Chapter 34: Qiu Yingying's Sausage

“Andy, I managed to find a lead. After your brother was briefly adopted as a child, he was sent back to the orphanage. It is said that he showed symptoms of delayed reaction and cognitive decline. There is a suspicion that he suffers from a mental illness,” Lao Yan said cautiously.

Andy’s mind suddenly exploded. She grabbed the mineral water on the table and gulped down several mouthfuls.

“Andy,” Tan Zongming said, looking at her with concern.

It took Andy a long while to calm down before she turned to Lao Yan and asked, “So, where is my brother now?”

“I previously found that your brother was supposed to have gone to the Daishan Nursing Home, but when I went to find the director, they claimed he had been adopted long ago and refused to disclose his current situation,” Lao Yan said, shaking his head regretfully.

Andy closed her eyes in pain. After a long silence, she said to Lao Yan, “I want to go to the nursing home to see that director. Is that possible?”

Tan Zongming comforted her, “Andy, let Lao Yan handle the investigation. He will find a way.”

“That’s right, Andy. You’ve just returned to the country and might not fully understand the situation here. Many adoptive families are unwilling to let people know their children are adopted; to them, it means admitting they are infertile. I think the reason Director Xiu Yan is unwilling to disclose your brother's whereabouts is that she's afraid of disrupting his current life,” Lao Yan added, trying to persuade her.

However, Andy shook her head firmly. “Do you think any family would be willing to adopt a child knowing they have a mental illness? That director is lying to us. I must know where my brother is. I can choose not to disturb him, but I at least need to know if he is doing well.”

Understanding Andy's personality, Tan Zongming could only agree. “Lao Yan, how about this: make arrangements to take Andy to Daishan next weekend. Call me anytime if you need anything.”

“Alright, no problem.”

Andy said to Tan Zongming from the bottom of her heart, “Lao Tan, thank you.”

“See, there you go again. It’s the weekend; go back and get some rest early. And remember, don't overthink things,” Tan Zongming said.

Andy could only nod.

On the way back, Andy couldn't stop thinking about her brother, especially the fact that he suffered from a mental illness. It was unexpected and caused her to reflect on herself; after all, her brother was so young, meaning the mental illness was likely hereditary. This implied she might also carry hidden mental illness genes.

She returned to the Happy Melody residential complex in a daze. As she took the elevator up, she happened to run into Qiu Yingying on the first floor.

Qiu Yingying didn't notice anything unusual about Andy and greeted her enthusiastically.

“Sister Andy, I'm sorry! I know this smell isn't great, but this is cured sausage my dad sent from our hometown. It's delicious for cooking. When my brother gets back, I'll have him make some for everyone, okay?”

Facing Qiu Yingying's chatter, Andy felt a flicker of warmth. She even felt a bit envious of Qiu Yingying—having such a warm family and a brother who doted on her.

“Sister Andy, what's wrong?” Qiu Yingying finally noticed something was off and asked with concern.

Andy forced a smile and shook her head without saying a word. Upon reaching the 22nd floor, she went straight into her apartment.

Qiu Yingying scratched her head, watching Andy's retreating figure. After returning to unit 2202, she told Guan Ju'er everything about Andy.

Guan Ju'er was somewhat worried. “Do you think something is wrong with Sister Andy?”

“Don't worry, Sister Andy is so capable, how could anything happen to her?” Qiu Yingying comforted her while unpacking her delivery.

Guan Ju'er caught a strange scent and instinctively covered her nose. “Yingying, what did you buy? Is it spoiled?”

“Hehe, it's a specialty cured sausage from my hometown. My dad sent it to me,” Qiu Yingying said with a wink and a boastful grin.

“There's some for my brother too. It's a pity he's not home today, otherwise, he could cook it for us. Guan Guan, don't let the smell fool you; it tastes amazing.”

Guan Ju'er asked curiously, “By the way, why isn't Big Brother Qiu home today? It's the weekend.”

“I don't know. When I called him, he said he went to Daishan, probably for some business,” Qiu Yingying replied casually.

Guan Ju'er sighed as she looked at the somewhat lonely room. “Sigh, Sister Fan has to do live streaming even on weekends now, and you're about to start working at Big Brother Qiu's company. I'm the only one still struggling here, and I don't even know if I'll be made permanent by the end of the year.”

“Guan Guan, why don't you come work at my brother's company too? It'll definitely be easier than what you're doing now.”

The suggestion made Guan Ju'er's heart flutter—not because of the ease, but because she would be able to see Qin Hao more often.

However, she quickly pushed the tempting thought aside. Her logic told her she shouldn't rely too heavily on Qin Hao. Besides, distance makes the heart grow fonder; if they saw each other every day, the sense of novelty might fade. What if he stopped liking her?

Seeing Guan Ju'er decline, Qiu Yingying didn't press the matter. She was actually feeling a bit nervous herself; she was starting her new job tomorrow, and although the boss was her own brother, she would still have to adapt to a new environment.

In the afternoon, when Qin Hao returned home, Qiu Yingying arrived with the cured sausage, accompanied by Guan Ju'er.

As Qin Hao prepared to cook, Guan Ju'er and Qiu Yingying ran into the kitchen to help. During this time, Qiu Yingying mentioned Andy's unusual behavior.

“Why don't you two go and invite Andy down for dinner? When someone is in a bad mood, they should avoid being alone; it's easy to get stuck in a spiral of negative thoughts,” Qin Hao suggested, knowing that Andy had likely found out some news about Xiao Ming.

Thinking it made sense, Qiu Yingying and Guan Ju'er hurried up to knock on the door of unit 2201.

Andy opened the door. Because she had been preoccupied with her brother, she looked somewhat haggard. Seeing this, Guan Ju'er felt even more that Qin Hao was right, so she extended an invitation.

“Sister Andy, Yingying's parents sent some hometown cured sausage. Big Brother Qiu wants to show off his cooking skills, so let's all go together.”

“Yeah, Sister Andy, it's not good for you to always order takeout by yourself. Come eat with us.”

Seeing the genuine concern on their faces, Andy felt a sense of warmth. “Alright, I'll change my clothes and come over.”

Soon, the three arrived at unit 2102. Watching Qin Hao busy in the kitchen, Andy felt an inexplicable sense of coziness.

Seeing Andy staring at him blankly, Qin Hao couldn't help but smile. “If you're really that bored, come over and help me sort the vegetables.”

“Oh, okay,” Andy said, startled.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with a delicious aroma. Qiu Yingying, a little foodie, was already standing at the kitchen doorway, unable to move. Guan Ju'er was also sniffing the air.

“Wow, it smells so good! It must be delicious.”

“Of course! This is the sausage my dad made himself,” Qiu Yingying said proudly.

“Alright, enough chatting. Hurry up and bring the dishes to the table. Let's eat!”

“Coming!”

During the meal, Qiu Yingying suddenly asked, “Brother, tomorrow is my first day at work. Should I bring some gifts for my colleagues?”

Qin Hao thought of Ying Qin. That fellow townsman was indeed a good match for Qiu Yingying.

“Dad sent too much sausage this time; the two of us can't finish it all. Just take some to share with your colleagues.”

“Ah, maybe not? Who gives that kind of thing to colleagues?”

“It's called 'a gift of a goose feather from a thousand miles away shows the weight of the intention.'”

“Alright then.”

(End of Chapter)