After Wang Qiqi hailed a taxi for Shi Man and Zhu Lina respectively, and helped load the luggage into the trunk, she called a cab for herself and left. As for Han Tao, even though he was now a man of some means, after seeing Wang Qiqi off, he boarded a public bus and slowly made his way home. If Wang Qiqi had seen this, she would surely have called him a miser.

At that moment, Wang Qiqi had no idea how frugal someone was being. As her taxi passed a mother-and-baby store, she suddenly remembered something. "Driver, wait a moment, I need to hop out and buy something." Although Wang Qiqi had bought some gold jewelry for the little one in the capital, she always felt something was missing, but she just couldn't recall what. Now, she finally remembered.

Wang Qiqi quickly asked someone at the mother-and-baby store, then rushed to a specific counter, selected her items, and paid. Throughout the entire process, Wang Qiqi kept staring outside, terrified that some heartless driver might suddenly start the engine and drive off. Her suitcase was still in the car; she wouldn't even have a place to cry later.

Fortunately, the driver waited by the door until Wang Qiqi had finished her purchases, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing Wang Qiqi rush back into the car, panting, the driver smiled and started the engine. "Little girl, worried I’d leave?" The driver had noticed how often she kept glancing out the shop window while inside.

Wang Qiqi smiled. "Yes, my luggage is in the car. I was quite worried." Wang Qiqi didn't deny her anxiety.

"I understand." The driver wasn't angry. "It’s right for you to worry. By the way, little girl, you don't seem like a tourist, but you are currently..."

"I'm away at university, just returned." Sitting in the car, Wang Qiqi engaged in a long conversation with him. One shouldn't underestimate these drivers; despite spending their days confined to their vehicles, they often know all the small gossip happening in the city.

Listening to the driver talk—moving from the weather to the recent price of vegetables, then to who the current leaders were, and finally to traffic issues—Wang Qiqi felt that if reporters ever needed to interview people about livelihood matters, they should seek out these drivers. They knew an incredible amount. Compared to the cab drivers in the capital, the drivers back home were quite talkative, though many were in their forties, and their Mandarin wasn't always standard. Outsiders might understand them, but their own spoken Mandarin often had a distinct accent, which led them to speak less to avoid misunderstandings with passengers.

After Wang Qiqi paid the fare, the driver enthusiastically helped her unload her luggage from the trunk. "That looks heavy. Does someone need to help you carry it?" the driver asked kindly.

Wang Qiqi shook her head. "No need, I can just send a message with someone." Although it was a public housing complex, because it was housing allocated to her maternal uncle’s workplace, the neighbors were all Song Wenbo's colleagues. A simple message would suffice.

Hearing Wang Qiqi say this, the driver got back into the car and drove away. For a driver, staying out a bit longer meant potentially picking up another fare, especially on such a hot day. People with money took cabs; not maximizing earnings now would truly be wasteful.

After seeing the driver off, Wang Qiqi turned to look around, intending to find a neighbor, when she heard Song Ziwen’s voice. "Well, Miss Wang Qiqi, you finally decided to come back?"

Wang Qiqi looked up and saw the handsome Song Ziwen leaning over the balcony between the second and third-floor stairs. "Yes, I'm here to see little Gong Hongshu. Who else would I be visiting, you think?"

Song Ziwen often teased Qiqi and Song Yao together, so he didn't take her harsh words to heart. Argue back? Forget it. Who in the family would support him, especially since his parents had been displeased with him ever since he defied their wishes regarding his marriage? "Wait downstairs for a moment."

Song Ziwen hurried down the stairs, grabbed the suitcase, and prepared to ascend. He had assumed Qiqi's suitcase contained nothing more than clothes, but he was surprised by its weight. "Are you deliberately messing with me? Did you pack bricks in here?"

"Go upstairs and I'll show you," Wang Qiqi replied, her expression suggesting there were treasures inside, while she looked around.

Seeing Wang Qiqi's look, and observing the suitcase, Song Ziwen stopped teasing. Living there, he understood the neighbors. Even though no one was visible outside now, they might be listening through the windows. "Fine, even if it’s bricks, your brother still has to carry it up, right?" Song Ziwen lifted the suitcase and headed upstairs. "Actually, it’s not that heavy. Your brother isn't that weak."

Wang Qiqi knew the weight—it wasn't extreme, but some items inside were quite substantial. Once Song Ziwen got upstairs, his first act was to collapse onto the sofa like he was dead. "Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law, turn on the air conditioning, please. I’m overheated. It’s really, really hot today." Song Ziwen genuinely didn't understand. They weren't poor; was it necessary to be so frugal? Even turning on the AC had to be debated.

