Chapter 227 Jiang Qiubai's Threat

Wei Xiang came over and helped Hu Mei with all the chores around the house, such as cleaning, washing clothes, and chopping firewood. Of course, he did it inside the house so that no one in the yard could see him. He left only after Hu Mei urged him to.

Stepping out of the tenement courtyard, I felt that this life of hiding was not going to end, and I hoped to start my own life with Hu Mei as soon as possible.

That way, he can do whatever he wants at home, and care for his wife and children whenever he wants, without worrying about being seen by others.

Remembering what Hu Mei had just told him, that she had found where Ma Gaosheng had hidden the money.

Wei Xiang felt a glimmer of hope.

He wasn't after Ma Gaosheng's money.

He had been in the transportation business for many years and had saved up a considerable amount of money. He wasn't envious of other people's money. However, Hu Mei was very stubborn and said that she had suffered too much at the Ma family's place and would only leave after getting Ma Gaosheng's money.

Wei Xiang could only respect her wishes.

Now that Ma Gaosheng's money has been found, it means that the day when Hu Mei is willing to leave is one step closer.

Wei Xiang was quite happy.

This is a good omen!

Hopefully, their plans will go smoothly and that the family of three can be reunited soon.

...

Unbeknownst to Wei Xiang, not long after he left, an uninvited guest arrived at Hu Mei's home in the courtyard.

Inside the door, Hu Mei frowned at the woman in front of her. "Is there something you need?" Her tone was rather impolite, and her unwelcome attitude was quite obvious.

That's right, the woman was Jiang Qiubai.

Although the two had lived in the same courtyard for almost a year, Hu Mei and Jiang Qiubai had never really interacted.

Of course, one reason for this was that Hu Mei didn't have a good impression of her and was unwilling to associate with her.

In short, the two were just acquaintances who had only met briefly.

Hu Mei didn't understand why she had come to see her.

Jiang Qiubai chuckled and said, "Sister Hu, what are you saying? Can't I come over and chat with you if there's nothing wrong?"

Hu Mei looked at her unhappily, without saying a word.

She clearly didn't think she had anything to talk about with Jiang Qiubai.

Jiang Qiubai didn't seem to care, and said with a strange smile, "Are you sure you want to talk here? Won't you invite me in for a seat?"

As he spoke, he deliberately looked to the left and right. There were several middle-aged women peeking in this direction from the front gate of the yard, obviously curious about what Jiang Qiubai wanted to do with Hu Mei.

Hu Mei frowned.

What does this person mean?

However, she didn't really think she had anything she couldn't let others hear.

She didn't want Jiang Qiubai to come to her house at all.

Because of her pregnancy, her family now has quite a few good things, while the Zheng family doesn't have any good things. Who knows if Jiang Qiubai will steal something when he enters the house?

So Hu Mei just stood in front of the gate without reacting.

Jiang Qiubai waited for a long time, but seeing that Hu Mei not only did not invite him into the house, but also blocked the door even more tightly, he couldn't help but curse her inwardly for being tactless and lacking manners!

She forced a smile and said softly, "It's fine to talk about it outside, as long as you don't mind people knowing about you and Captain Wei..."

To prevent others from hearing, Jiang Qiubai spoke very softly, but to Hu Mei's ears, it was no less than thunder!

She looked up at Jiang Qiubai in shock, only to see her eyes fixed on her with a strange smile on her face, giving Hu Mei the unsettling feeling that she had been seen through.

No, no, she couldn't possibly know!

Perhaps she was just saying it casually, but because she had something on her mind, she felt that she was implying something.

Don't scare yourself!

Hu Mei, feigning composure, frowned and scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting! What could possibly happen between Captain Wei and me!"

But Jiang Qiubai looked at her with a half-smile and said slowly, "Sister-in-law Hu, you know this better than I do, don't you?"

These words sent a chill down Hu Mei's spine.

It wasn't a hallucination; Jiang Qiubai really did know!

"What...what do you mean by that...?"

Hu Mei looked at Jiang Qiubai with suspicion, unsure whether she really knew something or was just making wild guesses because Wei Xiang came so often.

It's better to be safe than sorry.

Hu Mei dared not gamble.

Just to be on the safe side, she could only reluctantly invite Jiang Qiubai in, turning slightly to the side, though of course, she still spoke very politely.

“We’re neighbors, and something big has happened to your family recently. Since you have something to say to me, I can’t just keep you out. Come in.”

Jiang Qiubai chuckled inwardly. This woman was quite good at embellishing her image, portraying herself as a kind and generous neighbor.

