Chapter 255: Gone, All Gone – Daily Gossip in the Courtyard of the Sickly Young Aunt

Chapter 255: Gone, All Gone—The Sickly Young Aunt’s Drama-Filled Daily Life in the Compound

After being angered by Zhou Qin that day, Old Man Zhou couldn’t shake off his discomfort no matter how much he thought about it.

Later, something else happened that left him fuming mad.

The factory had distributed Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to every employee, allocated according to salary grades. Although the three members of their family held relatively low positions, they all had jobs, so the combined festival gifts they received were quite substantial.

But Zhou Qin, that ungrateful wretch, always managed to push the limits of his father’s patience.

When Zhou Qin saw Qin Xianglian playing the helpless victim in front of him, his heart softened again. Before even bringing his share of the gifts home, he handed all of them to her.

"Sister Lian, you can have my portion!"

"Are you sure? What if..." Qin Xianglian lowered her head. "What if your wife objects?"

"Why should you care about her? My decisions aren’t up for debate." Zhou Qin was a domineering macho man who wouldn’t tolerate his wife contradicting him in public.

"Thank you so much, Zhou Qin~" Qin Xianglian spoke, her gaze hooking into him like a fishing line.

Zhou Qin was putty in her hands, wishing he could give her everything he had—except he’d already emptied his hands at the moment.

Truthfully, Qin Xianglian still felt a bit grudging, but she knew better than to even think of taking the shares belonging to Wang Qiaomei and Father Zhou.

Even if she took them now, they’d likely be snatched back in a fuss later. Still, she couldn’t help itching for more.

"I’ll make sure Su Dazhuang and Er Zhuang properly thank you, Uncle. If it weren’t for you, our family might have..." Qin Xianglian trailed off, her voice tinged with sorrow.

"Sister Lian, don’t be sad. You’ll have your share soon enough. Just wait—I’ll go home and bring you more." Unable to bear her sadness, Zhou Qin immediately promised.

Qin Xianglian ducked her head, but she grinned ear to ear.

"Really, trust me. I’ll go home right now and get more for you." Thinking she doubted him, Zhou Qin kept reassuring her.

"Zhou Qin~ I take your word for it. Thank you so much." Qin Xianglian spoke with overflowing gratitude.

"Pshh, it’s nothing! Our family has *plenty* of these festival gifts." Zhou Qin pretended to be generous.

If Father Zhou and Wang Qiaomei had been there, they probably would’ve blown their tops. What did he mean by "plenty"? Where exactly was this "plenty" coming from?

Could he stop spouting nonsense with a straight face?

Qin Xianglian’s lips twitched slightly, but to maintain her image in front of Zhou Qin, she held back.

Zhou Qin was true to his word. Once home, he began turning the place upside down.

Neither Father Zhou nor Wang Qiaomei had expected such a thieving family member. Though their belongings were stored properly, they weren’t hidden—everyone in the family knew where they were, making it all too easy for Zhou Qin.

Father Zhou hadn’t retrieved his festival gifts yet, but Wang Qiaomei had gotten hers earlier.

Since Wang Qiaomei had only recently started working, her share was smaller—about a third less than Zhou Qin’s. Zhou Qin took all of it and gave it to Qin Xianglian.

He figured his father’s portion was larger than his and his wife’s combined, only about a quarter less. In his mind, it wasn’t a big difference, so his family would still have enough with just his father’s share.

Admittedly, all this reasoning was likely just wishful thinking.

Qin Xianglian had only wanted to take a shot but was surprised to actually receive more. Without delay, she took everything home. Mother Su had been watching and immediately stashed them away the second she walked in.

When Wang Qiaomei came back, she found Zhou Qin lounging around like royalty and asked, "Zhou Qin, where are the festival gifts you brought home?"

Zhou Qin froze for a second, then said casually, "Oh, you mean the holiday gifts? I gave them away."

Wang Qiaomei's eyes went wide. "What? You gave them away? To whom?" Her voice grew louder with each question.

Zhou Qin set his jaw and retorted, "I gave them away, that's all. Why's it your business?"

"I'm your wife! Shouldn't you at least tell me before giving them away?"

"What's there to say? As my wife, you should just listen to me." Zhou Qin genuinely believed this—wives should obey their husbands. Once the man of the house made a decision, how could the wife argue?

Wang Qiaomei was breathing hard, truly furious. "Tell me, did you give them to that east wing widow again?"

Zhou Qin's eyes shifted, avoiding a direct answer. "I just gave them away, that's all."

"Hmph!" Wang Qiaomei didn’t bother arguing further and took off.

Zhou Qin froze for a second before realizing—Wang Qiaomei was gonna start something. No, this wouldn’t do! He quickly chased after her.

"Qin Xianglian, you no-good bitch, come out! Come out right now!" Wang Qiaomei started hammering on the door of the east wing.

The Su family seemed to have anticipated her arrival—the door was tightly shut, dead quiet inside.

"What are you doing? They're not home. Why are you banging on the door?"

"Hmph!" Wang Qiaomei wasn’t buying that for a second. Besides, it was mealtime—how could the Su family be out?

"Come out, you wretch! Give back my family’s holiday gifts!"

Wang Qiaomei started cursing up a storm, but the room remained silent.

Zhou Senior returned home carrying his holiday gifts.

Seeing his daughter-in-law raising hell at the Su family’s door in the east wing, he didn’t even need to think—his no-good son must have done something again.

"Daughter-in-law, what’s going on here?"

"Thank god you're here, Dad! You wouldn’t believe it—Zhou Qin gave all his holiday gifts to that no-good bitch Qin Xianglian!"

"What? He gave all his gifts away?" Zhou Senior shot daggers at Zhou Qin.

"Yeah! When I asked him just now, he said he gave them away." There was no need to ask who—it was obvious. It had to be that Qin woman.

"You no-good brat, I’ll beat you to death!" Zhou Senior set the gifts down at his doorstep, took off his shoe, and started swinging.

Zhou Qin started ducking and weaving while the rest of the courtyard ate it up, enjoying the spectacle.

Zhou Senior was seeing red. These Mid-Autumn Festival gifts weren’t cheap—even the smallest share from their factory cost at least five yuan. Zhou Qin had worked there for years, and with his seniority and rank, his share was nothing to sneeze at!

And this damn fool had given it all away! He didn’t have a clue how hard life was!

Then, Zhou Senior suddenly realized things might be worse than he thought. "Daughter-in-law, go check if the gifts you brought home the other day are still there."

Wang Qiaomei froze, then rushed back inside to search.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The pile of gifts that had been there earlier was completely gone.

Wang Qiaomei came charging back out, livid.

"Dad, they’re gone. All of them."

Zhou Senior was too mad to even talk. "You no-good brat, I'll skin you alive!"