Zhouzhou stifled her laughter, her eyes twinkling as she watched the scene unfold. Then, she hugged Qin Lie's leg and whispered, "Daddy, don't worry, you can take anything you want from . I don't care about money. I'll be the one to take care of you when you're old."
Listen to that! This little girl was so sensible, way better than her clueless brother!
Qin Xu rolled his eyes in exasperation. He couldn't be bothered to engage with Qin Er, who always got under his skin. Instead, he turned his attention to Zhouzhou, speaking with a serious tone. "Zhouzhou, co with for a mont. I need to ask you sothing."
Zhouzhou nodded eagerly and skipped after him. Qin Xu did indeed have sothing important to discuss.
Once they reached the study, he asked, "So, how is it with Lei Chong? Is he causing you any trouble? Has he done anything bad?"
Zhouzhou nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, he tried, but he didn't succeed." She glanced at Lei Chong, who was lying in the corner, looking pitiful. Zhouzhou smirked. "He was too slow and ended up getting a beating. Serves him right."
Qin Xu let out a relieved sigh. Looking at Lei Chong's frail and sickly appearance, he had feared for a mont that his niece might be hurt, but it seed Lei Chong's attempts at troublemaking had been thwarted. Zhouzhou was proving to be quite capable.
"Good job," Qin Xu praised, ruffling her hair. "By the way, there's sothing else I need to tell you. Keep an eye on Lei Chong. He might try to make contact with soone."
Zhouzhou looked at him with a puzzled expression, and Qin Xu continued, "We found out that Lei Dao, his foster father, once adopted a child. Last ti when we tried to capture Lei Dao, his foster son was conveniently overseas. If he returns, he'll definitely try to make contact with Lei Chong."
Zhouzhou's eyes brightened as she processed this. "Don't worry, Daddy. I've got this covered. Lei Chong is still here, right? If that big guy cos back, he'll try to find him. We just need to wait for him to show up."
Qin Xu smiled, impressed by her quick thinking. "Good idea. If he doesn't show up soon, we could have Lei Chong make contact with him. That will help us lure him out."
Zhouzhou, her mind working rapidly, raised a finger and said, "Second Uncle, what do you think about this idea..."
Qin Xu gave her a thumbs up. "Smart."
Zhouzhou giggled, her small chubby hand twisting in the air. "Well, I guess I'm only a little bit clever," she said modestly, though her tail was practically wagging with pride.
Qin Xu shook his head with a smile. "You're great. But now, let's get back to business."
After discussing the matter, Zhouzhou then pulled Qin Xu aside to defend Qin Er. "Second Uncle, don't be mad at Brother Dafu. He was just joking around."
Just then, the door was knocked, and Qin Er walked in, holding a POS machine. He looked at Qin Xu and said, "Uncle Qin, I run a small business here. No credit allowed. For that five yuan, will you pay by cash or card?" He paused, then added, "If you don't have the money, I can lend it to you, but there's interest. Each extra day, the amount doubles."
Qin Xu inhaled sharply, his expression shifting from irritation to anger. "Get out—now!" he shouted, his voice booming. "How dare you charge such high interest? Do you think I won't report you?!"
Qin Er, ever the calm negotiator, thought for a mont before asking, "Do you have any proof?"
Qin Xu was at a loss for words. There was no written agreent; it was all just a joke.
"You—" Qin Xu sputtered, before pulling out a hundred-yuan bill and throwing it at Qin Er. "Here's your money. Just go!"
Qin Er gave him a quick glance, pursed his lips, and didn't leave imdiately. Instead, he pulled out ninety five yuan from his pocket and handed it to Qin Xu. "I'm very principled," he said, "You owe five bucks, and I'm not taking a penny more than what's due."
Qin Xu was so enraged that he had to suppress a laugh. "Go already, and don't co back," he grumbled.
Qin Er gave a casual shrug, taking Zhouzhou by the hand as they turned to leave. But just before they stepped out of the room, Qin Xu paused. He peeked through the door crack to watch them.
Qin Er was busy helping Zhouzhou with her math problems, and Qin Xu couldn't help but smile. He shook his head. His son might be stingy, but at least he had the decency to care for his younger cousin. That was more than he could say for himself.
Qin Xu closed the door, quietly deciding not to interrupt.
Zhouzhou, though new to Olympiad math, was quickly picking up the material, thanks to Qin Er's thorough explanation. After a few lessons, she was almost as proficient as he was. Qin Ren, seeing their progress, decided to give them so private lessons, as he had more experience with competitions.
Qin Ren's expertise was impressive. He connected the dots in the topics with great depth and insight, making it easy for Zhouzhou and Qin Er to grasp the concepts. Their progress was rapid, and soon they were preparing for the school-level competition.
The weekend arrived, and Qin Lie took them to the exam. The test only lasted two hours, and when they returned ho, it was just in ti for lunch.
Zhouzhou, starving, quickly devoured three bowls of rice before glancing over at Lei Chong, who was sitting quietly in the corner eating. Despite his ek deanor, Zhouzhou knew he was just pretending. The bruises on his body were a dead giveaway.
Zhouzhou's eyes darted around as an idea struck her. She cleared her throat and turned to Qin Lie. "Daddy, what's Uncle doing these days? I haven't seen him in a while. I miss him."
Qin Lie, a bit puzzled, responded, "I'll give him a call after lunch."
Zhouzhou smiled, making sure to speak loudly enough for Lei Chong to hear. "Uncle's always so nice to . I miss him so much."
Lei Chong's ears perked up at the ntion of his uncle. Yes! He had an uncle too, soone who cared for him. It had been almost half a year since they last saw each other. Maybe, just maybe, if his uncle knew he was in trouble, he would co to rescue him.
Lei Chong felt a glimr of hope rise in his chest. But how could he get in touch with his uncle? He had no phone, and Chief had confiscated it. He needed to figure out a way.
Just then, Zhouzhou said loudly, "Brother Dafu, let's go to class now. Daddy, Grandpa and Grandma want to go out, so you and Uncle can go with them and show them around."
Grandma Qin looked confused. "Since when did I say I wanted to go out? I want to stay with Zhouzhou, not just wander around with the rest of you."
Before she could say more, Grandpa Qin subtly tugged at her sleeve. She stopped mid-sentence, understanding that Zhouzhou had sothing planned. The rest of the family, picking up on this, found excuses to leave.
Zhouzhou, now with a mischievous smile, turned to Qin Ren and said, "Big Brother, Brother Dafu, let's start."
"Alright," Dafu said.
The three of them walked to the study, but Lei Chong, seeing an opportunity, noticed a phone watch lying on the coffee table—a watch that Zhouzhou had left behind. He grabbed it, waiting for the right mont to slip away.
Once he saw Zhouzhou and the others were occupied, he quickly slipped into the bathroom and dialed a number. "Hello, Uncle? It's ..."
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