But once the seed of doubt is planted, the perspective on things subtly changes.
Once the thought crossed her mind, she looked at the stove again.
Could those few tiny sparks really jump up and burn your hair?
And those streaks of black ash on Wanrou's face—their placement seemed a bit too perfect, like they were deliberately smeared on to make it look real, rather than genuinely smeared on in the chaos...
Qin Peilan's heartfelt pity, which she had been holding back, gradually cooled down.
She even began to doubt how much of He Wanrou's tearful complaint was genuine and how much was fake.
Was she truly exhausted and accidentally fell asleep, or...?
He was deliberately lying by the stove, putting on this show of suffering, waiting for her to come back and see, so that she would feel more heartache and guilt.
However, she was a veteran revolutionary who had weathered many storms, so even if her heart was in turmoil, she could still keep a calm demeanor.
She suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, maintaining her concerned expression, and softly comforted the sobbing He Wanrou:
"Alright, alright, it's good that you're alright now. You scared Auntie so much! You must never work so hard again; you need to rest when you need to!"
After settling in, she hurriedly grabbed a red dress, took it out of her shopping bag, and handed it to He Wanrou, saying:
"Here, Wanrou, Auntie saw this bright dress at the department store and thought it would look great on you, so she bought it for you."
He Wanrou took the dress, touched the smooth fabric, and knew it probably wasn't cheap.
He was secretly pleased with himself, feeling that his performance had not been in vain and that he had successfully won Qin Peilan's sympathy.
She knew when to stop, and said softly:
"Thank you, Auntie, you're so kind to me! Uncle and Auntie, Brother Huaichuan, Sister Qiqi, you must be starving after a long day of shopping, right? I've prepared all the food, just heat it up and you can eat right away!"
Zhou Qiqi stood to the side, quietly watching He Wanrou sing for a long time without saying a word.
Only after hearing this did she take Zhouzhou's little hand, and with a normal tone, smile:
"That's great! Let's wash our hands and get ready to eat! Zhouzhou, are you hungry?"
Qin Peilan immediately chimed in, naturally separating He Wanrou and Zhouzhou:
"Yes, let's eat! Come on, Zhouzhou, Grandma will take you to wash your hands!"
Seeing this scene, He Wanrou's initial sense of pride was instantly extinguished by a bucket of cold water, leaving her feeling suffocated!
It's happening again!
She had finally gone to great lengths to win his favor, and her lips were practically dry from all the effort.
But Zhou Qiqi just casually mentioned this little mute girl.
She had to hide like a rat that couldn't see the light of day, and she didn't even have the right to sit at the table to eat!
She was filled with bitterness!
Honestly, she was genuinely exhausted after a whole day!
She cleaned inside and out, weeded and watered the flowers, bought groceries and cooked... she did all the work!
I've been waiting for them to come back like I'm waiting for the stars and the moon, and I haven't even had a proper meal!
And the result? She couldn't even eat at the table; she was treated like a maid!
After dinner, I reckon I'll be asked to go back to that cold, impersonal resettlement house again!
It's all that little mute's fault! He's such a nuisance!
This prevented her from fully utilizing her abilities!
I wonder if Shen Huaichuan has seen the results of her hard work, or appreciated her dedication...
She carried the portion of food she had saved for herself, walked dejectedly to the corner of the kitchen, and sat on the cold little stool.
Hearing the bursts of laughter coming from the dining room outside, the warm sounds of bowls and chopsticks clattering, and Shen Huaichuan's occasional deep voice, and then comparing it with the desolation in front of her, she felt a sharp pang of bitterness in her heart.
But soon, she sniffed and tried to comfort herself:
Forget it, no rush! Tomorrow, tomorrow will be fine!
That little mute boy still needs to go to school, right?
As long as that little troublemaker isn't home, only the adults are at home.
Isn't that the perfect opportunity for her to showcase her talents and make a good impression?
She needed to solidify her image in front of the two elders and also find a way to strike up a conversation with Shen Huaichuan.
Yes, tomorrow! It will definitely work tomorrow!
Thinking this way, hope rekindled in her heart, and she ate her rice faster, holding her breath and waiting for tomorrow.
But He Wanrou never expected that tomorrow, when she was preparing to put all her strength into a battle of skills, would not go according to her plan at all.
The next morning, she got up before dawn and rushed to the Shen family's courtyard.
As soon as they arrived at the door, they heard cheerful laughter coming from inside.
Pushing open the door, she saw an unfamiliar face inside: an elderly woman dressed in a cadre's uniform, holding Qin Peilan's hand and talking warmly.
I only found out after being introduced that this was Zhou Qiqi's aunt, Zhou Shuhua, who was also an old acquaintance of the Shen family elders.
She came by last night and we made arrangements to take the Shen family elders to the military arts troupe to watch their internal performance today, which will be another full day's trip.
He Wanrou naturally wanted to go along, but Zhou Shuhua glanced at her and said, "There's no room for outsiders in the car; there are other retired cadres who want to go too."
He Wanrou thought to herself, "Then I'll wait one more day."
On the third day, she refused to believe it and came over early again.
Then Zhou Shuhua came again, saying that the old commander of the military region had learned that Shen Zhenbang had come and sent a car to invite him, saying that the old comrades had to get together. So, she didn't see him all day again.
Day four, day five...
Zhou Shuhua has completely filled the elderly couple's schedule!
One activity after another: today I'm being taken to People's Park for boating and flower viewing, tomorrow I'll be fishing by the river...
Moreover, Zhou Shuhua is nothing like Zhou Qiqi; she doesn't care about He Wanrou's feelings at all and always has various excuses not to take her along.
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