lpffa Chapter 1496 - 990: Facing
Chapter 1496 - 990: Facing
Updated today.
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Listening to Zhao Qiyan’s rambling on the other end of the phone, Chuxia felt indescribable. Why does personal growth always have to come at such a heavy cost?
Zhao Qiyan wasn’t exactly likable in the past, but the punishment she received was really too harsh...
But, who can she blame?
With a silent sigh, Chuxia reined in her thoughts. No matter what, things have come to this point, and objectively speaking, staying with the Liu family would not have brought Zhao Qiyan happiness.
In fact, her frustration stemmed from feeling that her past help was meaningless. Not only meaningless, but it also made the tragedy worse.
But, even if she hadn’t helped back then, would Zhao Qiyan be better off today?
No!
The answer is definitely no.
If she hadn’t helped back then, Zhao Qiyan would presumably hate her and her whole family now, and then, she wouldn’t be content to live a steady life. It’s really hard to say how things would end.
One can only say, for a child, having wise parents is extremely important!
But quickly, she dismissed this conclusion. When it came to her second uncle, weren’t her grandparents wise? When it came to the original Chuxia, weren’t Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe wise?
So, in truth, nothing is absolute...
Having not received a response from Chuxia for a while, Zhao Qiyan asked nervously, "Xia, are you upset?"
"No, no..." Chuxia quickly replied, "I was just pondering what you said, sis."
"Xia..." Zhao Qiyan’s voice had a note of unease, "This is the first time you’ve called me sis so closely. It’s the first time ever, since we were kids, and... I’m really happy..."
"Sis, to be honest, what you did today surprised and impressed me. If it were me, I might not have the courage you have, so when I call you sis, it’s truly from my heart, and not just a simple title."
"Xia..." After a pause, Zhao Qiyan said, "Actually, this decision wasn’t made suddenly. I had this thought before, but when they hadn’t pushed me, I couldn’t make up my mind.
I also know that the road ahead will be very difficult, the villagers will definitely look down on me, laugh at me, but I don’t regret it, really, not one bit!
I remember you once told me that everyone has to take responsibility for their own actions. At the time, I laughed at you for talking big, but now, it’s your words that have given me courage.
I believe, as long as I take responsibility for what I’m supposed to, heaven will give me happiness. Whether the person is rich or poor, ugly or handsome, as long as they’re true to me, I’ll happily marry them.
Of course, there’s also the possibility that I’ll never meet such a person in this lifetime, never get married. In that case, I’ll just stay by my parents’ side and be filial to them.
Xia, I’m telling you this because I want you to know that I’m ready to bear the consequences of my mistakes, so you don’t have to feel troubled or think about how to help me.
I want to walk my own path. I can’t rely on your help forever. I am your sister, and you should give me a little dignity, right?"
"Sis..." This time, Chuxia was genuinely moved. She didn’t expect Zhao Qiyan to say all of this to her. Indeed, she had been contemplating how best to help Zhao Qiyan.
For Zhao Qiyan’s current situation, not returning to Xiaolin Village, staying in City A or the Capital City, finding a job, seems to be the best choice. At the very least, nobody knows her here, and there won’t be so many rumors.
But if that’s the case, what kind of job should be found for her?
In this era, it seems that working in a factory is the only relatively stable option. However, since she met Zhou Mikang, it seems the Zhou family has been helping her family with all sorts of messes. Though she knows the Zhou family doesn’t mind, what she minds is that the help becomes a habit, and helping turns into enmity...
To put it bluntly, she still doesn’t fully trust Zhao Qiyan. Even though she knows the other has changed, is different from before, she still can’t trust her in the same way she trusts Zhao Qihui.
She’s still afraid of a situation where a small favor turns into resentment...
"Xia, when you talk for too long, it does get tiring..." With a sigh, Zhao Qiyan continued, "Don’t worry, the months I spent with the Liu family weren’t in vain. I can handle anything."
"Sis, this situation came all of a sudden, and my head’s in a whirl too. How about this, why don’t you discuss with the elders a bit more, I’ll think it over here as well, and then we decide together, okay?"
"No need!" Zhao Qiyan rejected Chuxia’s suggestion outright, "You’re too kind. Seeing me suffering, you couldn’t bear it, right? Summer, we have so many relatives in our family, you can’t possibly take care of every single one.
You understand the reasoning better than I do, so I won’t go on and on. Tomorrow I’ll go back with our parents, and when you have your baby, I’ll come see you. Let me tell you, I’m quite professional at babysitting now, you’ll have to learn a thing or two from me then."
