Hua Wanhe looked at Huo Yanping and glared at her: "Are you stupid? Even your mother can't speak coherently anymore, how are you going to ask her? I think it's easier for you women to talk together. Why don't you go ask the fourth son's wife, but don't ask directly, just probe her."

Huo Yanping thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll go right now. Let's try to smooth things over with my brother first. It would be great if we could get involved in their business. Who knows who will own the factory in the future?"

Hua Wanhe said, "Ye Yifan is something we can't steal."

"If we can't take Ye Yifan's share, can't we at least get a piece of Hua Kai's share? Even if we can't steal the business, we still have to build relationships with them. When Hua Kai goes to school and Ye Yifan goes to work, won't we be able to talk to them in the factory and shop? Then we won't have to worry about money anymore."

"You're right. Then hurry up and ask them before the fourth brother reacts, otherwise they might not tell you."

"Okay, I'll go right now." Huo Yanping put on her cotton-padded coat and headed towards Hua Wanhai's house.

When they arrived at Hua Wanhai's house and entered, they saw Zhao Xiuzhi cleaning up the kitchen. There was still a lot of meat left in the dishes, and there were also many white steamed buns and sticky rice cakes in the basin next to her.

Huo Yanping went in and said, "Sister-in-law, are you busy?"

Zhao Xiuzhi's goodwill towards Huo Yanping had recently faded. She said, "Second sister-in-law is here. Come in. Fourth brother had a few drinks tonight and is now asleep. Parents are free too, so you can keep them company and talk to them."

Huo Yanping wasn't there to keep the old woman company. She said to Zhao Xiuzhi, "Don't rush inside, let me help you tidy up the kitchen first." As she spoke, she went over to help Zhao Xiuzhi wash the dishes on the stove.

In the past, Zhao Xiuzhi might have genuinely believed that Huo Yanping was there to help, but now she wouldn't think so. Since Hua Zhongzhi fell ill, Huo Yanping had avoided helping at all. These past few days, when the old lady was sick, it was Gu Lanyan who helped, and Huo Yanping hadn't even shown her face. Now, to say she was helping seemed too fake.

Zhao Xiuzhi said to Huo Yanping, "Second sister-in-law, don't reach out anymore, I'll be done in a minute."

Huo Yanping had already started working: "It's such a small job, just something I did on the side. My sister-in-law is really capable. She's so busy, yet she still finds time to steam buns."

Zhao Xiuzhi said, "My sister-in-law was worried that I would be too busy taking care of my parents, so she brought it to me. I'm very grateful to my brother and sister-in-law for their help during this time."

Huo Yanping whispered to Zhao Xiuzhi, "Sister-in-law, my elder brother is still an outsider."

Zhao Xiuzhi put down her work, stood up straight, and looked at Huo Yanping, saying, "The fourth brother and the eldest brother have the same father and share the same blood; they are blood relatives."

Huo Yanping clearly sensed that Zhao Xiuzhi was different from before. She said, "Sister-in-law, what are you saying? The second and fourth sons were born of the same mother. They came from the same womb, so they are very close."

"Second sister-in-law, whether someone is close or not isn't just about words; it's about actions. I was confused before, but now I don't want to get involved in those messy things anymore. I just want to work hard and live a good life. Don't say those things to me again, second sister-in-law."

Huo Yanping felt a little embarrassed by Zhao Xiuzhi's words: "Fourth sister-in-law, what do you mean? Are you trying to get close to our eldest brother and live a better life while cutting ties with us?"

Zhao Xiuzhi has now cleared her head, and she no longer wants to collude with Huo Yanping. She has made so many mistakes over the years, she can't afford to make another one.

She said to Huo Yanping, "Second sister-in-law, you're overthinking it. I'm really too tired these days and don't want to deal with all this nonsense. My parents are both in bed and need to be taken care of. I really don't have the energy to think about anything else. I wish I had two more hands right now."

Huo Yanping could see that Zhao Xiuzhi was very distant from her, but the more she saw this, the more she felt that Zhao Xiuzhi was trying to get information because of her connection with Hua Wanjiang.

She stepped forward and said, "Sister-in-law, if there's any work to be done in the future, just have the children call me. As long as I don't have any work to do, I promise to help you. Don't be so distant with me."

Zhao Xiuzhi didn't expect Huo Yanping to help at all. If she could really help, why would she need to ask her? She's always washing clothes, cooking, feeding, and cleaning for the elderly. When will she ever be busy helping out?

Look at Gu Lanyan, she knows exactly what to do as soon as she arrives. And these steamed buns and sticky buns are all things that make things easier for her. When I was tidying up just now, I also saw a basin of ribs in the cupboard, already cooked, and a chicken, which was also chopped up. These things have saved her so much effort and time, it's no exaggeration.

The more Zhao Xiuzhi compared them, the clearer it became who was truly good. The truly good ones didn't boast or speak up, acting as if it were their duty. But she knew that Hua Wanjiang's family did nothing, and she couldn't say anything about it.

She realized that Huo Yanping wanted to talk to her; she had come with a purpose, while she didn't want to talk to her.

So Zhao Xiuzhi wiped her hands and said to Huo Yanping, "Sometimes when Mother doesn't need to urinate, I have to go inside and ask her if she needs to." Then she went inside.

When Huo Yanping heard that the old lady needed to urinate, she thought, "Shouldn't I help her? That's such a disgusting thing to do."

She quickly said to Zhao Xiuzhi, "Sister-in-law, I still have fire burning at home, I have to go back and check, I'll come back later."

Zhao Xiuzhi laughed. The clearer she saw it, the less interesting it seemed. She used to play those petty tricks and didn't live as comfortably as she does now.

She said, "Take care, Second Sister-in-law."

After Huo Yanping left, Zhao Xiuzhi went inside and decided to ask her mother-in-law if she needed to urinate.

Zheng Shuzhen is currently unable to move and is not used to having others help her urinate, so she tries to drink as little water as possible.

I didn't want to pee yet, so I shook my head.

However, she had just heard Huo Yanping's voice, so she pointed outside with her good finger: "Ping, Ping, are you... here?"

Zhao Xiuzhi sat down next to Zheng Shuzhen: "Yes, Second Sister-in-law came, but she left again."

Zheng Shuzhen stammered for a long time, drooling, but she couldn't say anything very clearly.

Hua Zhongzhi, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and said to Zheng Shuzhen, "If you can't say it, then don't say it. Are you going to ask what the second son's wife came for and why she didn't come inside?"

Zheng Shuzhen nodded to indicate that this was the meaning.

Zhao Xiuzhi thought for a while, but didn't continue the previous conversation. Instead, she said, "Father and Mother, there are some things I don't know how to say, but now I understand. The best thing for a person is to be a good person in a down-to-earth and honest way."

Hua Zhongzhi was a little puzzled: "Why are you suddenly feeling sentimental?"

Zhao Xiuzhi said, “Dad, I used to think that honest people were foolish, but now I see that honest people are not foolish at all. Look at my eldest brother’s family, they are honest people, and they are doing better and better. These past few days, my eldest brother and sister-in-law have been helping to take care of the family. My sister-in-law made so many steamed buns and sticky rice cakes, and also cooked a whole pot of ribs and a chicken, and put them in the kitchen for me without saying anything. This has saved me so much trouble. Other people always say that they will let me know if they need anything, but when I actually need something, they are always busy and don’t come. But my eldest brother and sister-in-law, I didn’t even have to ask, and they did everything. I am really ashamed now.”