Chapter 74: Young Master?

And then there were her mother and father—after twenty years, why did neither believe in her father, but instead, like outsiders, feel disgust toward him? If her mother would testify for her father, there was a chance the case could be reopened and investigated. Then, the woman who had slandered her father would be investigated again as well, but her mother kept refusing.

Thinking of this, she pressed her hand against her aching forehead. What should she do? Was she really supposed to keep waiting for Lu Yan? Or should she go to Pengcheng, rely on the Xia family to find that woman ahead of time, and hire a lawyer to overturn her father's case? Only if the case was overturned could her father's possessions be protected again within the school. For a moment, Shen Qingyi’s thoughts were a tangled mess.

She sat for quite a while before calming down. If she had a place of her own, one nobody knew about, perhaps she could hide things there for now. With this thought, she quickly turned toward the wardrobe, rummaging through another small box to find her bankbook.

She glanced at the balance: 4,805 yuan. She then counted all the cash she had, including Lu Yan’s handed-over wages: 520 yuan. Over the years, she had spent generously to avoid depriving herself and Anan, buying plenty of furniture, appliances, and clothes. Her spending had indeed been rather liberal, and her savings were less than she’d imagined—she was still far from being able to buy a house.

She suddenly remembered what Lu Caiqing had said: now that Anan was in kindergarten, perhaps she could take up that business after all.

After tallying her assets and tidying away the money, she heard movement outside the door—Lu Caiqing had returned. She called out, “Anan, I’m back! Auntie is going to make you lunch.”

After all, she couldn’t just live here for free and do nothing.

“Yay! I want beans!” Anan said happily. Shen Qingyi had indeed bought fresh green beans.

Lu Caiqing replied with a smile and headed straight for the kitchen to start lunch.

Looking at the ribs, fish, lean meat, beans, onions, and a handful of greens in the fridge, Lu Caiqing couldn’t help but sigh—such a life was truly wonderful.

She hummed tunes as she cooked.

She planned to boil rib soup; there were two pieces of dried kelp that Shen Qingyi had brought from her old home during the move. The coal stove would take hours to cook the soup, so it wouldn’t be ready for lunch—she’d serve it in the afternoon. For lunch, she made the other dishes.

When the meal was ready and served, she wiped her hands and went to call Shen Qingyi and Anan to eat.

Despite the full table, mother and son ate very little.

“Anan, eat a bit more so you can grow tall like your father!” Lu Caiqing encouraged with a smile.

“I can’t eat any more!” Anan declared, leaving the table after finishing a small bowl.

After lunch, as Shen Qingyi was about to clear the dishes, the sound of a car came from outside. Anan turned his head and, delighted, shouted to Shen Qingyi, “Mommy, Uncle Xia is here!”

Shen Qingyi put down the dishes she’d just gathered and handed them to Lu Caiqing, smiling, “My boss is here. Please put these in the kitchen for now; I’ll wash them later.”

Lu Caiqing took the dishes, surprised, “You have a boss?”

This second sister-in-law spent her days at home; she had no idea what sort of work she did.

But it wasn’t her place to ask. She carried the dishes to the kitchen and began washing them. It was only a few dishes; she wasn’t picky and had plenty of time and energy.

When she finished and came out, she saw a young, elegant man sitting on the sofa, talking with Shen Qingyi. His gestures and presence were like those of a gentleman returned from abroad in the television dramas, but he had an extra air of vigor compared to those young gentlemen. Fortunately, she saw Lu Yan every day and was used to such types; otherwise, she might have been quite overwhelmed.

Was this her second sister-in-law’s boss? He was so young. But since he was a guest, she should treat him well.

She hurried to the kitchen, grabbed a cup, poured tea, and brought it out.

Xia Xiyue accepted it politely and thanked her.

With someone else present, the conversation seemed to pause. She overheard Xia Xiyue say, “I’ll have someone look into this matter. Yangcheng isn’t far from Pengcheng—if she has any status, a simple investigation will reveal her background.”

“Thank you!”

“And about your bag design, submit a few more proposals. My sister saw them and is quite interested. She plans to add a new production line and is looking for a sample maker.”

“Alright!” Shen Qingyi responded crisply.

“You’ve got free time lately, right? Don’t drag it out too long.” Xia Xiyue felt that since Lu Yan returned, Shen Qingyi hadn’t been as dedicated to her work as before.

Shen Qingyi laughed, “You really are a cold-blooded capitalist. Look at me—moving house these past days, I finally get a chance to breathe. Can’t you be a little more humane?”

Xia Xiyue glanced around the house and found it much better than the previous one. He hesitated, “Just do your best, then.”

After that, he took out a few English picture books he’d brought and placed them in front of Anan. “Do you want Uncle Xia to read to you?”

Anan happily agreed. Xia Xiyue sat beside him, half enclosing him in his arms, and began to read each page aloud in pure English.

Shen Qingyi got up, planning to wash the dishes, but Lu Caiqing came over and asked, puzzled, “Can Anan understand?”

“When Anan first started learning to talk, he often heard my boss reading English. He said it was the golden period for language development. At first, I didn’t believe it, but when Anan started speaking fluently, his English was excellent too.”

Lu Caiqing remarked, “He really is fresh back from abroad.”

Shen Qingyi smiled faintly and said nothing more, preparing to leave, but Lu Caiqing stopped her. “I’ve washed the dishes. Go do your work!”

“Thank you!”

“No need to thank me! You city folks are always so particular—just can’t get used to it.” Lu Caiqing responded as she listened to Xia Xiyue reading words she couldn’t understand.

Shen Qingyi said nothing further. “Then I’ll go back to my room.”

Lu Caiqing, curious, pulled her aside, “What kind of work do you do for him?”

“Clothing design,” Shen Qingyi replied without hiding.

Lu Caiqing had little concept of design—did clothes really need designing? Could it make money? But it probably could; this young master looked wealthy.

After Shen Qingyi returned to her room, Xia Xiyue kept reading to Anan for a while, occasionally glancing at Shen Qingyi’s door. The only thing between them was work.

Eventually, he got up and walked to her door. “I’m heading out.”

The door opened; Shen Qingyi smiled, “Safe travels, I won’t see you out. I have to rush my draft.”

Xia Xiyue turned and left.

Once he was gone, Lu Caiqing noticed several colorful boxes on the TV cabinet—things she’d never seen before.

That evening, Lu Yan came home and went straight to the backyard to wash his hands.

Afterward, Lu Caiqing called him aside, “Second brother, a man came to the house today—very handsome. Second sister-in-law said he’s her boss.”

She felt it was necessary to mention it to Lu Yan.

Lu Yan nodded, “Yes, I know.”

After he answered, Lu Caiqing’s “very handsome” echoed strangely in Lu Yan’s mind. She rarely praised men for their looks. Without thinking, he asked, “Do women all like that type?”