Chuxia tried her best to make her voice sound relaxed: "Okay, I’ll learn from you when the time comes."
After hanging up the phone, Chuxia sat there motionless, dazed. Sister-in-law Yin sighed and walked over to embrace her shoulders: "Alright, stop overthinking. Your cousin’s doing the right thing, she’s an adult now, you have to trust her."
Sighing, Chuxia lifted her head: "I know, I also think this is the best way. Otherwise, there will come a day when this matter will explode like a time bomb.
Even if my cousin doesn’t talk, there’s still Zhong Hongying. A few days ago, Fat Auntie was here and told my mom that Zhong Hongying’s mom visited the prison and went back to the village, telling everyone that it was my cousin who harmed Zhong Hongying, saying my cousin stole Zhong Hongying’s man and caused Zhong Hongying to go to jail.
You know, the village never lacks busybodies, so when my cousin returns, the rumors will definitely get even uglier, but for her, this is a hurdle she must get over.
No matter where she stays, she can’t avoid going back to her hometown forever. Instead of being on edge, she should face it now. When people see her changes, the rumors will die down. As for what to do afterwards, we can talk about it later."
"Yes." Sister-in-law Yin nodded, "Some things are better to let happen naturally, rather than plan too far ahead. Like me, I never thought I’d be living like this today.
Back then, I faced a lot of disdain, my own family considered me a burden. Agreeing to be Elder Wan’s housekeeper was because I really had nowhere else to go.
To be honest, I was very unwilling at the time, I thought being a housekeeper was particularly disgraceful, but stepping through it, I found that was the turning point of my fate.
So, life should be taken a step at a time, while putting in one’s efforts but not demanding too much, the quality depends largely on one’s mindset."
With Sister-in-law Yin’s guidance, Chuxia’s slight anxiety eased. Indeed, worrying for the other side accomplishes nothing, it’s better to relax and let the other party try, if things don’t work out, then find another way...
The next afternoon, Zhao Yulan, Lin Baohe, Old Master Zhao, and Old Lady Zhao hurried back. They left after sending Zhao Yushui’s family onto the train.
As expected, when Zhao Qiyan returned to the hometown, she was surrounded by rumors, naturally informed by Zhao Qihui to reassure Chuxia and the elders here.
She said Zhao Qiyan’s demeanor made her genuinely admire her — even she couldn’t be so calm, going out when needed, going to work, greeting others, and when someone intentionally tries to pry, she calmly admits, yes, she’s divorced...
"Summer, I feel Qiyan’s current personality is normal. You see, she used to be quite bold and narcissistic, then suddenly became so tolerant, which means she was really suppressing herself.
Now, it seems she’s truly figured it out — being bold when necessary but not as self-centered and unreasonable as before. Let me tell you, though there’s still unpleasant talk, some people have begun to acknowledge her.
Even matchmakers are beginning to ask what kind of person she wants to find next. Although she’s not rushing, it’s a good sign, isn’t it?"
With Zhao Qihui keeping informed, Chuxia finally felt relieved, yet suddenly recalled another issue; last time when Zhao Qihui went to A City, Zhao Qiliang specifically brought Liu Lianbao back home, not sure about the two... "Sis, can I ask you something, don’t think I’m nosy, okay?"
Zhao Qihui cheerfully said, "Go ahead."
"Sis and Commander Liu..."
Zhao Qihui chuckled, interrupting her, "I knew you were going to ask this. Don’t worry, I’ve told him, when he comes back, I want to officially be with him."
"Sis, then why didn’t you reply to his letters before?" Chuxia inquired puzzled, "I asked you and you always changed the subject, I really thought you might be involved with Wenzhang."
"Ah..." Zhao Qihui sighed, "When I went back, Wenzhang came to find me, looking quite downcast. I didn’t want to provoke him further, so I didn’t reply to Liu Lianbao’s letters.
Oh, there’s something I forgot to tell you, Liu Lianbao’s brother-in-law works at the postal bureau, now you understand?"
Chuxia asked incredulously, "Sis, does that mean Wenzhang had his brother-in-law keep an eye on your letters?"
"That’s my guess, because when I wrote to Grandpa and Grandma earlier, he knew and even asked if something happened at home."
Chuxia: "..." She was truly taken aback by the other’s pettiness, unsure of what to say...
Zhao Qihui continued, "So, what I told Liu Lianbao was from my heart, not just to placate him into having hope. As for the reason, I’ve also told him." (To be continued. If you like this piece, you’re welcome to vote for it with your recommended votes and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)