I Got Rich in Period Fiction-Chapter 346: We are all despicable, including myself

Chapter 346: Chapter 346: We are all despicable, including myself

The storage room had been converted to have underfloor heating, and there was a wicker chair and a tea table made from wicker in the room. It seemed that the old man often came here to sit when he had nothing to do.

Several pots of flowers were placed on the windowsill, and it had to be said that Meng Siqi was indeed good at gardening. Although it was winter, the potted peonies on the windowsill were blooming beautifully.

Qiao Qingyu and Old Lady He took a break and then went out.

Seeing that Old Lady He was heading to the kitchen without washing her hands, Qiao Qingyu quickly pulled her to the bathroom, ran hot water for her, and grabbed some soap before gently saying, "Grandma, the soil contains quite a lot of bacteria. Next time you come from the greenhouse, don’t forget to wash your hands with soap, okay?"

If Meng Siqi had said this, it would have come off as condescending, but coming from Qiao Qingyu with a smile, Old Lady He especially loved to hear it.

She quickly nodded, "I understand, I understand. Keeping clean is beneficial; your dad also always tells me that being hygienic can prolong life."

"Right, right, Grandma, you are amazing, you know so much."

Qiao Qingyu was never stingy with her kind words.

After the two had washed their hands, Qiao Qingyu took out some moisturizing cream for Old Lady He to apply. Old Lady He didn’t want to apply it, but Qiao Qingyu grabbed her hand and explained, "Spring is coming, and your hands can get very dry. Look, they are already cracking. My own grandma had the same issue, but then I left her several boxes of this cream, and now her hands are really smooth."

As she spoke, she had already finished applying the cream on Old Lady He’s hands. Old Lady He smelled it; it was indeed fragrant. She usually felt her hands tightening, but after applying the cream, they really felt more comfortable.

She glanced at her granddaughter-in-law’s beautiful face, as pretty as a flower, and her fair, delicate skin. Especially her small hands, they were very good-looking, slender and long, exquisite, just like carved white jade. She subtly checked out Qiao Qingyu’s figure, smacking her lips internally. Her grandson was indeed a lucky fellow.

At this time, He Xiuyu called his sister out of her room. After all, they were all adults now, and as her older brother, it wasn’t appropriate for him to enter her boudoir, so he called her to the study room.

After pondering a bit, he pulled out a book from the top shelf.

Then he handed it to He Juanjuan, who was looking down with a gloomy expression.

"Take a look, I remember you read this book when you were in third grade. You even wrote a lot of reading reflections on it."

He Juanjuan suddenly looked up. How could she not remember this?

Reading books—she hadn’t touched a book since graduating, let alone in the third grade. Her older brother was seldom at home; how could he remember this? He Juanjuan took the book with suspicion.

It was a book of extracurricular reading.

It contained stories of war eras, those that stirred one’s blood or touched one’s heart, revolving around revolutionary tales.

She sneered dismissively, but seeing her brother standing calmly before her, she didn’t dare to toss the book aside and could only absentmindedly start flipping through it.

The title page of the first Chapter had her name written stroke by stroke—He Juanjuan.

The childish handwriting looked a bit familiar; it was undoubtedly hers.

He Juanjuan continued to read absentmindedly.

But as she read, her expression changed, indescribably complex. She hadn’t expected that her third-grade self had such a passionate, upwardly striving, upright, and kind heart.

He Xiuyu glanced at her quietly, and after a long while said, "When you were born, your oldest brother was seven years old and already in school, I was four years old, attending kindergarten. When I came home, our family had gained a beautiful little baby."

It was the winter of 1961, times were hard. Early in the morning, big brother got up and took his tea jar to line up at the milk station. The year you were born the winter was very cold, and there were many people in line. By the time it was big brother’s turn, his hands had turned red from the cold; when he got home, he was so frozen he couldn’t speak.

He placed the tea jar on the stove and waited until the milk boiled, then poured it into a cup. He put it into the bottle only when it was the right temperature...

He Juanjuan looked up with trembling lips, staring blankly at her second brother whose tone and expression remained calm.

Her hand, resting on the page of the book, unconsciously tightened.

"...Big brother was a persistent person. He never missed a day and braved the weather for two years. He got frostbite on his hands and feet, but he said that seeing his sister smile made him extremely happy..."

He Juanjuan suddenly stood up, her eyes red with emotion. Frustrated, she exclaimed, "Stop talking!"

Then, dejectedly, she sat back down and covered her face with her hands, sobbing.

From childhood, both her elder and second brothers doted on her, giving her the best food and toys, and her big brother would pick her up from school.

On the way home, big brother carried her while the second brother carried three people’s school bags.

Later, big brother joined the special forces and the second brother went to a youth class.

Then why did the siblings grow apart?

He Juanjuan cried even harder, while He Xiuyu sat in his chair, watching his sister with a calm face.

His look was one of understanding mixed with anger.

He never used to think about it, but now, reflecting deeply, he realized the relationship between his mother and sister was probably just as intense as Qiao Qingyu had described, finding warmth and alliance.

The two of them stood united, while he, his big brother, and father each stood alone.

Hence, the situation had turned out this way.

Suddenly, He Xiuyu found himself missing Qiao Qingyu deeply, even though they were just in the same building.

Qiao Qingyu, his wife, his love, with whom he had learned about love and growth.

He Xiuyu’s gaze softened slightly; he reached out and gently ruffled his sister’s hair, but his tone was stern, "Juanjuan, although you have grown up, you still need to learn how to be a decent person, how to handle things. The road ahead is long, but in the eyes of me and big brother, you should always be that sweet and sensible little girl."

He Juanjuan remained silent, continuing to sob, unsure whether it was out of anger or shame.

However, it was undeniable that her sobs grew louder after He Xiuyu spoke those words.

He Xiuyu glanced at her, then suddenly changed the topic, "He Juanjuan, Rongrong might not hold grudges, but she has a clear sense of love and hate. What happened yesterday was truly unfair to her. All we did was offer her a meaningless apology, and yet you faced no consequence."

He Juanjuan was stunned, a wave of unease suddenly rising inside her.

Her second brother was never truly a gentle person.

He Xiuyu’s voice was calm, stating a fact, "We are bullying a child, a child without parents to stand up for her. We are all despicable, including myself."

"Yet everyone knows this truth. Father was furious, but he didn’t go through with the slap. Mother knew that Rongrong’s injuries were your doing, yet she didn’t speak a word of justice for the child."