CHAPTER 1424: CHAPTER 1424 TEMPORARY TRUCE, BUT MUTUAL DISLIKE

Wang Hailan received news from her parents that evening: the Ning Family had found out about her past with Wei Liling and were using it to threaten her family. She was completely disappointed in Ning Ziping.

So, after staying at her parents’ house for one night, she took a leave from work early the next morning and went straight back to the Ning Family home.

Wang Hailan was very clear on when her mother-in-law would leave the house. She planned to take advantage of her absence to collect her valuable belongings first, to avoid inconvenience later.

But as she was rummaging through the house, she stumbled upon a box she had never seen before. Out of curiosity, she opened it. At first, she was startled, but then her face lit up with delight.

Inside were accounts from Ning Ziping’s workplace’s "little treasury," along with records of some significant matters.

Wang Hailan looked at what she held in her hands, a sinister smile spreading across her face.

She packed up her things and took them, along with the box, out of the Ning Family home.

She was no longer afraid of Ning Ziping causing any trouble. She thought to herself, "If the Ning Family dares to bother me again, I’ll send them a big ’gift.’ Let everyone hurt each other—who’s afraid of whom?"

When the day came to collect money from the Wang Family, instead of cash, Mother Wang handed Ning Ziping a slip of paper.

After reading the contents, Ning Ziping’s face turned pale. Without saying a word, he grabbed Big Brother Ning Zijun, who had come with him to collect the money, and ran straight home.

Once home, they searched thoroughly and discovered the items were truly gone. There was no need to guess; they were surely in Wang Hailan’s hands. Ning Ziping thought to himself that their plan to extort money was likely ruined.

Ning Zijun grew frantic, pacing back and forth like a headless chicken, repeatedly demanding, "What on earth happened? The money isn’t even in hand, and now you’re acting insane!"

But Ning Ziping only replied with one sentence: "Forget about the money."

He refused to say anything more.

Previously, Ning Zijun had spotted an investment project and wanted to team up with some friends, but he was short on funds. He figured once Ning Ziping had the money, he could borrow some. Now, all of that had gone up in smoke.

Furious, he stomped around the house, venting his anger at Ning Ziping. Even after yelling a string of insults, his frustration wasn’t relieved. Just as he was about to leave, he saw their mother coming into the courtyard.

Old Lady Ning had initially gone out to take care of errands but, worried about the three thousand yuan, abruptly returned home. Entering through the front gate, she saw her eldest son coming out of the room. "Zijun, how did it go? Did you get the money?"

Ning Zijun was still seething: "Get what, exactly? The Wang Family handed over a note and sent Ning Ziping packing. I’ve been asking him what happened, but he won’t say a word—it’s infuriating!"

Old Lady Ning, hearing her eldest son’s report, rushed into the house. "Ziping, come on, tell me what exactly happened!"

Ning Ziping glanced at his anxious mother and then at his furious Big Brother standing in the doorway. "Forget about the money—unless you want to see me get into trouble and ruin the Ning Family’s reputation."

At these words, Old Lady Ning froze, utterly confused. "Why?"

Ning Ziping replied, "Wang Hailan has dirt on me."

Once Old Lady Ning processed the situation, she raised her hand and began pounding on Ning Ziping. "How can you be so careless and thoughtless? Can’t you ever do things prudently? What are we supposed to do now?"

So, for the time being, the Wang Family and Ning Family reached a ceasefire, though mutual disdain lingered.

On the bright side, this chaos gave Stone a moment of peace.

Ning Ziping failed to fulfill Stone’s earlier requests and now lacked the face to approach him directly. Occasionally, he would muster the courage to call, but that was it.

******

Time flew by, and soon it was the eve of New Year’s Day.

Yanyan and Yueyue had always excelled in their studies without causing their parents any concern. The two girls generally completed their semester’s coursework during the first half of the term, leaving little need for supervision.

That day, their teacher approached Luo Qiao to discuss matters. The gist was that, given the girls’ current academic performance and overall situation, they could consider skipping grades.

After bringing the suggestion home, Luo Qiao told the two children, and both Yanyan and Yueyue responded, "We’d rather not skip grades for now. We want to spend the next few years learning whatever other things we feel like."

Luo Qiao respected their decision.

Just as she had finished speaking with them, the phone rang.

Luo Qiao picked up. "Hello, who’s this?"

"Sis, it’s me—Stone."

"Stone! How have you been in the regiment lately?"

"Pretty good. The meat sauce you sent over was snatched away as soon as it arrived at the regiment; I barely had any myself."

"Then I’ll make more next time to make sure you all have enough to enjoy!"

"No need for that—don’t tire yourself out. I’ll eat it when I’m home for my holiday."

"Stone, tomorrow’s New Year’s. Don’t you have time off?"

"Sis, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Does that mean you’ve got leave and can come home to celebrate together?"

"Sis, I do have leave tomorrow. I’ve already agreed with Yu Qi to bring her home. What plans do you have for tomorrow? Could you manage to visit Grandpa’s place?"

"We might not... but we’ll make it work, haha."

"Whew, you had me scared there for a second—I thought you really couldn’t make it!"

"Leave it to me. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure your girlfriend feels right at home."

The siblings chatted for quite a while before hanging up. Luo Qiao sat there, reminiscing about the many moments she’d shared with Stone, marveling at how fast time had flown.

Then she dialed Gu Qianru. "Mom, Stone called to say he’s bringing his girlfriend home tomorrow. Why don’t we all go to Grandpa’s to celebrate together?"

Gu Qianru responded immediately, "Oh dear, I just called your grandma and promised her that we’d celebrate with them tomorrow."

Luo Qiao laughed. "No problem—we can head over in the evening instead. I’ll call Grandma to explain the situation."

Gu Qianru thought for a moment. "I’ll call her instead. If she hears Stone is bringing someone over, she’ll absolutely be excited. She was just talking about it the other day!"