CHAPTER 1368: CHAPTER 1368: JEALOUSY

Luo Qiao went to Yuan Family’s Main Wife’s place the next day to see Yuan Jiaze’s son, who had just been born a few days ago.

When she returned home, the alley entrance was crowded with people, making it impossible to drive her car through.

She had to find someplace to park first and then walk home.

As she got closer, she realized that what she’d suspected earlier had come true.

After the fifteenth of the month, due to road expansion, some of the houses nearby had to be partially demolished. Sister-in-law Hu’s house at the alley entrance was one of the first on the relocation list, and here her in-laws, who rarely visited, showed up.

Luo Qiao listened for a while and learned that Sister-in-law Hu’s in-laws were dredging up old grievances. They claimed that after Sister-in-law Hu’s husband passed away, seeing that she was left with a widow and orphan, they had agreed not to collect the elderly couple’s retirement money from her.

Now that the house was being demolished, they were demanding that Sister-in-law Hu repay the unpaid retirement money from those two years and split the funeral costs for both elders.

Luo Qiao glanced at Sister-in-law Hu’s in-laws, seeing how stout and intimidating they were. Worried her and her daughter might be taken advantage of, she sent a half-grown teenager to report the matter to the local police station.

It wasn’t until she saw the officers arriving that Luo Qiao turned and headed home.

When she got back, Rong Daniang was tidying up. After the fifteenth, the elderly couple planned to return to their hometown in Changzhou for a while.

Luo Qiao joked, "Daniang, there are still a few days left. You’re packing way too early. What’s wrong, tired of staying with us already?"

Rong Daniang knew she was teasing. "Don’t even joke. Once we mentioned going home, I have to admit I started feeling a bit homesick."

After speaking, she asked, "What’s with all the commotion outside?"

Luo Qiao sighed, "Sister-in-law Hu’s in-laws are causing trouble at the alley entrance, demanding she repay her earlier share of the retirement fund and funeral costs for the elders."

Rong Daniang also sighed, "This is really hard to comment on. By all rights, it’s ridiculous to bring this up so long after the matter. But with such a big relocation payout, it’s understandable her two sisters-in-law would feel jealous."

That evening, Lu Yichen came home and shared that Sister-in-law Hu had promptly repaid the money. Turns out the sum wasn’t much after all. However, Sister-in-law Hu made her stance clear this time, declaring that there would be no further ties between their families.

She even invited neighbors from both sides and police officers to act as witnesses, signing an agreement. Afterward, neighbors from the in-laws’ side didn’t hold back from criticizing the two younger brothers.

The money was received, but when you think about it, it wasn’t much. All they did was ruin their reputation, truly a loss for nothing gained.

Time flew by, and after the fifteenth of the month, Qi Ling accompanied the elderly couple from Rong Family back to Changzhou.

At first, the elderly couple firmly refused to let Qi Ling go, worried about disrupting Luo Qiao and Lu Yichen’s work. They wanted Qi Ling to stay behind to take care of the kids.

But Lu Yichen and Luo Qiao were uneasy about them traveling alone to Changzhou. Since they needed to repair the grave site, there would surely be a lot of chores. Given that some relatives from Rong Family hadn’t behaved properly in the past, Luo Qiao worried the elderly couple might be mistreated again during this trip, so she insisted on having Qi Ling accompany them.

In the end, everyone took a vote—seven to two—with no room for negotiation. The elderly couple left with warm hearts as they were sent off.

After they departed, Lu Yichen and Luo Qiao also packed up their things, the whole family moving to the police bureau’s residential compound. Post road expansion, it’d definitely get inconvenient to travel.

After moving back to the residential compound, Luo Qiao and her family became a topic of discussion for several days.

The kids, having just arrived, complained there weren’t any playmates around. Lu Yichen spent a few days walking them around the compound, and before long, they’d blended in with the children in the neighborhood.

Some even grew close quickly. When they had free time, they’d come over to their house to play, and if Luo Qiao had time, she’d make snacks for them.

Not long after, word spread in the compound about Luo Qiao’s snacks being particularly delicious. Some people came over to ask her for recipes, and Luo Qiao was generous in sharing. Sadly, they were often scared off once they heard the ingredients.

Ever since Luo Qiao and her family moved to the compound, Lu Yichen, apart from lunchtime, ate almost all meals at home. Everyone joked that the bureau chief had gotten increasingly approachable lately.

Most mornings, Lu Yichen cooked breakfast, while for dinner, Lu Yichen prepared the ingredients, and Luo Qiao would cook when she got home. They made a pretty good team.

As the weather warmed up, Luo Qiao even tidied up the small garden plot outside, beginning to prepare seedlings to grow vegetables. She was planning to use it as a cover for other activities.

Whenever Lu Yichen came home after work, he’d help out, making the families in the compound envious.