Chapter 411: 281: Joy for One Family, Sorrow for Another

Words : 2028 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

Chapter 411: Chapter 281: Joy for One Family, Sorrow for Another The first watch came. Seriously tragic, revising repeatedly just to end up retyping it all over again... —————————————– Chuxia was the first to spot Zhou Jingping and Zhou Mikang standing at the door, her eyes instantly filled with joy: “Dad...” When she got to Zhou Mikang, she hesitated not knowing what to call out, so she simply mumbled something under her breath and skipped over it, “You’re back?!” Upon hearing his daughter shout “Dad,” Lin Baohe instinctively looked up, then, with an excited face, he got up: “My dear... dear relatives, you’ve finally come back!” A stack of matchboxes got scattered all over the floor as he moved. Head bowed, engrossed in her dark thoughts, Zhao Yulan–her hands stiff with disbelief–slowly raised her head, and then promptly got up, and then thudded back onto the ground... “Mom!” “Yulan!” “Yulan!” “...” The room descended into chaos for a while, the sadness and excitement of long-awaited reunions instantly dissipating. Chuxia dashed out of the room, but Zhou Mikang grabbed her: “I’ll go find a doctor.” With those words, he quickly vanished. Zhao Yulan was revived by Lin Baohe who was pinching her philtrum. “Yulan, can you see clearly?” Lin Baohe asked while waving his large hand in front of Zhao Yulan’s face. “I’m not blind!” Zhao Yulan pushed him away, noticing everyone’s concerned expressions, she quickly forced a smile: “I just sat for too long and stood up too quickly...” she said, struggling to get up. Lin Baohe pressed her down, “Stop pretending you’re fine, just lie down honestly. Now that Big Brother Zhou and Xiao Zhou are back, you don’t need to worry anymore.” He then embarrassingly smiled at everyone, “She’s been so worried she couldn’t sleep, and got up at night to paste matchboxes, and wouldn’t listen to any persuasion. It’s nothing serious, she’s just lacking sleep.” “Oh!” Old Madam Zhou sighed deeply, stepping forward and kneeling in front of the sofa to take Zhao Yulan’s hand, “It’s our fault for causing you so much worry and fear, I won’t say any thank yous as they seem like formalities. From now on, you are Xiaomi’s parents just as he treats his own parents, and he should treat you the same. If he ever does any less, I’ll be the first to correct him!” Chuxia also squeezed in and knelt down, her face full of self-blame: “No wonder mom didn’t want to sleep in the same room as me. I didn’t think much about it. Mom, do you still feel dizzy? What would you like to eat? I’ll make it for you.” “Hehe...” Zhao Yulan laughed happily, “My daughter has really grown up, knowing how to care for others now. Without you watching over me, Mom won’t have so many worries.” “I’ve grown up a long time ago, it’s just that Mom didn’t notice,” Chuxia said before turning and heading to the kitchen. Sister-in-law Yin was there, simmering millet and red date porridge. She smiled affectionately at Chuxia, “It’ll be ready in five more minutes.” Chuxia quickly said: “Thank you, Sister-in-law Yin.” “Why so formal with me,” Sister-in-law Yin handed her a cup of warm water, “First give Yulan some water to drink. After the porridge cools down a bit, I’ll bring it over.” Chuxia thanked her and stepped out, just to see Zhou Mikang half-dragging a thin man in his forties into the room, heading straight to the sofa: “Uncle Wang, please check on my mother-in-law and see what’s really going on.” The man known as Uncle Wang steadied himself, then started breathing heavily while patting his chest. Zhou Jingping quickly went forward to help him rub his back: “Wang Jun, you really need to exercise more. Xiaomi brought you here and you’re already out of breath, how weak are you?” After catching his breath, Wang Jun irritably pointed at Zhou Jingping, then turned to Zhao Yulan, “Stick out your tongue, let me see.” He then checked her eyelids, took her blood pressure, tested her pulse, and stood up, “Staying up late combined with excessive worrying has naturally weakened your body. I suggest a thorough check-up at the hospital; the patient likely has anemia.” “I’ll go start the car, Chuxia, help Mom out,” instructed Zhou Mikang before turning and hurriedly walking out. Zhao Yulan, anxious, quickly intervened, “Xiao Zhou, wait, I’m fine, I just haven’t been sleeping or eating well, you all are back now, I will recover soon.” “Going to check will put my mind at ease,” Zhou Mikang threw out a sentence and disappeared. Seeing things were calm here, Elder Wan pulled Long Xiangjun into the study. “Damned kid!” Wang Jun pushed Zhou Jingping angrily, “Your boy seriously needs teaching. I was just enjoying tea when he stormed in like a whirlwind, grabbed my medical kit, and dragged me out, who does that?!” Zhou Jingping patted his shoulder, “I apologize on his behalf. We’ve all been that age, you have to be more understanding, right?” “Eh?” Wang Jun raised his eyebrow, “You’re back? You two actually came back?” Zhou Jingping looked at him exasperatedly, “What do you think your brain is for?” Wang Jun glared at him furiously, “I haven’t even regained my composure, and I was already dragged here by Laosan. You still have the nerve to ask what my brain is for?” “Alright, stop being petty...” “...” Zhao Yulan did not want to go to the hospital, she pushed Chuxia forward to go out and explain things to Zhou Mikang, suggesting they talk more about it in a few days. However, Lin Baohe forcibly dragged her up, “You know exactly what kind of temperament Xiao Zhou has. How could Chuxia possibly persuade him? Stop being hard