Chapter 109 Has this man ever been involved in pyramid schemes?

The woman's eyes flickered as she warily stared at the three men, asking in heavily accented Mandarin, "Who are you?"

Wang Ye squatted down in front of her, forcing a kind smile. "I'm Lily's boyfriend. We're getting married. I've come to pick you up. Look, I even brought you some local specialties."

As Wang Ye spoke, he opened his bag and took out all the local specialties.

The woman stared at the vacuum-sealed bags, her eyes reddening. She looked up, choking back tears, and said, "Did Lili ask you to come?"

Wang Ye couldn't bear to tell her the truth, so he could only nod vigorously. Afraid that she wouldn't understand, Wang Ye said in a very slow voice, "Yes, Lily asked me to come. Stop doing all this and come with us. Lily and I will take care of you in your old age."

The woman stared intently at Wang Ye, probably thinking of all the things that had happened in the past. She tried to hold back her tears, but she couldn't.

Really?

"Yes, of course it's true. Otherwise, why would we have come all this way? It's almost dark. Please come with us."

The woman was at a loss. She looked around her house and said, "I... I haven't packed anything. I... I think I'd better not go."

"Why? We've already come all this way, you don't want us to have made a wasted trip, do you?"

The woman felt ashamed, her gaze falling on her feet. "I... I would be so embarrassed if I went."

"How could that be? You are Lily's mother. If we get married without our parents' blessings, it won't be complete."

Qiao Xing was somewhat surprised. In her impression, Wang Ye had always been a bit of a jerk, and she never expected him to say such gentle words.

Hearing his words, the old woman could no longer hold back her tears. She hastily raised her withered hand and wiped away her tears haphazardly.

"Oh dear... why did you all come here? I, I'm perfectly fine here."

Wang Ye sighed and continued to urge, "Will you go to Lily's wedding? Don't you want to see your daughter get married?"

The woman felt a moment of anticipation, but hesitated for a moment, then said in a conflicted tone, "I... I'd be embarrassed if I went."

"No, we'll buy you new clothes and dress you up when you get to our place. What's there to be ashamed of?"

The woman looked somewhat conflicted. "Then let me tidy up a bit. The house isn't tidied up yet, and the vegetables from the garden haven't been picked... I'll pick some to take to Lili, okay?"

Wang Ye twitched the corner of his mouth, thought for a moment, and then agreed, "Alright, what vegetables do you want to pick? We'll help you."

Qiao Xing also went to help. Actually, there weren't many vegetables available this season, just pumpkins and cabbages. You could buy dozens of kilograms of these for a hundred yuan at the market.

But the old woman didn't want to go empty-handed, so Wang Ye could only pick out a few large pumpkins and cabbages. The woman limped into the house and brought out a burlap sack, putting the pumpkins into the sack.

Wang Ye carried the pumpkin, and Qiao Xing helped the woman as they walked down the mountain.

Qin Ce led the way without saying a word, and Qiao Xing had no idea what he was thinking.

These things seemed to have no effect on him; he maintained the same indifferent expression from beginning to end, without any change.

He stood in the dilapidated village in a suit, looking so out of place.

The group had just come down the mountain when it was already dark. Luckily, they had a car and could go to town.

Qin Ce didn't want to waste time in the town, so he drove to the county seat.

The woman had never ridden in a car before, and even though she had changed her clothes, she was still afraid of getting the car dirty, so she put newspaper under her bottom.

Looking at her cautious demeanor, Wang Ye couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

If Hu Mazi is the culprit, then what did she do wrong?

She was nothing more than a pitiful woman who depended on her husband for survival, yet she ended up in this state. So, in this world, there is no such thing as fairness, and there is no such thing as a peaceful and tranquil life.

When you feel miserable, there will always be someone even more miserable, struggling at the lowest level of society.

When Wang Ye compared himself to the woman, he suddenly realized that he wasn't so hopeless after all; at least he could earn money and ensure his survival.

After arriving in the county town, Qin Ce booked a hotel, so he would have to stay there for the night.

Wang Ye was very considerate, helping his mother-in-law into the room and helping her wash up. Only after the woman lay down did he return to his own room.

The woman, remembering that even her own son had never taken such good care of her, lay on the bed and shed bitter tears.

Qin Ce didn't book any extra rooms tonight; he and Qiao Xing shared one.

He hadn't touched the notebook he brought, and he and Qiao Xing went to bed early because they had to get up early the next day.

Qiao Xing, however, couldn't sleep. After all, she had heard too much negative news, and she couldn't process it all at once.

In the darkness, Qin Ce heard her sigh several times.

He asked, "Can't you sleep?"

"Yes, did I bother you?"

"No, don't think too much about it. Everyone has their own destiny."

"You really know how to comfort people," Qiao Xing said half-jokingly.

“I’m not trying to comfort you, I’m just telling the truth. No one’s life is smooth sailing. Everyone has hardships and unpleasant memories. To outsiders, those hardships may seem pitiful and tragic, but when you’re in them, you don’t really feel that way.”

Qiao Xing was stunned. Whenever he talked about these kinds of grand principles, he always had a whole set of them, leaving her speechless.

She even suspected that the man might have been involved in pyramid schemes.

Qin Ce added, "Instead of sympathizing with her, you should think about what Wang Ye will have to face after he takes her back to Chongqing."

Yes, Wang Ye came with Lily on his back.

Lily hasn't been home for so many years; she clearly doesn't want to have any connection with the past, nor does she want anyone to know about it.

Qiao Xing dared not think about what would happen to Lily if Wang Ye took her mother to Chongqing on his own initiative.

And my aunt's side, things definitely won't be peaceful.

Qiao Xing sighed again, "Never mind, let's go to sleep!"

The next morning, Qin Ce returned the rented car, booked the earliest flight, and returned to Chongqing with Lily's mother.

After learning about Lily's past, Wang Ye felt at ease, but at the same time, he also felt very sorry for Lily.

He thought about how to bring Lily's mother back, but then he thought of his own mother and gave up the idea.

After arranging for Lily's mother to stay at a hotel, Wang Ye said to Qiao Xing, "Cousin, I'm going back to take Lily to see her mother. Don't leave later, okay? Come with me to witness the tearful scene of mother and daughter reuniting!"

Qiao Xing twitched the corner of her mouth. It seemed that Wang Ye still didn't understand Lily. Would it really be a tearful scene of mother and daughter recognizing each other?

Wang Ye went home to pick up Lily with excitement, while Qiao Xing and Qin Ce waited for her at a milk tea shop outside the hotel.

After Wang Ye returned, he mysteriously pulled Lily outside, saying he was going to take her to meet someone.

Although Lily was suspicious, she didn't even think about it that way. Wang Ye had been gone for two days, and she didn't care what he was doing, let alone that he would bring his mother over.

But when she saw Qiao Xing and Qin Ce outside the hotel, she had a bad feeling.

Her first thought was of the police. Would they find out about her past and send her to jail?

"Who are you taking me to see?" Lily became wary.

Wang Ye stood at the door of the room. He knocked on the door, turned to Lily and said, "You'll see when you see it. I guarantee it will be a big surprise."

As they were talking, the door to the room opened.