CHAPTER 529: CHAPTER 360 KNOWING

There’s an update today, folks, don’t wait up, I’ll try to post more tomorrow.

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While Old Master Zhao and Old Lady Zhao were pleased to hear that their son-in-law felt closer to them, they were also a bit worried. Given the nature of the Lin couple, would they make things easy for their daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter?

However, as much as they worried internally, they couldn’t voice these concerns. After all, the Lins were Lin Baohe’s parents. No matter what the state of their relationship was, no one likes others speaking ill of their family—and this included them.

As the trunk was opened and Jing Zhe, like Lin Baohe, began unloading items one by one, Old Master Zhao furrowed his brows, "Chuxia, your grandparents know you’re filial, but we should have some dignity in poverty. This kind of fussing about, what will your in-laws think?

Yulan, Baohe, don’t you have any sense either? If you keep this up, in less than a year, Chuxia won’t be able to stay at the Zhou family’s house. Don’t take out any more, just take it back when you return."

"Dad, this is Xiaomi’s gesture of kindness. This child really cares about our family. Before leaving, she took Chuxia to buy all the things we needed for our trip back to our hometown.

We certainly can’t compare with the Zhou family, but if we had to return every favor tit-for-tat, we’d just wear ourselves out and annoy them.

The gifts they gave were sincere. While they might not be essential at the Zhou’s, they certainly won’t have a bad influence. They’ll be happy if we accept them, and they’ll feel that we don’t harbor any ulterior motives."

"Once or twice is fine, but if we keep accepting gifts like this, won’t they start having second thoughts?" Old Lady Zhao said with a look of concern, "Why don’t you think these things through as a mother?"

"Mom, Baohe and I have talked about it. We’ll accept when it’s appropriate and also give back when it’s time. What we give back might not be as much as what we get, but the intention is key.

The Zhou family truly likes our Chuxia and wants her to be happy. If we keep our distance, it won’t be good for her."

"Yeah, Mom, we’ll talk more about it tomorrow when I see you. It’s getting late, and we should head back." After taking down the items meant for Chuxia’s grandparents, Lin Baohe politely said his farewells to his in-laws.

He knew that convincing Old Master Zhao and Old Lady Zhao wouldn’t happen quickly; he and Zhao Yulan had lived with the Zhous for so long and understood their temperament, which allowed them to finally come to terms with it. How could his in-laws understand the Zhous as quickly?

"Alright then, you should go. Leave the stuff here for now and pack it when you leave, so Old Man Lin and his wife don’t catch sight of it and kick up a fuss." Old Master Zhao waved them off, indicating for his daughter and son-in-law to hurry home with the youngest member of the family, deciding to keep the items for now.

From a distance, they saw Lin Xiaohua swaying over, and Lin Baohe and Zhao Yulan hurried into the car. Old Master Zhao, Old Lady Zhao, and the Eldest Uncle Zhao’s family waved their hands and signaled for Jing Zhe to drive away.

Lin Xiaohua shouted and jogged after them, but regardless of whether Lin Baohe and Zhao Yulan saw her, they had to pretend not to and urged Jing Zhe to drive away as if they were fleeing.

Out of breath, Lin Xiaohua arrived just in time to see the car driving away, her face full of regret, "Dad, Mom, that was Baohe and Yulan in the car, right?"

"What about it?" Old Master Zhao glanced at her indifferently and asked.

As for Eldest Uncle Zhao’s family, they outright ignored her, keeping busy bringing things into the house.

The recent commotion had roused the neighbors, who looked on with envy as Zhao Yushan’s family carried items inside, showering Old Master Zhao and Old Lady Zhao with compliments.

The couple understood the true nature of these compliments and responded politely while engaging in pleasantries with everyone. Standing to the side, Lin Xiaohua’s eyes almost turned green with envy and jealousy.

Once inside, she said resentfully, "Maybe Qiyan also married well and can bring glory to our family. The glory Qiyan brings will be for the Zhao family."

She was indirectly reminding Old Master Lin and Old Lady Lin that no matter how well Chuxia married, it reflected on the Lin family, with the Zhao family only getting scraps.

"I think it’s not very appropriate for you to stay here. You should return to your mother’s house."

Old Master Zhao’s emotionless voice startled Lin Xiaohua, and she collapsed to her knees with a thump, "Dad, please don’t be angry with me. I promise never to speak out of turn again.

Dad, Mom, it’s not that I’m envious of Yulan’s good life, nor am I upset that Chuxia made Baohe and her look good. I’m just worried about Qiyan.

It’s been almost a month, and Qiyan hasn’t returned. As a mother, how can I not be anxious? When I heard there was a car outside our house, I guessed it was Yulan and Baohe. I didn’t even finish making dinner and rushed over in a panic.

Only they can help find Qiyan. If I don’t ask them for help, who can I turn to? But you see, Dad, Mom, they obviously saw me but still took off running. I got angry and ended up speaking harshly."

"Dad, Mom, you are Qiyan’s grandparents. I can’t believe you don’t miss her. If something bad happened to her out there, which one of us could live comfortably?"

