A woman in her thirties was peeking furtively into Zhao Qinglan's house from outside.

"Sister-in-law, how do we send letters here?"

When Wu Mei saw the envelope in Zhao Qinglan's hand, she said knowingly, "There's a mailbox near the grocery store. You probably didn't notice it last time."

"Yes, I really don't remember."

"I'm going to buy some things, let's go together."

"Okay, then I'll go back and bring a basket too, and see what I can buy."

As soon as Zhao Qinglan came out of the Sun family's house, she saw a strange woman looking around outside her own home.

"Who are you looking for?" she asked as she walked past.

The woman was startled when she saw her and quickly said, "I'm not looking for anyone, I was just passing by." Then she turned and ran away.

Watching her receding figure, Zhao Qinglan frowned.

This woman seems really strange.

After thinking for a while, she still couldn't figure it out, so she shook her head and went inside to get her things.

When she came out again, Wu Mei asked her about it.

"I just heard you talking to someone, what's wrong?"

"There was just one woman standing outside my house, looking into it. I asked her who she was looking for, and she said she was just passing by."

Wu Mei was also puzzled upon hearing this. "Just passing by?"

"Sister-in-law, people from outside our residential area can't easily get in, right?"

"Of course. Although we are just a family quarters and not a military camp, it's not a place where just anyone can come in. Only the residents here can come and go freely."

Zhao Qinglan thought about it and realized it made sense; otherwise, what would be the point of having sentries guarding the gate?

So, judging from this, that woman also lives in the residential area?

Perhaps next time she sees her, she can ask Sister Wu Mei who that woman is.

When it gets cold, fewer people are willing to go out, except for children, who are always running around outside to play.

They arrived at the grocery store without encountering many people along the way.

After buying some things, Zhao Qinglan also put the letter in the mailbox.

Once the letter was sent, she could just wait patiently for a reply.

She also thoughtfully included stamps and a pound of national grain coupons in the envelope.

Even though she and Xiaofang from the village used to be friends, they hadn't been in touch for several years. Since she needed to ask Xiaofang for a favor, she felt it was best to give her something in return.

"He who takes a bribe is bound to be obligated to do so. Xiaofang has accepted her food stamps, so she'll probably have to put in a little more effort."

Zhao Qinglan had considered writing home directly, but even if she did write, it was uncertain whether the letter would reach her sister immediately.

If the other members of the Zhao family see it first, it will alert them.

On the way, Wu Mei asked Zhao Qinglan where she was sending the letter, and Zhao Qinglan only said her hometown.

Wu Mei also said that she did the right thing. She had married so far away, so she had to let her family know she was safe. If they were in a hurry, they could go to her house to make a phone call.

Li Huai hadn't mentioned much about Zhao Qinglan's strained relationship with her family, so Wu Mei was unaware of it.

Zhao Qinglan didn't intend to explain this private matter anytime soon.

What to do next? Let's wait until she sees Xiaofang's reply.

The atmosphere at home, which Zhao Qinglan was keeping in mind, hadn't been good these past few days.

She took her child and ran off with Li Huaiyuan, leaving the Zhao family empty-handed.

The old lady was naturally unhappy that they hadn't brought anything back, and Zhao Laoda was the first to be upset.

Zhao Laoda didn't dare to talk back after being scolded by his own mother, so he took out his anger on his wife and children when he got home.

His wife, in particular, was complained about for only giving birth to a few girls, which made him feel ashamed in his own family and even in the whole village.

Zhao Qinglan's mother did nothing but cry; she didn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

As for Zhao Qinglan's two younger sisters, they have gotten used to it over the years. Although they feel wronged for themselves and their mother, they dare not defy their father.

I thought I could get a lot of benefits from my eldest granddaughter, but I got nothing at all.

Old Mrs. Zhao, née Zou, was also furious, and she cursed Zhao Qinglan countless times, both openly and secretly.

He also said he wanted to marry off Zhao Qinglan's younger sister and the other two "money-losing girls" as soon as possible to salvage some of the family's losses.

Indeed, this was a tremendous loss in the eyes of the Zou family.

Zhao Qinglan's two younger sisters were terrified after hearing their grandmother's words, and quickly sought help from their mother while Zhao's eldest brother was away.

Unfortunately, they received no hope. If their mother, Madam Sun, could have stood up for them, she wouldn't have let her most capable eldest daughter marry Wang Dahai, a widower, and become his stepmother.

With no hope of help, Zhao Qinglan's younger sister, Zhao Qingju, said in despair, "Second sister, what should we do?"

Zhao Qingzhu was also filled with despair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Little sister, why don't you tell me why your older sister doesn't take us with her?"

He knew that Zhao Qinglan had remarried a young military officer and moved far away.

Zhao Qingzhu and her sister felt an indescribable envy.

But to say there's resentment wouldn't be quite right.

As both daughters and granddaughters of the Zhao family who were not valued, they knew how bitter life was in this family.

Speaking of which, the eldest sister is still the best person in the family to them, even better than their mother.

Before my eldest sister got married, she was always the one who took the blame and suffered the most.

They were just used to being timid and had never helped their eldest sister in any way.

...

The Wang family, Old Lady Wang's attempts to sow discord backfired, and she herself ended up feeling uncomfortable.

These past few days, she's been holding in a lot of anger because of her son's divorce, and now that she's collapsed, her condition is only getting worse.

If Zhao Qinglan were still alive, she would definitely be the one busy taking care of Old Lady Wang when she collapsed.

But now, Zhao Qinglan is gone.

Wang Dazhi has to go to work, and Wang Xiaofei and his sister have to go to school, so the task of taking care of them falls to Old Man Wang.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!