Reborn in the 80s: My Whole Family Secretly Hears My Thoughts and Goes Wild with Success! - Chapter 49

“Mom, I’ll get to the bottom of everything. I won’t let Shen Daqiang and Wang Fengqin get away with this!”

“Mom, I have good news—I gave birth to a beautiful daughter. Her name is Yaya.”

“When she’s a little older, I’ll bring her to see you.”

“Mom, I miss you so much.”

Shen Zhiqiu broke down in tears, her sobs wrenching Yue Mingyuan’s heart. He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her, and gently wiped her tears with a handkerchief.

“Mingyuan, I…”

Shen Zhiqiu gripped Yue Mingyuan’s arm, hesitating before speaking. “I want to borrow some money from you to buy a burial plot for my mom. I’ll pay you back soon.”

“Zhiqiu, if you keep talking like this, I’ll really get upset.”

Yue Mingyuan deliberately hardened his expression. Shen Zhiqiu froze, a flicker of discomfort flashing in her eyes as her grip on his arm loosened. “I’m sorr—”

“Zhiqiu, look at me and listen carefully.”

Yue Mingyuan held her shoulders firmly, waiting until she met his gaze before speaking earnestly. “We’re husband and wife. We have Yaya together. From the day we married, we became family.”

“There’s no ‘yours’ or ‘mine’ between us. My money is your money, and your mother is my mother.”

“Don’t ever talk about borrowing or repaying me again. Every time you act so formal, it makes me feel like an outsider in your heart.”

“You’re not an outsider at all.” Shen Zhiqiu sniffled, avoiding Yue Mingyuan’s intense gaze, her cheeks flushing as she murmured the words.

But Yue Mingyuan heard her anyway, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“Come on, let’s go buy the best burial plot for Mom right now.”

Hand in hand, they approached the cemetery staff and selected a plot for Ye Yunshuang, nestled slightly below the hilltop.

After completing the paperwork and handing the receipts to Shen Zhiqiu, Yue Mingyuan outlined the next steps. “The director here is my comrade’s father. I’ve asked him to have the craftsmen work overnight to prepare the headstone.”

“He mentioned tomorrow is an auspicious day. We can move Mom’s remains first thing in the morning.”

“Ask Sister Jiawen if she’d like to come tomorrow, alright?”

Shen Zhiqiu nodded. “Okay.”

“Mingyuan, thank you.” Blushing, she reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Yue Mingyuan sighed in mock exasperation. “Zhiqiu, did you already forget what I just said?”

“I didn’t forget. But even family should say ‘thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry’ sometimes.”

“Comrade Shen Zhiqiu, your reasoning is impeccable. I’ll defer to you on this one.”

Yue Mingyuan interlaced his fingers with hers. “So, where to next?”

“I don’t have anywhere specific in mind.”

“Then you’re coming with me.”

He led her straight to the jewelry counter in the department store, scanning the display before pointing to an exquisitely crafted gold bracelet.

“What are we doing here?”

“Buying something, obviously.”

He asked the clerk to bring it out, then slid it onto Shen Zhiqiu’s wrist. “Hmm, it suits you.”

“Zhiqiu, what do you think?”

She examined it carefully before nodding. “It’s lovely.”

Among all jewelry, she had always preferred bracelets—her mother had worn one in her memories.

“Then we’ll take it. Clerk, please ring it up.”

Yue Mingyuan was delighted she liked his choice.

Yaya was right—little romantic gestures now and then were essential.

“Wait, don’t!”

Shen Zhiqiu moved to take it off, but Yue Mingyuan stopped her. “Keep it on. If you like it, we’re buying it.”

“It’s too expensive.” She glanced at the price tag and whispered in his ear.

The bracelet cost nearly a thousand yuan—three months of their combined salaries.

Yue Mingyuan leaned in, mimicking her whisper. “Don’t worry. Mom and Dad are footing the bill. Mom gave me strict orders to buy this for you.”

“If I go back empty-handed, she’ll skin me alive.”

“Just accept it, okay?”

Though she knew he was teasing, her genuine fondness for the bracelet won out. She nodded in agreement.

Yue Mingyuan rushed to pay, as if afraid she’d change her mind, making her laugh despite herself.

“Since we’re out, let’s get something for Mom and Dad too—and for Brother, Xiaoxin, Xiaohui, Second Brother and his wife, Sister, Brother-in-law, and Xiaofeng.” Shen Zhiqiu counted them off on her fingers.

“Yaya doesn’t need anything. Mingyuan, is there anything you’d like?”

She looked around eagerly, her eyes bright with curiosity—it had been so long since she’d last shopped leisurely.

“I’m fine, and Mom and Dad don’t need anything either.”

“Still, let’s look.”

Remembering Yue Guohuai mentioning his broken pen, she bought him a new one, along with stationery for Yue Youxin, Yue Youhui, and Qin Feng.

For Wan Jiayin, Meng Fang, and Yue Minghui, she chose cosmetics—moisturizer, lipstick, and perfume, respectively.

Yue Mingde, Yue Mingli, and Qin Liping were simpler: each received two cartons of cigarettes.

Passing the menswear section, Shen Zhiqiu spotted a tie, pulled Yue Mingyuan over to compare it, then asked the clerk to wrap it up.

Yue Mingyuan’s heart swelled. “Zhiqiu, thank you.”

“No need. You’re the one paying for it, after all.”

She flushed awkwardly—despite buying gifts for his family, even his own present was funded by him.

It reminded her of her mother’s old saying: “With money in hand, you stand tall; without it, you can’t hold your head up.”

Once her mother’s remains were moved tomorrow, she’d settle accounts with Shen Daqiang and Wang Fengqin—and reclaim everything that was rightfully hers!

“Qiuqiu? Shen Zhiqiu, is that you?”

A sharp-eyed woman with a bob haircut and glasses paused mid-stride, doubling back to stand before her, beaming.

“Yes, that’s me. And you are…?” Shen Zhiqiu studied the woman’s face but couldn’t place her.

The woman pointed at herself. “I’m Xing’er! Li Xing!”

“Xing’er!”

Shen Zhiqiu grabbed her hands excitedly, eyes wide as she took in the changes. “You’ve changed so much!”

Li Xing laughed sheepishly. “A girl changes eighteen times before womanhood, you know.”

“You, though—you’re just as pretty as ever.”

She grinned proudly. “That’s how I recognized you right away.”

“Xing’er, does your family still live in Yangxi Alley? How’s Grandma Xu?”

The Xu family had been their neighbors before they moved. Once, when Shen Daqiang was away, her mother had taken a bad fall at home—Grandma Xu’s family had rushed her to the hospital, saving both mother and child.

Her mother and Grandma Xu had been close, often exchanging gifts.

Li Xing and she had been playmates and even classmates briefly, though back then, Li Xing had been skinny and dark, a far cry from the poised woman before her.

After her mother’s death, Shen Daqiang remarried Wang Fengqin, and they soon moved away, cutting off contact.

“Grandma’s still in good health, though her eyesight’s gone now.”