before he got up again; he still had to visit the maritime base a hundred kilometers from here for New Year’s greetings. So for this Spring Festival, aside from being able to sleep at home at night, He Xiuyu had been busy outside all the other time.

Qiao Qingyu, on the other hand, stayed at home, spending her days eating and sleeping.

In just a few days, she seemed to have gained some weight.

After the fifth day of the New Year, He Juanjuan returned from Beijing. She hadn’t expected that the girl sitting across from her on the train would also be going to the Tenghai Research Base.

He Juanjuan was quite curious. This definitely must be some young man’s partner, huh? The girl was pretty good-looking, and then she learned her name was Bai Zhi, but the girl didn’t say who she was specifically looking for.

Even if He Juanjuan was outgoing, she felt embarrassed to ask.

When they reached the gate of the base, He Juanjuan could go in but she couldn’t. She needed to register and show proof of her visit, or she had to call someone she knew to come and get her.

She hadn’t expected that this person would actually be Yuan Hengzhi.

He Juanjuan’s footsteps halted abruptly. So this girl is Brother Yuan’s partner?

But why would Brother Yuan be here?

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