Chapter 173 Clever Big Sister
Lin Guizhi couldn't hide the smile on her lips, but she loosened her grip on Daya's wrist, feigning tears as she said, "This is my good daughter..."
Xia Qianqian felt as if a stone was pressing on her heart.
She couldn't stop Daya from going to pay respects to her biological father, but if she let her go with Lin Guizhi... who knew what tricks that woman would play?
She took a deep breath and thought, "Fine, I'll deal with whatever comes my way."
She walked over to Daya, knelt down, and wiped away her tears: "Mom will go with you."
Daya looked up at her suddenly, her eyes blurry with tears but filled with surprise: "Really?"
"Hmm." Xia Qianqian nodded, her gaze sweeping past her and coldly sweeping over Lin Guizhi. "Perfect timing. I also want to have a good chat with Comrade Lin about how Da Ya's father's pension was 'swindled away' back then."
Lin Guizhi's smile froze instantly, her eyes darting away, unable to look at Xia Qianqian. Why did this woman suddenly ask about this?!
"Oh dear, these are all old stories, why bring them up!" Lin Guizhi jumped up as if her tail had been stepped on, her eyes darting away from Xia Qianqian, but she immediately put on a concerned expression and reached out to touch Xia Qianqian's belly.
"Besides, Da Ya is going to pay respects at her father's grave. How can you, who are pregnant, go with her? The mountain roads are difficult to walk on. What if you upset the baby?"
“Then I’ll go with Daya.” Lu Zheng stepped forward, shielding Daya behind him, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Lin Guizhi almost lost her fake smile and quickly waved her hand, "Brother Lu, what are you saying! Your wife is about to give birth, how can the family manage without you? How can visiting the grave interfere with taking care of the pregnant woman? Or... you two can go together on the next anniversary of her death!"
“Yes, Mom and Dad,” Daya said, looking up at her mother with a sensible expression. “Don’t worry, Mom and I will come back after we visit Dad’s grave. We won’t run around.”
As Xia Qianqian looked at Lin Guizhi's darting eyes, her doubts grew heavier.
First, she tried desperately to stop her from following, and now she's even making excuses to avoid accompanying Lu Zheng. What exactly is this woman trying to do?
Xia Qianqian guessed in her heart, but put on a polite smile: "Sister-in-law, it's not easy for you to come all this way. It's getting late, so please stay here tonight."
These words struck a chord with Lin Guizhi. The aroma of meat filling the Lu family's house had already made her reluctant to leave. She could stay for a couple of days, thoroughly assess the Lu family's current wealth, and perhaps even extort some money from them!
"That would be wonderful!" Lin Guizhi immediately put on a smile and affectionately took Daya's hand. "It's perfect that Daya and I are sharing a room. We haven't seen each other in a long time, so we should have a good chat."
"No way!" Er Ya suddenly stood up, hands on her hips, her little face puffed up with anger. "Sister wants to sleep with me! You go sleep with Grandma!"
Daya patted her younger sister's head and whispered, "Erya, be good. I'll stay with her for one night and come back to keep you company tomorrow."
When Er Ya heard her sister say this, her mouth trembled and her eyes reddened—she had long regarded Daya as her own sister, how could she bear to let this "bad woman" who suddenly appeared take her sister away?
Er Ya wanted to say something, but her little hand was gently pressed down by Da Ya.
She looked at her sister, her eyes red like a rabbit's, her voice trembling with tears: "Sister, I know you miss Dad... but if you go with her, you definitely won't get any meat! Look at how she was grabbing meat just now, like a hungry wolf! If you go with her, you might go hungry!"
She became more and more anxious as she spoke, clutching Da Ya's clothes tightly and refusing to let go: "Besides, if you leave here, where will you find a mother as good as Qianqian's mother? Where will you find a father as good as Lu Zheng's father?"
Wang Meihua had long since had enough. She slammed down her chopsticks and pushed Xia Qianqian toward the edge of the kang (heated brick bed): "Eat first! The meat in the pot is almost overcooked! Qianqian is pregnant, how can she go hungry? We can talk after we've eaten!"
She glared at Lin Guizhi, her tone clearly showing dissatisfaction: "We were just about to start joking around, but you ruined it all, and my Qianqian hasn't even had a hot bite yet!"
Lin Guizhi was speechless after Wang Meihua's barbed words. Looking at the table full of meat and dishes, she was reluctant to leave, so she had no choice but to shut her mouth, but her eyes were still fixed on the plate of mutton that had not been finished.
Xia Qianqian patted Er Ya's head, feeling warm inside. This girl usually seemed mischievous, but when she protected her older sister, she was like a little lioness.
She placed a piece of blanched cabbage into Er Ya's bowl and said softly, "Eat first, okay? Mom knows what to do."
Daya also lowered her head and put the biggest piece of meat into Xia Qianqian's bowl, whispering, "Mom, eat quickly, the meat is getting cold."
Lin Guizhi sat at the table, watching Xia Qianqian and Wang Meihua serve food to the children while her own bowl remained empty, and her anger rose within her.
Bah! A bunch of hypocrites!
She cursed inwardly: "Do I not have hands? Do I have to rely on Daya to serve me even for a piece of meat? Who knows how I usually treat Daya like a slave! All talk and no action, but really, I just don't want this free laborer to leave!"
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was of her guess. Her eyes shone brighter as she looked at Daya. The more capable the girl was, the more valued she was in the Lu family, and the more benefits she could gain!
Lin Guizhi had a mental calculation in mind, even calculating how much grain and cloth Daya could exchange for in the future.
After the meal was finally finished, Xia Qianqian asked Daya to bring a newly opened set of bedding to the west wing: "You can stay here with her tonight. Call me anytime if anything happens."
Lin Guizhi touched the fluffy cotton quilt, her fingertips twirling the snow-white new cotton in the corner, and couldn't help but bury her face in it and take a deep breath.
This smells a hundred times better than the tattered cotton quilt with three layers of patches on the bed at her current in-laws' house!
The Lu family has indeed become rich! Her eyes shone as if they were coated with gold dust. She turned her head and took Daya's hand, her fingertips rubbing the girl's rough palm. She lowered her voice, but her tone carried an undisguised urgency: "Daya, tell Mom the truth, how come the Lu family is living so well?"
Da Ya said in a soft voice, "My father and mother are both hardworking and diligent, so life has gotten better."
Lin Guizhi snorted heavily through her nose, her lips curling into a sneer: "Hardworking? That's all just a joke! In this world, you couldn't earn this much meat to eat even if you dug the ground until you bled!"
She stared at Daya with eyes like hooks: "Tell me honestly, what kind of work do they usually make you do? Do they make you do all the dirty and tiring work, like laundry, cooking, and taking care of the kids?"
Da Ya lowered her eyelids and remained silent for a long while before whispering, "Less than before."
"Young?" Lin Guizhi seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. She reached out and poked Daya's forehead. "Silly child, you've been bewitched by them! Do you think I don't know? They only want to keep you from leaving because they think you're capable!"
As she was speaking animatedly, Daya looked up at her with bright, clear eyes and asked, "So, Mom came to pick me up because she wants to give me a better life? Even better than the Lu family's?"
Lin Guizhi's smugness froze instantly, her eyes darting around, and she forced a dry laugh, "Of course! Mom has found you a good family."
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