Xia Wen shook his head resignedly. Xia He was hopeless!
Qiao Mei sat at the dining table in a daze. She had yet to wake up from her sleep and stared blankly at the dishes on the table.
Although the dishes today did not look as high-end and classy as the ones made by the state-owned restaurant, these dishes seemed to taste much nicer. Perhaps this was the taste of home. Even a simple stewed tofu with cabbage could have a different flavor. At the end of the meal, there was no soup left in the bowl at all.
"Auntie! The food you make is so delicious!" Xia He said as she wiped her mouth in satisfaction.
"If it's delicious, then eat more!" Li Gui said happily.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Qiao Mei gradually became more awake and she remembered the important things to deal with today.
"Eldest brother, how did the matters go?" Qiao Mei asked Xia Wen.
Xia Wen said sternly, "I've already settled what happened to Auntie the day before yesterday. Those people are repeat offenders from that street and they often bully the new peddlers. I've already made arrangements for them to be dealt with. They won't be able to cause trouble in the future."
Li Gui was so happy that she almost jumped up from the stool. She could go back to work again! She could earn money again! This was simply a great thing!
When so much seeds were wasted that time, her heart ached so much. There were not many seeds left at home now, so she had to make more popcorn to sell at night.
"Then what about Qiao Mei's matter?" Xia He asked anxiously.
"This matter is more troublesome. Su Liang's mother is really unreasonable. I hear from the local police that she's a repeat offender and there's nothing they can do. At that time, their family didn't say anything and I didn't have time to waste with them, so I left it to the police to handle it. I would think that before they could do anything, Su Liang's mother had already left," Xia Wen said resignedly.
For the past two days, Qiao Mei had not been idle. She had also asked the surrounding neighbors about Old Madam Fan. No one had a good impression of her and everyone said the nastiest things about her.
It seemed that everyone was bullied by Old Madam Fan all year round.
However, Qiao Mei still had some admiration for this Old Madam Fan. Her husband died early and left her with five children, and she had raised these children with her meager salary. The older ones had finally gotten married, but for some reason, her three older children seemed to have made some sort of pact not to return home except during the new year.
The neighbors had not seen them for a number of years. After they got married, they never came back to see Old Madam Fan again.
Old Madam Fan did not care about this at all. She was satisfied as long as Su Liang and Su Yang were by her side. She took special care of them when they were still young. As time passed, these two sons became useless bums.
"Can't our family think of another way?" Xia He said with a frown.
The situation now was that their enemy was in the shadows while they were in the light. The consequences would be unimaginable if Qiao Mei was suddenly pushed down or harmed by someone while walking on the street one day.
At best, the Xia family would lose two grandchildren. At worst, Qiao Mei may lose her life!
When Xia Zhe returned, he would probably turn the world upside down and kill Xia He and Xia Wen. She could not let this happen and must protect Qiao Mei well.
"You already broke his bones. They said that it was just a verbal conflict and he didn't hurt Qiao Mei, so there's no way to convict him," Xia Wen said.
Xia He smacked the table angrily and said, "Nonsense! He was the one who attacked first! If Qiao Mei had not dodged in time, she would have been the one injured! There were so many people around at that time! How could no one have seen it!"
Qiao Mei patted Xia He's shoulder and said, "Calm down. You almost broke the table."
Fortunately, it was a stone table. If it was a wooden table, it would not have been able to withstand Xia He's smack. It seemed that all their furniture would have to be custom-made from stone from now on…
"From now on, I won't leave your side and I'll keep a close eye on you! Let's see who dares to attack you!" Xia He said angrily.
"You're not going to go to work anymore?" Qiao Mei asked.
"It's fine even if I don't go to that job! I'll get Mother to apply for a leave of absence for me from the art troupe! I'll guard you closely for the next two months! Our mother will even praise me for it!" Xia He said smugly.
What she said was true. If Xu Lan heard about this matter, she would definitely want Xia He to keep a close eye on Qiao Mei.