Chapter 712
The Gift Duoduo Prepared
Chapter 712 The Gift Duoduo Prepared
When Hong Xiaoduo heard this, she realized that the conversation was about her, so of course she had to listen. Maybe she wouldn't need to take out the pair of bracelets she had prepared.
“Aunt, I’ve told you several times already, don’t meddle in our family affairs. If you continue like this, you can pack your things and go home now. I’ll pay you your wages in full.” Aunt Ling said.
Hong Xiaoduo couldn't see her expression, but she could tell from her tone that she was really angry.
"Ling, no, no, no, if I were doing this for someone else, I definitely wouldn't say anything out of turn. But we're relatives, family, right? That's why I couldn't help myself. I was only doing this for your own good." The woman hurriedly and carefully explained.
"This is the last time. Don't say things like 'it's for my own good' again. You've never met or interacted with this child before, so don't make wild guesses."
After I married Shiqi, this child was still in college. Every time I transferred living expenses to her, he never hid it from me. Sometimes when he was busy, he forgot to transfer them, but the child never asked for them back. Over the years, she has never asked her father for money.
Even if she's short of money this time, Shiqi is still her father, even though he's divorced from her mother. Does he have to ask her for money? Does he expect the child to take out an online loan?
As for her arriving empty-handed, that doesn't mean she was being unreasonable.
Does bringing gifts to someone's door mean they're sensible? If she comes in and greets me politely as "Aunt Ling," that's enough.
She's come to my house to see my father, not to ask someone for a favor, so why does she have to bring gifts?
"Her dad and I didn't think much of it. Why did you have to say something like that? Is this your good intention? You're just stirring things up and making things difficult for me," Aunt Ling said again in a bad tone.
Hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo raised an eyebrow. The bracelet was well worth the effort; there was no way to save money now.
There was no need to listen any longer, so I quickly controlled the little bee to return.
Looking up at her father, who was playing with his little sister, she had to admit that her father had good taste; he had found the right person for his second marriage.
"Sister, hug me." The little girl reached out her hands to Hong Xiaoduo, her voice sweet.
"Little Feng, be good, Daddy will hold you, sister." Before Father Hong could finish speaking, his arms were suddenly empty, and he stared blankly as his younger daughter was taken away by his older daughter.
Watching the eldest daughter gently wipe the juice from her younger daughter's mouth as she ate longan with a tissue, her movements were so natural and skillful, as if she often took care of children.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Hong's father asked after a moment's hesitation.
As a father, there's nothing wrong with asking his daughter this question!
Hong Xiaoduo looked at her well-behaved little sister nestled in her arms and shook her head with a smile.
"Is it because you haven't met the right person? Or is it because of what happened between your mother and me?" Hong's father couldn't help but ask hesitantly.
It's been said online that parental divorce can cause children to develop a distrust or fear of marriage, thus making them unwilling to get married.
Hearing her father's words, and seeing that he seemed to be trying to persuade her, she quickly smiled and said, "No, Dad, don't overthink it. I just haven't... I've just been too busy with work to have time for it."
She actually meant to say that she hadn't met the right person, but for some reason, one person immediately came to mind: the one who gave her the jade pendant.
“Your current job is indeed not suitable. It’s okay now that you’re young, but what about later? If it doesn’t work out, Dad will find you a different job. What kind of company do you want to work for? I’ll find someone to pull some strings,” Hong’s father said again.
It was rare for his daughter to take the initiative to contact him and even enter his current home.
“Okay, if I want to change jobs in the future and can’t handle it myself, I’ll let you know,” Hong Xiaoduo replied with a smile.
At this point, the nanny began setting the table and serving the dishes.
"Duoduo, what would you like to drink?" As soon as the question left his mouth, Hong's father was taken aback. He didn't even know what his daughter liked to drink!
"Anything is fine, coconut juice it is." Sensing her father's embarrassment, Hong Xiaoduo looked at the several drinks placed next to her without caring.
