Chapter 8

The airport in Nandu City is not particularly close to the city center. At this moment, it is deep night, and the traffic conditions are exceptionally good. Half an hour later, Qi Yu appeared in her own living room. The journey was too short, and Qi Yu had not yet had the chance to finish discussing the details of Wang An'an's wedding with her sister.

Qi Guangyao is getting older, and his daily habits are quite good, going to bed early and rising early. Today, he stayed up late waiting for his youngest daughter to return. At this moment, seeing that his daughter is safe and sound, the excitement gradually fades, and fatigue slowly emerges: "Then let's rest early, we can talk tomorrow."

Since their father remarried when Qiu Yu and Qiu Rou were already adults, it was indeed impossible for them to address her as "mother," and they truly regarded her as their elder.

"Xiao Yu." Qi Rou smiled as she embraced her younger sister

The furnishings in the house remained unchanged, with the clock still hanging on the wall above the dining table. Qi Yu glanced around and suddenly realized that it was already 1:00 AM.

Li Zewen sat upright in the back seat, lightly tapping his leg with his fingers, and said: "She has never been a person who is curious about others, but once she becomes curious, she will find ways to get to the bottom of it"

Over the years, the economic situation of the Xi family has not been particularly good. The two daughters have brought considerable financial pressure, and later, when Xi Yu's mother fell seriously ill, the family spent a lot of money on her treatment. Not long after, Xi Rou got married. Her husband, Li Yufei, is of good character and appearance, but he carries a heavy family burden, as his parents still live in the countryside. He works as a police officer, a job that is meaningful but offers a modest income. The young couple has little money and can only continue living under the same roof as his parents—fortunately, the house is large enough to accommodate everyone.

Zhou Yi diligently acted as a good driver throughout the journey, not uttering a single word. At this moment, seeing Li Zewen's serious expression, he could not help but inquire about the reason.

What happened?

"Why are you buying so many things?" Qi Rou was taken aback; there was not a single inexpensive item in Qi Yu's box.

The contradictions within great powers will never see a day of alleviation, Professor Tian's situation can be roughly inferred by Li Zewen to be about eighty to ninety percent accurate—however, he has never considered his inferences to be facts, as information is always better when abundant.

Good, good, good

The house of the Xi family has been around for some years, having been allocated over ten years ago when Xi Guangyao was serving at a middle school that took advantage of policy loopholes to renovate. It is quite spacious, measuring over 100 square meters. The father and Aunt Fang occupy the master bedroom, while the elder sister and her husband reside in the secondary bedroom. Little Li Wuyang is almost four years old and has already been given his own bed, so the family has arranged a bedroom for him, leaving the remaining room as a study. Both the father and daughter of the Xi family are educators and have high expectations for a quiet study.

Home is home, even if I haven't returned for several years. Just the thought of my family being inside fills my heart with a sense of fulfillment. Qi Yu closed his eyes and lay down on the bed, falling asleep within a few minutes

In the span of three and a half years, there has been no change at home; the furniture and appliances remain the same. My sister and brother-in-law's son, Li Wuyang, has already fallen asleep, and Fang Hui could no longer hold on and fell asleep half an hour ago, but Qi Guangyao is still waiting in the living room for his daughter to return

Although they often see each other in videos and are well aware of each other's heights and weights, the feeling of actually hugging a loved one is truly wonderful. When she was young, Qi Yu's family faced housing shortages, and she shared a bedroom with her sister. The two sisters slept on a bunk bed for ten years, until they finally moved to a larger house and had separate rooms.

Although Li Zewen is in the country, most of his contacts are abroad. His primary means of communication with the outside world remains traditional email. He spent over ten minutes composing an email, which he sent to several of his assistants and friends in the United States

"When you need money, remember to live within your means," said Qi Guangyao with a serious expression. He felt very happy to see his youngest daughter return home, but having been an educator all his life, he was accustomed to teaching others. As soon as he spoke, he offered earnest advice as a seasoned individual, feeling uneasy if he didn't say a few words to his daughter.

