The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 679 - 648: Persuasion, Thinking Clearly_1

Chapter 679: Chapter 648: Persuasion, Thinking Clearly_1

In a daze, He Tiantian saw Huo Yingjie return.

With Huo Yingjie’s return, He Tiantian finally felt at peace.

"Brother Yingjie, how did it go?" He Tiantian asked in a soft voice, rubbing her eyes and hugging Huo Yingjie with some lingering fear.

Huo Yingjie gently patted He Tiantian’s back and said, "It’s all right now, Qi Jianguo won’t be getting out in this lifetime. This time, it was my negligence that caused you and the children to be frightened."

"How can we blame you?" He Tiantian looked up, "You had no prior knowledge of such an incident happening, don’t blame yourself; we are fine. This time, Little Rotating Turtle did a great deal. If it weren’t for him, the knife in Qi Jianguo’s hand would have struck me."

"Little Rotating Turtle did well," praised Huo Yingjie, while he felt a bad premonition in his heart.

Huo Yingjie realized that he could foresee other’s affairs but could not predict those concerning himself, his wife, or his two children.

Is this the Heavenly Dao Laws?

If so, he was now merely a human, unable to contend with Heavenly Dao.

Since that was the case, he would have to find other ways.

But how could he avoid such incidents?

Huo Yingjie couldn’t find the right solution at the moment, so he relaxed for now, deciding to think of a foolproof plan starting from tomorrow.

Day broke, and Third Grandma Qi, leaning on the wall, crossed the alley to get to her own doorstep.

Even though it had rained, in some places, wisps of blue smoke still occasionally seeped upward.

Even prepared, Third Grandma Qi felt a sourness in her eyes at the sight.

The fire had been worst in the side rooms where He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie lived, with the main house and lateral rooms having burned down considerably.

"Ah, what a pity," murmured Third Grandma Qi softly, her eyes reddening.

"Don’t be sad," Old Man Qi whispered comfortingly, "if you are sad, Tiantian and Yingjie will feel even worse."

Wiping her tears, Third Grandma Qi saw Qi Dazhu approach and said, "Dazhu, once you have finished your urgent matters, could you find a few people to help me check inside? I want to see if the photo albums in my dresser are still there."

Other items, although a pity when burnt, could be bought with money, but those albums could not.

"Sure, Third Aunt, during this time, you and Second Uncle can stay at my place," said Secretary Qi. "As for the stuff inside the house, I’ll bring people later to help you look for them."

"Then I’ll trouble you," Third Grandma Qi replied. "Tell them, for working for me, I won’t let them toil in vain."

"Heh, toiling in vain is also fine," Qi Dazhu chuckled, "Third Aunt, look on the bright side. Don’t dwell on it; once everything’s settled, I’ll build you a big house."

"Great, great!" Third Grandma Qi laughed, following Old Man Qi to Qi Dazhu’s house.

By noon, Qi Dazhu indeed brought back many things, most of which belonged to Third Grandma Qi.

As for He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie’s place, there was almost nothing left; they could only wear the clothes that Qi Xiaoyan and Niu Dajun had left at Secretary Qi’s house for the time being.

As for the children, summer had come, and they found some clothes from Village Chief Qi’s grandson and granddaughter to wear for the time being.

After this matter was over, they would go to the county town to buy more.

Alas, He Tiantian, Huo Yingjie’s money, his wallet, and everything else had been burned as well.

Just as she was thinking about sending a telegram, asking her father-in-law and mother-in-law to send some money, Third Grandma Qi stopped her.

"Tiantian, all your things have been burned, but I still have quite a bit here," Third Grandma Qi said. "The box for storing money and bank books is still here, so you don’t need to send a telegram to your father-in-law and mother-in-law asking for money."

"Grandma!" He Tiantian felt guilty inside and was embarrassed to take Third Grandma Qi’s money.

"You said it yourself, I am your grandma, so why can’t you take my money?" Third Grandma Qi laughed. "Don’t worry, there are several tens of thousands here; it’s enough for you to spend."

He Tiantian nodded and said, "Okay!"

If she had insisted on refusing, grandma would have been angry!

When He Tiantian heard that Qi Jianguo had died, she suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest.

Perhaps death was the best release for Qi Jianguo.

Upon hearing about her cousin’s situation, Wang Shuilian hurried over to help take care of the aftermath.

In the evening, during Qi Fangfang’s vigil, Wang Shuilian accompanied her at her side.

"Aunt, thank you for coming to help me," Qi Fangfang gratefully said. She had been so harsh to her aunt in the past, but her aunt was still so kind to her, not holding a grudge.

Wang Shuilian gave a bitter smile and said, "Back when I was having the hardest time, neither my own mother nor my brother cared for me; thank goodness, my great aunt took me in. I’ve always remembered that kindness. Now it’s just the two of us sisters here, and you were younger back then, unable to distinguish right from wrong. Now I want to talk to you earnestly, hoping you’ll listen."

Adversity reveals true friendship, and Qi Fangfang had grown up and became more sensible, otherwise she would not have tried so hard to persuade Qi Jianguo earlier.

Qi Fangfang wiped her tears and said, "I had been blinded by hatred in the past, only seeing other people’s faults, not my own. Now when I think about it, the things I did before were terribly wrong. I also know what you’re trying to advise me against; you hope I won’t trouble He Tiantian like my brother did in the future."

Seeing that Qi Fangfang had come to an understanding, Wang Shuilian was somewhat relieved; thankfully, it hadn’t reached a point beyond saving.

"Yes, I just wanted to come over and talk to you about this matter," said Wang Shuilian. "From beginning to end, if you think things through, even if He Tiantian did something to you, it was because you and your brother first did something wrong to her, prompting her to fight back. Not to mention the distant past, let’s talk about this incident. If your brother hadn’t set the fire, he wouldn’t have gotten into an accident, and he wouldn’t have committed suicide after the incident was exposed."

Qi Fangfang’s tears flowed even more as she choked up, finally nodding and saying, "I know, I actually know everything, it’s just that I didn’t want to admit it before. Now I realize I was wrong, but I couldn’t persuade my brother..."

Wang Shuilian felt some sympathy for her cousin, but even more disappointment.

"Well, since you’ve come to realize this, don’t hold a grudge against He Tiantian," Wang Shuilian said. "I’m not taking the side of an outsider, but I believe that a person needs to clearly discern right from wrong in order to live a dignified life. Now, great aunt only has you left, so you must take good care of yourself from now on."

After listening, Qi Fangfang nodded and said, "Aunt, I understand."

"As long as you understand," Wang Shuilian nodded, taking out two hundred yuan from her pocket. "You’re going to need money for all sorts of things."

"Aunt..." Qi Fangfang was embarrassed to accept it, as her aunt had already helped her so much in the past.

Wang Shuilian said, "If you feel uncomfortable, you can consider it a loan from me. You can pay me back when you have the money, and that should make you feel better. Your uncle and great aunt are just shocked; there’s no serious harm. They should recover with good care in about ten days to half a month."

"Thank you, aunt," Qi Fangfang said with gratitude.