Chapter 73: Absolutely, Absolutely Not
With Jiang Wan helping to collect second-hand parts, Xia Shangxu and his nephew could safely focus on transporting their current batch back. Xia Shangxu put his connections to use, borrowing a car to load the goods and driving through the night to return to Qinhuai Street.
Little did they know.
At the Qin household, the atmosphere was oppressively tense. Earlier that day, Grandmother Qin had gone out to buy groceries, cheerful as ever, but the fifth branch of the family brought her some news: Xia Shangxu was planning to open an internet café. That rascal from the Xia family had always been reckless—if he wanted to open such a harmful establishment, so be it. But the crucial point was that the eldest daughter-in-law was involved, rumored to be collaborating with her cousin to start the business.
Qin Hongfei had even been dragged to some electronics market to set up a stall collecting second-hand parts!
When Grandmother Qin returned, she was practically exploding with anger.
Computers were not something good children should touch—they were poison, addictive, corrupting! Once tainted, the whole family would be doomed!
She abandoned her groceries, lost her appetite, and hurried back home. Deep down, she still doubted the news, holding onto a sliver of hope as she said, “Go, fetch Xia Lu, Qin Fei, and Hongfei for me.”
If they could come, it meant the news was false!
The second branch stared at their mother-in-law in surprise. “Mom, what’s wrong? Why are you so furious?”
The other branches dared not make a sound, thinking to themselves that the eldest branch must have done something foolish again.
Grandfather Qin came out, looking at his wife and said, “Calm down, don’t frighten the children. What’s happened?”
Grandmother Qin took a deep breath. “I heard Xia Lu and her cousin Xia Shangxu are planning to open an internet café together! I don’t know if it’s true, so we need to ask first.” She was rational enough to want confirmation before wrongly accusing the eldest branch.
“What?”
“An internet café…”
“Isn’t that a harmful business?!”
Voices rose from every branch in the Qin family. In these times, internet cafés and electronics were regarded by the elders as no better than thieves—utterly detestable, unlike the future where everyone would own a phone.
Grandmother Qin barked, “Enough, go find them first.”
Second Aunt Qin glanced at her son. Qin Yun said, “Grandma, I’ll go.”
He dashed off to the eldest branch, knocking hurriedly at their door. He was moving so fast that he nearly collided with Tang Jinnan, who was coming out from a neighboring room. Unable to stop himself, Qin Yun let out a howl, grateful that someone was there to break his fall so his handsome face wouldn’t meet the ground. Then…
He saw Tang Jinnan’s brow twitch as he shifted slightly to the side, and Qin Yun crashed straight into the spot where the bicycle was parked.
The bicycle toppled over, landing squarely on him!
“Ow! You heartless, unfeeling man! Why didn’t you catch me?!”
“Sorry,” Tang Jinnan paused, stepped forward, and offered his hand, explaining gently and calmly, “I’m used to it.”
“What?”
“Thank you! What do you mean, ‘used to it’? Never mind, it’s not important.”
“Qin Fei! Come out!”
“I’ve told you to call me ‘big sister,’ show some respect…” Qin Fei came out.
“Forget all that, you guys are done for. Grandma’s furious and wants you all to go over. She’s found out about your internet café plans, so think about how to cover it up.” Qin Yun swallowed nervously, reminding them, “Oh, and don’t drag me into it when you explain. Seriously, don’t—I was super loyal and didn’t rat you out! If you mention me, I won’t be able to spy and tip you off anymore in the future.” Whether he’d keep reporting wasn’t really the point—self-preservation mattered most, since his parents would no doubt throw him under the bus for the greater good.