She prepared gifts for everyone in the family, including two of the latest smartphones, an expensive model ship for the children, and skincare products for her sister and Aunt Fang, filling an entire suitcase.

Fang Hui is a traditional Chinese good wife, diligent and capable, proficient in household chores, and an excellent cook. She manages the home impeccably, with clothes in the cabinets clean and neatly arranged. She is also devoted to her husband's two daughters, having raised the young girl Li Wuyang single-handedly. Despite being such a wonderful woman, she has faced misfortune and a difficult fate; she endured domestic violence from her husband in her youth and only managed to divorce him with great difficulty. Tragically, her only daughter passed away in an accidental incident.

Li Yufei reached out and pulled over Qi Yu's suitcase, smiling brightly: "What polite words are there among family? Let's go home"

A four-room, two-living-room house may seem spacious, but with three generations of five people living together, the per capita area is relatively average. For Qi Rou, who has already started a family and has children, living under the same roof with her parents is also a reluctant choice

Qirou's husband, Li Yufei, is tall and handsome, and he is a proud people's police officer currently serving as a police officer in the security team of the municipal branch. The work of grassroots police officers is extremely busy, with no holidays or breaks. Over the past few years, during video calls with her sister, she has hardly seen him. Almost every time she asks, "Where is my brother-in-law?" Qirou can only respond with the two keywords: "working overtime" or "on a mission"

After a hug that lasted for a full minute, Qi Rou patted her sister's shoulder and said with a smile, "Meet your brother-in-law"

The airplane arrived punctually at Nandu Airport. When Qi Yu appeared at the entrance of the arrival hall with his suitcase, the time had already reached the next day, having passed 12:30.

Zhou Yi is not familiar with these matters in the academic circle, but still dutifully inquires: "What do you need me to do?"

Li Zewen nodded slightly, his expression becoming somewhat clearer

Oh, that's right

In recent years, the couple has saved some money, and with the support of Qi Yu's father, they made a down payment a few months ago to purchase a small two-bedroom apartment, which is currently under renovation after the handover.

Only then did Xi Yu begin to notice the presence of her brother-in-law, and she smiled shyly: "Brother-in-law, thank you for coming to pick me up"

Based on his understanding of Qi Yu, he was well aware that she must have alternative means; otherwise, she would never have so easily let Cheng Yin go— as for what happens next, we shall wait and see

Xi Guangyao looked at his daughter's confident face and felt that there was no way to persuade her.

"I didn't spend too much money," Xi Yu said with a wave of his hand, "You all didn't come to my graduation ceremony, so I should bring a little gift."

Still uncertain, there is too little relevant information. Li Zewen rubbed his brow, his expression slightly darkened

Xi Yuchong rushed up and gave his father an excited hug: "Dad, I'm back."

Zhou Yi glanced at Li Zewen in the rearview mirror and said, "She is back in the country for quite a long time this time; we could actually ask her for her contact information while she is here."

Xu Rou is as her name suggests, with a gentle and soft character. In her childhood, she always spoke in a soft voice. After becoming a teacher in adulthood, she never raised her voice even when speaking to unruly children. Now, as a mother, she is even more gentle, akin to water.

Xu Yu has not returned home for many years, and there is no room for her in the house. This time, her place to stay is the study. The study is not large, with bookshelves lining all four walls, filled with books. In the middle of the room, a single bed has been set up temporarily, with brand new sheets and blankets that exude the fresh scent of dryness after being sun-dried, which must have been prepared by her sister just a few days ago

The two sisters had not seen each other for a full three and a half years. At this moment, seeing each other again, it was truly an indescribable excitement. She jumped up and down like a child while hugging her sister, saying: "Sister, I am so happy!"