Gong Peixing was completely content now that he had a son. He no longer agonized over his relationship with his in-laws; let them favor whomever they wished. "Turn it on. Qiqi, I made some watermelon juice for you, have some."

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected such good treatment, complete with watermelon juice. "Thank you, Brother-in-law. By the way, where is my nephew? I haven't seen him." Wang Qiqi thought the commotion of her arrival should have brought her sister out, but no one appeared. Wang Qiqi was eager to see her little nephew, who was rumored to resemble his maternal grandfather, Song Wenbo, making him exceptionally handsome.

"The little guy was fussy all morning and just fell asleep. Your sister is coaxing him." Gong Peixing said softly. "Wait until he wakes up before you go in to see him, Qiqi. Also, you didn't say you were coming back. I didn't buy much food. Ziwen, why don't you go buy something to eat?"

Song Ziwen glanced at the sun outside, remained sprawled on the sofa playing dead, and ignored Gong Peixing. Buy food in this heat? That was practically signing his death warrant.

"What's for lunch?" Wang Qiqi looked at the person playing dead, then at the other heading into the kitchen to prepare food. "Comrade Song Ziwen, you are so lazy. If you keep this up, wives will despise you when you marry!" He was incredibly lazy, not even bothering to pretend otherwise. Gong Peixing, however, was great; he was willing to do chores. At first, it was to impress, but even after they gained wealth, he didn't slack off, which showed he was a good homemaker.

"Cold noodles. My parents are checking on the house viewing progress, and my sister has her own food. We’ll just have cold noodles." Song Ziwen pouted. "I want to marry a woman who waits on me. I certainly wouldn't marry someone like my brother-in-law. He’s terribly lazy. Only my sister can tolerate him. Brother-in-law, you should seriously consider kicking her out; she hates working and has a bad temper..." Song Ziwen knew his brother-in-law wouldn't do it; his own sister had him completely subdued.

Song Yao walked out of the room, but before she could greet Wang Qiqi, she immediately slapped Song Ziwen on the head. "You wretched boy, you're really asking for trouble! Do you want me to stop putting in a good word for you with Mom?" Really asking for trouble, not considering his current situation, still actively inviting death.

Song Ziwen immediately jumped up from the sofa, clutching his head. "Song Yao, you're despicable, threatening me with that!"

Song Yao was completely unconcerned by Song Ziwen's threat. In the past, she might have paused to consider it, but the situation was different now—he was the one begging her. "Qiqi, you're back! How was your trip?"

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Mm, quite good. By the way, weren't you supposed to be resting comfortably at home? Why the sudden premature labor?" Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered and called out toward the kitchen, "Brother-in-law, I’ll just eat noodles. Don't go out to buy anything. We can have something delicious tonight." In this heat, there was no need to run out for food, and cold noodles sounded good. Gong Peixing’s cold noodles were said to be absolutely delicious.

Gong Peixing made an 'oh' sound from the kitchen. He checked what else they had in the kitchen, preparing to add a few more things. There were only three people originally; now with one more, it felt a bit insufficient.

Song Yao had been happy to see Wang Qiqi and wanted to tell her how much fun her son was, but when she heard Wang Qiqi mention the premature birth, Song Yao's expression shifted. She let out a few cold snorts. "Who else could it be? Who else but those who are jealous?"

Wang Qiqi paused. "Wang Dagui?" But then she reconsidered; Wang Dagui wouldn't do such a thing. Wang Damei's influence was still present; Wang Dagui had been raised primarily by his eldest sister, Wang Damei. How could he do something like this? But if it wasn't Wang Dagui, who else could it be?

"He wouldn't have the guts," Song Yao thought. If it had been Wang Dagui, would her own mother have let him off?

Wang Qiqi was truly confused. It couldn't be Gong Peixing's former mistress, could it? But that didn't seem right either; they were supposedly successful first loves.

"Qiqi, what did you bring? Let me take a look." Song Ziwen leaped off the sofa as if suddenly invigorated with energy, rushing toward the suitcase, eager to see the good things Wang Qiqi had brought back.

Wang Qiqi looked at Song Ziwen’s behavior, then at the awkward expression on Song Yao’s face, and wondered if it was them. However, she truly didn't know the specific culprits. "Open what? Have some manners!" Wang Qiqi first pulled out two cans of formula from her bag. "Bought these just now at the mother-and-baby store; it’s the formula Brother-in-law mentioned on the phone during our last call."

Song Yao thanked her and took them. "I don't have that much breast milk. Taotao has to have formula supplemented with breast milk." Mentioning the child made Song Yao's expression turn sour again.