Chapter 499: Feeling Tired Inside

"Mom, that’s enough. Don’t let Qin Wenze hear you say that. Now, go on and do what you need to do. I’m going to rest."

Gao Lan didn’t want to listen to her mother anymore.

The more she listened, the more upset she became.

And yet, she couldn’t confront Qin Wenze about any of it.

Mrs. Gao’s eyes showed nothing but disappointment in her.

’So useless—can’t even hold on to a man.’

’Whatever. The boy hasn’t been officially adopted yet. I can’t be too obvious about stirring things up.’

Qin Wenze returned with a huge pile of groceries.

He had bought enough for three days.

"Mom, this should last us three days, no problem. If we run out of anything, I’ll just buy more."

"Okay." Mrs. Gao was still very happy looking at the large haul. "I’ll kill a chicken and make a stew for Lan for lunch."

"Let me do it!" Qin Wenze took on the job.

"No, no. You just go keep Lan company. I can handle this sort of work."

Qin Wenze had nothing else to do anyway; he couldn’t just let his mother-in-law kill the chicken.

So he went out to the yard.

Just as he was about to catch the chicken, Gao Yaohui suddenly rushed out and called to him in a clear, bright voice, "Dad!"

The loud, clear voice made him jump.

He almost lost his grip on the kitchen knife.

"Dad, are you killing the chicken? Let me help!"

Gao Yaohui was especially thrilled they were having chicken for lunch.

Qin Wenze could no longer smile.

Although he had previously agreed to adopt the boy...

But hearing the boy call him "Dad" so readily... it made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

’Am I really going to adopt someone else’s son?’

He had his own child. The thought of raising this boy while his own child was being raised by his parents...

...made that strange, unsettling feeling grow even stronger.

"Uh... there’s no hurry to call me Dad."

"Dad, don’t you want me to call you that? Grandma said that once I moved in, I’d be your and Auntie’s son. I’ll have to call you it sooner or later, so it’s the same if I start now."

Qin Wenze: ...?

’So it was his mother-in-law who taught him to say that.’

Just then, Gao Lan, who was supposed to be resting inside, came out.

"Wenze, I was just about to talk to you about this. Since Yao Hui has already moved in, we should get the adoption papers sorted out sooner rather than later. That way, he can transfer to a school here next spring."

Qin Wenze: ...?

’He’s going to school here too?’

Just the thought of it was enough to give Qin Wenze a massive headache.

"Uh... there’s no rush to transfer him, is there? If he suddenly changes schools, Yao Hui might have trouble adjusting."

Gao Yaohui couldn’t wait to chime in. "Dad, I’ll adjust just fine!"

He had long been eager to leave his crappy old school.

For him, changing schools was the best thing that could possibly happen.

No one would be around to say he was bad at his studies anymore.

Qin Wenze: ...?

Before he could say anything, Gao Lan spoke up again. "What, are you trying to back out now?"

The truth was, Qin Wenze did want to back out.

But he was a man of his word.

He just couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

His gaze met Gao Lan’s, and he saw her eyes were already turning red. He sighed internally.

"Fine. We’ll get it done tomorrow."

Gao Lan was thrilled.

"Thank you! This afternoon, I’ll have Mom go back and tell my older brother and sister-in-law, so they can help get the paperwork done."

Unlike her smiling face, Qin Wenze felt utterly exhausted inside.

Still, he nodded. "...Alright."

—

Meanwhile, at the base, Fu Mingxue had started working. After a long investigation, she finally reached a conclusion.

"The problem here is pretty serious. There’s definitely an issue with the materials. Otherwise, this turbine blade wouldn’t have cracks caused by micro-contaminants."