Chapter 003: The Seven Wheels and the Colorful Moon Compete for Brilliance (Part One)

As the night grew late, Old Man Qiu glanced at his two daughters-in-law and his two grandchildren below. The others appeared weary, struggling to maintain a formal posture, while only Qiu Ci, carefree and untroubled, lay sprawled on the table, fast asleep.

Although Mr. Qiu is no longer young, and despite his adherence to etiquette and his emphasis on appropriate behavior to set a good example for the younger generation in the family, at this moment he clearly could not care less about such decorum. He called softly for over ten times, yet Qiu Ci ignored him completely, forcing him to resort to shouting.

Good night, everyone must be tired now, go to sleep. "Old Master Qiu said with a smile.

The autumn wind cheerfully said, "Dad, look at what you said. Alright, you come and hug me, I will go back with my elder brother first."

Old Master Qiu raised his eyelids slightly and said in a nonchalant tone, "Do you think I am so old that I can't even hold my own granddaughter?"

"What do you think should be done about the crisis in the restaurant?" Old Master Qiu shifted the topic, thinking that as long as Qiu Ci said a few words, he would pretend not to know that she had dozed off during the family meeting.

Awakened by a shout, Qiu Ci's large eyes were filled with mist. She turned her head around in confusion, noticing that everyone was staring at her in a daze. Suddenly, she jolted, her body straightening rigidly in the chair, as she made an effort to appear attentive and deep in thought.

The autumn clouds and autumn winds exchanged glances, nodding to their respective wives. Tang Jiangping and Cai Xiaodai each stood up with their children and walked to the front of Old Master Qiu. Tang Jiangping spoke first: "Good night, Dad"

Old Master Qiu weakly waved his hand and said again, "Everyone go back to sleep. Sitting here any longer won't yield a good solution. Perhaps after a good night's rest, we will come up with something. Everyone, please leave."

"Dad, your health..." Qiu Feng said with concern.

Are you awake, Qiu Ci? The old man of autumn has begun to call names

"Have you woken up?" Old Master Qiu asked gently

"What crisis?" Qiu Ci appeared even more bewildered, her pink lips slightly parted, looking quite innocent

Good night, Xiaoxue!

Qiu Yun stood up and said, "Father, please take a good rest". Old Master Qiu nodded, watching the two of them leave through the door

Did grandpa disturb your sleep? How about we postpone this meeting to another day and let you get a good night's sleep, alright? The old man Qiu heard her speak frankly about just having been asleep, and even the excuse he had found for her was disregarded, which made him unable to suppress his irritation and ask.

"Alright, alright," Qiu Ci responded happily.

Everyone present fell silent, and Old Master Qiu's face darkened. He said with a slight tremor, "The crisis of interrupted supply of ingredients for the family restaurant is imminent; the stock of ingredients will soon be depleted. What do you suggest we do?"

Good night, Grandpa! Qiu Wen and Qiu Wu said in unison.

Qiu Ci is not joking; her way of thinking has always been to seize what is lost. She has consistently implemented this approach. Unfortunately, everyone present believes she is joking, thinking that Qiu Ci is either arrogant due to her favored status or still not clear-headed after a serious illness. In short, no one takes her seriously.

Qiu Yun turned to look at his younger brother Qiu Feng beside him, and his gaze inadvertently swept over the empty seat. He sighed inwardly, thinking that if the third brother had not died, he would at least be a colonel in the Allied forces by now, and perhaps they would not be so helpless.

Old Master Qiu was taken aback, completely unprepared for her audacity to cheer. He intended to scold her a few times, but upon seeing her pair of bewildered, misty eyes gazing at him, he found himself unable to utter the harsh words.

Cai Xiaodai nudged Qiu Xue, "Xiaoxue, say goodnight to Grandpa and the *picture* book Grandpa."

It's simple, if there's nothing left, just go and grab it! The autumn words are relentless until death, as a matter of course.

Old Master Qiu helplessly closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he simply pressed down on Qiu Ci's hand, signaling her to sit down, and then he no longer paid her any attention. He did not expect Qiu Ci to come up with any constructive suggestions, so he did not feel disappointed. In fact, Old Master Qiu was equally at a loss; even though he had countless brilliant plans and remedies in his mind, he could only sigh in despair when faced with the tactics of the Hill Restaurant and the Aaron Restaurant, which had directly cut off the supply of ingredients.

Others wiped their sweat again. Could this young lady not hear that the old man was speaking ironically? Ignorance is truly bliss! Everyone felt a sense of emotion. Only Qiuci would dare to say such words in front of the old man; if it were anyone else present, they would have likely been scolded mercilessly by the old man and subjected to family discipline.

Qiu Xue smiled sweetly at Grandpa Qiu in the morning and said, "Good night, Grandpa"

The girl on the table showed no response, seemingly truly asleep, with her breathing even becoming somewhat louder.

Old Master Qiu felt a sense of emotion; at such a critical moment, everyone in the family felt as heavy as a mountain, yet she was able to sleep soundly. It seems that this little granddaughter is quite an open-minded person

"Father, we have yet to discuss a solution," Qiuyun reminded, as the eldest son of the Qiu family, he clearly bore more responsibilities. Unfortunately, the influential figures he had sought to please and befriend had turned their backs on him at this critical moment, unwilling to offer any assistance. However, this was to be expected, as no one wished to offend the five great families of Ninas.

Regarding Qiu Ci, the old gentleman feels both pity and affection. Ever since the passing of his third son and daughter-in-law, this child has become withdrawn, often remaining silent for months on end. Last month, he suddenly developed a high fever, and it was almost certain he would die, yet by some miraculous turn of fate, he survived. The old gentleman laments that the spirits of his third son and daughter-in-law must be watching over him, which has only deepened his love for Qiu Ci

After Tang Jiangping and Cai Xiaodai left with Qiu Wen, Qiu Wu, and Qiu Xue, Qiu Feng got up and walked towards Qiu Ci, who was soundly asleep with her head resting on the table, intending to carry her back to the bedroom. The old man spoke up: "You all go back, I will carry Qiu Ci."

"Let’s call it a day. You all should go back and get some sleep." Old Master Qiu finally spoke up; it was already late at night, and if the adults were not sleeping, the children should also go to bed

In response to the autumn poem, she still harbored a one percent chance of hope, perhaps the question was not directed at her

"Grandfather, I'm fine; I just had a good sleep." Having already been called out, Qiu Ci stood up very straightforwardly to admit that he had been sleeping just now

"Do you really want your grandfather to carry you back to your room?" Old Master Qiu said softly, looking at the dark hair sprawled over the marble table.

Upon realizing this, Old Man Qiu felt that his tone had been too harsh just now, and he softened his voice to ask: "Are you feeling unwell? Would you like to rest for a while?"

However, what the Qiu family found strange was that ever since Qiu Ci recovered from a serious illness last month, her temperament had changed completely. Previously, Qiu Ci was timid like a little white rabbit, especially in such a serious and oppressive situation, where she would shrink in her chair, listening intently with fear and trepidation. How could she now be sprawled on the table, sleeping soundly without a care?

In the conference hall, there were only the discussions of the two restaurant managers, Mr. Qiu and Qiu Yunqiufeng. They listed various methods and proposed many measures, all of which were ultimately rejected. The topic returned to the original key issue— the supply of ingredients

Everyone present let out a sigh of relief; this is how it should be. It was clear that the old gentleman was reluctant to scold Qiu Ci, and indeed it turned out to be so