With Lin Zhiya's comfort, Lin Xiuhua indeed told where Zhao Xiaoan was hiding.

"Xiaoya, you're right. Xiaoan didn't do anything wrong. There's no need for him to hide everywhere."

Lin Zhiya stood up and said, "Then let's go call my cousin back."

The two people came to the place where Zhao Xiaoan lived before, but there was no one there.

Lin Xiuhua told Lin Zhiya, "Xiaoya, let's go to the alley outside and wait for Xiaoan for a while. I think he went out to buy food."

Lin Zhiya snorted coldly: "My cousin has left and will not come back."

Lin Zhiya turned and left, and Lin Xiuhua hurriedly followed.

"Xiaoya, I really didn't know that the father and son had deceived me again."

Zhao Yonggang, who was hiding at the entrance of the alley, had a sinister look in his eyes. This damn woman really came here with Xiaoya.

Fortunately, Xiao An had left, otherwise she would have been taken advantage of by the two of them again.

Lin Zhiya's plan to ask her cousin to deal with Li Qiumei failed, and she could only comfort herself that there was still a long way to go.

On the fifth day of the New Year, Qin Ruyue returned from Beishan County.

"Qiumei, your mother came to our house to look for you and said she had arranged a blind date for you today.

She didn't believe you went back to North City, so she came to me to see if you were hiding in our house.

When she left, I heard her tell your dad that she would come to North City to see you tomorrow, so I hurried into the city to tell you."

Li Qiumei was shocked: "Did my mother really say that she would come to find me?

Did you tell her where I live?"

Qin Ruyue smiled: "Of course it's true, but I didn't tell her where you live."

Yang Huaihua comforted her: "Don't worry, by the time she finds out where we are, we'll have already left."

Li Qiumei asked Qin Ruyue if she was willing to follow them to City B. Before Qin Ruyue could say anything, Yang Huaihua said, "Ruyue, you are not still thinking about going home to take care of Yang Baicai during her confinement period, are you?

I beg you to wake up! The more you act like this, the more the Hu family will look down on you.

Your father-in-law asked you to raise the son born by Yang Baicai, on what basis?"

Qin Ruyue smiled bitterly and said, "Don't worry, I won't raise a child for Yang Baicai.

I just think that I already have regular customers here and business is pretty good.

What if I move rashly and my business suffers?

After all, I don’t have the skills of you two. I can’t do anything except making noodles.”

This is true. Who can predict what will happen in business?

The three of them went out shopping. Li Qiumei went to buy candied haws and met Qian Lili.

She was also buying candied haws with a little girl of two or three years old, who must be her stepdaughter.

Qian Lili happily called Li Qiumei, "Sister-in-law, are you here to buy some candied haws too?"

Li Qiumei hummed: "Lili, what a coincidence.

How old is this little girl?

The little girl in a red cotton-padded jacket and trousers rushed to tell Li Qiumei in a baby voice: "Three years old, I am three years old."

Li Qiumei touched her chubby little face and said, "You are three years old now. What's your name?"

"Luo Jing." The little girl said her name.

"Lili, this child looks easy to take care of."

Qian Lili smiled and nodded: "Yes, it's easy to take care of.

Sister-in-law, didn’t you go home for the New Year?

"No?"

Qian Lili looked around and said, "Sister-in-law, I heard from my second aunt that you are working outside.

Do you still need anyone over there?"

Li Qiumei was confused by what she heard.

"Lili, who's going out to work?"

Qian Lili paused for a moment before whispering, "It's me."

Li Qiumei was startled: "Lili, why is this happening?"

"Sister-in-law, I've been fooled." Li Qiumei quickly reached out and covered Qian Lili's mouth.

"The child is listening."

Li Qiumei brought candied haws, and Qian Lili took Luo Jing to the square and found Yang Huaihua and the others.

Letting the two of them watch over Luo Jing, Li Qiumei and Qian Lili sat down by the nearby flower bed.

"Tell me, what's going on?"

Qian Lili was silent for a moment, then she spoke: "Sister-in-law, Luo Yongzhang married me because he wanted me to be a nanny for his family.

Every day I not only have to take care of Luo Jing, but also take care of their family's eating, drinking, defecating, urinating and sleeping.

These are all small things, but the problem is that not only do I have to do housework, but Luo Jing's grandmother also asks me to go to their house to clean from time to time.

If I didn't go, Luo Yongzhang and my mother-in-law would scold me.

She told me that I should be grateful. If Luo Jing's mother hadn't given up her position, there would be no way a country boy like me would be able to marry into the Luo family.

I just can't figure it out. It wasn't me who made Luo Jing's mother die to make room for me, so why should I be grateful to her?"

Li Qiumei smiled and nodded: "That's right."

Qian Lili spat and said, "Sister-in-law, I used to think my mother was stingy, but now compared to my mother-in-law, she's nothing.

Luo Yongzhang gave all his salary to his mother, and my mother-in-law was wary of me like a thief.

The day after I got married, she gave me a notebook and asked me to write down every penny I spent.

Every night she would wear reading glasses and hold a pen to check each item one by one and then tick them off.

We also hold a family meeting every week to evaluate and grade what I have done that week.

Sister-in-law, you don’t understand. That scene is just like the landlord fight on the street back then. I am like the landlord, and their family is fighting against me.”

Li Qiumei burst out laughing. She didn't expect Qian Lili to be so humorous.

"What does your mother-in-law do for a living?"

Qian Lili sniffed and said, "I work in the textile factory union.

My mother-in-law only gives me one dollar each time to buy groceries, and then she scolds me for buying too expensive things, asking if I lied about the amount and hid some money.

Then she scolded me for my poor handwriting, which made it difficult for her to recognize it.

Sister-in-law, I was never this serious when I was studying.

If I had been so serious, I could have gone to junior high school.

Alas, I can tolerate all this, but I can’t tolerate them asking me to work at Luo Jing’s grandmother’s house just to please her.

Li Qiumei patted Qian Lili on the back and said, "That's really too much.

This Luo Yongzhang must be a mama's boy, he listens to his mother in everything."

"Mama's boy?" This was the first time Qian Lili heard of it.

Li Qiumei then remembered that the term "mama's boy" did not exist in that era.

“Lili, Luo Yongzhang listens to his mother and doesn’t care about you in private?”

Qian Lili nodded: "No matter what, when we were dating, I thought he was a caring person, but who knew he would change his mind after getting married.

As soon as I get home from work, I pick up a camera and tinker with it. Except for eating and sleeping, I hold the camera with me all the time."

Li Qiumei looked at Qian Lili with some sympathy. They had only been married for a few months and it was like this.

Qian Lili mustered up her courage and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but Luo Yongzhang and I haven't consummated our marriage yet."

Li Qiumei was completely stunned.