The jeep drove slowly along the road, followed by a police car.
Sheng Zexi glanced at the child in the passenger seat, who was still crying silently, and frowned slightly. Was this kid really such a crybaby? Do all children cry this much?
If so, would his and Ningning’s future child also be a little crybaby?
No, definitely not.
This kid was only crying because he’d been bullied and deceived.
In the future, if anyone (except Ningning) made his child cry, he’d smash their stupid head in.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the child’s red, swollen eyes. Sheng Zexi spoke up, “Kid, why are you crying?”
Qin Tian, who had been silently shedding tears, froze for a moment before cautiously looking at Sheng Zexi.
Why was he crying?
Of course, it was because his initial suspicions had been confirmed—his parents, though working for the country, had never forgotten them or Grandma. For eight years, they had sent money home every month.
His parents still wanted them to live well.
Qin Tian didn’t answer. Sheng Zexi continued, “It’s fine to cry for a bit, but you can’t be a crybaby.”
“With your parents gone, you’re the only man in the house. You have to hold this family together.”
“If someone deceived or bullied you, you should fight back. Crying won’t help.”
“And if you’re crying because you misplaced your trust, that’s even more pointless. Is it worth crying over bad people?”
“You should be grateful that Ningning pointed this out today. Now the truth is out, and the police will deal with that person. Without Ningning, who knows how long you would’ve been kept in the dark?” He couldn’t forget to highlight his wife’s contribution, even if she might not care about such things. But Sheng Zexi did.
Today’s outcome was all thanks to Ningning.
“Wipe your tears and stop crying.” Perhaps because he was used to commanding soldiers during training, Sheng Zexi’s tone carried a hint of authority. But seeing the child’s trembling lips, he awkwardly softened his voice, imitating Gu Jianing’s gentler manner. “Things will get better from now on.”
Sheng Zexi’s words were like sunlight piercing through the clouds, dispelling Qin Tian’s sorrow and confusion in an instant.
After thinking it over, he realized Brother Sheng was right.
With his parents away, he was the only man in the house, and he really did have to support his family.
Besides, Uncle De—no, Qin De—was a bad person, so he wasn’t worth crying over.
They were lucky to have met Sister Gu and Brother Sheng, who had helped them again and again. He would remember this kindness and, one day when his parents returned, tell them all about it.
With the bad guy gone, life at home would surely get better.
Qin Tian clenched his small fists and finally stopped crying.
Out of the corner of his eye, Sheng Zexi noticed the child’s tears had dried, replaced by a look of determination. The corners of his lips curled up slightly.
…
Qin Family Home, Kaoshan Village.
After Sheng Zexi left with Qin Tian, Grandma Qin took her medicine and fell asleep again.
Qin Qing, meanwhile, cooked some coarse porridge and ate it. To pay for Grandma’s treatment, their money had long run out, and what little they had left had been exchanged for rough grain. Nowadays, the Qin family survived on coarse porridge for every meal. She offered some to Gu Jianing, but Gu declined.
For one, she wasn’t hungry. For another, coarse porridge was harsh on the throat, and Gu Jianing, being delicate, couldn’t stomach it.
Whether at home or now in the Northwest Military District with Sheng Zexi, she had never eaten it.
The two chatted idly until the sound of a car braking came from outside. Qin Qing immediately stood up.
When Sheng Zexi’s voice came from outside, Qin Qing hurried to open the door.
From a distance, Gu Jianing watched Sheng Zexi approach. Seeing him nod and then noticing the lingering redness around Qin Tian’s eyes, she roughly guessed the outcome.
As expected, the flashes from the future vision had been accurate.
…
Meanwhile, at home, Qin De was still scheming about how to coax Qin Tian into agreeing to go to Mincheng.
“Dad, hurry up and make the Qin family move out. I want to live in the big house,” Qin De’s son said between mouthfuls of braised pork.
Qin De’s wife chimed in, “Husband, when can we finally spend money without sneaking around?”
She knew her husband had money—it was just that their family had been poor to begin with, with no steady income. If they suddenly started living lavishly, eating well and dressing well, it would raise suspicions. So even eating meat had to be done in secret.
Qin De took a drag from his cigarette—a rare Daqianmen brand—and replied, “Soon, soon.”
Once the Qin family—the old woman and the two kids—were dealt with, and they moved into the Qin house, there would be no loose ends.
To be honest, the Qin De family had once been poor.
But after Qin De started pocketing the money sent by Qin Zhihong and his wife, they were no longer poor—or at least, they appeared poor on the surface while secretly enjoying new clothes and meat from time to time.
Back then, when Grandma Qin had asked Qin De to check at the post office whether Qin Zhihong and his wife had sent any money home, he went—and discovered they had. Seventy yuan a month.
Seventy yuan! Even now, Qin De’s family had never managed to save that much.
“This money might keep coming every month,” Lu Ping had muttered at the time.
And Lu Ping happened to be Qin De’s brother-in-law.
It was Lu Ping’s words that planted the idea in Qin De’s mind to embezzle the Qin family’s money.
Qin De didn’t know where Qin Zhihong and his wife had gone. He had asked Grandma Qin, but the old woman refused to say.
At the time, Qin De had gambling debts piling up, and his creditors threatened to chop off his hands and feet if he didn’t pay.
His wife had also warned him that if he didn’t come up with money, she would leave him for someone else.
So, gritting his teeth, Qin De discussed it with Lu Ping, and they decided to steal the money—splitting it between them.
One month of embezzlement led to two, then three…
Until now, eight years had passed.
At first, Qin De had been a little worried, afraid that Qin Zhihong and his wife might return and expose the scheme.
But as the years went by without any news from them, Qin De began to think—maybe the couple would never come back. Maybe this money would keep flowing in like a monthly “salary.”
So Qin De, who had initially been too nervous to spend the money freely, started using it.
Then, not long ago, Qin De had a nightmare.
In the dream, Qin Zhihong and his wife returned, discovered what he had done, and punished him severely.
Qin De woke up in terror and immediately began plotting how to handle the situation.
“If the Qin family is gone, even if Qin Zhihong comes back and suspects something, there’ll be no evidence.”
“Yes, that’s the way.”
With that, Qin De steeled himself and started planning the deaths of the three Qin family members.
Grandma Qin was old and frail—letting her “die of illness” would be easy.
But the two kids…
In the end, Qin De contacted human traffickers, fabricating a story about an apprenticeship at a wood factory in Mincheng, intending to trick Qin Tian into their hands.
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