QTIMP -Chapter 89 Character Persona – Lazy (Part 37)

“Have they been sent off?”

“Mm! Mom, I got up too early. I’m going back to catch up on some sleep.”

When the old lady heard that, she quickly waved her hand. “Go on, go on. You two treat having children like completing a task—one of you keeps clinging to his wife before leaving, and the other comes back and doesn’t even look at the kids, just heads straight to bed.”

Even after Si Qiu had already gone into the bedroom, she could still hear the old lady muttering. Although she couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, it certainly wasn’t anything nice.

Si Qiu poked her head out from the doorway. “Mom, if you keep saying things like that in front of the children, what if they stop being close to me?”

After saying that, she disappeared from the doorway.

Wang Xia froze for a moment. It took her quite a while to react, and then she lightly slapped her own mouth.

Muttering to herself, she said, “I really do need to watch what I say in front of the kids from now on. I should remind the old man too. That old fellow has a history of raising an ungrateful child.”

After the old lady left, Si Qiu stuck her head out again and took a look. “Problem solved.”

Now she could sleep in peacefully.

The students of the first batch of the restored college entrance examination were incredibly competitive, which formed a stark contrast to Si Qiu’s laziness. Yet despite only attending classes normally and never reading even one extra page of books, her grades were still among the top in the class.

Honestly, wasn’t that infuriating?

Si Qiu herself wasn’t particularly proud of it. After all, she had lived several centuries longer than them. Especially during her time in the cultivation world—studying classical Chinese texts there was enough to make her want to throw up.

What counted as top-tier reading comprehension? Only someone who had cultivated could truly understand. After all, without that level of comprehension, how could you cultivate? How could you break through to the next realm?

Studying didn’t require much effort for her, but for the sake of her future life, she still needed to put some thought into other things.

First, she invested in opening a foreign language training center, hiring school teachers at high salaries. Then she also invested in a construction team run by one of Lu Hongjun’s friends.

At the same time, she brought over her maternal half-brother’s family, letting him join the construction team to learn the trade, while his wife cooked meals at the construction site.

As for her paternal half-brother, Si Qiu directly bought two storefronts in the city and let them use them for free, asking them to buy agricultural products from the countryside and sell them in town.

The couple were both good at calculating profits, and since the business required almost no capital, it was said to be going quite well. This also allowed Old Man Si to feel more at ease.

Si Lai and his husband hadn’t returned either. Over there, she had directly opened a small clothing processing factory for them. It was said to be doing quite well, and they even mailed clothes back home for the family.

After graduating, Si Qiu stayed at the university as a teacher. She was extremely satisfied with this job—it was easy, respectable, and stress-free.

“I heard a car stop outside. Go see if someone’s here again,” Si’s mother said while continuing to work with her hands, glancing outside at the same time.

“If someone came, it would just be family. Any guests won’t arrive until tomorrow.”

Si Qiu glanced at the busy people in the courtyard and replied. Tomorrow was Old Master Lu’s birthday. His health had been getting worse lately, so this year’s celebration was being held on a larger scale.

Although tables had been reserved at a restaurant, when relatives arrived they would still gather and eat together first. So the family banquet was arranged in their courtyard.

“Mom! Mom! It’s my little uncle and little aunt—they came back with Brother Yaoyang!”

Three children ran in from the outer courtyard, shouting like a trio.

“Lower your voices! Look how you’ve scared the chickens, ducks, and geese in their cages. If they get frightened to death, how are we supposed to eat them?”

The three boys immediately stopped in their tracks, standing there with their mouths tightly shut.

Even though they were young, they understood very clearly—the one person in the family they absolutely couldn’t provoke was their mother.

Normally she wouldn’t interfere with how they behaved, but if they truly became disobedient, their father would be the one to discipline them—and he would be much harsher.

In their family, the rule for educating the children was simple: Mom never hit, and Dad never scolded.

“Come on, you little ones. Let’s go to the toy room over there and play. It’s the perfect chance for Yaoyang and your little nephew to see your toy house.”

Lu Hongjun, who had come in a moment later, led the children out so they wouldn’t disturb the adults.

“Yaoyang, go with your uncle and the others. You can also share the things I brought back with them.”

Si Lai walked in arm-in-arm with Lu Hongqi. Her hair had been styled into large permed waves, and she wore a pink suit. She had gained a little weight too. Unlike before, when she looked gentle and fragile, she now carried a touch of bright confidence and boldness.

However, the moment her eyes met Si Qiu’s, the smile on her face faltered slightly. She awkwardly touched her newly permed hair, wondering if she had tried a bit too hard.

After all, Si Qiu’s naturally smooth and flowing hair seemed pretty nice as well.

“You’re back. Mom and Dad will be here soon. If you’re tired, have your older brother take you to a room to rest for a while.”

“No need, Sister-in-law. You know how strong we are. There’s plenty of work at home—just tell us what needs to be done.” As Lu Hongqi spoke, he took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to help.

“Alright, alright. I’ve already hired people for everything. Family just needs to keep an eye on things. But your uncles will all come tonight, so help me take good care of them.”

After arranging the children, Lu Hongjun quickly came back out.

That evening, the whole extended family gathered here. Dozens of relatives split into different groups, chatting in separate rooms.

For example, the old master and the old lady sat tightly holding Uncle Lu’s hand. Uncle Lu’s wife, along with Lu Hongjun’s parents, accompanied them. Also present were the two oldest children from Uncle Lu’s family and the brothers Lu Hongjun and Lu Hongqi.

Meanwhile, Si Qiu and Si Lai stayed in another room with the younger generation. The group chatted about their recent lives and talked about the future.

“Fourth Aunt, I heard your clothing factory is expanding again.”

Someone asked, and Si Lai tried hard to suppress the upward curl of pride at the corners of her lips.

“It’s already expanding. I bought out the state-owned factory and plan to renovate it.”

“Wow, Fourth Aunt! Then you must be making a fortune!”

Several younger relatives gathered around her, asking question after question.

Si Qiu glanced at Si Lai with a faintly amused look. “Third Sister-in-law, won’t you come sit here?”

“I’ll go bring some fruit and tea to the other room first. You all keep chatting.”

Si Qiu took some tea leaves from the cabinet, picked out a few fruits from the basket, and placed them neatly on a tray.

Carrying the tray, she walked toward the east room. Si Lai curled her lips slightly and began telling the children the story of how she had built her business.

When Si Qiu reached the door, she knocked twice before pushing it open.

“I got some good tea leaves recently, so I brought them for you to try. And here’s some fruit—eat a bit, otherwise you’ll get hungry before dinner.”

“Third daughter-in-law, stop working so hard. Come, come sit here.”

The eldest sister-in-law grabbed her hand and pulled her over, looking at her with the same affection she might show her own child.

The eldest grandson of Uncle Lu’s family picked up the teapot and poured her some tea, while the second grandson adjusted his glasses.

“Fourth Aunt, I heard from Fourth Uncle that you want to get involved in trade with the Soviet Union.”

At his question, the room suddenly grew quiet.

Everyone who had interacted with Si Qiu knew that although she was the youngest of this generation, she was also the most forward-thinking.

Whether it was the old master or the eldest son of the Lu family, whenever something important came up, they liked to discuss it with her.

So when the two grandsons of the eldest branch of the Lu family raised the question, everyone stopped their conversations, eager to hear her opinion.