At night, Cheng Su mentioned to Qi Taiguo that it seemed like Chen Shouwang and his wife were having trouble, possibly discussing divorce. Qi Taiguo’s brows furrowed deeply.
"These past few days, I’ve never seen Old Chen’s brow unfurled, and that’s not all. He lashed out unreasonably at a sentry, punishing him to run fifty kilometers," he said.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Su’s eyes widened in shock. "He’s taking his anger out on others," she exclaimed.
Qi Taiguo nodded in agreement. "He certainly hasn’t been fair in this," he admitted.
A good superior should keep personal and professional matters separate, not letting personal issues or emotions affect professional duties, and vice versa, not taking out work frustrations on colleagues or family members.
But Chen Shouwang had failed to do so.
"I’ll have a word with him when I get the chance," he said.
Cheng Su opened her mouth, wanting to suggest that it might be better not to get involved, to avoid thankless effort and possibly even being blamed herself.
But seeing his expression, telling him not to bother would likely be a waste of breath, so she changed the subject instead, discussing household matters and mentioning today’s extravagance, jokingly saying, "I’m afraid your mom is going to call me a spendthrift again!"
Qi Taiguo glared at her but didn’t take it to heart.
However, while Cheng Su was taking a shower, Mother Qi indeed pulled him aside into her room to criticize Cheng Su for being too extravagant and unable to save money.
"Mom, she bought clothes for you all. It wouldn’t make sense not to buy for her own family. If this gets out, no one would think it’s reasonable!" Taiguo said with a mix of laughter and frustration.
Mother Qi blushed, replying, "I didn’t mean that, nor did I ever tell her not to buy anything."
Qi Taiguo picked up a book to read.
"What I’m saying is she’s too loose with money when she’s in charge of it, with no restraint. Even a lot of money will be spent by her. What will you do when you have children in the future? Food, clothing, everything needs money!" Mother Qi said. "In my opinion, you should take care of the finances."
"Mom, we have our own way of handling things. She earns her money, why should I manage it? If that gets out, I’ll be the laughingstock, accused of controlling my wife’s money," he explained.
After hearing her son’s words, Mother Qi said, "You’re husband and wife. It doesn’t matter who manages the money, and if you don’t tell others, who would know you’re managing it?"
"Then Mom, did you let Dad manage the money? He’s the head of the family, too. All I see is you in charge, with Dad making the big decisions, and isn’t that working out well?" Taiguo retorted.
"Your father, that timid quail, is useless! If he managed the money, who knows where it would end up!" Mother Qi said sharply with a glare.
"Cheng Su and Dad are the same in my case. She’s better at math than I am, and when she manages the money, it even earns more. Besides, it’s not like she’s always this way. Isn’t it rare for you guys to come over? Should she have come back with empty hands?" Taiguo defended Cheng Su.
"You always defend her, indulging her," Mother Qi said sourly. "You’ll regret it someday. I’m telling you, a woman left unchecked for three days will cause chaos. My son, you’re the head of the family. Remember that!"
Ah, Mother Qi, you seem to have forgotten you’re a woman, too!
"Mom, what are you talking about? It’s not that serious," Taiguo said with a resigned laugh. "You can rest assured, I call the shots on the important matters," he assured her.
Mother Qi clearly didn’t believe him and muttered, "It looks to me like you’re bewitched by her, forgetting even your own name!"
Qi Taiguo shook his head, smiling.
Mother Qi wanted to bring up the issue of a grandson again as she watched him, but since Cheng Su had come out of the bathroom, she had to give up reluctantly, thinking in her heart that sooner or later, she’d have to take Cheng Su to the hospital for a checkup; there must be something wrong if there’s no grandchild yet!