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Back to the 80s: A Marriage of Convenience
The manager of the shopping mall thought this way, but he was not successful.
First of all, Zhao Jin rarely visited the Clothing Store in the City; he had gone to the Golden Accessories several times and only encountered the staff from the Clothing Store.
Secondly, when he finally found Aunt Sun and wanted her to help contact Zhao Jin, Aunt Sun informed him that Zhao Jin was currently busy with orders from the county's Supply and Marketing Cooperative and also had to take care of his two sons at home, leaving him no time to spare.
Of course, Aunt Sun would not tell this mall manager that Zhao Jin was also busy with large orders from other provinces. To her, the mall's previous actions were truly infuriating. Even she, an outsider, could not stand it.
Now that the mall wanted to cooperate again, it was obviously impossible.
Jin was not short on money now and had no worries about orders or sales; why would he want to collaborate with someone he had previously had a disagreement with? That would just be irritating!
Thinking this way, Aunt Sun did not pass on any messages to the mall manager and directly refused the mall's overtures on behalf of Zhao Jin.
Aunt Sun was not afraid of offending the mall; she spoke her mind without hesitation. The mall manager had dealt with Aunt Sun before and knew she was not easy to mess with. After being repeatedly shut down, he had no choice but to leave in embarrassment.
With a cold snort, Aunt Sun sent off the disgruntled mall manager and finally felt relieved. Afterwards, she carried her bag and bought a lot of milk powder and clothes before heading to Willow Leaf Village.
It had been a while since she last saw Guo Guo and Dou Dou; she missed them dearly!
Indeed, Guo Guo and Dou Dou were very popular. Not only did their family love them, but acquaintances like Aunt Sun also adored them. Every time they met, they would buy plenty of things for the two children.
When Zhao Jin saw Aunt Sun bringing things over, he did not refuse and smiled as he accepted them. At the same time, he made sure to take Aunt Sun to the workshop to pick out a few new beautiful clothes as a free gift for her.
Aunt Sun loved the clothes that Zhao Jin made. Now that there was a workshop, she was even less polite and picked out several pieces before stopping.
By the way, regarding the matter with the mall, Aunt Sun also mentioned it to Zhao Jin.
Like Aunt Sun, Zhao Jin had long given up on the idea of collaborating with the mall. Upon learning that Aunt Sun had already declined on her behalf, she sincerely thanked Aunt Sun.
Zhao Jin was never an ungrateful person. Throughout her journey, she had received help from many people and always kept it in mind.
Take Aunt Sun, for example. Although she had no obligation to help Zhao Jin, she had always been friendly and enthusiastic, doing her best to assist her.
"Why thank me? We're all family," Zhao Jin thought it unreasonable for Aunt Sun to help her, but Aunt Sun did not see it that way.
Without Zhao Jin's assistance, how could the Sun Family have smoothly welcomed a new addition? When Zhao Yamei successfully gave birth to a son, Aunt Sun was immensely grateful to Zhao Jin.
Since Zhao Yamei's pregnancy, Zhao Jin's status in the Sun Family had risen several levels. By the time Zhao Yamei gave birth to her son, Sun Feng's parents had repeatedly urged Aunt Sun to help Zhao Jin more, as a sign of their gratitude towards her.
Aunt Sun had interacted with Zhao Jin quite a bit. She knew well that Zhao Jin did not take credit for Zhao Yamei's pregnancy and childbirth. In Zhao Jin's eyes, it was Zhao Yamei's own blessing and a blessing for the Sun Family.
However, the more humble Zhao Jin was, the more grateful the Sun Family felt towards her. Consequently, Zhao Jin left a very good impression on Aunt Sun.
Having regarded Zhao Jin as family from the start, Aunt Sun certainly would not stand on ceremony with her. When she heard Zhao Jin's thanks, she playfully scolded her.
Zhao Jin was not the type to express gratitude excessively. Her feelings of gratitude were kept in her heart rather than spoken aloud. Seeing that Aunt Sun truly did not want to hear it, she immediately stopped and shook her head, shifting the conversation to other family matters.
Because they were family, there were everyday topics to discuss. Aunt Sun was very clear about this and without hesitation began chatting freely with Zhao Jin.
In the end, the mall could not finalize another collaboration with Zhao Jin. Feeling quite disappointed, they did not come up with any other ideas this time.
The main reason was that Zhao Jin was genuinely compliant. She did not make a big fuss about opposing the mall nor did she engage in malicious competition with them. If the mall insisted on pursuing this matter, it would not harm Zhao Jin but would damage its own reputation instead.
The manager of the mall was not particularly confused. Before continuing to make mistakes, they timely chose to correct them.
At this point, the mall no longer paid constant attention to the business of Zhao Jin Clothing Store; everyone relied on their own abilities and developed independently.
Another scorching summer arrived, and Qi Yuehong and Qi Rui, who had just finished their summer vacation, came to City. One helped look after the Clothing Store, while the other assisted with the Furniture Store. The siblings were both very reliable; they took everything seriously and made people feel at ease.
