"Making things difficult for him? Isn't it the duty of a grown man to protect his wife and children? Even animals in the wild know that they must protect their family, so why can't he do it! Have you forgotten how much suffering the Xia family caused you and the children?" Qiao Qiang said in annoyance.
"Don't say such angry words! Aren't I the one who chose to marry into the Xia family? How can I let him bear the burden alone?" Qiao Mei said.
"I have thought the Xia family can be our pillar of strength! I never expected that we would have to become the Xia family's pillar of strength instead!" Qiao Qiang said disdainfully.
"Grandfather, you're behaving like a child. You always talk nonsense when you're angry! That's clearly not what you think," Qiao Mei said with a smile as she looked at Qiao Qiang.
"You, you! Did that kid drug you with a love potion!" Qiao Qiang said in a tone as if he expected more from her.
Qiao Mei muttered softly, "You were the one who 'drugged' him back then. Why are you talking about me now…"
Qiao Qiang blushed. He had indeed let Xia Zhe down with regard to that matter back then, but he had no choice. If he did not drug Xia Zhe, Qiao Mei might have to marry a fool or beastly man. Qiao Zhuang would not let Qiao Mei have a good life!
He could only feel at ease if by marrying Qiao Mei off to a man he could trust.
"Fine, I won't talk about him anymore. I'm just trying to remind him! I must let him know that our Qiao Mei is also a treasure in our family! You still have me backing you up! If the Xia family doesn't treat you well, then as long as I'm still alive! I'll definitely seek justice for you!" The more Qiao Qiang spoke, the more worked up he became. He suddenly wished he could go back to the front yard and give Xia Zhe a good beating to vent his anger.
Qiao Mei reached out and patted Qiao Qiang's back to calm him down. As she patted gently, she said, "I know that Grandfather is worried about me. It has also been hard on Xia Zhe recently. Our family is fine and the people who bullied us have all been dealt with by the Xia family. Don't be angry anymore. If you still feel angry, then you can scold me! Give me a good scolding!"
"How can I bear to scold you! That kid, Xia Zhe, has thick skin and can take it. I'm just complaining out loud. The Xia family must protect you and the children properly! I'll go and settle the score with Old Man Xia tomorrow!" Qiao Qiang said angrily.
Qiao Mei did not say anything to stop Qiao Qiang. She was more than willing to see Qiao Qiang go and look for Xia Jun. She had been worried that these two old men would not get a chance to reconcile. Now was a good time!
Qiao Qiang would not really go and pick a fight with Xia Jun. He was probably also just looking for an excuse to reconcile with Xia Jun.
Xia Zhe had requested for a long vacation break this time and there was no hurry for them to return to the army base. They could slowly settle all the trivial family matters in the capital.
"Mom, you should stay at home and take care of Zhang Chao and Zhang Qin during this period of time. Zhang Miao is also coming back soon, so you can spend more time with her," Qiao Mei said.
"But there are so many things going on at the factory and we can't afford to slow down. That group of people from the Zhao Family Village stole so many things and many of the workers are still traumatized by the whole incident. Some of them were even injured. I have to go back and deal with all these," Li Gui said.
"We have Qian'e handling things there. Don't worry, she'll take care of everything. Besides, I have some other ideas," Qiao Mei said with a smile.
After another week, both Zhao Fei and Ding Xiang could finally be discharged from the hospital. Xia Fang had already done a full-body checkup for Ding Xiang. The baby was doing well now, but Ding Xiang was not allowed to do any manual or tiring work at home, not even carry a big watermelon.
Ding Xiang only had her father with her. Her mother pa.s.sed away when she was very young. Zhao Fei was an orphan, so they had no one to help out at home. Zhao Fei took Qiao Mei's advice and hired a helper to take care of Ding Xiang at home. This definitely cost him a lot of money.
Zhao Fei bought a lot of fruits and some pork and went to Qiao Mei's house. At the door, he kept reciting the words which he had memorized at home. He had already visualized the meeting with Qiao Mei countless times, but when he really saw her face to face, he found himself lost for words.
"Brother Zhao, it's already good enough that you come for a visit. You don't have to bring so many things with you," Qiao Mei said gently.
She was indeed quite displeased with Zhao Fei in the past. She did not understand why a grown man would listen to those beasts from the Zhao family. Zhao Fei could be considered a nice person. If not for those nasty relatives of his, he would have found success long ago.