Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 342 Tricking Xiao Jinchen's family back

Xiao Jinchen didn't look at Xiao Jinlin, acting as if he didn't exist, sitting calmly and composed.

Mr. Xiao looked around and gently put down his cup. “Jinxuan and the others are abroad and it’s inconvenient for them to come back. Xinyue is pregnant and it’s also inconvenient for her to be here. Let’s just settle this behind closed doors as family!”

"Dad, what's wrong?" Xiao Bai looked bewildered, glancing at his father and then at his mother, his gaze falling on his younger brother and sister-in-law, who were looking dejected, and he became even more confused.

Mu Qinglian echoed her sentiment, but a bad feeling suddenly crept into her heart.

Mr. Xiao suddenly raised his cup and smashed it hard against Xiao Jinchen's head.

"Ah!" Guo Lingyue screamed, covering her mouth in fright.

Xiao Bai's expression changed drastically. "Dad! What happened? Why did you hit Jin Chen?"

Yuanyuan was so frightened that she huddled up in a ball.

Mu Qinglian watched for a while and saw that Guo Lingyue was only concerned with staying far away and not paying attention to the child at all. Her anger rose rapidly. However, since her father-in-law was angry, she could not say anything. She quickly went over and picked up Yuanyuan. Then, as if she had thought of something, she suddenly turned around and glared at Guo Lingyue.

"And what about the other child?"

The eldest son and his wife resorted to crooked means to have more children than allowed, and in the end they had no choice but to resign and leave the capital.

The couple was furious because of their eldest son's audacious antics, and they stubbornly ignored their son's family.

This time, her father-in-law took the initiative to invite his eldest son's family back for a reunion. She thought that her parents-in-law were so happy because their younger daughter-in-law was pregnant that they had forgiven their eldest son and were overjoyed to try to mend their relationship with him.

What happened?
Guo Lingyue shuddered, her face growing paler, and she stammered for a long time without being able to say anything coherent.

He Xue said sarcastically, "Tell me! Where's that precious child? The one you got by taking advantage of the Xiao family's power?"

"I didn't bring the child back," Guo Lingyue swallowed hard and replied guiltily.

He Xue picked up a cushion and threw it at Guo Lingyue, angrily shouting, "Did you forget to bring it back, or did you abandon it?"

"Abandoned?" Mu Qinglian was extremely shocked, looking at He Xue and then at Guo Lingyue. "What happened?"

Guo Lingyue knew she couldn't hide it anymore when He Xue said those words. She knelt down with a thud, looking at Xiao Jinchen through teary eyes, "Mom, I didn't want to. Jinchen said that child was his shame, and he wouldn't acknowledge the child. I had no choice. I didn't want to either!"

Mu Qinglian felt dizzy and almost collapsed.

Xiao Bai quickly grabbed her.

Xiao Jinlin stepped forward, took the child from Mu Qinglian's arms, and helped her sit down.

Mu Qinglian's eyes went unfocused, and she stared blankly for a while before turning her gaze to Xiao Jinchen. "Tell me, what happened?"

Xiao Jinchen was no longer the smug person he had been just moments before; he simply straightened his back stubbornly and remained silent.

Mu Qinglian looked around, then suddenly stood up, pulled out a feather duster, and stormed up to Xiao Jinchen, striking him three times.

The muffled thuds echoed in the room.

Xiao Jinchen's eyes instantly turned red, but he remained silent.

Enraged, Mu Qinglian continued hitting her, "I'm asking you a question! Are you mute? Where's the child?"

"The child was thrown away," Xiao Jinchen said expressionlessly.

Her calm and indifferent demeanor chilled the elders to the bone. "Throw it away?" Mu Qinglian shed a tear, then suddenly laughed. "What do you take this child for? Xiao Jinchen! Do you know what you're doing? We told you to abort it, but you refused, insisting on using crooked methods. And then you threw the child away after it was born. Are you sick in the head?"

"Yes! I'm sick! That child is sick too! They're insane! Is that enough?" Xiao Jinchen roared fiercely.

Xiao Bai stepped forward and kicked him to the ground, saying, "Who gave you permission to talk to your mother like that?"

Mu Qinglian realized what was happening and broke down in tears.

Xiao Sheng handed the document to Xiao Bai, "Brother, take a look. Over the years, Xiao Jinchen has been using our Xiao family's name to associate with organized crime, participate in illegal smuggling, and get involved in gambling, prostitution, and drugs. I have already reported the case to the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Bureau, and they have launched an investigation."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinchen, who had just been so arrogant, finally showed fear on his face. "Second Uncle, you've ruined me!"

Xiao Sheng looked down at him with disgust. "Harm you? You should be glad you're a descendant of the Xiao family, otherwise you'd be in prison by now!"

"Why? Why are you treating me like this? I am the eldest son and grandson of the Xiao family. Why are you exposing me?" Xiao Jinchen broke down, shouting and yelling with resentment.

Mr. Xiao waved to the guards, and two guards stepped forward and quickly subdued Xiao Jinchen.

He was still struggling and roaring over there.

"Mom and Dad, I don't want to get arrested! Please help me, Mom! Mom!"

Mu Qinglian was distraught, as if she didn't recognize her eldest son. "You are not my Jinchen. My Jinchen would not do such a thing."

One sentence completely cut off Xiao Jinchen's way out.

Xiao Bai and his wife watched helplessly as Xiao Jinchen was dragged away.

Xiao Sheng let out a long sigh and sat down. "Big brother, it's not that I'm hiding it from you, but Xiao Jinchen is deeply involved with the Guangdong underworld. If he senses something's wrong, he'll probably have already fled to Southeast Asia. Where will we find him then?"

This time, they tricked Chen Xinyue into coming back by claiming that she was pregnant and that the Xiao family elders were happy, asking them to come back for a family reunion dinner.

"I know." Xiao Bai suddenly looked ten years older, his numb face instantly losing all its energy.

Xiao Sheng asked with some concern, "Big brother, will you blame me?"

Xiao Bai shook his head, glanced at Old Mr. Xiao, and said, "If I were in his shoes, I would have done the same. Jin Chen was foolish! He brought it on himself!"

As he spoke, Xiao Bai covered his face with his hands and sobbed silently.

Mr. Xiao felt much better after hearing his eldest son's words. "It's good that you can distinguish between what's important and what's not. Xiao Jinchen is your son. To avoid suspicion, I asked my second son to keep it from you. When the public security and discipline inspection commissions investigate, just tell the truth. Once the matter is cleared up, it will be fine. During this time, you should all keep a low profile."

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

Mr. and Mrs. Xiao helped each other back to their room.

After crying for a while, Xiao Bai calmed down and looked at Xiao Sheng, "How did you know that Jin Chen did these things, Second Brother?"

Even his own father knew nothing about it.

Xiao Sheng gave the excuse he had prepared beforehand: "Jinlin's mother-in-law and Xiaoxue are close. When she came to the capital, she had dinner at our house and mentioned it briefly during our conversation. She wasn't sure, so I had someone verify it."

"Hmph! Xiao Jinchen didn't even try to hide what he was doing; it was all exposed with a simple investigation! He truly doesn't care about the Xiao family's interests!"

Xiao Bai hadn't expected this to be related to the Chen family. He looked at Xiao Jinlin, who was holding Yuanyuan, and his expression softened. "Please thank your mother-in-law for me and prepare a generous gift for the Chen family."