While her earlier words seemed reasonable, she soon reverted to her old ways, even threatening her parents. Old Lady Lin just stared at her coldly, "You and your daughter would stop at nothing to lead a better life, not caring if Chuxia lived or died. Now you have hit a rough patch, and suddenly Chuxia comes to mind. Do you have no shame?"

"Mom, I was wrong, and I’ve realized my mistake. Yulan listens to you the most, Mom, please, help Qiyan," Lin Xiaohua pleaded while covering her face and bursting into tears.

As Li Aiyuan walked into the room, she felt compelled to help her up, "Get up quickly. Don’t make it difficult for mom and dad, and don’t make it difficult for Yulan either. You know exactly what your daughter’s temperament is like; who could take advantage of her?" What she actually wanted to say was, you know what she looks like, but considering how hurtful that statement would be, she chose a different way to phrase her words.

With tears in her eyes and a voice fogged up by crying, Lin Xiaohua looked at her sister-in-law, "Big sister-in-law, I know I was wrong in the past, but now, you can’t kick me when I’m down. Qiyan is your own niece, if something happens to her, how could you live with yourself?"

Li Aiyuan found herself caught in an unreasonable barrage of guilt and let go, allowing her to sit on the ground.

"Do you think you have any right to ask Chuxia for help?" Old Master Zhao asked somberly.

"I don’t have any right, but Qiyan is my very own daughter," Xiaohua implored, looking hopefully at Old Master Zhao. "If Chuxia is willing to help, I’d be willing to work like an ox or horse for the rest of my life to repay her."

"An ox or horse like you is something Chuxia wouldn’t dare to employ," Old Master Zhao waved his hand dismissively, "If you continue to make a scene here, our Zhao family will no longer acknowledge you as a daughter-in-law. Just take care of it yourself."

Seeing that Old Master Zhao wasn’t joking, Lin Xiaohua quickly stood up, dusted off the dirt from her bottom, and ran off in a flash.

"Ah!" Old Lady Zhao sighed, "She thinks we’re not worried? But this situation, how could we have the face to ask for help?"

"Don’t you get caught up in her nonsense..." Old Master Zhao furrowed his brows, "A girl like Qiyan, whoever takes her into their house is asking for bad luck. And she has the nerve to wail about it here. She should be at home thanking the Buddha with incense."

Old Lady Zhao looked at her husband, wordlessly bewildered. After all, it was their own granddaughter. Did he have to be so harsh?

"Actually, I am a bit worried about her. But we really shouldn’t trouble Chuxia anymore." Noticing the look on Old Lady Zhao’s face, Old Master Zhao added another line.

Old Lady Zhao was dumbfounded, "What exactly are you thinking? You just said one thing, now you’re saying another. I don’t even know which one I should listen to."

"My thoughts are the same as yours."

"Do you know what I’m thinking?"

"Of course, I do."

"Then tell me, what am I thinking?"

"No need to speak, it’s just the same as what you’re thinking."

"..."

Li Aiyuan and Zhao Qihui, who were cooking in the outer room, overheard the old couple’s bickering, which sounded like a tongue twister, and their faces grew tense rather than amused.

"What’s going on?" Zhao Yushan asked as he walked in with things set up.

Zhao Qihui pointed towards the house, "The old couple is just amusing themselves."

After listening for a while, Zhao Yushan sighed and went out to the yard.

...

As the car left Xiaolin Village, both Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe breathed a sigh of relief. Chuxia was utterly speechless, "Are you guys for real? You don’t owe her anything. Why do you act like you’ve seen a ghost?"

"It’s not about owing her, but I’m afraid she would cling to my leg and wail, drawing a crowd. What then? Should I agree to her demands, or not? If I agree, I’ll certainly be unwilling. If I disagree, I’m afraid people will gossip negatively about our family. It’s simply unbearable, so the best response is to avoid the situation."

Chuxia just shrugged her shoulders without commenting. She couldn’t accept changing one’s behavior due to others’ expectations, but in this era, most people did just that. She couldn’t force Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe to act according to her wishes; if they felt uncomfortable, surely they wouldn’t be happy.

"Actually..." Chuxia hesitated for a moment, then turned towards Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe, "Actually, I might know about Zhao Qiyan’s whereabouts."

"Ah?" Zhao Yulan’s eyes widened in shock, and she was unable to utter a word, while Lin Baohe asked, "What do you mean you ’might know’? Why haven’t you told us?"

"I don’t like Zhao Qiyan and naturally wouldn’t want you to kowtow to her," Chuxia pointed at Jing Zhe, "He told me about it, but I asked him not to say anything."

"If Chuxia doesn’t want us to know, then we won’t ask any further," Lin Baohe reassured as he patted his wife’s shoulder. "If Chuxia says so, it must mean Qiyan isn’t doing badly. Whenever she’s ready to come home, she’ll come. Let’s not meddle. Doing thankless tasks, we’ve had our fair share. This time, let’s not get involved."

Zhao Yulan nodded, "Okay, I won’t ask anymore."

"Thank you, mom, and dad," Chuxia said with a beaming smile, looking at Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe. "I’m so happy that you can trust me like this. However, I’ve decided to tell you now..." (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)