Just as they were about to enter the yard, they heard Xiao Ye’s voice: "Mom, we’re back!"
Luo Pengze saw his cousins returning and grew even more excited. He broke free from Luo Qiao’s hand and ran straight toward them: "Cousin! Cousins!"
Luo Qiao looked at her hand and then at her sister-in-law standing nearby: "Looks like I’ve been abandoned by Xiao Ze."
Xiao Ya pursed her lips: "You’ll get used to it."
Luo Xuyuan listened to the conversation between his wife and sister, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.
Auntie Zhang from next door finally reacted: "Ah, now I get it! I saw Director Luo killing chickens at lunchti even though he’d already eaten—kids must be coming ho for dinner tonight!"
At this mont, Gu Qianru and Luo Haotian stepped out into the yard.
Gu Qianru said to Auntie Zhang: "Auntie Zhang, you’re absolutely right. The kids are all coming ho for dinner tonight. I’ve got nothing else to do, so I figured I’d cook them a good al."
Xiao Ye, dragged along by his cousin Luo Pengze, was the first to run up: "Grandpa! Grandma! We’re back!"
Gu Qianru’s face blossod into a smile: "Good, good, good. Grandma’s made lots of delicious food for you!"
Xiao Ye tilted his little face upward: "Thank you, Grandma!"
Gu Qianru pinched Luo Pengze’s cheek: "Today, Grandma made Xiao Ze’s favorite braised ribs too."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ze grinned: "Thank you, Grandma!"
Gu Qianru pulled the two kids into her arms: "No need to thank . I just hope you can co ho more often. Whenever you do, I’ll whip up all sorts of delicious dishes for you!"
Yanyan and Yueyue each took a younger brother by the hand and walked over: "We’re back!"
After greeting their second uncle and second aunt, they rushed over to their grandparents and huddled around, whispering among themselves.
Luo Xuyuan invited everyone into the yard.
Lu Yichen walked up to Luo Qiao: "Do you want to sit out in the yard or head inside?"
Luo Qiao glanced at the rocking chair: "Let’s stay outside. Big Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, and their families should be arriving soon."
So Lu Yichen bustled around doing errands while Luo Qiao lounged on the rocking chair, enjoying his attentive care.
The others casually chatted nearby, seemingly unfazed.
The children dashed around the yard, their giggles echoing everywhere.
Gu Qianru and Luo Haotian exchanged glances and shared a knowing smile—no words were needed.
Not long after, the remaining families trickled in, and the yard beca even livelier.
The neighbors began to gather and gossip: "Having a woman in the house really makes a difference. Ever since Director Luo got married, he practically stopped eating in the cafeteria!"
"With a stunning beauty at ho, who’d still want to eat at Shi Chang?"
"Watch what you say!"
"Gu Qianru really is sothing. She keeps the house in better shape than Ning Xueling ever could, and her cooking is amazing too."
"Well, she doesn’t have to work. If you’re just staying ho, you might as well focus on these things."
"Now don’t talk nonsense. She retired early for health reasons. I heard her position was pretty high up, and her pension might even be more than regular workers get after a standard retirent."
"Really? Who told you that?"
"It’s true—don’t ask how I know. Just stop spreading irrelevant gossip. Avoid making fools of yourselves."
"She really struck gold, marrying into such a blessed household. Even her relationships with all the stepchildren are harmonious. And look at how close her grandkids and step-grandkids are with their grandma!"
"It just goes to show Gu Qianru is genuinely a good person and knows how to handle things."
"Well, Ning Xueling didn’t have that kind of luck. If she hadn’t stirred up so much drama, she’d be living better than a fairy now."
"That’s fate for you. She threw it all away. Of course soone else would benefit."
"I hear Ning Xueling isn’t doing well these days."
"She brought it on herself! Acting all high and mighty, looking down on this person and that person. Bet she never imagined her life would end up like this."
******
Zhou Xiaomin sat down next to Luo Qiao: "Qiaoqiao, did your hospital admit a patient with a head injury today?"
Luo Qiao, resting with her eyes closed, opened them after hearing her sister-in-law and asked back: "Third Sister-in-law, how do you know?"
Zhou Xiaomin’s eyes lit up: "So it’s true?"
Luo Qiao nodded: "They brought him in this morning. I operated on him. The injury was pretty serious when he arrived."
Zhou Xiaomin blurted out: "Do you know any inside details?"
Luo Qiao glanced at her: "Are you curious about this?"
Zhou Xiaomin stood up, went inside, and ca back with a notebook: "The patient’s uncle wanted to expose this incident. The station assigned and another colleague to cover it. But just as we were about to go interview people, the higher-ups told us to hold off until tomorrow for further instructions."
Luo Qiao now fully believed what Doctor Jiao had said earlier. No wonder she would say such things—it seed Sun Changlai’s second wife truly wasn’t simple.
Luo Qiao shared what Doctor Jiao had told her directly with her third sister-in-law.
Zhou Xiaomin remarked: "This is really mind-boggling. Clearly, there’s more to the story. Otherwise, how could soone calm and mild suddenly change this drastically in such a short period?"
Luo Qiao casually replied: "Maybe. Or maybe he just got tired of being controlled by his wife and suddenly wanted to make decisions for himself."
Seeing Zhou Xiaomin still deep in thought, Luo Qiao got up, walked over to Lu Yichen, and repeated what Doctor Jiao had said.
Lu Yichen nodded, getting the gist of his wife’s point: "Got it."
After hearing Luo Qiao’s words, he, too, beca curious about the matter. He wanted to see what kind of man could do sothing like this to his own son.
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