Although Yang Xiujuan's attitude was infuriating, Zhang Sao had no choice but to give her money. After all, if Yang Xiujuan really went to find her daughter, that was something Zhang Sao absolutely did not want to see.
"Okay, you wait here, I'll go in and get you the money."
After saying that, Aunt Zhang turned to walk back into the residential area, but then she saw Xi Quan.
Xi Quan hadn't originally intended for Zhang Sao or Yang Xiujuan to know, but now that Zhang Sao had seen him, there was no need for Xi Quan to hide anymore.
So Xi Quan walked over confidently.
Yang Xiujuan was initially impatient when she saw Zhang Sao take a couple of steps and then stop moving. She was even thinking about whether to urge Zhang Sao on her way out. But when she saw Xi Quan walk out, Yang Xiujuan was also surprised.
She awkwardly forced a smile, wanting to greet Xi Quan, but his cold attitude left her unsure how to begin.
So I just stood there.
Aunt Zhang was also embarrassed and felt awkward, feeling caught in a dilemma.
Xi Quan interrupted the awkward situation, saying, "Aunt Zhang, aren't you going back to get the money? Go ahead."
"Huh? Oh!" Aunt Zhang was stunned for a moment, realizing what Xi Quan had said and that she hadn't misheard. She was a little surprised, but more than that, she was at a loss.
It was obvious that Xi Quan had overheard his conversation with Yang Xiujuan, and Xi Quan had even told him to go back and get the money. While this seemed reasonable, it felt somewhat ironic.
Seeing that Aunt Zhang was standing there motionless and unsure of what to do, Xi Quan repeated what he had just said: "Didn't you say you were going back to get the money? Go ahead."
"Oh, okay." Aunt Zhang really didn't understand what Xi Quan meant, and left, looking back every few steps.
For some reason, Yang Xiujuan felt instinctively afraid when she saw Xi Quan. She swallowed hard, gave an awkward smile, and turned to leave, but Xi Quan called out to her, "You haven't even gotten the money yet, and you're already leaving?"
Hearing Xi Quan's words, Yang Xiujuan couldn't even manage a smile. She forced a smile, thinking of saying she didn't want the money, but under Xi Quan's gaze, she simply couldn't bring herself to say it.
Even if she tells Xi Quan she doesn't want the money, she'll still come back to Zhang Sao and ask for it back later.
So Yang Xiujuan didn't say anything against her conscience, but she felt very uncomfortable being stared at by Xi Quan, so she thought she should leave first.
But as she tried to turn around and leave again, she heard Xi Quan ask, "Does Aunt Zhang have a child?"
"Huh?" Yang Xiujuan turned around upon hearing Xi Quan's words.
"When Aunt Zhang was in Xiaoyao Village, she was your sister-in-law. Wasn't she disliked because she didn't have children? Then where did her children come from?"
Yang Xiujuan swallowed hard, realizing what Xi Quan was asking, and hesitated whether to answer.
Xi Quan sneered: "How much money have you asked Aunt Zhang for in total because of this? If the amount is huge, Aunt Zhang can sue you for extortion. Extortion is a very serious crime. Putting aside everything else, think about your son."
Yang Xiujuan was startled by Xi Quan's words and stammered, "I didn't extort you, I just..."
"So what exactly is going on with Aunt Zhang's child?" Xi Quan wasn't the type to meddle in other people's business, but after overhearing Yang Xiujuan and Aunt Zhang's conversation, Xi Quan had an idea in his mind. Although he felt that the idea was a bit far-fetched, he still couldn't help but want to confirm it.
Maybe there's a chance.
In that short time, Xi Quan thought through what Ye Qing had said to him, and he felt a strange, indescribable feeling about it.
That's why I can only feel at ease after asking.
Yang Xiujuan saw that Xi Quan was staring at her intently. It seemed that he wouldn't let her leave if she didn't say anything. Considering that Xi Quan knew she had asked Zhang Sao for money but didn't stop her, Yang Xiujuan thought that talking to Xi Quan might solve the problem.
After quickly weighing the pros and cons, Yang Xiujuan said, "I only found out by chance. It is said that she had a child before she married into Xiaoyao Village, but she didn't want the child. As for why she didn't want the child, I don't know. I think it's probably because she couldn't afford to raise it, and it wouldn't be easy for her to raise a child in her situation. It's not surprising that she gave the child away. In fact, many people gave their children away back then."
"Back then, quite a few children were given away?" Xi Quan repeated Yang Xiujuan's words: "What do you mean?"
“Oh, so you’re an educated youth…” Yang Xiujuan said halfway through, then realized that Xi Quan’s parents were also educated youth in Xiaoyao Village back then, so she swallowed the rest of her words.
Although she only said half of what she meant, Xi Quan understood what Yang Xiujuan was trying to say. During that special period, some people gave birth in the countryside, and later, for various reasons, they did not bring the children back to the city, but left them in the local area.
Although Xi Quan understood what Yang Xiujuan meant, he still had a question: "Is Aunt Zhang a sent-down youth?"
Yang Xiujuan shook her head: "I'm not really sure if she was an educated youth or someone who was sent down to a neighboring village of Xiaoyao Village back then. Anyway, in the end, her household registration and such remained in the local area and were not transferred back to the city. It's still with us now."
"So you mean that Zhang Sao couldn't get married because she had given birth before, which is why she married into Xiaoyao Village and became your sister-in-law?" Xi Quan asked, following Yang Xiujuan's train of thought.
Shaking her head, Yang Xiujuan said, "I don't know about that. I only found out about her having a child when she left Xiaoyao Village to work elsewhere. She mentioned it unintentionally."
She seemed to be looking for her child, so I asked her where her child was. She said she didn't know, but I didn't think much of it at the time. After all, her husband had died, and we were still sisters-in-law. If she stayed in Xiaoyao Village, the Liang family would have to give her a share of their land and houses, no matter how much, otherwise people would gossip and curse her. So when she left, I didn't ask any more questions.
I thought, so many years have passed, she doesn't even know what the child looks like, where am I supposed to find her? Later, because I was short of money, I came to Nancheng to work, and that's when I ran into her again. I learned that she had been working as a nanny all these years, so I asked her to help me find work. Later, she helped me get a job through a domestic service company.
"But from what you're saying, you know where her child is now?" Xi Quan asked.
"I was bluffing her. I just had a feeling that before she came to your house, her previous family might have been connected to her daughter. Of course, this was just my guess. In fact, I didn't really know where her previous family lived, only the general area. That place is so big, I couldn't possibly ask every single house. I came to see her a few times before, just to probe her, but who knew she would react so strongly? So obviously, I guessed right. So I... kept..."
At first, Yang Xiujuan spoke with a certain self-righteousness and disdain. But when she talked about how she started asking Zhang Sao for money, she was afraid that Xi Quan would say she had extorted money. Her voice involuntarily lowered and she even stuttered a little.
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