The next morning, when Hu Qian saw Yi Anguo, she exclaimed in delight, "Brother-in-law! You're finally back from your business trip. You left the moment I returned for summer vacation. I was starting to think you were deliberately avoiding me so you wouldn't have to take me traveling!"

"Why would I avoid you? Even if I wasn't on a business trip, I'd still have to work," Yi Anguo retorted. "If I don't work, where would the money to pay for your college come from?"

"It's so rare for me to have a summer vacation. Can't you take just a few days off to go out with me?" Hu Qian asked, pouting pitifully.

"Let your sister take you. It would be a good chance for her to get some proper rest, too," Yi Anguo quickly suggested.

"How could that work? My sister and I are both delicate women, as beautiful as flowers. Would you really be okay with the two of us going out alone?" Hu Qian laughed, rejecting the idea. "What if we get bullied or someone takes advantage of us?"

Hu Jing immediately shot her sister down. "I'm very busy, and so is your brother-in-law. If you have nothing to do, just stay home. What's so fun about being outside? The weather is scorching. Wouldn't it be better to stay home with the air conditioning and study?"

Although they were born at the same time, when the elder sister spoke, the younger one hesitated to keep pestering. Still, she turned a pitiful gaze toward Yi Anguo.

Hu Qian knew perfectly well that Yi Anguo was the head of the household, and his decision was the one that mattered.

Yi Anguo wanted to ignore her pleading look, but he couldn't harden his heart. He sighed in resignation. "Alright, wait a few more days. I'll sort out my work first, and then I'll take you and your sister out."

"Yay! Brother-in-law, you're the best!" Hu Qian exclaimed, jumping up in excitement. "This is fantastic! We can finally go on a trip together!" She rushed forward, threw her arms around Yi Anguo, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Yi Anguo hadn't expected Hu Qian to be so bold right in front of Hu Jing. He quickly pushed her away and said sternly, "What are you doing? If you keep this up, I'm not taking you anywhere!"

Hu Jing was also angry and scolded her sister, "Can't you show some restraint? You're a young woman now, how can you have so little sense of decorum?"

"He's my brother-in-law! We're family, what's wrong with me giving him a hug? Is that not allowed? Are you really going to get jealous over something like this?" Hu Qian retorted unhappily. "Sis, you're being way too petty!"

"It's not okay even if he is your brother-in-law!" Hu Jing said, her face cold. "You're not a child anymore. A young woman needs to be mindful of the distinction between men and women!"

"Brother-in-law! Look at my sister! Aren't you going to do something about her?" Hu Qian whined, turning to Yi Anguo.

"Your sister is right! As a young woman, you must be mindful of the distinction between men and women. You can't just go around hugging men," Yi Anguo said, firmly siding with Hu Jing.

"You're my brother-in-law, not some other man. I would never hug other men!" Hu Qian argued.

"Your brother-in-law is no exception! He's still a man who isn't your partner. You can only hug your boyfriend or husband, and only after you start dating or get married," Yi Anguo said bluntly.

After breakfast, Yi Anguo left. Li Sisi's parents had decided to open a Chuan Yu Restaurant at Blue Coast, Phase Three. They only needed half the space, so Yi Anguo would rent out the other half.

Li Sisi's parents were unfamiliar with Shenzhen, so Yi Anguo naturally helped out by hiring people for the renovation and building a wall to divide the space. There were also various permits to apply for, but he didn't need to help with that; Li Sisi could handle it.

Li Sisi had studied, lived, and worked in Shenzhen for four years, so she was quite familiar with the Blue Mountain District where her university was located. Furthermore, since she worked for the local tax bureau, she was no stranger to the various government departments and knew exactly what permits and procedures were needed to open a restaurant. Her major, after all, was Business Administration. If she couldn't even handle a small matter like this, her university education would have been a complete waste.

Yi Anguo was mainly busy collecting rent that was due. Collecting rent was a hassle back then, full of inconveniences. It was nothing like a decade later, when you could simply add tenants on WeChat. You could just notify them when rent was due, send a photo of the utility bills, and they could transfer the money directly from their phones. It saved everyone a lot of time and trouble. Many tenants had to make a special trip to the bank to withdraw cash. Those who weren't always at home even had to make a special trip back just to pay the rent, which was truly inconvenient.

The fresh supermarket was also in the midst of a hectic renovation, and the recruitment of merchants and employees had to be accelerated. Although Yi Anguo had handed over management of the supermarket to his third sister and her husband, he couldn't just wash his hands of the matter, ignore it, or refuse to help.

So, even though Yi Anguo appeared to have little to do, he was actually quite busy. His claim of having no time to take Hu Qian out was not a lie.

However, it wasn't impossible to carve out some time. He could, for instance, postpone collecting the rent. The tenants certainly wouldn't mind if he was a few days late.

For the past few days, Yi Anguo had been personally taking his daughter to and from school to make up for his recent neglect, which delighted Yi Xinyi immensely.

Duo Duo was now in kindergarten as well, in the same class as Yi Qiuyi. The two had become good friends and would go to school and come home together.

Seeing Yi Xinyi showered with her father's love, her face beaming with happiness, Duo Duo looked on with envy. A sense of gloom settled in her heart, and she couldn't bring herself to be happy.

She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had last seen her father. Even before, he had rarely been home, let alone spent time playing with her. As a result, Duo Duo's memory of her father had grown blurry.

"Duo Duo! What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" Yi Anguo asked with concern when he noticed her dejected expression.

"Landlord Uncle! I miss my daddy!" Duo Duo said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I haven't seen my daddy in so long. Doesn't he want me and Mommy anymore?"

Faced with Duo Duo's question, Yi Anguo felt a pang of pity for the little girl, but he didn't know how to answer her.

"Your dad is probably just very busy with something, which is why he hasn't had time to come see you and your mom," Yi Anguo said after a moment's thought, trying to comfort her. "He'll come back for you and your mom one day."

"Landlord Uncle! Are you telling the truth? Will my daddy really come back for me and Mommy?"

Her eyes were full of innocence. At that moment, her heart must have been brimming with hope as she pictured the day her father would finally return.

"Yes, maybe your dad will come back by the time you've grown up. So you need to study hard, listen to your mom, and be a good girl, okay?" Yi Anguo said with a smile.

He was lying, but it was a white lie, wasn't it?

"Daddy! When I grow up, will Mommy come back for us, too?" Yi Xinyi suddenly asked from beside him.

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