Chapter 23 – Stirring Up Trouble Openly

Chapter 23 - Stirring Up Trouble Openly

Xiao Jiliang hadn’t noticed anything unusual about the three children.

In the morning, she had bought a piece of meat, a block of tofu, and eight eggs. Now, the tofu and meat were gone, and only two eggs were left. The coarse grains in the kitchen were untouched, but a significant amount of fine flour and refined rice had been used up.

When she opened the oil container, she was so angry she nearly lost it.

"Damn brats, they used up half my oil. I'll buy rat poison tomorrow and finish them off!"

Grumbling angrily, Xiao Jiliang took the remaining two eggs and made egg soup, then hurriedly made some flatbreads.

The moment the food hit the table, the three starving children reached their hands toward the basket.

Xiao Jiliang was quick to react, slapping their small hands with her chopsticks.

"Are you dying? Are you starving ghosts come back to life?"

"Ah~, Grandma, it hurts…."

Tears welled up in Zhao Feng’s eyes as she quickly pulled her hand back.

Zhao Long and Zhao Hu glared at their grandmother with pure hatred.

Xiao Jiliang scolded the three children thoroughly before finally picking out some flatbreads from the basket and handing them to the children.

She had to teach these brats who’s boss. How dare they defy her?

Su An had no clue what was going on outside. Deciding it was time, she closed her book and fell asleep.

The next day, when she woke up, there was no one at home. It seemed the old Xiao woman had taken the children to the hospital again.

Su An tidied up and went to the kitchen. All the food had been locked up.

Eyeing the old lock on the cabinet, she gathered her strength and kicked it.

With a loud bang, the old cabinet door splintered apart.

The contents inside were quite plentiful, including a large bag of red dates and peanuts.

Remembering that she needed to get the family registry from the Su family that day, and not wanting Su Jianjun and Ji Qingqing to notice anything, she quickly came up with a plan.

She made herself a bowl of noodles and took out the red dates and peanuts.

When she arrived at the Su family’s house, Su Lei was rushing out with his schoolbag. Seeing Su An, he didn’t look up or greet her, just ran downstairs.

Looking back, she saw Su Bai from the second branch waiting below.

A smile appeared at the corner of Su An’s mouth. Ji Qingqing hadn’t noticed yet; she was quite carefree.

"Oh, An An is back?"

"What’s in those big and small bags? Did you buy something for your parents?"

Su An turned around to see Liu Huilan, her second aunt, approaching.

"Second Aunt, so free to be out and about so early?"

Catching sight of Ji Qingqing and Su Jianjun coming forward from inside the house, Su An spoke with hidden meaning, "Second Aunt, you're really living the life. You don’t look like a grandma at all! Someone takes care of your grandchild, someone cleans the house, and you get rice and money every month."

"Auntie sure has had a good life. Look at how well-nourished she is. If I stood next to my stepmother, people might think she's your mother. No wonder Grandma likes to live with you."

"As for my cold-hearted father, it's no wonder Grandma doesn't like him."

Su Jianjun, who had just walked out.......

Ji Qingqing........

Liu Huilan wore an awkward smile. "An An, you're really joking."

"How old is Grandma? What can she do now? Anyway, you guys should go inside. I need to head home and wash the dishes."

Ji Qingqing, forcing a smile while looking at the large bags Su An was carrying, asked, "An An, you're back? Where's Daxing?"

Su An dumped the bags into Ji Qingqing's arms. "Your son-in-law is doing his filial duty for you."

Ji Qingqing and Su Jianjun exchanged a glance, their suspicion fading, their smiles becoming warmer.

"Come on in."

"Where's Daxing?"

Su An, without a hint of embarrassment, said, "He's swamped. He went out right after we returned yesterday and will probably be busy for at least another week."

"I've come back for some serious matters. First is the residency registration. Zhao Daxing couldn't make it, so he asked me to handle the transfer."

"The second matter is about a job."

Ji Qingqing, about to say something, swallowed her words and looked at Su An eagerly.

"Is there any progress with the job?"

Her eyes then turned suspicious. "You're saying this, but you were ready to strangle me yesterday."

Su An raised an eyebrow. "They asked you to come and see him in a week about the job."

Su Jianjun asked, "So it's settled?"

"How would I know if it’s done? He just told you to go see him."

Su An, as if thinking of something, openly stirred the pot without any hesitation, her gaze unflinching as it rested on Ji Qingqing.

"Dad, even if the job comes through, I hope you think carefully. Su Lei is still young. No matter how much you dislike me and my brother, we are still your biological children. If you give the job to my stepmother, you might as well give it to my brother directly."

"First, this job came from me getting married. Second, a stepmother is still a stepmother. No matter how much she pretends in front of you, she'll always favor her own child. Just like how she took the school placement I had and gave it to Su Jiao. She's getting older now, and maybe soon she’ll retire, passing the job to Su Jiao. Although Su Jiao has taken the Su surname, her blood is still from the Guan family. If she marries off with the job, you'll end up with nothing."

Ji Qingqing's expression stiffened, and the suspicion in her eyes immediately vanished.

Gritting her teeth, she said, "An An, there's no need for you to worry about this. As a married-out daughter, you're overstepping. What do you mean by saying I only care about my own children? It was your father who agreed to the school placement!"

"Besides, I'm still young. I won't be retiring anytime soon. By the time I do, Su Lei will be all grown up."

"Jianjun, say something. You know best what kind of person I've been all these years."

Su Jianjun, with a dark expression, said, "Okay, okay. Don't worry about the family matters. Focus on living a good life with Daxing and have a child soon."

"Your brother is doing well working in the mine. With three incomes in the family, isn't that good?"

Su An's eyes flashed with sarcasm. The things she said were merely to distract them so she could take the household registration.

She glared at her heartless father, who really lived up to his reputation as a despicable man who sacrificed his own children to pave the way for his "white moonlight."

"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. Whatever, it’s up to you. Maybe when I charm Zhao Daxing into a good mood one day, I'll get him to arrange a position for your brother. Just don’t come asking for anything else after that."

Ji Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, your father and I both have jobs. If you can pull that off, it would be a blessing for your brother."

Her eyes quickly scanned the peanuts and red dates on the table. We’re close to getting the job, but it’s not finalized yet.

She said with a pained expression, "Wait for me. I’ll get the household registration book for you now. Also, we fried some round pastries at home, so take some back for your mother-in-law to try."