After settling into the new house, Cheng Su bought some lamb to braise. The whole family gathered around to enjoy a hotpot, filling the cold winter with laughter and warmth.
"...Iāve been out for quite some time now, and Iāll be heading back to the old home tomorrow," Father Qi took a sip of wine and said contentedly, "With the New Year approaching, itās time to slaughter the fat pig at home and make some cured meat. Iāll send some over to you guys as well."
Father Cheng immediately replied, "In that case, Iāll go back with you tomorrow!"
Mother Qi glanced at Qi Xiaoqi in Cheng Suās arms, feeling a bit reluctant.
Seeing his wifeās look, Father Qi said, "You should go back too. Your leg hasnāt fully recovered; you need to see the bone-setting doctor for some more treatments."
Mother Qi muttered, "Itās been almost half a year."
"But youāre still not fully healed," Father Qi interjected without mercy.
Mother Qi didnāt say anything, feeling silently resentful.
When Father Qi saw she had no more words, he turned to Qi Taiguo and asked, "Can you come back to the old home for the New Year this year? Xiao Qi definitely needs to join the family registry, so they should come back once for the festival, right?"
"Itās still uncertain, letās see when the time comes," Qi Taiguo replied. "If possible, Iāll bring them back."
Father Qi nodded, "Thatās fine, if you are too busy, just let your wife bring the child back."
Cheng Su had no objections either.
Mother Qi suddenly asked, "Cheng Su, have you discussed the shop with Taiguo? Whatās the plan?"
Everyone was taken aback, including Qi Taiguo. What shop?
Cheng Su realized, "I forgot for a moment. Itās about the shop that the old man gave to Xiao Qi. I was thinking of opening a dried seafood shop there; Iāll explain it to you in detail tonight."
Opening a shop? Qi Taiguoās eyebrows furrowed slightly but he held it back.
After dinner, it was too cold in the winter, so after watching TV for a while, everyone went back to rest.
Once they returned to the guesthouse, Father Qi scolded Mother Qi, "Did you have to bring it up? Wouldnāt they talk about it themselves? You just wanted to stir things up."
Mother Qi said, "I wasnāt stirring anything, just casually asked. See, if I didnāt mention it, she wouldnāt have talked to Taiguo about it."
"Forgetting for a while is no big deal. Youāre just being meddlesome!" Father Qi gave her a sidelong glance and said, "Tomorrow you have to go back to the old home with me, donāt stay here anymore." Avoiding unnecessary trouble from the meddlesome old lady.
Mother Qi understood what he meant and glared at him in anger.
Meanwhile, over at Cheng Suās side, the atmosphere was somewhat tense. Cheng Su explained her thoughts and saw that Qi Taiguo was silent, which made her heart skip a beat.
"What, you donāt agree?" she asked with a smile.
Qi Taiguo glanced at her and said, "Xiao Qi is still young, youāre still in college, and you have other businesses to manage. Where will you find time to handle that shop? Besides, the shop is in Guangcheng; it would take two days by train."
Cheng Su said, "Iāve considered all of this. I plan to open the shop and definitely hire people to run it. My uncle Cheng Zhi or Jianguo can keep an eye on things from time to time. Especially Jianguo, heās a college student; he can handle accounting, right? If not, I can borrow people from the Cheng family!"
"But that would mean owing favors!" Qi Taiguo sighed, "Favors should be minimized if possible; repaying them is the hardest thing."
"Actually, weāre not worried about food or drink now. You have a lot on your plate. Keeping the shop for a couple of years or renting it out isnāt a bad idea. At the very least, wait until you finish your studies before doing it; by then, Xiao Qi will be two or three years old!" Qi Taiguo suggested tactfully.
"So, youāre saying you donāt agree?" Cheng Su frowned and said.