At this moment, the two little brothers were also called out. They looked at the little sister that Hong Xiaoduo was holding, and then silently sat down next to their father.
The nanny came over and set up the high chair, intending to help Xiaofeng sit down, but the little girl refused to let her hold her: "I want my older sister to hold me while I eat."
"Oh, Xiaofeng likes her older sister so much, they're already so affectionate on their first meeting." The nanny, who had been warned by the mistress of the house in the kitchen, teased with a smile.
"Yes, I love big sister. In the future, big sister won't have to fight for Dad's inheritance. If Dad doesn't give it to big sister, my share will go to big sister." The little girl said in a childish voice, but very loudly and confidently.
The atmosphere instantly became tense. Hong's father looked down at his current wife, who was just placing the stew pot on the table, while she glared angrily at the nanny.
The two brothers looked at their little sister with reproach, then glanced nervously at their father and Hong Xiaoduo.
The nanny's face was also very bad, and she was already panicked: "I will never take Xiaofeng to play with Aqin and the others again. They like to watch mindless short dramas. Look how they have corrupted Xiaofeng. Children say the truth, children say the truth."
"No, that's not true. You were the one who told us today that our older sister would come and fight us for the family fortune," six-year-old Xiaolong said unhappily.
The nanny was genuinely surprised by how things turned out, and her voice trembled as she spoke: "I really didn't mean anything by it, I was just joking with the children."
"No need to explain. I'm using you because of my father-in-law. I'm using you to help my wife with housework, not to teach my children all sorts of nonsense."
"You don't need to work until the end of the month. I'll pay you three months' salary. Now pack your things and leave." Hong's father slammed his hand on the table, his face dark.
The nanny wanted to beg for mercy, but after hesitating for a moment, she turned around and went upstairs.
"Duoduo, don't take it to heart. Eat and try your Aunt Ling's cooking," Hong's father said again.
"Oh right, there's one more dish." Coming back to her senses, the hostess went to the refrigerator, took out the prepared salmon, went to the kitchen to replate it, and put it on the table.
The dishes on the table were plentiful: steamed king crab, Australian lobster, braised pigeon, chrysanthemum fish, mashed potatoes with potato chips, garlic-drenched shrimp, sweet and sour pork with pineapple, beef boat with toon leaves... This cooking skill is truly amazing.
"Little Feng, sit on your own chair and eat. How can I eat if you sit on your big sister's lap?" Aunt Ling said to her daughter.
The little girl nodded and let her mother carry her to sit in her special chair.
"Duoduo, hurry up and try my cooking," Aunt Ling called out. Hong Xiaoduo nodded, poured herself a glass of coconut juice, and started eating.
Aunt Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Hong Xiaoduo eat heartily, occasionally turning the plate so that Hong Xiaoduo could pick up other dishes.
The nanny went upstairs and didn't come down or make a sound. The atmosphere at the dinner table seemed quite good, but Hong Xiaoduo knew in her heart that her father and Aunt Ling were actually not in the mood anymore.
Hong Xiaoduo didn't intend to try to persuade them, saying that she wasn't angry and wouldn't misunderstand them.
Just because she says she didn't take what just happened to heart doesn't mean they'll truly feel better.
"Aunt Ling's cooking skills are really amazing!" Hong Xiaoduo praised as she picked up more food.
The freshness of Aunt Ling's dish is different from the freshness of Tianxuan's.
Tianxuan's dishes highlight the original freshness of the ingredients, while her dishes rely more heavily on the freshness of the seasonings.
However, this did not affect Hong Xiaoduo's appetite, after all, this was the first meal she had since returning to the modern world.
"I don't work either. At home, besides taking care of the kids, I think about how to cook. Duoduo, if you like it, you should come often," Aunt Ling replied with a smile.
“Okay,” Hong Xiaoduo replied.
"Big sister, my mom makes delicious cola chicken wings. If you're not going to your mom's for dinner, I'll have her make them for you," Xiaofeng suggested to Hong Xiaoduo.
