Jian Ming laughed awkwardly, "Look at this old face of mine, only you don’t despise it. I used to be a handsome young man, but now, I’m old and no one wants me anymore. The wrinkles on my face can scare people to death, who would even give me a second glance? I’m just trying not to embarrass you by walking with you, otherwise, why would I need to buy any clothes? Wearing my son’s old clothes would suffice. Besides, it’s all for supporting Xiang Nuan’s event. My friends have said they will all go there to buy clothes, isn’t our daughter-in-law capable?"
"That’s for sure, not to mention whose son brought her into our family," Li Qiuhua was very proud of this. Not only did she give birth to two successful sons, but she also has an extremely capable and beautiful daughter-in-law. In her life, although there was not much to boast about, in her old age, she can indeed be proud in front of her group of sisters.
Of course, Jian Ming is not one to speak sweet words, but saying this made Li Qiuhua very happy and willing to dress her husband both handsomely and stylishly. Although they are both in their forties or fifties, they look as if they are in their thirties when they go out, and she is also quite youthful.
Just right, it happened - a few friends gathered to play mahjong and talk, and the conversation turned to daughters-in-law. Mrs. Song was also there, and through others, got to know Li Qiuhua. Actually, most of these people knew each other, and even if not, knowing the names and having seen each other was normal.
"Qiuhua, does your daughter-in-law have any new clothes lately? I want to go check them out, I need to buy some clothes again."
A card-playing friend asked Li Qiuhua during the game. These people are all leisurely and wealthy; ordinarily, they don’t do much except indulge in food and entertainment. Not spending money to dress themselves up would be foolish, especially those with Li Qiuhua, who are all young and beautiful. Mrs. Song, who has recently entered this circle, was especially surprised by their distinctive taste in both clothing and demeanor, all very youthful and fashionable, especially Li Qiuhua, who has an unbelievable amount of clothes, each piece unique and unseen by others.
Later, she found out that her favorite cafe was owned by Li Qiuhua’s daughter-in-law. No wonder, having such a capable daughter-in-law, how could a mother-in-law not have nice clothes to wear? This only made Mrs. Song grind her teeth with envy because, unlike her own daughter-in-law who only knew how to spend money, changed jobs frequently due to complaints, and only knew to engage in beauty treatments and entertainments. Even having a wealthy family couldn’t sustain her extravagant spending. Comparing her daughter-in-law with someone so capable as the other, she felt unbearable envy and jealousy.
Li Qiuhua, being very talkative and generous, shared her clothing experiences with friends, assuring that following her clothing tips would surely pose no problems, and anyone she took shopping often received significant discounts.
Gradually, through interactions, Mrs. Song’s relationship with Li Qiuhua improved, and after shopping together a few times, they grew closer.
She frequently complained to Li Qiuhua about her own daughter-in-law, calling her poor, lazy, and incompetent, always making herself up outrageously and never cooking at home, only ever knowing how to upset her.
Li Qiuhua did not join in speaking ill of others, simply stating to let the two of them manage their own lives; as parents, as long as the children are fine, that’s what counts. Because of this, Mrs. Song felt even more that Li Qiuhua was a person worth befriending, and it was only much later that Li Qiuhua found out, Mrs. Song’s daughter-in-law turned out to be Qin Xiangmei, which really was quite a coincidence.
Li Qiuhua knew about the Qin Family’s affairs — Xiang Nuan had been fending for herself since she was six. Her family got to know the little girl since then. Li Qiuhua almost had no good impression of Qin Xiangmei; she knew about the incident when Qin Xiangmei secretly sold the screen, and about Xiang Nuan’s parents. Honestly, with such parents, what kind of children could they raise? And the things Hu Li did were all disgusting. Fortunately, Xiang Nuan and Qin Xiangyang were not borne by the same mother as Qin Xiangmei, otherwise how could they turn out so decent.
Li Qiuhua knew these things, but she had not told Mrs. Song.
It was just someone she knew from everyday life, not particularly close. She wouldn’t gossip about others behind their backs. However, sometimes listening to Mrs. Song’s complaints, she truly felt that her own luck was indeed very good, and she was also thankful that Zhiqing from the Song Family married Qin Xiangnuan instead of Qin Xiangmei. If he had really married Qin Xiangmei, with her temperament, she would have been fighting with Qin Xiangmei every day, causing unrest for the whole family.
However, her not saying anything doesn’t mean that Mrs. Song will never find out.
"Your name is Xiang Nuan," Mrs. Song went to the store one day and heard someone calling Qin Xiangnuan’s name, which caught her by surprise.
This name sounded so familiar, very much like her daughter-in-law’s.
"Yes," Qin Xiangnuan touched her head and smiled warmly, her clean laugh was refreshing and endearing.
"What’s your surname?"
Mrs. Song felt like she sensed something, and it must be said, a woman’s intuition can sometimes be quite frightening.
"My surname is Qin," Qin Xiangnuan did not hide it, of course, she knew about Mrs. Song’s identity too. However, Qin Xiangmei is Qin Xiangmei, and Mrs. Song is Mrs. Song. In her past life, Mrs. Song did not make things difficult for her, and she had heard from Li Qiuhua that Mrs. Song and Qin Xiangmei didn’t get along, which is why they hadn’t been living together.
In her past life, Qin Xiangmei bullied her, schemed against her, but Mrs. Song did not.
She was a person who believed in revenge and retribution, not everyone in the Song Family had bullied her. At least, neither Mrs. Song nor Mr. Song had, both of whom were quite educated, coming from an era of intellectuals, with upstanding values.
Once Mrs. Song heard the surname and connected it to Qin Xiangnuan’s name, she immediately guessed somewhat. Qin Xiangmei had once boasted that she had a brother who was a military school instructor, which had made her quite proud, but their family had never once seen this brother.
Considering the names were so similar, could they be sisters?
Mrs. Song scrutinized Qin Xiangnuan for a long time, suspecting, trying to find something on Qin Xiangnuan’s face, but she was somewhat disappointed that Qin Xiangnuan and Qin Xiangmei bore no resemblance at all.
"I would like to ask, do you know Qin Xiangmei? What is your relationship with her?" Mrs. Song narrowed her eyes, her thoughts growing incredibly complex.