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Chapter 20: I'll Take Care of This Family from Now On
After a long time, Li Yi finally calmed down his excitement and pulled Xu Qingnan to the small dining table.
Taking out the small hairpin he had gotten on credit, Li Yi gently placed it on his wife's head, looked at her from left to right, and said with satisfaction, "You look so beautiful!"
Xu Qingnan's pretty face turned red instantly, and she shyly replied, "Stop talking nonsense. What if someone hears you? It's embarrassing!"
Li Yi laughed heartily. "Haha, I say my wife is beautiful. Who dares to refute me?"
Xu Qingnan smiled but said nothing. That was just the kind of person she was—always tolerating Li Yi's past mistakes, supporting what he insisted on, and rarely refuting his words.
Li Yi looked at her with deep affection. "Don't worry, I will make you the happiest woman in the world!"
Xu Qingnan chuckled softly. "I don't have any extravagant hopes. I just want you to be gentler when you hit me in the future. And please, don't let Weiwei see it. That wouldn't be good!"
Li Yi was stunned for a moment. He immediately put his chopsticks down on the table and said seriously, "Qingnan, listen carefully. I, Li Yi, swear that if I ever raise my hand against you again, I will be struck by lightning for the rest of my life!"
Before he could finish, Xu Qingnan quickly covered his mouth. "There is a god three feet above your head! Don't say such things!"
Li Yi gently pulled her hands away. "Qingnan, I understand what you mean. But don't stop me from making this promise!"
She sighed and shook her head. "You're too kind," Li Yi muttered, pulling her into his arms.
Burying his face in her long hair, he took a deep breath, savoring her scent.
Xu Qingnan initially wanted to push him away, but after hesitating for a moment, she let it go. It was clear to her that he had truly realized his mistakes. And deep down, she also liked how clingy he could be.
Suddenly, she remembered something and gently pushed him away.
"Xiao Yi, did you really lead Wei Sanpao and the others to capture human traffickers yesterday?"
"Yeah."
"How did you even come across those traffickers?"
Li Yi took out a cigarette and was about to light it, but after noticing Xu Qingnan's gaze, he put it back.
"I went to pick up Weiwei from school yesterday and saw a suspicious man lurking outside the kindergarten..."
After briefly recounting what had happened, Li Yi apologized, "Because of the urgency, and fearing that the traffickers might harm the abducted children, I left Weiwei in Xiaowu's care. Then, I went with Wei Sanpao and the others to rescue the kids. I'm sorry."
Xu Qingnan immediately shook her head. "You did the right thing. I should be the one apologizing. I doubted you without knowing the full truth and lost my temper. That was my fault."
Li Yi smiled. "It's okay. I was a mess before, but I won't be anymore!"
"I believe you."
Li Yi raised an eyebrow. "Why do you suddenly believe me now?"
Xu Qingnan explained, "The city police came to the factory today. They not only confirmed the incident but also used it as a model case. The factory director took advantage of the workers' meeting to have Wei Sanpao and the others report their heroic actions!"
Li Yi was surprised. "Really? I didn't expect that!"
Xu Qingnan continued, "There's something even better!"
"What?"
"I just came from my dad's place. He told me that this morning, Liu Tongfu was furious when he found out that you took his 212 jeep yesterday. He immediately convened a party meeting to hold you accountable and even tried to fire Wei Sanpao!"
Li Yi sneered. "That old fool shot himself in the foot, didn't he?"
"Exactly! Right at that moment, Captain Yan Qing from the Municipal Public Security Bureau arrived. Dad said that when Liu Tongfu realized the truth, his face turned completely green!"
"Serves him right!"
"That's not all! Liu Tongfu also ordered Wei Sanpao and the others not to mention your name during the commendation meeting. But guess what happened?"
Li Yi smirked. "There's no way they would listen to him!"
"Exactly! When Wei Sanpao and the others went on stage, they completely ignored him and praised you instead! Liu Tongfu was so mad he stormed out of the meeting!"
Li Yi laughed. "Loyalty has always been Lao San's strong suit!"
Then, a thought crossed his mind, and he frowned slightly. "By the way, I heard that one of the traffickers escaped. Wasn't he with the main culprit?"
Xu Qingnan nodded. "Yes, one of them got away. I heard he used a hidden ladder to jump over the wall and escape."
She looked worried. "Do you think he'll try to get revenge?"
Li Yi waved his hand dismissively. "Unlikely. He's a wanted criminal now, being hunted by the entire city. He's nothing more than a stray dog at this point. He wouldn't dare."
Then, he grinned. "Besides, you know my skills. Even if three or five guys come at me, they won't stand a chance. If he dares to show up, I'll just capture him myself and claim the bounty!"
Xu Qingnan glared at him. "We don't need that money! What if something happens to you? How would we live?"
Li Yi chuckled. "Alright, alright, I won't go after him!"
Just then, Xu Qingnan took out a small cloth bag from her pocket and handed it to him. "By the way, Wei Sanpao gave me this when I got off work just now."
Li Yi looked at the bag curiously. "What is it?"
"I don't know. It feels like paper. Maybe it's a letter?"
"A letter? Why would he write me a letter?"
Li Yi opened the bag and immediately recognized its contents. With a smile, he said, "This isn't a letter—it's money!"
Xu Qingnan's eyes widened. "Money?"
Inside the cloth bag was a thick roll of neatly stacked one-yuan bills. Li Yi counted them—twenty in total, amounting to two hundred yuan.
"So much money?" Xu Qingnan exclaimed.
Li Yi nodded. "It must be the reward money from the police station. There was a national A-level wanted criminal in that group, and the bounty was a thousand yuan. I originally planned to let Wei Sanpao and the others keep it, but it seems they left me the biggest share!"
Xu Qingnan calculated quickly. "If the reward was a thousand yuan and they were eight people, each would get a hundred, leaving two hundred behind."
Li Yi handed her the money. "Here, take it."
Xu Qingnan hesitated. "Why should I hold it?"
"We both know our financial situation. I've squandered all our money, and the factory hasn't paid us for months. Use this to cover immediate expenses."
After a pause, Xu Qingnan said, "Xiaoyi, how about we give this two hundred yuan to Dad and borrow another three hundred from others to make it five hundred?"
Li Yi immediately refused. "No! I will handle the Liu family and their nonsense myself. I won't bow down to them!"
Xu Qingnan sighed. "Xiaoyi..."
Li Yi shook his head firmly. "Qingnan, I'll listen to you on everything else, but not on this!"
"Why?"
"Because this is about my dignity as a man! You are my wife, the woman I married with proper ceremonies. No one has the right to bully you! I won't apologize or pay a single cent!"
He took a deep breath and declared, "From now on, I will take care of this family!"