on the kid, let’s go and see, it’ll put everyone at ease.” Old Madam Zhou also pushed her towards the door, “Yes, Baohe is right. We’ll be truly relieved only if we go and see for ourselves.” “Let’s go, let’s go.” Old Madam Jing also pushed her, “Being sick is not a matter to be delayed. A minor illness can turn into a major one, hurry and let’s go.” “Then how about tomorrow, these...” Zhao Yulan pointed towards the matchboxes that took up more than half of the hall, “let me pack these up before we go...” Old Madam Zhou interrupted her, “That’s not urgent, we can pack them up later.” Zhao Yulan had no choice but to relent, unwillingly and reluctantly pulled outside by Lin Baohe and Chuxia, from either side. As soon as their figures disappeared, Zhou Jingping pointed at the messy pile in the hall and asked, “What’s going on here? Is it to keep from having idle thoughts, or what?” “This time, thanks to Baohe and Yulan...” Old Master Zhou then explained in detail the events of the past few days to his son, finally summing up, “If we seriously relied on this sort of living to make money for the family, the five of us wouldn’t match up to Baohe and Yulan. This couple really knows how to handle things, and Chuxia is capable too. This family is really beyond reproach.” The ever-listening Wang Jun commented, “This kid sure has a sharp eye. To pick in the end the best one, not bad at all. A family that can endure such lows with you, you must not treat them poorly in the future.” “Do you think I need you to tell me that?” Zhou Jingping gave him a disdainful look, “Go mind your own business, stop worrying about things that don’t concern you.” “Alright, considering the fact that Xiaomi’s family has been decent, I won’t take his earlier rudeness to heart, but this isn’t over yet. Once you guys are settled, you’ll have to treat our family to a meal,” Wang Jun said as he leisurely walked out. No sooner had he left than Elder Wan and Long Xiangjun appeared from the study, “I need to go back now,” said Long Xiangjun with a nod to everyone and then left without looking back. Zhou Jingping whispered to Old Master Zhou and Old Madam Zhou, “Don’t you think his arrogant demeanor is exactly like Xiaomi’s?” The two elders glared at him in unison, how could he speak about his own son like that? “The house will be returned to you tomorrow.” Once everyone was seated, Old Master Wan looked at the Zhou father and son, “Are you going to fetch Yanqiu and the others now or tomorrow?” “Let’s go now, we can get things ready in advance and settle them down sooner,” Zhou Jingping stood up. Seeing Old Master Zhou and Old Madam Zhou also starting to rise, he stopped them, “Dad, Mom, better you don’t go. Let Xiaomi come back, and have him take Chuxia with him. Yanqiu won’t be able to settle down without seeing him.” “Alright, go ahead then.” Thinking back to how Lin Yanqiu and the others had just visited yesterday, Old Master Zhou and Old Madam Zhou briefly consulted and agreed to their son’s suggestion. ... While the Zhou family entered a countdown to return, the Xiao family naturally started their countdown to misfortune. The withdrawal of Elder Wang along with the partial inclusion of some from the Wang Faction instantly reversed the situation. The once struggling Long faction surged to become a formidable adversary to the Huang faction, now holding a decisive advantage. Xiao Bingqi distinctly felt the shift in circumstances. Top-level contests wouldn’t result in life or death, but, at his level, he was likely to become a pawn to quell disputes. The Mei father and son had always stood with the Huang faction over the years, but this time, they clearly sided with the Long faction. He thought that the betrayal of the Mei family would make the higher-ups value him more, yet, he hadn’t received the expected promotion. It was forbidden to contact the higher-ups unless it was an emergency, but he couldn’t care less about this taboo and dialed their number, only to have the person at the other end coldly tell him that the person he was looking for wasn’t there. Feeling the evident signal of abandonment, he was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Unable to wait any longer, he discreetly left the hospital despite his still healing wounds, and drove to the capital. When he arrived at the familiar residence, dust covered and exhausted three hours later, he thought it would take some effort to meet the person he wanted to see. Unexpectedly, five minutes later, he was sitting in front of their desk. Stared at by a man much younger than himself, he felt as if he was on pins and needles and unconsciously shrank back, “Young Master Huang, you know me, I... I have truly been wholeheartedly loyal.” “With wholehearted loyalty like this, you leave behind such a heap of evidence?” Huang Xinxiang threw a thick stack of documents in front of him, “I trusted you so much, and this is how you do things?” Confused, he flipped through the documents, page by page, as his heart sank deeper and deeper. Discussing this was a clear sign he was already deemed expendable! After a long silence, he looked up at the man, “I have let down your expectations. I now just want to know, who orchestrated all this?” Huang Xinxiang leaned back leisurely, “You admit that everything here is true, right?” “Yes.” With the evidence gathered so completely, how could he deny it? (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we invite you to vote and support us at qidian.com. Your support is our greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

Chapter 411: 281: Joy for One Family, Sorrow for Another

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