QTIMP -Chapter 255 Character Persona – Vicious (Part 18)

What happened to Father Si was far too disgraceful. When the police arrived, he was still completely naked. The widow was so frightened that she screamed on the spot, attracting a large crowd of onlookers.

After the situation at the police station was mostly sorted out, Si Qiu left and hurried straight to the hospital without stopping.

When she arrived, Mother Si had just regained consciousness. She grabbed Si Qiu’s wrist tightly.

“Third girl, Third girl, what exactly happened to your father?”

Mother Si was staying in a four-bed ward. Every bed was occupied, and there were quite a few family members caring for patients nearby. Combined with those who had come over after hearing the commotion, there were plenty of people around.

But Si Qiu had no intention of keeping family scandals private. She directly recounted everything she had learned at the police station, detail by detail.

The crowd looked at the family with a mixture of schadenfreude and sympathy. Fortunately, a nurse soon came over and drove everyone away.

Seeing Mother Si lying there wailing in grief, Si Qiu could barely suppress the joy in her heart.

She took out two yuan and two grain coupons from her pocket and handed them to the two younger children.

“You two go home, get the lunch boxes, then head to the state-owned restaurant and buy some food. Everyone should at least have something to eat.”

The two youngsters were completely at a loss. Naturally, they obeyed whatever she said and left immediately with the money.

Once they were gone, Si Qiu pretended to comfort Mother Si. Leaning close to her ear, she whispered:

“Mom, now isn’t the time to cry. While I was at the police station, I heard people saying that the young widow might be pregnant. What if she comes to fight you for the family’s property?”

“How dare she? She’s been fooling around with a married man. She ought to be arrested and paraded through the streets!”

Si Qiu raised an eyebrow slightly.

So fainting twice actually helped her grow a brain?

But she wasn’t worried. She continued softly:

“The widow herself isn’t the problem. The problem is that she has four brothers. What if they come to our house and make trouble? Our family is already in a weak position. What you need to do now is quickly find a way to take over Dad’s job, then figure out a way to divorce him. That way you can distance yourself from him and keep him from dragging my younger brother down with him.”

Mother Si immediately thought about how her children’s political background and future prospects might be affected.

“If I bring up divorce, won’t I lose the chance to get his job?”

Si Qiu was very pleased by how quickly she understood.

“Whoever you want to inherit the job can sign a guarantee letter promising to take care of Dad. Just say it’s purely out of humanitarian concern and has nothing to do with family ties.”

Mother Si nodded repeatedly.

“Right, right, that’s exactly what we’ll do.”

As she spoke, she threw back the hospital blanket and tried to get out of bed.

At that moment, people from the police, the Women’s Federation, and representatives from the machinery factory arrived.

The moment Mother Si saw all these officials, she began trembling nervously.

Si Qiu squeezed her hand.

As if finding her pillar of support, Mother Si gripped Si Qiu’s hand in return and slowly sat back down on the bed.

“Leaders, please have a seat. There aren’t even any cups here, so I can’t offer you any water.”

Si Qiu greeted them and invited them in.

“No need, no need. We’re here to offer support and resolve the matter, not to cause you more trouble.”

When the Women’s Federation director saw how beautiful the young woman was, then thought about the misfortune that had befallen her family, she couldn’t help sighing. Holding Si Qiu’s hand, she felt a wave of sympathy.

The police spoke first, asking about the sequence of events.

Si Qiu explained the family argument from the previous night.

“It was because of that quarrel that my father got angry and slammed the door before leaving. My mother was furious at the time as well, so she didn’t stop him.”

“Oh? When we came to notify you earlier, I remember you mentioning that young widow. So you already knew about her.”

Mother Si immediately shot an anxious glance at Si Qiu.

Still holding her hand, Si Qiu said:

“Mom, things have already come to this point. Whatever you know, just say it. The Women’s Federation will stand up for us, and the machinery factory leaders will stand up for us too.”

“The country advocates women’s liberation and equality between men and women. The mistakes Dad made are his own. As long as we draw a clear line between ourselves and him in time, we are all independent and equal individuals.”

The people sitting in the room had seen their fair share of life. Hearing Si Qiu’s words, they all raised their brows in quiet approval.

Li Guifang licked her dry lips and said, “I did notice something before. Whenever he argued with me, he often wouldn’t come home. I followed him a couple of times because I was suspicious.”

Her fingers picked at the pattern on her clothes.

“But I couldn’t make a scene about it. If it got exposed and he was arrested, then the children and I would lose his wages, and life would become even harder.

Who could have imagined things would end up like this? How are the rest of us supposed to live now?”

Si Qiu inwardly praised her. At least she still had some brains.

She quickly patted her mother’s back comfortingly.

“Mom, don’t be too upset. Since things have already come to this, if necessary, let one of my younger brother or sister take over Dad’s job.

The salary will be much lower, but together with your wages, it should still be enough to support the family.”

After speaking, Si Qiu discreetly pinched her mother’s hand.

Mother Si immediately understood and dropped to her knees before the factory leaders.

“Director, I know we’ve caused trouble for you. But our family has both the elderly and the young to care for. If we can’t do this, we truly won’t be able to survive.

Besides, I still have two children in the countryside who need financial support.”

As she spoke, she began sobbing pitifully.

The factory representatives could no longer ignore the mother and daughter.

It was obvious they were worried that, because of the indecency scandal, no one in the family would be allowed to inherit the job. They wanted the machinery factory to make a public statement in front of everyone.

Looking at them again, one kneeling on the floor and the other crouching beside her, both crying miserably, the man had little choice but to nod.

“Sister-in-law, please get up. Master Si is a permanent employee of the factory. If your family has someone who meets the requirements, then naturally they can take over the position. However, if someone takes over the job, then…”

The moment Li Guifang heard him agree to the job transfer, she hurriedly rose with his help.

Wiping away her tears with her sleeve, she said,

“I’ve thought about that too. Even though he’s done something like this and failed both the country and the people, I definitely can’t continue as husband and wife with him. When the time comes, I’ll take all the children with me. I can’t let him influence them. But no matter what, he’s still their biological father. So I’ll tell the three children this: whoever takes over the job will also be responsible for looking after their father. Not because of family affection, but out of humanitarian concern.”

Hearing this, Si Qiu knew her mother had truly taken her words to heart.

At that moment, the two younger children returned with food.

They had also heard the conversation from outside.

Their eyes flickered with complicated emotions, each harboring their own little calculations.

They thought they had hidden their thoughts well, but every adult in the room could see right through them.

The cadre sent by the machinery factory watched the mother and daughter with amused interest.

Si Xi stepped forward, opened the lunch box, and placed it on the small table.

“Mom, come eat something. You haven’t eaten all day. Don’t starve yourself. I’ll watch over Dad later, so you don’t need to worry.”

Mother Si naturally caught the implication behind her youngest daughter’s words.

But the person she wanted to leave the job to was her youngest son.

Her gaze involuntarily shifted toward Si Bei.