“No…” Old Mrs. Qin tried to explain.
Grandma Fu wouldn't listen at all: "How can it not be? You told me to ask Xiaolan to come over and cook some dishes to entertain the guests, and it's been so long, where are the dishes? They don't taste like anything!"
Grandma Qin: "..."
Grandma Qin was speechless, her face flushed with embarrassment; she had indeed lied.
"You've disappointed me so much," Grandma Fu said with a stern face. She entered the room, pulled Fu Lan away, and said, "Come back with me. You're not allowed to come here again."
Thinking of Fu Lan's current situation, Old Mrs. Qin couldn't help but worry. She chased after her, wanting to explain: "No, Chunhua, let me explain."
Grandma Fu abruptly stopped calling out, turned her head coldly to look at Old Madam Qin, and said, "Trying to lie to me again? Sorry, I can't trust you anymore."
After saying that, she pulled Fu Lan home quickly and slammed the door shut.
Old Mrs. Qin immediately looked dejected.
Lin Wan's smile grew even brighter. She looked at Xing Zhaozhao and asked, "Cousin Zhaozhao, it's rare for you to come all this way. Why don't you come to my house for a visit?"
Xing Zhaozhao politely declined with a smile: "I can't today. I have to leave soon. I have three children with me. If it gets too late, I'm afraid I won't be able to catch the tractor back to the village."
Lin Wan looked regretful: "That's such a pity."
Xing Zhaozhao's eyes flickered, and she said to Lin Wan, "If you have time sometime, you can come visit me."
Lin Wan stared in astonishment at Xing Zhaozhao, unable to believe her eyes. She had actually invited her to her home?
She couldn't help but look up at the sun overhead. Could it be rising in the west today?
Xing Zhaozhao pretended to let something slip and quickly corrected herself: "If you're not available, then forget it."
Seeing Xing Zhaozhao's eagerness to distance herself from the situation, Lin Wan's initial doubts quickly disappeared.
She didn't want her to go, but she insisted on going anyway.
Lin Wan grinned at Xing Zhaozhao and said, "It's rare for you to invite me, Cousin Zhaozhao, so of course I'll go. There's no time like the present, how about tomorrow?" She hadn't seen her Zhang Zhiqing for a long time and was itching to go.
Xing Zhaozhao looked very reluctant, but forced a smile and said, "Well... okay then."
"Then it's decided, that's a good decision." After saying that, Lin Wan turned around and went home.
Xing Zhaozhao quickly closed the door, turned around and saw that Old Madam Qin's face was full of worry, so she quickly apologized to her: "I'm sorry, Old Madam, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have lied to Grandma Fu and caused her to have such a big misunderstanding about you."
Grandma Qin waved her hand dismissively, sighed softly, and said, "These are all minor matters. I'm just worried about Xiaolan. I was hoping to find an opportunity to persuade her grandmother and gradually change her mind, but I'm afraid that won't work now. Seeing how much she trusts Lin Wan, I'm really afraid that something might happen to Xiaolan at any time."
Xing Zhaozhao frowned with worry upon hearing this. Being so far away, she couldn't offer much help.
Xiao Qinshi walked over, took his grandmother's hand, and comforted her, "It's okay, Grandma. I won't go out to collect recyclables for a while. I'll keep an eye on Sister Xiaolan for you. Anyway, it's just a wall away, so it's convenient."
Upon hearing this, both Grandma Qin and Xing Zhaozhao couldn't help but smile and said, "Then we'll have to trouble you."
Xing Zhaozhao sat for a while longer before taking her leave.
Just as I came out of the old principal's house, I ran into Fu Hong, who had just returned from outside.
"You?" When Fu Hong saw Xing Zhaozhao, she thought of the recent disharmonious atmosphere at home, which was all because of her. Her expression turned a little unpleasant. She originally didn't intend to pay attention to her and was going to go straight home.
"Do you really believe Lin Wan's words that she can help Fu Lan find a boyfriend in the city?" Xing Zhaozhao suddenly asked.
Fu Hong paused, a look of hesitation on her face. To be honest, she had never been sure about this; finding a partner in the city wasn't easy. But Wan Jie was someone she trusted. She really couldn't imagine why Wan Jie would lie to them. Her parents had passed away early, and she only had her grandparents and Fu Lan living with her. She couldn't see anything that would make them scheme against her.
"What do you mean?" Fu Hong frowned, looked at Xing Zhaozhao, and asked.
"I just want to remind you again, keep a close eye on Fu Lan. Don't wait until she gets kidnapped and can't be found again, then it will be too late for you to regret it," Xing Zhaozhao said seriously.
Fu Hong felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this.
Just then, the door to the Fu family's house was yanked open with a loud "bang." Grandma Fu stood in the doorway with a stern face, glaring at Xing Zhaozhao warily before looking at Fu Hong and saying, "What do you have to say to her? Why aren't you back yet?"
"Grandma, do you know her?" Fu Hong asked in surprise.
"I just met her, she's from Xiaogaozhuang. She specifically asked Sister Qin next door to trick our Xiaolan into going there. You can tell at a glance she's not a good person. Don't pay any attention to her, she'll be back soon," Grandma Fu said.
Fu Hong entered the house with a bewildered look on her face.
Grandma Fu then slammed the door shut and began to mutter to Fu Hong about what had happened earlier.
Looking at her younger sister sitting in the room, her face haggard but still radiant, Fu Hong felt inexplicably uneasy.
She made up her mind: regardless of whether Xing Zhaozhao's words were true or false, she would keep a close watch on her sister herself.
Outside the door, Xing Zhaozhao stared speechlessly at the tightly closed gate of the Fu family, her lips twitching involuntarily. She had never been so wronged in her life. What about her did she look like a bad person?
Shaking her head helplessly, Xing Zhaozhao realized it was getting late and didn't linger. She quickly left, hoping to catch the tractor back to the village.
No sooner had Xing Zhaozhao left than Chen Dachuan returned.
Lin Wan told Chen Dachuan about Xing Zhaozhao coming to see Fu Lan, and said with a smug look, "Luckily I got there in time, otherwise, I really don't know what kind of trouble she would have caused."
Chen Dachuan nodded in satisfaction: "Well done."
"However, she suddenly invited me to her place. I wonder if she's up to something bad," Lin Wan said with some concern.
Chen Dachuan's eyes flickered, and he said, "Then let's go take a look. Anyway, it's broad daylight, she wouldn't dare to do anything."
Lin Wan smiled and nodded, "That's what I think too."
But Xiaogaozhuang?
Chen Dachuan narrowed his eyes slightly. He'd been living in Lanyuan Town for so long, and he still hadn't been to Xiaogaozhuang. Maybe he should go check it out tomorrow, just to scout it out?
When Xing Zhaozhao returned to the village with the three children on a tractor, Gao Qingshan had already been anxiously waiting at the village entrance for a long time.
Seeing Xing Zhaozhao finally return, he hurriedly went to greet her and asked eagerly, "How did it go, Aunt Xing? Did you see Xiaolan?"
Xing Zhaozhao nodded.
Gao Qingshan's heart pounded with anxiety as he asked, "Then, what did she say?"
Xing Zhaozhao looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then told the truth: "Her grandmother wants to find her a boyfriend from the city."
Gao Qingshan's face turned pale instantly, and he looked utterly defeated. He said, "I understand what she means. Thank you so much, