Chapter 434: 434 Chapter Scared
Chen Guizhi couldn’t keep secrets at all, so she shared her suspicions with her family.
Everyone unanimously began to discuss and concluded that there must be something fishy going on.
Among them, Yang Peijun was the most active, a person whose curiosity was endless, the type who couldn’t sleep without getting to the bottom of things.
Yang Peijun was also a smooth talker, just like Zhang Minghua; he was excellent in social situations. So, he got close to a few young fellows at the leather factory workers’ housing, especially with a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy named Xiao Tong. Under the influence of some money, the boy was happy to help keep an eye on Old Mrs. Lu’s household.
So, he received daily reports from the neighboring Xiao Tong.
“In the morning, the Lu family usually doesn’t cook breakfast, just boils a large pot of water. When Lu Hailing leaves for work, Old Mrs. Lu then runs out to give her a piece of candy, telling her to chew on it and drink a few sips of water to fill her stomach.”
“For lunch, Lu Hailing brings food back from the factory, a portion for one that two of them share. I’ve been watching; they don’t cook at all at their home. When Lu Hailing comes back from work, she carries a lunchbox, the same type we use. I know how much it can hold, so I can assert that this portion of food is shared between the mother and daughter. Sometimes, dinner is the same, and other times, it’s just buns they bring back from your place, still no cooking.”
“I don’t know why this person, who has a job and a salary, is even more miserly than our family. Sometimes, whatever Lu Hailing brings back, she tries to avoid people. If kids gather around, she would even start running home. Such a stingy attitude, you’d really think people wanted to rob her…”
“I accepted your money, right? To act in good conscience, I’ve become even more concerned about their family affairs. That old lady goes out every few days and always leaves home at dawn. If it weren’t because I drank too much water one night and woke up urgently in the morning, I wouldn’t have seen her… I started wondering what a rural old lady, unfamiliar with life here, would go out for? It must be something significant. So I followed her, guess where she went?”
Upon hearing this, Yang Peijun’s curiosity grew even stronger, “Could it be that she went to sell something?”
“No, she went to the post office. The bag she was carrying was meant to be mailed. Once I saw this, I understood. The mother and daughter pinch and scrape every day, just to have something to send to someone else.”
Yang Peijun stroked his chin and then nodded, that’s not at all surprising. Looking at Xiao Tong, “So, did you find out anything else?”
Xiao Tong, with a cunning nature despite his small size, rolled his eyes and said, “I also discovered that old lady is quite an actress. She’s one way in front of people and another behind their backs. In front of our neighbors, she’s a kind, generous old grandma, always calling over the kids to ask them a few questions, sometimes stepping forward to mediate when someone is scolding their child. Many people rather like her… But when she turns her back, she speaks sharply and harshly, even calling us ‘green-headed flies,’ bothersome and dirty.”
“Eh, how did you find that out?”
Xiao Tong stuck out his tongue, “I listened from their window, you guess what else I heard?”
“Don’t keep me in suspense, spill it.”
“I heard them saying your family really has money, just loosening the grip between their fingers is enough to support the young and old back home,” Yang Peijun burst into flames, “What about Lu Haijun? Is he conspiring with his mother against our family too?”
Xiao Tong shook his head, “I don’t know about that; he hasn’t been here recently.”
“What else did they say? Tell me everything without missing a word, and I’ll give you another dollar.”
Xiao Tong promptly nodded, “For this task, I haven’t washed dishes or taken a shower for several days; my mother even beat me, but I did hear quite a bit. When Lu Hailing came over to your place, besides taking advantage, she also seemed to be plotting something. They lowered their voices when talking about it, so I heard it rather vaguely. Then they switched to talking about your family, saying your sister, the one who is in college, is lazy and spoilt. Just because she went to college, her in-laws treat her like a treasure. Except for having children, she can’t do anything else. They also said it’s pointless to marry such a bride and felt sorry for your brother-in-law. After working hard all day, he comes home to no one who cares, and your sister only cares about studying…”
Xiao Tong, noticing the fire in Yang Peijun’s eyes, cautiously added, “…shall I continue?”
“Go on!”
“That was Lu Hailing speaking just now. She also said that the Shen family’s money was squandered by her, only knows how to dress up, and sometimes shamelessly goes around grabbing men’s hands regardless of the place, showing no regard for her own husband, which is disgraceful. If it were her, she wouldn’t act like that. She said such a marriage won’t last and felt pity for your brother-in-law and such… Then her mother agreed, saying if women of the Shen family behave this way, she’d make them regret it… Such women shouldn’t be in charge and should hand over their salaries to prevent reckless spending… Like mother, like daughter, both scheming non-stop, no wonder they’re always sick or feeling unwell, I bet it’s because they’re too scheming, and it’s all come back to haunt them.” Xiao Tong spoke with visible contempt towards the end.
Yang Peijun passed him the money, “Thank you. But keep this matter between us; don’t tell anyone else.”
Xiao Tong was quite cooperative, “I understand. I only accepted money from you and will not tell any other, not even my own family; rest assured.”
Yang Peijun shared this matter at home where Shen Yixiang was also present.
Everyone was stunned, unable to believe such shameless mother and daughter could exist.
Shen Yixiang was at a loss for words; she instinctively refused to believe it, but deep down, she felt that Yang Peijun had no reason to lie to her about such snooping for the truth; she had done it herself once when she snuck up with Yang Peiying to eavesdrop on Lin Shuangmei.
Chen Guizhi was scared, grabbing Shen Yixiang’s hand, saying they couldn’t marry into such a family. With their manipulative ways, whoever married there would end up stripped of everything.
They usually appeared so nice. Lu Hailing was always well-behaved, sensible, caring, attentive, and diligent. She always sweetly called her ‘auntie’, helped take care of Lele, skillfully and carefully, even if Lele’s poop fell on the floor, she wouldn’t complain, but would bend down and clean it thoroughly with a cloth. Whenever there was something good outside, she always brought it back for her to try, claiming she resembled her great-aunt, always wanting to get closer…
And Old Mrs. Lu, who was talkative and easygoing, always calling her ‘big sister’ and had nothing but words of praise for Yixiang, her eyes and expressions filled with satisfaction…