Shi Peng smiled at his daughter’s words. “If that is the case, you should thank us that you are a girl. Otherwise, you would not be able to win against Zhai Sheng. You would be heartbroken and wasting your efforts.”
Didn’t she see that Zhu Baoguo had been kicked out of the game by Zhai Sheng before he could even have a go at it?
It was not that Shi Peng did not have confidence and looked down on his child. It was just that Zhai Sheng was such a formidable opponent. Ordinary men would not be able to defeat him.
Instead of suffering from heartbreak, it would be better to have a daughter. She did not need to compete against Zhai Sheng and she could keep a low profile, leading a simple life like what she was doing now.
Shi Qing curled the corners of her lips unhappily. “You’re right. Brother Zhai is too ruthless. He has claimed Qiao Nan as his own when she was still very young. He has cut off all possibilities for Qiao Nan to be in a relationship with other men. He is too shameless.”
In terms of being shameless, no woman or man could defeat Brother Zhai.
Qiao Nan was so outstanding, but Zhai Sheng used all means and ways to stop her from receiving any love letters from other men. He was too ruthless.
Given Qiao Nan’s intelligence, Shi Qing was baffled that Qiao Nan never once suspected that it was odd that she did not receive any love letters all these years.
However, today was their wedding ceremony. Shi Qing would not be so foolish as to ask such a stupid question of Qiao Nan on her big day.
Today, she was a bridesmaid. It was the day she could make things difficult for Brother Zhai.
If she brought up this topic to Qiao Nan, Brother Zhai would make sure she got it from him.
The Shi family of three was having a good time.
By the time Feng Cheng went looking for Qiao Nan, she was already dressed up in her wedding costumes. It was rare that she did not treat Qiao Nan with cold indifference. Instead, she handed her a red box graciously. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Qiao Nan was very surprised, but she maintained her composure and accepted her gift. “Auntie Feng, you are being too polite. Shi Qing, you have to work harder and get a boyfriend as soon as possible. I look forward to the day when you get married.”
Qiao Nan was aware of the gifts that Shi Peng prepared for her.
The red box that Feng Cheng gave her was heavy. There seemed to be jewelry inside.
Therefore, Qiao Nan had stated clearly that when Shi Qing was getting married, she would not be stingy with the gifts.
Feng Cheng smiled and nodded. She did not speak further.
Feng Cheng did not need gifts from Qiao Nan, but she welcomed people who returned politeness for politeness.
Since Qiao Nan knew what to do and appreciated their kind intentions, Feng Cheng found her somewhat pleasing to the eye. In fact, if it was in the past, Feng Cheng would definitely mock Qiao Nan for bragging. How could she possibly afford to give them any valuables gifts? The Shi family would be on the losing end.
However, after Shi Peng’s talk with her, Feng Cheng no longer felt that way.
“Mom, why don’t you have some tea downstairs first?” Shi Qing was the bridesmaid and she knew that Feng Cheng did not really like Qiao Nan. She could sense that they were still uncomfortable with each other.
Before things took a turn for the worse, Shi Qing had to think of ways to separate them.
“Okay.” Feng Cheng agreed.
She had disliked Qiao Nan since a long time ago. Even if she was willing to put aside her prejudices, she still felt awkward around her.
Feng Cheng knew that Qiao Nan was not a pushover either.
Feng Cheng was worried that if she stayed in the room with Qiao Nan for long, she might run out of patience and said harsh words to Qiao Nan.
Before she changed that habit of hers, it was better to have less contact with Qiao Nan.
Shi Qing came back to the room after sending Feng Cheng off. Qiao Nan could not help but express her surprise. “Has hell frozen over? Your mom’s behavior is shocking.” It was similar to watching a horror movie.
In the past, Feng Cheng looked down on her and was arrogant toward her. Even though she was still aloof today, her attitude was much better than before.
Qiao Nan had learned harsh lessons from suffering in the hands of Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin in the past. She could not help but be wary.
If someone who disliked her changed one’s attitude all of a sudden and treated her with politeness, the person must be up to something.
Shi Qing smiled as she opened the box that Feng Cheng gave Qiao Nan. “This must have cost a lot. This must be the full set of dowry jewelry.”
In the red velvet box were a gold necklace, a pair of gold earrings, a golden bangle, as well as a gold ring.
This box of jewelry would cost a lot.
“Has your family made a fortune? How can your dad be that rich?” Qiao Nan knew without a doubt that it was Shi Peng who bought this for her. Feng Cheng would never spend so much money on her. “He may have the money, but he should not splurge in such a way. Are you getting married or not? He should save some money to prepare a dowry for you.”
Qiao Nan was taken aback by what she saw. Shi Peng did not need to go to this extreme.
If someone found out about this and reported them to the authorities, she and the Zhai family would have to cooperate with the authorities regarding the investigations.
“I have no idea.” Shi Qing did not pay much attention to the box. She simply closed the box and continued. “I am not too sure how much money we have, but according to my dad, Old Master Shi is very smart and he knows of ways to make money. I might be a granddaughter, but Qiu Chenxi is merely a maternal granddaughter. Since my dad is the only son, grandpa has never shortchanged him. Judging from today’s situation, I suppose my dad has the say over all the money.”
Shi Qing was surprised by the discovery.
In the tumultuous times, the old master’s method of making money was tantamount to courting death.
Everyone was fearful and tried to get rid of anything that would result in them being investigated and taken away. Instead, the old master was able to hide all the valuables and avoid being caught.
Shi Qing was full of admiration for her grandpa’s bravery and courage.
Her grandpa risked his life and made remarkable contributions to the army. In the end, he even managed to keep all those valuables amid the tumultuous times.
Shi Qing used to hear about all those stories about her grandpa. However, this was the first time that her father was being so generous. It was only now that she knew that her grandpa had handed all the valuables to his son.
Qiao Nan could more or less understand what Shi Qing was talking about. “Do Qiu Chenxi and her mom know that Old Master Shi has so many prized possessions with him?” The pair of mother and daughter was after material gains. They would not let go of any chance to get their hands on such a huge amount of money.
Shi Qing shrugged as she shook her head. “No one can really know what is on my grandpa’s mind. He is a very shrewd and cautious man. Both my dad and I have no idea how much my auntie knows. But in my opinion, a son is still different from a daughter. Grandpa is still biased toward his son. Furthermore, Qiu Chenxi is a girl as well, and she didn’t manage to get married to Brother Zhai.”