Xi Guangyao was certainly very excited, but the dignity of a father remained intact. He looked his daughter up and down and found her in good spirits, her cheeks full. Satisfied, he reached out and patted his daughter's shoulder, saying, "It's good to be back"

Due to the effects of jet lag, when I woke up, it was already noon the next day. In order to welcome Qi Yu home, Fang Hui prepared a large table of dishes—Qi Yu was completely stuffed, and this was also because she was feeding the little friend Li Wuyang while eating.

Xi Rou smiled and said, "You don't know, two weeks ago, Aunt Fang was already preparing the food you like to eat"

Xu Yuxin felt a warmth in her heart, remembering her preferences so well, which must have been a challenge for Aunt Fang

Li Zewen did not comment directly: "She should have connections to verify a person's basic information"

Zhou Yi nodded. He could not be of any assistance regarding Li Zewen's matters abroad, so he changed the subject: "Was that girl just now your student in the United States?"

Xi Guangyao is simply amusing: "Why don't you take a look at what time it is? Let's do it tomorrow."

Xi Yu set the little friend Li Wuyang down from his knee: "That's right, that's right, come and get your gift."

Dad, I bought you a gift in America. " Qi Yu said proudly as she prepared to get her suitcase

He is the assistant to Li Zewen's father, one year younger than Li Zewen, and very capable. During Li Zewen's return to the country, there have been many matters to attend to, as Peking University is in the process of establishing a new college, which is quite complex. Although the college temporarily assigned a secretary to him, the secretary was not very easy to work with. Therefore, Li Zewen's father temporarily assigned one of his trusted subordinates to assist his son in his work.

After the death of his wife due to illness, someone introduced Fang Hui to the widower Qi Guangyao. She is a gentle middle-aged woman, and although she is a stepmother to Qi Guangyao's two daughters, Fang Hui devoted all her enthusiasm to the Qi family

After midnight, there were fewer flights arriving at the airport, and Qi Yu immediately spotted her sister standing at the exit of the arrival hall.

She will return to Beijing soon

After seeing off Qi Yu, the smile that had been on Li Zewen's face completely vanished. He took out his phone and began to send emails

If it is said that Qi Rou still lives under her father's wing, Qi Yu has already become completely independent. As the younger sister, she had little financial connection with her family during her undergraduate studies, and the scholarships she received each year were sufficient to cover her daily expenses. In this situation, the Qi family has no grounds to criticize her spending—especially since this box of gifts was purchased for the family.

As long as you like it. Fang Hui smiled gently

Little Li Wuyang also nodded in agreement: "Indeed, Grandma often says, 'Little Yu likes this the most.'"

Aunt Fang's culinary skills are truly remarkable. Xu Yu, gently ruffling the short hair of the little boy Li Wuyang, sincerely remarked, "I haven't had such delicious food in many years."

Xu Yu is actually putting on a brave face. Although she receives a scholarship of 2,000 yuan from the school every month, the cost of living in Boston is high, and the apartments near the school are extremely expensive, with rent alone costing 1,200 yuan each month. This leaves her with only 800 yuan of disposable income, and she still has to pay for insurance. She can be considered extremely frugal, avoiding travel and entertainment, and trying to cook for herself as much as possible, leading a life that revolves around her studies and home. At most, she can save about 200 yuan each month—however, her luck is better than that of the average person, as she often encounters unexpected situations every few months, resulting in additional expenses. Therefore, during her first three years in the United States, she was unable to save a single cent. Now, she still has money to buy gifts for her family, mainly thanks to the time she spent at sea. During those months, she sublet her apartment and did not incur any expenses in Antarctica, thus saving over 10,000 yuan.

The salary in our laboratory is quite good, Dad, no need to worry. Xu Yu, like every student wandering away from home, only reported good news and not the bad, and did not mention that this job might not be secure.

Ah? Didn't you just get home?

The two characters "home" carry the warmest feelings in the world

Sister

Should I help her with that

I need to understand the situation regarding Professor Tian

Xi Yu smiled and pointed to the room, saying: "Aunt Fang and I tidied up the room yesterday, you can take a shower and then go to sleep."