Zhao Yunqiu

Zhou Junming stubbornly refused to admit that he knew where the grain had gone.

No matter how Hu Cuihua cried and made a scene, she never got the answer she wanted.

With no other choice, she could only investigate and make guesses herself.

The person her son had spent the most time with lately was Wang Xiaohui. Apart from Wang Xiaohui, he had no other friends.

Then there was Zhao Yunqiu, the widow who had angered her so badly she fainted.

Other than those two women, Hu Cuihua really could not think of any other suspects.

The grain was far too important. She had to get it back. That wastrel of a son! It was all her fault for spoiling Zhou Junming, leaving him ignorant of how precious grain was because he had never had to run a household.

She visited Wang Xiaohui's home first. With her future mother-in-law at the door, Wang Xiaohui received Hu Cuihua eagerly, trying to please her.

At Wang Xiaohui's home, Hu Cuihua first looked the whole place over, then chatted with Wang Xiaohui for a while.

She could tell that Wang Xiaohui had very deep feelings for her son, Zhou Junming. The two were even planning to have a child.

She grew increasingly pleased with Wang Xiaohui. After fishing for information, her suspicions of Wang Xiaohui eased somewhat.

Based on her decades of experience judging people, she felt the grain was not at Wang Xiaohui's place, unless Wang Xiaohui had become shrewd enough to fool her.

Besides, the girl's mother was a dull pushover. Hu Cuihua had even found her mother that job at the crematorium. Surely her family would not dare fool her.

Then was Zhao Yunqiu the problem?

After returning from Wang Xiaohui's home, she planned to take Zhou Junming to Zhao Yunqiu's place to confront her, only to find that Zhou Junming was not home.

She had just come from Wang Xiaohui's place and had not seen Zhou Junming. Had he gone to Zhao Yunqiu's?

That unfilial son!

Seething with rage, Hu Cuihua stomped upstairs.

She had just reached the fifteenth floor when she saw Zhou Junming open the door and come out of Zhao Yunqiu's home.

Mother and son met each other's eyes. One guiltily lowered his head, not daring to make a sound; the other's lips trembled with disappointment and hurt, leaving her unable to speak.

The enormous blow seemed to age Hu Cuihua ten years in an instant.

She had never expected that, even after things had reached this point, her dear son's first reaction would be to sneak over to Zhao Yunqiu's home to warn her.

What had all her painstaking efforts to raise him over the years been for?

What a glamorous woman she had once been. And now look at her, so haggard and thin she hardly looked like herself.

If not for Zhou Junming, how could she have ended up like this?

And how had he repaid her?

He insisted on getting mixed up with a widow, angering his own mother into fainting over that widow.

After she had finally managed to separate them and even arranged such a good fiancée for him, he still was not satisfied. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

When had her son started becoming like this?

She carefully recalled every detail of the past and realized that her son had begun behaving more and more outrageously ever since he got together with that vixen Zhao Yunqiu.

What a formidable woman.

Hu Cuihua was now every bit as calm as she had been furious on her way upstairs.

"You two have been seeing each other secretly for so long. Aren't you going to invite his mother in to sit down?"

For the first time, she looked at Zhou Junming with such icy eyes.

Cowled by the chill in his mother's eyes, Zhou Junming instinctively pushed open the half-closed door behind him and stepped aside to let her in.

He was used to his mother crying, screaming, and making unreasonable scenes. This was the first time he had seen her so calm and so cold.

Zhao Yunqiu stood behind the door holding a bag of grain. She did not dare say anything when Hu Cuihua entered.

Hu Cuihua was rather frightening like this.

Clutching the bag of grain tighter, she greeted her meekly. "Auntie."

Hu Cuihua glanced at the bag of grain in Zhao Yunqiu's arms. It was indeed her family's grain, but the amount was wrong. She had far more grain than that.

After that glance, she looked away and began surveying the room, sneering inwardly. She had never expected to hear this crafty vixen call her Auntie.

Though inwardly disdainful, she gave a hum of acknowledgment.

She had underestimated this young widow before. It was not worth becoming estranged from her son over her. She would have to use a few tactics.

After looking around, Hu Cuihua went straight to the living room sofa and sat down.

She asked pleasantly, "How long have you been together? Or did you never break things off? From the look of it, Xiaohui doesn't know?"

Unable to work out what Hu Cuihua was after, Zhao Yunqiu remained wary and said nothing.

Zhou Junming, however, saw that his mother had become much more agreeable and thought there was still a chance for him and Zhao Yunqiu, so he answered honestly. "We broke up before. We only got back together a month or so ago. Wang Xiaohui doesn't know."

Afraid his mother would misunderstand Zhao Yunqiu, he made a point of explaining, "Mom, Yunqiu didn't want to get back together with me at first. She was afraid people would gossip about me. She thinks of me in everything she does. I'm the one who can't live without her. Please, Mom, just let Yunqiu and me be together."

Hu Cuihua said nothing. She turned her gaze to the silent Zhao Yunqiu and asked calmly, "What do you think?"

Of course Zhao Yunqiu did not sincerely want to build a life with Zhou Junming. She was only after his family's grain, but she certainly could not tell the truth.

"Auntie, I don't want to put Junming in a difficult position, and I don't want to ruin his relationship with his fiancée. Please don't be angry with him. I can break up with him."

Zhou Junming panicked at those words. "Yunqiu, don't always think only of me. You need to think of yourself too. We love each other so much. You know I don't like Wang Xiaohui at all. Don't push me toward another woman. I only want to be with you."

"Mom, I'll just be straight with you. Wang Xiaohui isn't my type. I'm only fooling around with her. Even if you force me to stay with Wang Xiaohui, she'll just be a tool for having children. What Yunqiu and I have is true love."

"If you can accept Yunqiu, she's willing to give you a grandson too."

Hu Cuihua did not want any grandson born to Zhao Yunqiu, but what she said was different from what she thought.

As though Zhou Junming had left her no other choice, she could only compromise helplessly. "Fine. You're grown up now. I can't control you anymore. As long as Zhao Yunqiu gets pregnant with your child, I'll accept her as my daughter-in-law."

Zhou Junming was wild with joy. He had never expected such a turn of events.

Before he could finish celebrating, Hu Cuihua continued, "But you have to promise me you won't let Wang Xiaohui find out yet. You wronged her first, and she loves you so much. You have to give her some time to accept reality."

That was no problem. Zhou Junming nodded quickly. "Don't worry, Mom. I won't let Wang Xiaohui find out for now. But you have to promise me too that as soon as Yunqiu gets pregnant, you'll acknowledge her as your daughter-in-law, and things with Wang Xiaohui will have to end then."

"Mm. Aren't you going to ask whether Zhao Yunqiu is willing?"

"Of course Yunqiu is willing." Zhou Junming excitedly gripped Zhao Yunqiu's shoulders. "Yunqiu, my mom has agreed to us being together. Hurry and tell her you're willing."

Zhao Yunqiu was unwilling. She had no intention of having a child at a time like this. It could kill her, and she wanted to live a few more years.

But she had been put on the spot and could only play along to get through this for now.

She said shyly in a soft, delicate voice, "Auntie, I'm willing."

From beginning to end, Hu Cuihua never mentioned the grain, nor did she tell her son to leave with her. After asking questions for a while, she left on her own.