Ji Xingmi didn't expect her little brother to be so gossipy, digging up news from so long ago. He was more of a busybody than a little chick.
"What about Feng Changze now?"
"He's been independent from that family for a long time. He was sick for many years, and it was later discovered he was poisoned. After an investigation, it was found that old Mrs. Feng was the one who poisoned him, and the matter blew up. But in the end, Feng Xiang stepped in and claimed it was a misunderstanding, denying the incident. Feng Changze used this incident to sever ties with the Feng family and moved out."
Ji Xingmi sighed when she heard this and then asked, "How does he support himself?"
"His mother was a rich lady back then and left him quite a bit! It's said that the reason he wasn't killed was that these possessions only recognized Feng Changze. Without Feng Changze, the Feng family couldn't use them, so even now, the Feng family still doesn't agree to him leaving."
Ji Xingmi searched her memory but couldn't recall anything about Feng Changze. She wasn't one to dwell on things, so she put the matter aside, deciding to deal with it when the opportunity arose.
Upon returning home, Ji Xingmi presented all her day's acquisitions as gifts. It was then that they realized Ji Xingmi had gone out for a stroll to prepare gifts for them. Ji Haoqi was overjoyed upon receiving his gift, bouncing around and doing who knows what. In the evening, he even went to show off to Ji Haojiao, only to be chased and beaten by him, but that's another story.
Ye Yu was also pleasantly surprised when he received his gift. "So you went to the black market to buy this?"
"I originally wanted to exchange some foreign currency there. Yesterday, when I was out shopping, I saw quite a few nice watches at the Overseas Chinese Store. But Gao Yu said he had some too, so I just took a look. I bought one that was suitable!"
"Was it expensive? Do you still have enough money?"
"Of course. What do you think? Do you like it? I think it suits you!"
"I like it, thanks!"
Ji Xingmi shook her head and went into the kitchen. She had just bought chestnuts and a chicken, and she wanted to make chestnut and chicken stew. Ye Yu and Ji Haoqi also came to offer their help. Ji Xingmi certainly wouldn't refuse, so she had them help peel the chestnuts, which would be used later. The chicken was already prepared, but the feathers still needed to be dealt with. The aunt saw Ji Xingmi's actions and took over the task. After thanking her, Ji Xingmi ran off to peel chestnuts with her two brothers. During the process, they secretly ate a chestnut or two.
When Dad Ji and the others got off work and came home, they not only got to eat the dishes made by their children but also received gifts from their beloved daughter. They were incredibly happy. Mom Ji hadn't expected gifts for them, and she showered Ji Xingmi with affectionate kisses.
The only one unhappy was probably Ji Haoqi. He had gotten carried away and was now tearfully seeking comfort from his sister. Ji Xingmi was a bit speechless. Knowing he couldn't beat his elder brother, why did her younger brother always provoke him to get beaten? Just as she was helping her little brother apply some medicated oil, Ji Haojiao came over and sat beside them. Ji Haoqi flinched upon seeing his elder brother; that instinctive reaction was something else.
Ji Haojiao sat beside them but didn't speak, appearing lost in thought. Ji Haoqi couldn't stand his elder brother's demeanor. He picked up the medicated oil and ran off. He decided he'd let Ye Yu help him, as he felt his elder brother still wanted to hit him a couple more times and it was too dangerous.
Ji Xingmi saw her elder brother's hesitant expression and didn't know what he wanted. So, she decided to speak first, "Big brother, did you need something from me?"
"Huh? Yes! But I don't know how to say it." Ji Haojiao did have something he wanted his sister's help with, but he didn't know how to bring it up.
"Big brother, just say what you want to say. We're family, what's there to hide?"
"It's like this, I have a friend who was injured on her face and hasn't been very happy. So I was hoping you could take a look for me!" He finally said it after much internal struggle.
"Injured? What kind of injury? Burns, or a cut? How long ago?"
Ji Haojiao said anxiously when he heard his sister's question, "It was a knife wound, and it's been a while. Initially, there was just a scar on her face, but later... anyway, the wound is quite severe now, and she's a bit self-destructive. So I was hoping you could help take a look!" He didn't explain very clearly, mainly because he didn't know how to phrase it and didn't know much himself.
"A girl?" Ji Xingmi felt there was something fishy going on seeing her elder brother's demeanor.
"Yes!" Ji Haojiao hadn't expected his sister to ask that. Although a bit embarrassed, he answered truthfully.
"Where is she now?"
"In the hospital!"
"Huh?"
"A while ago, she was injured and admitted to the hospital! I met her when I went to the hospital to see Mom."
Hearing this, Ji Xingmi became even more curious. Who was this person that her elder brother cared about so much? From what she could tell, they hadn't known each other long, yet he was already so concerned? Ji Haojiao didn't realize his sister was scrutinizing him; he was already happy that his sister had agreed to see someone.