Once inside, Jiang Qiubai didn't need to be greeted; he immediately found a stool and sat down, acting as if they were old friends.

He poured himself a cup of hot water from the kettle on the table, and then asked Hu Mei, "Sister-in-law, could you get me some brown sugar?"

She hadn't had brown sugar water in a long time; plain water just didn't taste good.

They acted as if it were their own business, showing no sense of self-awareness as guests at someone else's home.

Hu Mei's face was beyond ugly. She said angrily, "Jiang Meizi, I let you in because we're neighbors. I was worried that you were upset because of what happened to your family, so I wanted to comfort you. It was because I was kind-hearted, not because you have the right to ask me for things."

Brown sugar is such a precious thing, how dare this woman ask me for it!

Birds of a feather flock together, how shameless!

Jiang Qiubai's face fell, his eyes turned gloomy, and he said in an unfriendly tone, "Sister-in-law Hu, I didn't say it outright in front of you to give you some face. Did you really think I didn't know about your little schemes?"

"If you push me too far, I'll expose everything!"

Hu Mei's expression changed.

Gritting his teeth, he said, "Girl, what are you saying? It's just a little brown sugar. I'll go get it for you right away!"

He had no choice but to reluctantly go and get the brown sugar for Jiang Qiubai.

It wasn't until she entered the kitchen that Hu Mei realized, "Wait a minute, if I obediently added sugar for her, wouldn't that prove she was telling the truth?"

He couldn't help but regret how he had been fooled by Jiang Qiubai!

It's too late to say anything now!

I just hope that woman doesn't know much.

Looking at the sugar jar in her hand, Hu Mei gritted her teeth and added only a small spoonful to the teacup, just enough to give the water a bit of color.

Brown sugar is hard to buy these days, and Hu Mei needs it for many things, so she's reluctant to use too much.

Even so, it was still very sweet to Jiang Qiubai.

Jiang Qiubai took a leisurely sip of brown sugar water and then looked around at all the bags and packages in the room behind Hu Mei. "Wow, so many good things. Captain Wei is really good to you."

That was something Wei Xiang had just brought over today. Hu Mei had left it in the room without having time to tidy it up, and Jiang Qiubai happened to see it.

Is this something you've set your sights on again?

Hu Mei was displeased, and her tone became somewhat strained.

"Girl, don't say things that are so easy to misunderstand. What do you mean by 'Captain Wei is good to me'? It's just that Captain Wei is a good person, he cares about his subordinates, and when he knew his subordinates were away on business, he made a special trip to visit me, a pregnant woman."

Jiang Qiubai smiled enigmatically. "Really? Then why haven't I heard of him being so concerned about the families of his other subordinates?"

Seeing Hu Mei's unpleasant expression, he said casually, "I haven't heard of Captain Wei helping his subordinates' wives with chores at their homes."

"Sister-in-law, what do you think?"

Hu Mei's face turned slightly pale.

Seeing this, Jiang Qiubai felt a little better.

She had been watching this area all morning and heard it clearly; the man surnamed Wei was helping Hu Mei with chores at home.

It's really unexpected that Wei Xiang, such a tall and strong man, would help Hu Mei with housework.

He was actually much better than Ma Gaosheng, which made Jiang Qiubai jealous.

Why is it that Hu Mei, a pregnant woman, can seduce men into doing so much for her?

Although Hu Mei was extremely flustered, she resolutely refused to admit it:

"What are you saying, girl? I don't understand. What do you mean by 'Captain Wei came to his subordinate's house to do chores'? You don't think Captain Wei came to my house to do chores, do you? Hahaha, girl, you really have wild imaginations!"

"Captain Wei just came to my house for a while, asked if I had any difficulties in my life recently, and then left. Don't talk nonsense. It's bad for his reputation and it's also bad for me."

Seeing that Hu Mei was being unreasonable, Jiang Qiubai didn't bother arguing with her and directly stated his purpose.

"Sister-in-law, don't panic. I didn't come here for any other reason. You know, the Zheng family is in dire need of support right now, and the whole family has no income. How are we going to survive? I came here today to ask you for a loan to get by."

"Don't worry, as long as I can get by, I'll pretend I don't know things that I shouldn't know."

The implication is that if you can't make ends meet, don't blame me for telling everyone about your situation.

Hu Mei's heart sank.

This woman definitely has big ambitions!

They say it's just to borrow money to make ends meet, but they all know that this "borrowing" is the kind that will never be repaid.

How much money do we need to make a living?

