Xia Yuqing had been ignoring Song Qiao recently, hoping to keep her husband away from those martial arts people from Qiyun.
After finishing work that afternoon, as she was busy with her tasks, she suddenly received a call from her daughter's homeroom teacher.
"Xi Xi's mother, hello. Xi Xi had a conflict with another child at school today and needs you to come to the school to handle it in person."
The teacher's voice was somewhat stern, carrying an undeniable tone.
Xia Yuqing's heart immediately sank.
Her daughter was usually excellent at school, loved by teachers and classmates alike. She never expected her to get into trouble today, and to the point of involving the teacher.
She didn't dare to ask more on the phone, quickly agreeing to the teacher and cycling straight to her daughter's school.
...
Upon arriving at the office, Xia Yuqing saw Xi Xi and another girl standing obediently by the door. Homeroom teacher Zhao Qing was inside, speaking with another parent.
"Ms. Xia, you've arrived just in time. This is Wu Tongtong's father," Zhao Qing greeted Xia Yuqing and waved for the two children to enter.
"Since both parents are here, let the children explain why they fought,"
Zhao Qing said, glancing at Xi Xi, implying that Xi Xi should speak first.
Xi Xi, her face pale with fear and her voice trembling, explained to her mother, "I'm sorry, Mom, I didn't mean to."
"Tongtong told me today that Dad's shop was going out of business. I got upset and argued with her, and accidentally pushed her to the ground."
Both parents and the teacher nodded upon hearing this and looked at Wu Tongtong.
Wu Tongtong's explanation was consistent with Xi Xi's, and it was implied that they started fighting after the fall.
Xia Yuqing was startled by the news of Song Qiao's shop closing, her mind in turmoil.
However, no matter how you looked at it, Xi Xi was in the wrong first. Xia Yuqing quickly took her daughter's hand and apologized to Tongtong and her parents.
Wu Tongtong's father was not unreasonable. After asking Tongtong to apologize to Xi Xi as well, and seeing that the conflict was resolved, he took Tongtong home.
Eager to confirm if Song Qiao's shop was indeed closing, Xia Yuqing quickly greeted the teacher and left the school with Xi Xi.
Coincidentally, there was a Xiang Piaopiao stall near the school. As soon as Xia Yuqing stepped out, she led Xi Xi directly there.
Before they even reached it, they could hear loud announcements from inside about the shop closing and all the stinky tofu being sold at a discount.
Xia Yuqing's face immediately turned pale. For a moment, she lacked the courage to walk closer and see.
She stood there alone, her mind a blank.
Just a couple of days ago, Song Qiao had been boasting to her about how popular his shop was. Now, in the blink of an eye, it was facing closure.
She forced back tears and, like a lifeless doll, led Xi Xi back home.
As soon as they entered, her mother-in-law anxiously asked about what happened at school. Xia Yuqing opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she didn't.
After a long silence, she went back to the bedroom alone.
Song Qiao, who had just celebrated a successful meeting with his employees, was in high spirits. He bought some gifts and went to his mother-in-law's house, wanting to visit his wife and daughter whom he hadn't seen in days.
Seeing her dad, Xi Xi's sadness instantly vanished, and she happily ran into Song Qiao's arms.
The sensible child didn't ask about the news of Song Qiao's shop closing. To her, as a child, such things didn't seem important.
Song Qiao happily picked up his daughter and presented the snacks he bought like a treasure.
"Dad, I don't like these. Please don't buy them anymore."
Xi Xi, however, acted unusually and didn't take the snacks as she normally would.
Song Qiao was slightly taken aback, a hint of doubt rising in his heart. These were snacks his daughter usually loved; why didn't she like them today?
He could never have imagined that his daughter was refusing the snacks because she had heard about the shop closing and wanted to save him money.
Just as Song Qiao was about to inquire further, Xia Yuqing rushed out of the bedroom. Her eyes were red, clearly having just cried.
Seeing this, Song Qiao was immediately shocked. He walked over and asked her caringly, "Wife, what's wrong?"
To his surprise, Xia Yuqing didn't appreciate his concern. She pushed him away and asked coldly, "Why didn't you tell us about such a big thing? Do you still have me as your wife in your eyes?"
Song Qiao was once again stunned. He completely failed to understand what Xia Yuqing was talking about.
"Are you still playing dumb? Your shop is about to go bankrupt, and you're still hiding it from the family."
Xia Yuqing was now furious. She couldn't believe Song Qiao was so hypocritical.
He was clearly suffering for the sake of his pride, still keeping secrets from her.
Song Qiao finally understood why Xia Yuqing was angry. He felt a mix of amusement and helplessness and was about to explain when his mother-in-law rushed out from the kitchen.
"Xiao Song, you... is your shop really going out of business?" She had noticed her daughter's unusual behavior all day and had been watching Xia Yuqing since Song Qiao arrived.
As expected, this matter was indeed related to Song Qiao.
"It's not that I'm blaming you, but Yuqing advised you not to associate with those hoodlums, and you didn't listen. In the end, you got beaten up."
"Then Yuqing advised you to run your business steadily and not rush into setting up a processing plant. You still didn't listen. Now look, your once booming shop is also closing down."
"You, my child, can't you just listen to your wife?"
Her mother-in-law was furious and poured out all her dissatisfaction in one breath.
The more she spoke, the more heartbroken Xia Yuqing became, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls.
Song Qiao stood awkwardly. He really didn't know how to make his wife see through this misunderstanding.
"Do you know that Xi Xi got into a fight with another classmate at school today to defend you?"
"How can you do this to her? You're a liar."
Xia Yuqing's voice was choked with sobs.
"Wife, please listen to me first. It's not what you think." Song Qiao glanced at his daughter in surprise and was about to explain.
"Enough, I don't want to hear your honeyed words anymore. Get out! I never want to see you again."
Xia Yuqing rudely interrupted her husband and began pushing him out of the house.
Xi Xi, who had been terrified by the scene, started to wonder if her mistake at school had caused her mother to get so angry at her father.
Children tend to fixate on such things. The more she thought about it, the more scared she became, and she couldn't help but burst into tears.
Her crying suddenly calmed Xia Yuqing a little, and she stopped pushing Song Qiao.