Chapter 119: This Painfully Subtle Connection

Perhaps it was Chen Lie’s offhand remark—“Don’t worry, she’s not interested in you”—that got under his skin, but the director of the Operations Department actually made a small concession, and even managed to secure an advertising deal.

On the way back, he even managed a faint smile at Su Qinghu, Sister Li, and Yuan Hang. He was usually so stiff and formal that his smile looked a bit forced.

When Su Qinghu arrived, she had come with a suitcase. But on her way back, she took out all the clothes and shoes and stuffed them into her newly bought backpack, filling the suitcase instead with specialty foods from Jiangnan and all sorts of random trinkets.

Even Sister Li was shocked by her impressive spending power. There were things she couldn’t even figure out the purpose of, but Su Qinghu bought them without batting an eye.

Seeing Su Qinghu smiling, her eyes crinkling from time to time, Sister Li couldn’t help but ask, “What are you thinking about? Chen Lie? Why are you so happy?”

“No,” Su Qinghu tried to hold back her laughter. “I’m thinking about my two boys!”

Before, she’d never spent money in front of them, and the things she bought were always limited. This time, she was bringing back a whole suitcase of stuff from Jiangnan—she wondered if they’d be so happy they’d jump for joy. Enmmmm~~~

Yuan Hang couldn’t hold back his curiosity. “You get along really well with those two kids, don’t you?”

Every time she mentioned them, her face would light up with a big smile.

Su Qinghu affirmed her relationship with Da Dan and Er Dan without hesitation. “Yeah, we get along great—just like good friends.”

Yep, once you’re on the same level, there’s no such thing as bullying.

All that crying and laughing? That’s just kids goofing around~~~

“Really?” Yuan Hang eyed her suspiciously, seeing the sly, almost mischievous look on her face. “Why do I feel like you’re not telling the whole truth?”

Su Qinghu stopped smiling and gave him a dangerous look. “Want to experience the friendship between me and the kids for yourself?”

“No need!” Yuan Hang surrendered immediately.

Sleeping away the hours on the road was boring, so the three of them started brainstorming topics for next week’s report. With everyone pitching in, by the time they reached the Capital Station, they’d already planned out topics for the week after next.

As they got off the train, Sister Li looked at Su Qinghu differently. “Xiao Su, I’m treating you to dinner the week after next.”

“Count me in!” Yuan Hang raised his hand quickly. “I can pay!”

If they could come up with another two weeks’ worth of topics, that would be perfect!

Su Qinghu refused flatly. “No way, I don’t have time on weekends.”

Her weekends were reserved for herself and the two kids—eating, drinking, playing, having a blast together~~

“You have to take care of the kids? Bring us along, we can take photos for you,” Yuan Hang said, dragging Sister Li into it. “Please~~~”

For some reason, it just felt like Su Qinghu’s weekends were always so colorful and fun!

Su Qinghu narrowed her eyes at them, thought for a moment, and said with a hint of pride, “…It’s not impossible to bring you guys. I’ll let you know.”

Yuan Hang: “Alright!”

Dancing, drinking, watching movies, sleeping—after a while, it all got boring. He wanted to add a little excitement to his otherwise uneventful life.

Sister Li was oddly excited that Su Qinghu agreed, but quickly regained her composure. “No need to bring us every week—just once in a while is fine.”

After getting off, Su Qinghu and Sister Li went back to the newspaper office to report in. Luckily, none of them were rookies—the interview drafts had all been sorted out beforehand. After checking in, the director let Sister Li and Su Qinghu go home.

As for Yuan Hang, the technical whiz, the director kept him behind to keep working hard and shining in his own field.

Su Qinghu had spent nearly all her own money and the cash Chen Lie had given her. Now, heading home, she didn’t have the funds to splurge anymore and obediently took the bus.

It was Sunday, and the streets were packed with people and bicycles—let alone the cheap, fast bus. As soon as Su Qinghu got on, she dragged her suitcase all the way to the back before stopping.

She set the suitcase on its side and sat on it, propping her chin in her hand as she gazed at the blazing sun outside the window, regretting not buying a pretty sunhat in Jiangnan.

The bus crawled along, stopping and starting, swaying gently. One stop before hers, Su Qinghu got ready, took a deep breath, and started squeezing her way forward.

She kept her suitcase in front of her, making it to the door without bumping into anyone.

Getting off at her stop, she looked at the distance still left to her house and fell into thought.

What to do? She really wanted to call for some child labor!

But she figured the two kids were probably still over at the compound.

Hot, tired, and thirsty, Su Qinghu almost shed a couple of big tears. If only she’d called her in-laws from the office earlier.

Surprises—why do they always have to happen now…

Oh well, she’d rest a bit before moving on.

Sitting on her suitcase, she looked around, hoping to spot a neighbor or someone she knew who could help her call for a cart.

As she waited, a skinny man hesitantly approached, finally mustering the courage to ask if she needed help—just thirty cents.

Su Qinghu met his eyes, paused, then nodded. “Thank you, that would be great.”

She didn’t know what this man had been through, but when she agreed, she saw a glimmer of tears in his eyes.

“Wait here, I’ll go get my cart,” he said, quickly running to the corner and returning with a handcart. As he reached for her suitcase, Su Qinghu picked it up herself and set it on the cart, not letting him help.

He was an older man, even thinner and smaller than she was.

He hesitated, his mouth moving as if to speak, then lowered his head and pulled the cart forward as Su Qinghu directed.

After about forty or fifty meters, Su Qinghu couldn’t hold back anymore. She called for a stop, walked to the front of the cart, opened her suitcase, and took out a chocolate bar and a sausage. She handed him the sausage first, then unwrapped the chocolate. “Eat it.”

The man clearly hadn’t expected the sausage was for him. When she offered the chocolate, he turned away abruptly, raising his arm to cover his eyes.

Su Qinghu could hear the muffled sound of him crying.

Once he’d calmed down, she handed him the chocolate again. “Eat it. If you keep working on an empty stomach, you might faint and end up in the hospital. That costs money, and you’ll miss out on work.”

When Su Qinghu put on her serious face, almost no one could resist her. The man, looking a bit odd, finally ate the chocolate. Before he could say anything, Su Qinghu started walking again.

He tried several times to say something, but Su Qinghu kept her back to him, so in the end he just quietly pushed the cart along.

As they neared her house, Su Qinghu started rummaging through her bag, finally coming up with only fifty cents.

She sighed—money is always scarce when you need it most…

Just as she was lamenting, the front door suddenly swung open, and there was Er Dan, standing in the doorway, looking utterly stunned.

Su Qinghu waved at him. “Er Dan, lend me some money!”"