Originally, it was supposed to be Zhao Jin managing the business at the Clothing Store. Throughout the twelve months of the year, as a boss, she should have come to check on the Clothing Store more often, right?
However, as luck would have it, she was just about to go out and stay in City for a few days when she unexpectedly discovered that she was pregnant again.
Even though there were already two children at home, Guo Guo and Dou Dou, and Sun Qiuer was six months pregnant, the news of Zhao Jin's pregnancy still excited the entire Qi Family, making everyone particularly motivated in whatever they did.
Thinking about how there was already one pregnant woman in the Qi Family, Xu Mei planned to take Zhao Jin back to her Maternal Family for care. However, when she proposed this idea, it was rejected by Qi Zheng's Family.
Sun Qiuer was their daughter-in-law, and so was Jin. How could they send one daughter-in-law back to her Maternal Family just because another was pregnant? That didn't make sense.
Shaking their heads, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju insisted that Zhao Jin stay in the Qi Family for care.
Moreover, they repeatedly assured Xu Mei that they would definitely not mistreat Zhao Jin or let her feel uncomfortable or wronged in any way.
Xu Mei absolutely trusted Qi Zheng's Family. After hearing such assurances from Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju, she waved her hands repeatedly and no longer mentioned taking Zhao Jin back to her Maternal Family for nurturing.
Xu Mei had no ill intentions toward the Qi Family. The reason she suggested taking Zhao Jin away was not because she doubted that the Qi Family would take good care of her. She simply wanted to share some of her burden with them and express her goodwill.
Since the Qi Family clearly had no intention of letting her take Zhao Jin away, Xu Mei naturally would not say more and would not add unnecessary burdens to the Qi Family.
Thus, Zhao Jin remained with the Qi Family under the care of Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju.
Compared to the experience that Zhao Jin had once gone through, Sun Qiuer was still not so calm.
Now with Zhao Jin's company, Sun Qiuer instantly found her anchor and followed Zhao Jin closely without leaving her side.
Zhao Jin couldn't help but laugh at Sun Qiuer's nervous behavior.
It wasn't that she disliked Sun Qiuer following her, nor did it cause her any trouble. It was just that in contrast to Sun Qiuer's anxiety, she seemed too relaxed. "Qiu'er, it's really not as scary as you think. The more nervous you are, the worse it is for both you and the baby." Pulling Sun Qiuer to sit down, Zhao Jin began to speak earnestly, "When I gave birth to Guo Guo and Dou Dou, I just went with the flow. I ate when I needed to eat and drank when I needed to drink, without overthinking anything. By creating this tense atmosphere for yourself, you're just putting pressure on yourself. It's really unnecessary."
Sun Qiuer certainly knew that Zhao Jin meant well and that Zhao Jin was right.
However, no matter how much Sun Qiuer tried to reassure herself, she still couldn't help but feel very anxious. Especially as the months went by and her due date approached, she felt even more uncomfortable and tormented.
At this point, it was no exaggeration to say that she didn't even want to deal with Qi Ze. In the entire household, she only wanted to talk to Zhao Jin and trusted her the most.
Zhao Jin had never experienced Sun Qiuer's situation. When she first noticed that something was clearly wrong with Sun Qiuer, she had worried a lot. To address this, she quietly asked Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju whether they should take Sun Qiuer to the hospital for a check-up. Later, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju told Zhao Jin that everyone's experience during pregnancy is different. Just like Sun Qiuer's situation is personal, Zhao Jin also had her own circumstances back then. Others couldn't help or empathize; they could only offer guidance as much as possible.
Zhao Jin didn't find Sun Qiuer annoying at all. She was very dedicated to helping Sun Qiuer.
However, because she couldn't assist Sun Qiuer directly, Zhao Jin began to feel burdened herself.
"Qiu'er, tell me honestly, what are you afraid of? Are you afraid of giving birth? Or are you worried about having a daughter instead of a son?" Zhao Jin was also trying hard to figure out where things went wrong. After thinking it over, she could only come up with these two reasons.
Sun Qiuer's body stiffened noticeably. It was quite logical yet not surprising that Zhao Jin guessed the truth. "So, Qiu'er, are you really worried about whether you'll have a daughter or a son?" Zhao Jin carefully observed Sun Qiuer's reactions and expressions. Realizing that something was off with Sun Qiuer's response made her smile immediately. "Why would you worry about this? Our family doesn't have any preference for sons over daughters."
"Really."
Sun Qiuer pursed her lips, having previously been unwilling to share her secret with Zhao Jin, but suddenly found it hard to hold back.
After a pause, Sun Qiuer decided to no longer hide the worries in her heart and quietly whispered to Zhao Jin.
It all happened by coincidence. When Sun Qiuer was three months pregnant, she returned to her maternal family once. Shortly after, she happened to encounter someone, a person who was not particularly welcomed or liked by everyone.
