QTIMP -Chapter 256 Character Persona – Vicious (Part 19)

Of course, Si Bei wanted the job, but he didn’t want to take care of his father. At the same time, he couldn’t really refuse.

After all, his third sister was about to get married, and his fourth sister was going to the countryside.

Their mother was also planning to divorce his father, which meant the responsibility of caring for him could only fall on Si Bei.

Thinking about it that way, he hesitated.

At that moment, Si Xi suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She turned around and dropped to her knees in front of the factory leaders.

“Leaders, I’m willing to take care of my father for the rest of his life, until the day he dies. I guarantee he won’t cause the factory any trouble.”

The factory leader’s gaze remained fixed on Si Qiu’s face.

But to his disappointment, this excessively beautiful young woman showed no expression at all.

There was no greed for the job, nor any sympathy or disgust toward her father.

She seemed completely indifferent, like a passerby with no stake in the matter.

When Mother Si saw her youngest daughter acting this way, she angrily stepped forward and pinched her.

“You dead girl, what nonsense are you talking about? How can you compete with your brother? Your brother is supposed to support me in my old age!”

This time, however, Si Xi wasn’t intimidated. She didn’t even try to dodge. Instead, she tearfully complained:

“Mom, I’m your daughter too. The country advocates equality between men and women—how can you favor sons over daughters like this? Besides, doesn’t my brother want a job? Didn’t you already agree to give him your position? That way, he won’t have to take care of Dad, and he’ll even get a house for free. What does he have to be unhappy about?”

Those words were directed squarely at Si Bei, urging him not to compete with her. If he wanted a job, he could get one from their mother.

Sure enough, Si Bei took the hint.

A burden lifted from his heart. He truly didn’t want to take care of a father who could no longer care for himself.

Thinking of that, he turned and persuaded Li Guifang.

“Mom, don’t worry. Once I take over your job, I’ll support you and take care of you in your old age. That doesn’t conflict with my sister taking care of Dad.”

Si Qiu almost wanted to applaud him.

Well done. Just don’t regret it later.

Li Guifang was furious, but with so many people present, she couldn’t openly oppose him.

The leader from the Ore Factory looked at Si Qiu with interest.

“Little girl, haven’t you ever thought about taking this job yourself?”

Smiling, Si Qiu shook her head.

“Since my younger brother and sister want it, then as their elder sister, I won’t compete with them. But I do have one request: I want the right to supervise how they fulfill their obligations toward our parents. They shouldn’t take all the benefits now and then neglect their responsibilities later. I’d also like all the leaders present to serve as witnesses. If either of them fails to fulfill their duty of support in the future, then their jobs should be returned to the factory, and the factory should restore the retirement benefits that the two elderly people deserve.”

The leaders exchanged glances.

In the end, under the witness of both the Women’s Federation and the factory leadership, the mother and her four children signed a support agreement.

The agreement specifically stated that, as long as the two elderly parents were still alive, the jobs could not be transferred or altered in any way.

Si Qiu intended to bind the four of them together for life.

Mother Si was even touched, believing that Si Qiu was thinking of her welfare.

Afraid that something might go wrong, the twins hurried to their schools after seeing the officials off and rushed to complete the procedures for obtaining their graduation certificates.

Li Guifang also returned to the apartment building. Together with Si Qiu, she shifted the bed slightly and retrieved the household registration booklet, then handed it to the two siblings who had just finished getting their diplomas.

Everyone was in such a hurry that no one noticed Si Qiu’s household registration had already been transferred out.

Only when the paperwork was being processed at the Machinery Factory did one of the leaders cast Si Qiu a meaningful look.

Si Qiu responded with a sweet smile, showing not the slightest trace of guilt.

Why should she feel guilty?

She had already arranged the most fitting retribution possible for all four of them.

After both job transfers were completed and they walked out of the Machinery Factory, Si Xi immediately said to Li Guifang:

“Mom, now that I’m starting work, when Dad comes back, you’ll have to take care of him first.”

“Once I start getting paid, I’ll give you ten yuan every month.”

Of course, Li Guifang refused.

Ten yuan a month, while both of them would still be eating and living at home? And she would have to take care of a completely bedridden man?

Was she crazy? Why would she become their servant?

So she said, “Give me twenty yuan a month, and I’ll help you take care of him.”

Si Xi immediately objected.

She had only just taken over the position and earned just 23.5 yuan a month. She had been thinking that now that she had a job, she could finally marry her Brother Zhang Wei.

That way, her Brother Zhang Wei wouldn’t have to go to the countryside.

But if she gave her mother twenty yuan, how could two people survive on the remaining 3.5 yuan?

Mother and daughter started arguing right there at the entrance.

Unexpectedly, Li Guifang became so agitated that she fainted.

The security department helped send her to the hospital, causing another round of chaos and panic.

After she was resuscitated, the doctor came out and informed them that she had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke due to extreme emotional distress.

Although her life had been saved, she was now paralyzed.

The news struck the twins like a bolt from the blue.

Si Bei had never wanted to be anyone’s caretaker.

As for Si Xi, she had been planning to have her mother look after her father.

Now not only could her mother not help—

There was one more bedridden patient to take care of.

Only Si Qiu could no longer suppress the joy in her heart.

A bright yet cruel smile curved her lips.

The next day, while the siblings went to work, Si Qiu voluntarily took responsibility for caring for both patients in the hospital.

Wu Jiaojiao and Wen Hongying came to visit her.

Both of them had tears in their eyes as they tried to comfort her.

Smiling calmly, Si Qiu said, “I’m not sad at all, so why are you two sad? They never treated me well when they were healthy. Now that things have turned out this way, I actually feel liberated.”

The two immediately wiped their eyes.

Wen Hongying nodded.

“If that’s the case, then we’re relieved. Oh, right, I still haven’t told my brother about your situation.”

“No need. When I see him, I’ll tell him myself.”

Wen Hongying nodded and said nothing more.

Instead, Wu Jiaojiao glanced around before lowering her voice.

“I heard about what happened from Yun Zhe at school. He was afraid you wouldn’t want him to see you in such a miserable state, so he didn’t come over.

But he asked me to bring you this.”

She pulled out a thick roll of money from her pocket, a mixture of bills in various denominations.

“Qiuqiu, if you run into any difficulties, you have to tell us.”

Si Qiu accepted the money and slipped it into her pocket.

“I don’t really have any difficulties. I’ll be starting work in a couple of days, and I’ll be moving out as well.

Then I’ll finally be completely free of this cesspool.”

The two women spoke in unison.

“You’ve really had it hard.”

There was no teasing or sarcasm in their voices.

They genuinely felt sorry for her, and the concern on their faces was impossible to fake.

After seeing her two good friends off, Si Qiu leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and looked toward the corner of the hallway.

“How much longer are you planning to squat there?”

Yun Zhe slowly shuffled out, grinning from ear to ear.

“Qiuqiu.”

Si Qiu rolled her eyes.

“In the future, if you have something to say, tell me directly. Don’t make other people pass messages for you.

That kind of thing easily leads to misunderstandings. I hate misunderstandings and the trouble they cause.”

Yun Zhe’s grin widened even further.

Qiuqiu actually didn’t mind him appearing in front of her anymore.

“Okay, Qiuqiu. If there’s ever anything you need, just tell me. Before this, I had my parents ask around at the post office about whether there were any job openings. They spent nearly a month making inquiries and still couldn’t find anything. I was even thinking about going to the countryside with you. Then Wu Jiaojiao told me that you’d found a job. That’s wonderful. I was really worried you’d suffer if you had to go to the countryside.”