Hong Xiaoduo smiled and shook her head, saying, "That won't do. I only have one day off. I ate lunch here, but of course I'll go to my mom's for dinner."
"Oh, okay then, next time you come, I'll have my mom cook for you," Xiaofeng said regretfully.
After lunch, Hong Xiaoduo didn't bother to help clear the dishes; she planned to stay a little longer before leaving.
Hong Xiaoduo found that there wasn't much to talk about with her father. Fortunately, there were three children nearby, and Xiaofeng pulled her to play with building blocks, otherwise the atmosphere would have been a bit awkward.
"Let Aunt Ling take you shopping. Don't girls all like buying clothes and bags?" Hong's father said to Hong Xiaoduo after seeing his wife come out of the kitchen.
"No, I won't have a chance to wear it now. It's almost time for me to go. I came in a hurry this time and didn't know what you would like. This is a small gift for my younger brother, sister and Aunt Ling. Please don't mind it." Hong Xiaoduo said as she stood up and took out several brocade pouches from her bag.
They gave the gifts to the three children separately, and the last large brocade bag was given to Aunt Ling.
"You're too kind, child. We're family, why did you bring any gifts? Little Dragon, Little Tiger, Little Phoenix, hurry up and thank your big sister." Aunt Ling said with a smile as she took the gifts.
"If it's a gift from a child, then accept it." Mr. Hong didn't expect his daughter to prepare gifts for her current husband and three children. Whatever they were, he was quite pleased.
After giving the gift, Hong Xiaoduo left without letting them see her downstairs.
After leaving the residential area, I first sent a message to my mother, saying that I was on vacation today and wanted to see her, asking if it was convenient for her.
While waiting for a reply on a bench at the bus stop, she remembered that Old Luo had told her that they had added each other on WeChat and that they could contact each other via WeChat if needed. So she sent Old Luo a message, asking him to help check on the situation at her father's factory.
Old Luo replied quickly, agreeing and giving his answer in just a few minutes.
The situation was basically the same as what she heard at her father's house.
Hong Xiaoduo then asked how much the funding gap in her father's factory could be resolved.
Old Luo responded that 20 million was enough.
Then, before Hong Xiaoduo could say anything, Old Man Luo sent another message, asking if she wanted to help her father.
Hong Xiaoduo responded that yes, and Old Man Luo said he would handle it because transferring 20 million yuan to her account would require a strict bank review process and might trigger the central bank's monitoring system, so he should handle it.
Hong Xiaoduo thought for a moment and then didn't say anything more polite.
She actually planned to find an antique shop, take some jewelry from her spatial storage, sell it, and give the money to her father.
Just then, her mother sent a message saying that she was still working at the mall and was busy with a promotional event, so she asked Hong Xiaoduo to meet her at a coffee shop near the mall.
Hong Xiaoduo knew the location and took a taxi there.
As soon as Hong Xiaoduo left her father's house, her father immediately started making phone calls again, trying to find connections to help with the bank loan. Just then, he heard his current wife calling out to him loudly.
"What's wrong?" Hong's father asked anxiously.
"Look, this is a gift from your daughter, Duoduo," Aunt Ling said excitedly, holding a pair of purple jade bracelets in her hands.
After glancing at it, Hong's father patiently said, "She's a young woman working a regular job, and her salary isn't that high. Young people have a lot of expenses. Even if she bought a fake product with glue injected into it, it's still a token of her affection."
"Once the factory weathers the crisis and things improve, I'll buy you better quality goods to make up for it."
"What? No, this isn't a fake injected with glue. This is top-grade Imperial Purple! Last year at the auction, a piece of the same quality sold for 10.3 million, and that was for just one!" Aunt Ling said excitedly.
Hearing his wife's words, Hong's father still didn't believe it: "You must be mistaken. How could Duoduo possibly afford something so expensive?"
After he finished speaking, he was stunned. His current wife used to work at a well-known jewelry store in China.
But if his wife wasn't mistaken, this is impossible, isn't it?
Just then, his phone beeped with a text message notification, and he glanced down at it...
(End of this chapter)