That person was the man who had initially broken off his engagement with Sun Qiuer.
Everyone knew that the man had married and settled down in the county. Although he did not move in with his wife’s family, he still took advantage of them, living and eating at their home.
Under such circumstances, the man should not have, and would not dare to be irresponsible towards his wife.
However, it just so happened that because the wife only gave birth to a daughter, the man began to cause trouble with her family.
"What’s there to make a fuss about? A daughter is just a daughter! Daughters are so sweet, obedient, and lovely!" Although Zhao Jin already had two sons, her words gave off a sense of standing on the sidelines without understanding the pain. But this was indeed her true thought and belief, which had never changed.
"I heard them arguing over this matter; at times it even escalated to discussions of divorce," Sun Qiuer said, her head drooping in clear distress.
"Hey! I thought it was something serious! So you were worried about this? Then you should talk to Qi Ze! See how he responds," Zhao Jin never expected that Sun Qiuer was affected by this issue and was still worried about it.
To comfort Sun Qiuer and also for fun, Zhao Jin suggested, "Why don’t you just tell Qi Ze? If he dislikes us for not being able to have sons, then we simply won’t have any more children. Let him figure it out and think it through."
Sun Qiuer was left speechless by Zhao Jin's words, stunned in place.
After a long silence, Sun Qiuer shook her head repeatedly and quietly said, "Even if it's a daughter, I still want to have one for Qi Ze."
From Sun Qiuer's perspective, Zhao Jin was not surprised at all.
Nodding seriously, Zhao Jin had no other thoughts; she simply asked Sun Qiuer: "Since you have this plan, what is there to worry about? Even if it's a daughter, our family values that very much."
"But Sister-in-law, you already gave the family two sons with your first child, and I..." Sun Qiuer found it difficult to speak. However, because it was Zhao Jin asking her, she didn't want to hide or cover up her feelings. After a long pause, Sun Qiuer honestly shared her true thoughts with Zhao Jin: "I feel like I owe the Qi Family so much. The reason I was able to marry Qi Ze was also because of Sister-in-law. If it weren't for your help in making the connection and acting as a matchmaker, I wouldn't even know where he is now."
Zhao Jin opened her mouth to refute Sun Qiuer, but was directly grasped by Sun Qiuer's hand.
"Sister-in-law, please let me finish. I finally gathered the courage to say this. If you interrupt me, I'm afraid I won't have the courage anymore." Holding tightly onto Zhao Jin's hand, Sun Qiuer had a sorrowful expression, her voice already tinged with tears.
Zhao Jin immediately closed her mouth and remained silent. She just nodded earnestly and looked at Sun Qiuer with encouraging eyes.
She truly hadn't expected that Sun Qiuer's pressure was greater than she had anticipated. Thus, Zhao Jin became even more cautious and careful about the current situation.
Since Sun Qiuer was willing to trust her and share her innermost thoughts, Zhao Jin naturally focused all her attention on listening carefully to Sun Qiuer's concerns.
Only in this way could she show her trust in Sun Qiuer, which would be the best response. It was because of Zhao Jin that Sun Qiuer found the courage to speak up. And due to Zhao Jin's care and encouragement at this moment, Sun Qiuer took a deep breath and once again tried to articulate her most genuine thoughts: "To have the fortune of marrying into the Qi Family is something I never even dared to dream of before. But because of you, Sister-in-law, I really did marry into it; I married Qi Ze. I am very grateful and fortunate. I genuinely want to do something for the Qi Family, but I feel so useless; I can't help with anything, not even having children..."
This time, Zhao Jin did not interrupt. Even though there was a longer silence from Sun Qiuer than before, she had every opportunity to interject.
However, rather than simply comforting her, Zhao Jin wanted to listen more to Sun Qiuer's true feelings and thoughts.
Zhao Jin understood very well that on ordinary days, Sun Qiuer would definitely not share these things with her. Sun Qiuer was too quiet and kept her thoughts hidden. If it weren't for Sun Qiuer wanting to express herself actively, others would likely find it very difficult to notice.
However, at this point, Zhao Jin still had some complaints about Qi Ze.
How could he be a husband? Did Qi Ze not realize Qiu'er's many thoughts and grievances? He didn't notice anything at all?
Moreover, pregnant women tend to overthink, and Qi Ze's lack of concern was truly unacceptable.
Secondly, Zhao Jin was also very disappointed in herself. Unable to help it, she fell into self-blame.
Indeed, making money is important. With money, everyone can live a better life.
However, one should not ignore the feelings and emotions of family members just for the sake of making money.
The oppression and pain that Sun Qiuer felt at this moment were partly related to her Sister-in-law. If she hadn't been so good at making money, which put immense pressure on Qiu'er, how could Qiu'er be suffering so much? Thinking this way, Zhao Jin couldn't help but start reflecting on whether her actions over the past two years were right or wrong.
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