QTIMP -Chapter 8 Character Persona – Greedy (Part 8)

“Everyone stop! Xiao Chen, pull them apart.” Director Li’s authoritative voice immediately quieted the room. Then, with the skills of a former soldier, Brother Chen quickly separated the two.

The eldest son of the Qin family was not only beaten until his face was bruised and swollen, but his right arm was clearly injured. He kept supporting it with his left hand, making his expression even more pitiful.

The eldest son’s wife let out a cry and rushed over. “Qin Dong’a! How are you? You must hold on! If anything happens to you, we widows and orphans will be utterly defenseless! Heaven has no eyes, letting this little uncle bully our eldest brother’s family! They really leave us no way out!”

“Enough. Shut up, don’t be so embarrassing.” Director Li said with a dark expression.

Eldest brother’s wife dared not argue and immediately quieted her crying and wailing. If it had been her mother-in-law or someone else saying that, she would have snapped back long ago.

Next, Director Li looked at Qin family’s fourth son, Qin Bei. The young man’s slightly long hair fell over his eyes, and a streak of blood ran down his cheek, giving him a sharp, fierce look.

His slightly oversized clothes accentuated a lean, slender body, but from the torn sleeves, it was clear that he had thin but defined muscles.

It made sense—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to beat up an older brother by several years, leaving him still unable to stand.

“Now tell me what happened. In this sweltering heat, why can’t you guys just behave? If you really can’t stay idle, go sweep toilets or clean the streets. If that’s still not enough, go to study class.”

Hearing this, Qin Bei sneered. “Going to study is too light. They should be thrown in jail.”

“Fourth son, that’s your own brother.” The Qin parents quickly interjected, eyes full of pleading as they looked at him.

Qin Bei froze for a moment, then roared with rage. “Father, Mother, they ruined my future! To keep me from taking the college entrance exam, they even put something in my food…”

“Fourth son, I beg you,” Qin Father said, while Qin Mother covered her mouth and sobbed.

But this matter really couldn’t be pursued by Qin Bei. Otherwise, the eldest son’s work could be jeopardized, and the couple wouldn’t be able to stay in this large compound.

Still, as Qin Bei said, the eldest couple did ruin him. To stop him from taking the college entrance exam, the eldest son’s wife had indeed put medicine into his food.

Qin Bei looked at his parents, their faces blackened and thin, their hair already mostly white. He remembered the famine years, when the couple had risked starving themselves just to fill his half-grown stomach, passing out from hunger countless times.

He pressed his lips tightly, turning his face away. His eyes were slightly red, his body tense, but in the end he still didn’t continue speaking.

Qin Father supported his wife forward, forcing a somewhat obsequious smile. “Director Li, it’s normal for brothers to have fights. This time it was a bit too rough, but they’re brothers after all. Let’s just forget about the studying, okay?”

From these few words, Director Li could guess the situation. She sighed, but still couldn’t help saying a few more words.

“Now society is different, and favoring children won’t be remembered forever. You have many children, but your burdens are heavy, and even if you’re earning money now, you can’t treat them all fairly. When you can no longer earn money, the children you neglected won’t care about you, and the ones you favored will look down on you as well. Honestly, if you try to find someone to arbitrate, no one will listen to you. At worst, people might scold you both for being foolish. What will you two do then?”

The Qin parents suddenly shrank in stature, as if the weight of her words had physically pressed them down.

They knew that if this matter was just suppressed, Qin Bei would be wronged—but what could they do? They were all their own flesh and blood, raised from infancy with every bit of effort.

“Ah, ah, ah… understood, understood. Thank you, Director Li. I will handle this properly. Truly, thank you for your trouble.”

The elderly couple exchanged polite words, carrying an indescribable air of humility.

To Si Qiu, it seemed both pitifully humble and faintly foolish.

Director Li shook her head and turned to the onlookers. “Alright, alright, everyone go do what you need to do. Look at the time—are you skipping work, or skipping school? If you’ve got time to stand here gawking, you’d better spend it studying the documents issued by the street office. Next time a unit comes looking for workers, I’ll check how well you’ve studied the materials. Anyone who hasn’t studied properly can forget about getting a worker quota from me.”

“Yeah, yeah, Director Li, we’ll get to work right away. Don’t worry, Director Li—we’ll make sure our kids study properly. Next time a unit needs workers, you’ll have to remember us too.”

“Exactly, Director Li, don’t worry. I’ll make them start studying tonight.”

Everyone promised eagerly, their voices overlapping, and at the same time they subtly tried to gather intel on potential job opportunities. But soon they scattered, since it was getting late for work.

Seeing this, Director Li also intended to turn and leave with her team. But the eldest daughter-in-law of the Qin family wasn’t willing to let it go.

“Director Li, you can’t just leave like this. My Xiao Dong got beaten up like this, and we can’t just let it slide!”

Director Li, who had just been about to leave, immediately turned back upon hearing her shout. But before she could say anything, the Qin family matriarch spoke up.

“You, eldest son’s wife, shut up too.”

But rather than calming the eldest daughter-in-law, her words only made her shout louder. “Why should I shut up? Xiao Dong isn’t your son, so what? He got beaten like this, and you think we can just let it slide? Don’t even think about it—I won’t agree.”

In a flash, the Qin matriarch lunged forward and slapped the eldest daughter-in-law across the face.

“You troublemaker, jinx! If you hadn’t poisoned the fourth son, none of this would have happened. You don’t agree, I don’t agree—don’t think this ends today!”

Stunned by the slap, the eldest daughter-in-law reacted and tried to lunge forward again, only to be kicked by Qin Bei, falling to the ground.

She was about to bang on the floor and wail, but when she lifted her head, she met a pair of bloodshot eyes. Her cries got stuck in her throat, unable to escape.

“Split the family!”

The abrupt command rang out with a weary finality. Everyone turned toward the source of the voice—Old Master Qin.

“Old man…”

Hearing Qin’s mother speak, Old Master Qin waved his hand.

“Since Director Li is here, we’ll trouble you to oversee this. The eldest and second sons are both married, and the house can’t accommodate everyone. With constant clashing in the kitchen and endless quarrels, it’s best to split the family!”

Previously silent, the couples of the second and third sons all stepped forward and called out, “Father.”

“Enough, don’t say anything more. My mind is made up.”

With him declaring it so, the few who had been about to leave all turned back. Si Qiu followed the group into the house.