I'm dressed up as the timid eldest daughter, and the whole family has to listen to me!

Qin went straight to the kitchen. First, while Liu Pozi wasn't looking, she made a plate of fried peanuts, then a plate of smashed cucumbers, and also cut some pork knuckles that she had brought back from the second branch of the Su family. She packed a small dish of pickled vegetables and quietly hid them in her room.

Only then did he return to the kitchen and prepare dinner.

"Father and Mother, come out and eat quickly. I've prepared the food. You eat first, and I'll go out and tidy up the outer room."

Qin shouted at the top of her lungs.

Hearing the commotion, Granny Liu and the others came out to eat. When Su Congxian came out, Qin Shi gave him a flirtatious wink when no one was looking, which startled Su Congxian. He quickly lowered his head and sat down at the table to eat.

Qin didn't go inside to eat even after everyone had finished. She waited until everyone left, then went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes, boiled water, and went back inside to wash herself thoroughly. She changed into a new set of nightgown. She had originally planned to go to the city to see Su Tao after Su Shiyan's wedding.

But now that Madam Lin is not at home, she certainly won't miss such a good opportunity. The plan to go to the city to see Su Tao can only be put on hold for now. After all, the ten months of pregnancy are still a long way off. She can take care of her for a few days when the time comes, which will be considered fulfilling her responsibility as a mother.

By the time Qin finished her chores, it was already completely dark. When she went out, the lights in the room where she was supposed to pick up Li Ayu and Su Ye were already off, as were the lights in the room where Granny Liu and Old Man Su were staying.

Qin then carefully went to the backyard and retrieved a jar of wine that she had hidden earlier. This wine was left over from Su Tao's wedding, and Qin had secretly hidden it, waiting to take it out and drink it at the crucial moment.

Qin carried the wine jar back and saw that the lights in Su Congxian's room were off. So he ran to the window to eavesdrop on the sounds inside. He heard Su Congxian inside, groaning and tossing and turning as if he couldn't sleep.

A slight smile played on Qin's lips as she hurriedly grabbed a wine jar and knocked on Su Congxian's door.

Su Congxian already felt lonely because his wife and son had gone back to her parents' home, leaving him all alone in the house. He used to sleep with his wife in his arms every night, but now that she was gone, he felt an emptiness in his heart and couldn't fall asleep no matter how much he tossed and turned.

Su Congxian was just thinking that if there was a jar of wine at home, he could have a little wine and go to bed early, so that he wouldn't be late to work and farm the next day.

So when the knock came, Su Congxian heard it clearly, and went to the door to ask in a low voice:

Who's outside?

Seeing that Su Congxian had responded, Qin Shi quickly softened her voice and said:

“Su Congxian, I just found a jar of old wine left at home. I was thinking that since your sister-in-law isn’t home, you might be bored, so I thought I’d share a few drinks with you.”

Upon hearing there was wine, Su Congxian disregarded everything else and immediately opened the door. He saw that Qin Shi outside seemed to have dressed up carefully today and looked more pleasing to the eye than usual. However, Su Congxian only wanted to get the jar of wine in her arms, so he quickly smiled and said:

"Sister-in-law, please wait for me. I was tossing and turning in my room, unable to sleep, and was thinking of having a little wine to help me fall asleep. I didn't expect you to bring it to me. Perfect timing!"

As she spoke, she reached out to take the jar of wine. Qin Shi did not immediately let go, but instead smiled and looked at Su Congxian softly, saying:

"What's the point of just drinking? I even prepared some snacks for you to go with your drinks. I don't have anything to do today, but I'm feeling really down. Why don't I have a few drinks with you?"

Upon hearing that there would be snacks to accompany the drinks, Su Congxian immediately perked up and hurriedly said with a smile:

"Okay, sister-in-law, go and bring the dishes over. I'll have a few drinks with you."

At this moment, Su Congxian didn't think there was anything wrong with the two of them drinking together late at night. He just wanted to have a few drinks and then get a good night's sleep so that he wouldn't have to toss and turn in bed thinking about Lin.

Seeing that Su Congxian agreed so readily, Qin was even happier. She quickly handed the wine jar to Su Congxian and then turned back into the house to get the side dishes she had prepared earlier.

A moment later, Qin brought four dishes into the house. Seeing that no one was around, she quietly closed the door and, taking advantage of Su Congxian's inattention, bolted it shut. Then she sat down at the table and said with a smile:

"Su Congxian, let me pour you some wine."

"Then thank you very much, sister-in-law."

"Hey, let's just treat each other as close friends and have a drink together today. Don't call me 'sister-in-law' or 'sister-in-law,' it's bad luck. You know your brother, he's a scoundrel. I'm really annoyed by him right now. I only regret that I followed the wrong person. I've suffered all kinds of hardships in my life."

As she spoke, Madam Qin poured Su Congxian a full glass of wine.

"This wine is leftover from Su Tao's wedding. I've preserved it very well. Why don't you taste it and see if the flavor has changed?"

Su Congxian smiled, took the wine glass, took a big gulp, and nodded.

"It is indeed good wine. Sister-in-law, don't just keep pouring me more, fill your own glass too. Let's drink until we're drunk tonight."

Qin glared at Su Congxian with raised eyebrows and said reproachfully:

"I just told you not to call her 'sister-in-law,' how come you've forgotten?"

Su Congxian smiled sheepishly and scratched his head.

“I’ve been calling you sister-in-law for so many years, and you’re asking me to change it all of a sudden. I don’t know what to call you, so I’ll just keep calling you this. Don’t mind. Besides, my brother isn’t a bad person. He just wants to carry on the Su family line and has a son. I know in my heart that he doesn’t have any feelings for Ayu anymore.”

Upon hearing Su Congxian's words, Madam Qin frowned, put down her wine cup, and sighed helplessly.

“I’ve given up all hope for your brother. He’s not the kind of person who can settle down. Now that Li Ayu hasn’t given birth to a son, who knows, maybe in a couple of days your brother will bring back some Liu Ayu or Zhao Ayu. I can’t stand it. In short, I’ve given up on your brother.”

Su Congxian really didn't know how to comfort Qin Shi, so he coughed a few times and said with a smile:

"Let nature take its course, let nature take its course. Sister-in-law, eat your food and drink, don't think too much about it."

Seeing this, Qin picked up a peanut, put it in her mouth, and sighed.

"If you ask me, I'd say your wife is really lucky. She chose such a good man like you, who is family-oriented and loves his wife so much. Why didn't I have such good fortune?"

As she spoke, Qin's eyes were fixed on Su Congxian. She poured him another glass of wine and placed a piece of pickled vegetable on his plate.

"Su Congxian, please eat more. I don't have much of an appetite either. This dish was made for you."

Su Congxian was deeply moved upon hearing Qin's words.

“I know you’ve had a tough time all these years, sister-in-law. And my brother is the same. I’ll have to have a good talk with him later. You two are an old married couple, so you’ll have to rely on each other for support in the future.”