No way! This woman goes around spouting nonsense, and even if nothing's wrong, it'll turn into something. Besides, her relationship with Wei Xiang really isn't exactly innocent!

"Little sister, you know your sister-in-law doesn't have much money either. We'll have to discuss this with your brother. But we're neighbors after all, and your sister-in-law definitely can't bear to see you struggling like this. She'll do her best to help you if she can." Hu Mei was afraid that Jiang Qiubai would go around spreading rumors, so she had to calm her down first.

The tone shifted abruptly, "But you'd better watch your mouth, otherwise if any rumors get out, Captain Wei won't let you off the hook."

Jiang Qiubai was secretly delighted. "Don't worry, sister-in-law. I just want to borrow money. I don't care about anything else."

She only cares about the money; she doesn't care about anything else.

Moreover, by giving Hu Mei this money, I have leverage over her. How could I possibly receive less money in the future?

After seeing the person out the door, Hu Mei's face darkened.

She stroked her belly.

She hadn't expected that Jiang Qiubai had actually figured something out.

No, Wei Xiang needs to know about this.

Their plans may need to be brought forward!

In the afternoon, Hu Mei, disregarding her large pregnant belly, grabbed her bag and went out to find Wei Xiang to discuss countermeasures.

Of course, that's a story for another time.

...

At that moment, unlike Hu Mei's gloomy mood, Jiang Qiubai was very happy as he went out, shaking off the gloom of the past few days and radiating joy.

She had a pretty good idea. Wei Xiang was the captain of the transportation team, and he must have made a lot of extra money. She had something on him, so wouldn't the money keep flowing in?

Jiang Qiubai was immersed in his dream of having endless money in the future, and he was very proud of himself.

Until I saw Yu Junsheng walking back from outside.

Aunt Yan, who was sewing shoe soles at the door, greeted the couple, "Oh, Junsheng, you and your wife are off work together? You can't be without your wife for a moment."

Yu Junsheng wasn't ashamed at all, "My wife is heavily pregnant, and she can't ride a bicycle, so I have to go pick her up."

For some reason, Aunt Yan said, "You two have such a good relationship!"

Among the several young couples who got married around the same time in the compound, each had their own unspeakable issues, but only these two young people were seriously living their lives together.

Neither Yu Junsheng nor Cheng Jiajia knew how to respond to that.

After all, Zheng Haiyang had just been arrested, and whatever they said sounded like they were gloating.

Although they may gloat, they cannot do so openly.

Cheng Jiajia chuckled, chatted with Aunt Yan for a few more minutes about gossip, and then went home with Yu Junsheng.

Cheng Jiajia asked Yu Junsheng, "How's Xiaosheng's business with the supply and marketing cooperative selling mountain products?"

"He said it'll be done soon, and he'll be almost done after another trip today."

"That's good. Now we can start investigating his background at the hospital."

"We'll go help out then."

"Of course!"

After Guan Ailian was arrested, Ren Wenhua, Ren Yongsheng, and Ren Yongchao, the father and sons, came to the house one after another, all to accuse Ren Xiaosheng of being unfilial and to threaten him to go to the educated youth office to release Guan Ailian. This family showed no remorse towards Ren Xiaosheng, which further solidified Cheng Jiajia's suspicions.

The couple now only hope that Ren Xiaosheng can find his biological parents as soon as possible and sever ties with that family.

The two chatted quietly and enthusiastically, unaware that Jiang Qiubai was looking at Cheng Jiajia's slightly protruding belly with undisguised malice in his eyes.

In fact, Cheng Jiajia was right. Jiang Qiubai did indeed hold her responsible for the limp. However, having learned from her previous mistake of trying to push her down the stairs and ending up getting hurt herself, she dared not do anything malicious openly.

I was also worried that if I did anything more, I wouldn't be able to stay in this courtyard any longer.

But things are different now.

He was about to leave, and if he didn't report back to Cheng Jiajia now, he would miss his chance.

After she left, Cheng Jiajia's life got better and better.

If that were to happen, I would be so frustrated I'd die.

Jiang Qiubai had one wicked idea after another popping into her head, but she hadn't seen Cheng Jiajia alone these past few days, and she was a little unsure where to start.

And you can't even take action yourself...

It wasn't until he happened to see an icicle on the corner of the eaves that Jiang Qiubai had a brilliant idea.

At night, in the deep winter night, all was quiet, and each household in the courtyard turned off their lights and went to sleep.

Suddenly, with a creak, a door opened.

A thin, small figure crept furtively to the front of the east wing of the Yu family's house.

After a rustling sound, the dark figure tiptoed back.