"Ha…" Qi Li yawned, her hair tousled as she shuffled down the stairs. She glanced around the living room. It was New Year's Day, but she had stayed up too late last night. Besides her mother, her two sisters were still asleep, and her husband, Jiang Haibei, hadn't gotten up either. Of course, she had no idea what had happened the night before.
"Get up, did you sleep well?" Qi Li's mother smiled warmly from the sofa where she was watching TV, patting the seat beside her. Qi Li smiled back and quickly took the offered spot.
"Not bad. After all, it's my own home, so there's nothing unfamiliar to keep me from sleeping," Qi Li replied with a gentle smile.
"Now it's just the two of us. I wanted to ask you something— you and Jiang Hai have been married for almost three years, haven't you?" Her mother's face turned serious as she looked at Qi Li with a probing gaze.
"Ah, this is the third year..." Qi Li hesitated, thinking it over. Actually, it hadn't even been two full years since their wedding. But counting calendar years, it was indeed three. Time really flew.
"I know you don't think much of Jiang Hai, but tell me— have you two done the things that married couples should do?" Her mother's voice softened, almost whispering, afraid her daughter was still holding onto a pure relationship. Qi Li's face flushed at the question; it was difficult to answer.
"Well, yes, we have. Although we don't see each other much, when we do, we do those things…" Qi Li admitted, her cheeks burning as she spoke. Hearing this, her mother nodded, relieved that Qi Li accepted Jiang Hai.
"Since you have, what protection do you use?" her mother asked.
"No protection. Jiang Hai doesn't like it," Qi Li said, rolling her eyes at her husband's stubborn habits.
"That's strange. Why haven't you gotten pregnant then?" Her mother looked puzzled.
"Well, it's true. Except for when it wasn't convenient, we've tried quite a bit… but there's really no baby." Qi Li hesitated, almost wanting to say that Jiang Hai had been with several other women and hadn't used protection with any of them either. Yet, none of them got pregnant. That was indeed strange. After thinking carefully, Qi Li believed Jiang Hai was physically fine.
"I'll take you to get checked out soon. Maybe Jiang Hai should get tested too," her mother said anxiously. The older generation was eager for grandchildren, and after three years with no sign of pregnancy, she was clearly worried.
"Jiang Hai? He probably won't go. He hates feeling embarrassed," Qi Li replied.
Her mother sighed but whispered, "Maybe you can change your approach. Whether Jiang Hai goes or not, you should at least get checked yourself."
"Though they say abstaining for four days helps, Jiang Hai shouldn't have any problems…" Qi Li's mother trailed off.
As mother and daughter talked, noon came quickly. Qi Jie, Qi Ya, and Jiang Hai emerged from their rooms.
It was the first true day of the new year. Jiang Hai had already distributed gifts the day before. Fortunately, he'd brought plenty—gold jewelry and luxury goods—so the two sisters-in-law who arrived unexpectedly wouldn't be left empty-handed. The gifts Jiang Hai had prepared for them were already sent back to Winthrop.
Those two sisters were lucky. After spending the day at home on New Year's Day, they naturally had to stay the night.
Since Jiang Hai and Qi Li shared a bed, Qi Li usually needed certain precautions. But today, she was acting strangely. Though she didn't bring a raincoat, she finally asked Jiang Hai to put one on her. He obeyed. Afterward, Jiang Hai went off to "drink water" again. Qi Li quietly gathered everything from her body and sealed it in a sterilized container. She planned to get both herself and Jiang Hai checked at the hospital after sending him home tomorrow.
That night passed without conversation. The next morning, Qi Li sent Jiang Hai off. Ai Xiaoxi and Feng Yunchen, who hadn't seen Jiang Hai for three days, missed him despite knowing the two "little bitches" were with him—and that nothing good would come of it.
Qi Li had more important things to do. She headed to the hospital for tests on herself and Jiang Hai.
With the help of people Qi Li's mother had arranged, they quickly discovered that Qi Li's body was healthy. There were many tests to run, but initially, nothing was wrong. Jiang Hai's samples also showed no problems.
The only issue was that Jiang Hai's "stuff" was extraordinarily strong, with a powerful survival instinct. To put it simply, his sperm fiercely competed inside Qi Li's body for the chance to fertilize.
Before any one could claim the "eldest," they all died off, preventing pregnancy. Sometimes being too thin was a problem; sometimes being too strong was too.
Fortunately, it didn't prevent pregnancy altogether, just lowered the chances. No one knew when the "eldest" would finally emerge, but when it did, the baby's quality would likely be excellent.
Qi Li and the others were baffled by this result but grateful that nothing was seriously wrong.
