I Got Rich in Period Fiction-Chapter 91: An Uneasy Night

At that time, she was grateful and deeply in love with her husband.

After all, among men who went to university, many abandoned their wives and children.

So compared to them, she was fortunate.

Naturally, she had no objections to Li Zhiqiang’s decisions, and considering the impoverished era, the fact that the Li family managed to support Li Zhiqiang through high school was no small feat. If he hadn’t finished high school, how could he possibly have become an important engineer at Tenghai Research Base’s Light Industry Workshop?

However, she now realized she could fully assume half the responsibility of supporting the family. But she was heeding Qiao Qingyu’s advice and hadn’t mentioned it to Li Zhiqiang or anyone else.

In the family housing compound, only Shen Fen and Director Xie’s wife knew about their purse-selling business; the others were clueless.

Even though the Reform and Opening-up had just begun, there was still a risk that if caught, it could negatively impact Chief Engineer He and her husband.

Sister-in-law Li just smiled, "Brother Zhiqiang, after Xiao Hu starts school, I plan to find some work too."

She added another line, "I’ll soon graduate from middle school. Director Shen said our diploma is recognized nationwide."

Mr. Li, who was handsomely featured and at his most charming age, nodded with a smile. "Good, the Light Industry Workshop will expand soon. You can apply and sit for the examination then."

Zhou Xiaoqin also smiled.

She noticed her husband seemed even more handsome.

The gazes of the couple met; even after years of marriage, a glance or a gesture was enough to know what the other desired.

So, Zhou Xiaoqin put Xiao Hu to sleep and then joined her husband under the duvet.

...

The moon had hidden behind the clouds, and the couple, having been intimate, were still not sleepy. Zhou Xiaoqin had seen their new house, which was allocated based on their ranking—a three-room brick house with clear bright windows, with courtyards both in front and back, and the pathway in the middle laid with pebbles, truly, this was her and her husband’s new home.

Thus, naturally full of anticipation, had it been earlier, she would not have indulged in purchasing luxurious items like curtains or bedsheets. But Qiao Qingyu had given her confidence, and they had shopped together, with all items ready, just waiting to be set up in their new home.

The couple casually discussed how they would decorate their new home, which eventually led to thoughts of their old home, which also appeared due for renovation. Li Zhiqiang frowned, wanting to say something, but he couldn’t bear to dampen his wife’s spirits, so he swallowed his words.

However, Zhou Xiaoqin suddenly remembered something.

She looked up at her husband with a puzzled voice, "Brother Zhiqiang, have you noticed that in the past year and more, the letters mention our mother very seldom, especially in the last six months. I’ve even specifically asked in letters to let our mother, like before, add a note in the envelope to say a few words or write a few characters, but the letter I got a few days ago from our old home, besides asking for money, had no other messages."

Li Zhiqiang suddenly opened his eyes, not knowing why, but at that moment, his heart began to ache.

His hand covered his chest where it felt unexpectedly frantic.

He hadn’t visited his old home since arriving at Tenghai Research Base; it had been over three years since he had seen his mother. freewebnσvel.cøm

The past few years did have notes, but recently he had been too busy with work. After all, he was merely a student from a humble background, without connections or social standing; his only asset was his own hard work, hence he had to put in more effort than others.

Naturally, he also exerted a great deal of effort.

So, the matters of his old home hadn’t even crossed his mind.

Thinking carefully about what his wife mentioned, an uneasy feeling arose in him.

Could something have happened to his mother?

Li Zhiqiang couldn’t sleep any longer; he sat up, turning his body. Zhou Xiaoqin had only casually reminded her husband, since the kindest person in that home was her mother-in-law, a gentle, hardworking and kind woman.

As for the others, honestly, she did not have a good impression of them, especially Li’s siblings who were selfish and parasitic, expecting the entire family’s support for Li’s education as if they would never be able to repay it in this lifetime.

She quickly asked, "Brother Zhiqiang, what’s wrong?"

Li Zhiqiang looked at the night outside, knowing that even if he ran to the Base now, he wouldn’t be able to make a call to his old home.

He laid back down slowly and let out a deep sigh.

With so many relatives and friends back home, his mother wouldn’t have encountered any trouble—if so, someone would have informed him earlier.

Although he thought this way, there remained a trace of unease in his heart.

Because he alone knew, even his wife wasn’t aware.

He was concerned that if his wife knew, it would affect her thoughts.

His current father wasn’t his biological father; his real father had died in an accident the year he was born.

Fortunately, his stepfather was also surnamed Li, so he hadn’t had to change his surname.

He had four younger siblings, of which only the youngest sister shared the same mother.

The other three had no blood relation to him.

At four years old, his mother had remarried into the Li family.

He had heard from villagers that his mother was a capable and kind person. At that time, Li Dazhu’s wife had died from massive bleeding, leaving behind a less than a month-old baby, plus two other toddlers...

It was his mother who had struggled to raise them.

Overall, the relationship in their family was quite harmonious.

Li Dazhu treated him as his own son.

Even though the younger ones didn’t care for school, no matter what, Li Dazhu had tightened his belt to support him through high school, and thus he owed lifelong filial piety to him.

That’s why ever since he started earning a salary, he had sent half of it back home.

But why, in the past six months, there were no more notes from his mother, and the greatest brother’s letters only asked for money and lamented their poverty, without a single word about his mother.

Thinking of this, Li Zhiqiang patted Zhou Xiaoqin’s back and said in a low voice, "It’s okay. After we move tomorrow, I’ll make a call to our old home."

Zhou Xiaoqin nodded and then dozed off, whereas Li Zhiqiang didn’t feel sleepy at all.

Similarly awake was Lu Ye in the provincial city.

He had his own dormitory, where the light was off, but he was tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

He felt a tightness in his chest, and his breathing was a bit irregular, plus some recent events made him more upset the more he thought about them.

He wasn’t upset that Qiao Qingyu had kicked him or revealed his shortcomings—after all, he had been the one harassing her first. What upset him was that Chief Engineer He had actually allowed Qingyu to go farm.

Could it really be just because Qiao Qingyu was from the countryside?