Chapter 418: Chapter 418: You Reap What You Sow Chapter 418: Chapter 418: You Reap What You Sow Luo Qiao casually grabbed a handful of dried fruit from the plate and said, “My Big Brother and Second Brother are currently undergoing treatment, so I must go back tonight.”
Sitting across from her, Old Master Yuan said, “Qiaoqiao, you should make a call home first, tell them we’ll have dinner, and I’ll ask Xiao Zhang to drive you home, so your family won’t worry.”
Luo Qiao thought about it and felt it made sense; otherwise, Big Brother and Second Brother might end up waiting for her at the bus stop in the cold weather, possibly catching a cold.
Therefore, she dialed the public phone at Uncle Sun’s house and asked him to pass on the message to Grandpa and Grandma that she would be back later and not to worry.
Old Master Yuan said he was tired and retreated to his own room.
While eating dried fruit, Luo Qiao then quietly asked, “Where’s Auntie Chen?”
Upon hearing this, Yuan Jianing became so annoyed that the dried fruit in her hand lost its appeal; she squeezed one but didn’t eat it, tossing it back into the plate instead.
Yuan Jianing whispered, “On the evening of the thirtieth, after having the New Year’s Eve dinner and cleaning up, Auntie Chen said she didn’t have anything going on and wanted to stay with her daughter for the night; she’d come back early the next morning, as this had become quite normal during that period.
Grandpa didn’t want to trouble her during the New Year and, seeing it was late, even asked Xiao Zhang to give her a ride. Originally, there was nothing special about it, but my mom mentioned after Auntie Chen left that she had been acting secretly lately.”
At that time, no one took it to heart, but no one expected that something would happen the very next day, which was the first day of the Lunar New Year.”
Yuan Jianing took a sip of water from a glass nearby, “Goodness, this must be your real brother’s doing; how much sugar did he put in this? It’s sickly sweet.”
After hearing this, Luo Qiao looked toward Yuan Jiayi, her Fourth Brother, who was sitting a distance away, her face full of smiles.
Yuan Jianing ran to pour a glass of water and drank it before continuing, “On the first day of the New Year, quite a few people came to visit Master Yuan.”
Luo Qiao said, “I remember now, when I called that day, it was a strange girl who answered the phone.”
Yuan Jianing replied, “Yes, that’s the granddaugher of Grandpa’s old subordinate; she often comes over to our house. Most of the visitors that afternoon were Grandpa’s old subordinates or friends of my dad, and my Second and Third Uncles. I don’t even know how to explain it to you.”
After organizing her thoughts, she continued, “Among the second group of visitors that day, there was a girl, the daughter of a friend of my dad, who accidentally revealed her wristwatch while serving tea.
My Third Uncle was sitting not far from her. To be honest, her family might have brought her over with an eye on Third Uncle, so all the girls were specifically dressed up.
However, the watch that girl revealed set Third Uncle off immediately; his face turned awful.”
In her mind, Luo Qiao wondered what connection the watch could have with Auntie Chen and listened as Yuan Jianing said, “What you don’t know is that four years ago, Third Uncle was in a relationship and they were discussing marriage. That watch was one that Third Uncle bought for his girlfriend.
Because his girlfriend was allergic to metal, Third Uncle had specially had the watch band replaced with leather and even left two initials on it. But before he could give it to her, an accident occurred.”
Luo Qiao began to understand, suspecting that the watch on the girl’s wrist was the one treasured by Third Uncle.
Yuan Jianing, looking embarrassed, said, “Third Uncle lost his composure on the spot and asked her where the watch came from. His expression was extremely angry at the time, and the girl was scared out of her wits, claiming it was a gift to her sister.”
Luo Qiao asked, “Is it related to Auntie Chen?”
Yuan Jianing forcefully said, “Her daughter Aisiss is going to graduate from high school next year and has mediocre grades at school. Knowing that her chances of university admission are slim, she’s hopeful about securing a good job after graduating.
In itself, their thinking is not blameworthy, but Aisiss was planning to curry favor with well-off students ahead of time, hoping they would help her find a job.
I have no idea how mother and daughter planned it out, or how Auntie Chen set her sights on Third Uncle’s watch, but somehow, before the New Year, the watch was stolen and given to Aisiss.
Then, as fate would have it, the very person Aisiss gifted it to was the cousin of the girl who came to visit that afternoon. The girl was also borrowing it to show off, so the watch was returned, but Auntie Chen couldn’t stay.”