Jiang Hai didn't know any of this. After returning home, he spent a few days with Ai Xiaoxi and Feng Yunchen.
On the 15th, he stayed at Qi Li's house for two days. Then came the day he had set to move his parents' grave.
Qi Li could have taken an earlier holiday, but she stayed home longer for Chinese New Year. Jiang Hai had to wait to move the grave before returning to work, so they were both busy.
Now she had some free time and planned to stay home until March before returning to the capital.
Early that morning, a convoy of black Bentleys pulled up outside Jiang Hai's house. Qi Li had been paying close attention since learning about the grave-moving.
Naturally, Jiang Hai didn't need to worry about transportation.
His friends arrived too. When they saw Qi Jie and Qi Ya—no, Bernice—they were stunned.
They had seen the sisters before but didn't know their connection to Qi Li, assuming Jiang Hai had brought them along directly. Admittedly, Jiang Hai had money and women—what else could he want?
Besides Jiang Hai's friends and women, one unfamiliar face appeared: He Xia, who came with her four-year-old son. Jiang Hai had met the boy once at birth but never again. Seeing Jiang Hai's display of wealth, He Xia's doubts about his presence in the U.S. vanished. Her cousin seemed truly extraordinary.
According to Bingcheng customs, the grave-moving took the entire morning. It was troublesome, but since Jiang Hai's parents' remains were cremated and stored, and the other party had prepared everything, there was no need to dig up graves or create new mounds.
Still, Jiang Hai was busy. The convoy left around 5 a.m. and finished after 11 a.m. Then everyone went to a restaurant Jiang Hai booked as thanks.
"You're really keeping your promise now. Auntie would be pleased to see this from heaven," Jiang Hai said as he sat down to eat. At that moment, He Xia approached, holding her son, and smiled.
"I hope so!" Jiang Hai smiled back. The saying "A son wants to support his parents, but they're no longer here" felt especially true.
"Who's your wife? And who are these others?" He Xia asked, eyeing the men and the group of women with curiosity. The men were Jiang Hai's friends, obviously, but the foreign women intrigued her.
"Oh, this is my wife, Qi Li—you've met her. These two are my adopted daughters in the U.S., Darlene and Ma Xian'an. These two are Qi Li's sisters, Qi Jie and Qi Ya. The others are my friends: Feng Yunchen, Ai Xiaoxi, Azarina Vicarbolio. And this is my cousin He Xia, with her son." Jiang Hai suddenly realized he hadn't introduced everyone yet, so he stood and did so.
He Xia shook hands with Qi Li first. Her own husband was a businessman with assets of only a few million, but he often took her to upscale places, so she was picky about clothes and jewelry.
Everyone—Qi Li, Darlene, Marian, Qi Ya, Qi Jie, Azarina, Feng Yunchen, and Ai Xiaoxi—wore expensive designer brands. Qi Li's outfit, likely custom-made by Burberry, included a coat worth 150,000 RMB. The entire outfit probably cost around 400,000 RMB, not counting watches, bags, and shoes. Altogether, their ensembles cost several million RMB. They looked elegant, commanding respect and admiration.
What surprised He Xia was that such a high-class lady like Qi Li wore a set of gold jewelry now. It felt like her status was suddenly lowered. Usually, Qi Li and her sisters preferred platinum and diamonds over gold—more valuable and fashionable.
But today, they wore the gold pieces Jiang Hai had given them. That was the important thing.
"Hello, sister. Oh, and this little handsome boy—how old is he?" Qi Li asked softly, looking at He Xia's timid four-year-old son.
The boy immediately hid behind his mother, glancing at Qi Li shyly.
"This is our first meeting. Jiang Hai didn't mention it, and I wasn't prepared. Here, take this—a thousand yuan—for the child." Qi Li took a thousand yuan from her bag and pressed it into He Xia's hand.
"No, no, it's not New Year or a festival. It's unnecessary." He Xia refused gently, stepping back with her son. Qi Li smiled. Chinese people always refused money before accepting it.
"It's not for you, it's for the child," Qi Li insisted, stepping forward to offer it again.
"I really can't accept it. But if you're interested, my father's 60th birthday is the day after tomorrow. You and Jiang Hai must come!" He Xia still shook her head but spoke seriously.
"The day after tomorrow?" Qi Li looked at Jiang Hai, eyes questioning.
Jiang Hai sighed helplessly. Sometimes favors couldn't be avoided.
"Alright, sister. My uncle's birthday is the day after tomorrow—I'll definitely come!" Jiang Hai agreed, if only to honor He Xia's presence today.