Chapter 377

Chapter 377

"Qinghe is someone I worked hard to find, and I can't afford to drift further away from him. As you can see, he refuses to call me Dad anymore. This can't go on, can it?

So, even though you can stay at my place from now on, you'll have to pay for your living expenses.

It's five bucks a month. If you're willing to pay, you can stay at my place. If not, I'll have to ask you to move back to your own home.

You're both adults now, so think carefully about it."

He Zhifei spoke calmly, still mindful of family ties.

He didn't say anything harsh.

As soon as He Huihui heard the five bucks, she immediately wanted to object.

Sixty bucks a year was a lot—she could buy so much with that!

He Tian knew his sister's personality, so he spoke before she could: "Big uncle, we're willing to pay the living expenses. Actually, we should have paid earlier and not waited for you to bring it up. It's our fault for causing you trouble, me and my sister.

We'll start paying this month."

He Tian's attitude of taking the initiative to admit their mistake left He Huihui stunned.

What's he up to?

Why should they give them money?!

Seeing how reasonable He Tian was, He Zhifei's frustration eased somewhat: "Alright, you can go back then. I just wanted to discuss this matter with you. There's nothing else. Don't blame your big uncle, after all, this is your father's issue."

"Big uncle, don't worry, I understand." He Tian's sensible demeanor made He Zhifei feel like the boy had returned to his old self.

Before Qinghe came back, He Tian used to be like this.

He Huihui didn't manage to say a single word of refusal until He Tian took her away.

He Tian led He Huihui to the room he was currently staying in. She was fuming but knew better than to raise her voice, in case someone outside overheard.

"What do you mean, brother? Why should we…" He Huihui felt extremely wronged.

"This is Big Uncle's decision. We either pay up or leave. Do you want to leave?"

He Tian asked her calmly.

Upon hearing this, He Huihui was at a loss for words.

Of course, she didn't want to move out. It wasn't just that their own home was far from the factory; it also didn't have such good conditions.

Mom wouldn't cook for her either. If she went home, she might even have to cook for her mom. Besides, the food at home wasn't as good as here.

At the He family's place, they could have meat once a week.

That wouldn't necessarily be the case if she went back to her own home.

Most importantly, staying here allowed her to be closer to Ji Feng more conveniently. She could also keep an eye on He Wei and prevent He Wei and Ji Feng's relationship from getting better.

In short, staying here had its advantages.

Seeing that she wasn't saying anything, He Tian continued, "So, if we don't want to leave, we have to pay. If we argue before paying, Big Uncle might think we're being unreasonable. It's better to be straightforward and leave a good impression on him."

Recently, our family's impression at the eldest uncle's place hasn't been great, and we need to be more careful.

"We can't let all these years of effort go to waste."

He Huihui sighed, "I know, but I just feel resentful. Just because his son has come back, he's treating you badly. And he's treating me the same way..."

"Don't worry, things will return to normal soon. What we need to do now is stay low-key and do what we're supposed to do. The other matters will be resolved soon," He Tian said, already beginning to look forward to the plans of Grandfather and Father.

Regardless of whether Grandfather and the others succeed or fail, this matter doesn't concern him.

He would try his best to get back in the eldest uncle's good graces during this time, to restore the eldest uncle's attitude to how it was before.

"I understand. It's already like this anyway," He Huihui said dejectedly as she left. As she went out, she glanced at He Wei, who was talking with others, and felt jealousy again.

Why doesn't He Wei have to worry about these things?

Why is He Wei Uncle's daughter?

That person, He Wei...

"Dad, you should go rest too," He Zhifei said, seeing He Quan sitting with a dark face and not going back to rest, feeling somewhat worried.

"You... Sigh, Zhifei, a person must not forget their roots," He Quan said before going back to rest.

"Don't listen to Dad. When have you ever forgotten your roots? Tell me, over the years, how much have we done for your younger brother's family? Even my own family has distanced themselves from us because of our attitude toward your younger brother.

If I don't go back, my family won't come over either."

When Qi Yingying thought about her natal family, she felt even more upset.

Because Old He was so focused on her younger brother, her family didn't pay much attention to her children, and she had talked to Old He about it many times.

Then, one time, when her younger brother came over to advise Old He, He Youde overheard and beat him. Because of that incident, her family had prepared to report to the police, but Old He begged her.

She had no choice but to beg her own family as well.

In hopes of resolving the matter quietly, her family stopped interfering in their affairs from then on.

The only thing they were still willing to help with was finding the children.

They no longer asked about anything else.

They also didn't interact much with the He family.

When it came to her natal family, He Zhifei also felt awkward.

It was my fault. If I hadn’t asked Yingying to intervene, she wouldn’t have been caught in the middle and strained her relationship with her natal family.

"I know. By the way, did you tell them that our son is coming back?" He Zhifei asked her.

Qi Yingying also froze when she heard that. She had been so busy that she had forgotten.

Seeing her reaction, He Zhifei realized what had happened. "Tomorrow, we need to send a message to them. Over the years, they've been helping us look for the child. After finding him, we haven't even let them come to see him."

"I've been so busy lately that I forgot. As for going to my natal family, you shouldn't come along. I'll take Wei Wei. If you go, they won’t give you a warm welcome."

Qi Yingying still cared about her husband.

Overhearing that He Wei wouldn’t be home tomorrow, He Ming had an idea forming in his mind. "Mom, what time will you and He Wei be back tomorrow?"

"What's up this afternoon?" Qi Yingying asked, confused. Tomorrow she planned to take a day off and visit her parents' home, so naturally, she would stay a bit longer.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just wondering if we'd need to sort out dinner ourselves tonight," He Ming casually came up with an excuse, feeling that tomorrow would be a good opportunity.

Too bad his older brother and sister-in-law weren't around; otherwise, he could have asked them for advice.

"I'll be back before dinner, so don't worry. And by the way, you should drop by your older brother's place more often to keep in touch," Qi Yingying reminded her younger son, thinking of her promising older son.

This kid usually seems a bit clueless, but who knows? Maybe he's got his own kind of luck.

It looked like things were going well with the eldest too.

The next morning, early.

He Ming arrived just about on time, showing up at Wang Qinghe and Bai Xiuxiu's place around the usual time.

Over breakfast, Bai Xiuxiu and Wang Qinghe listened as He Ming explained his plan.

He Ming was practically bouncing with excitement. "Big brother, big sister-in-law, what do you think about me inviting Ji Feng over for dinner today? And maybe find a way to send second brother and the others away?"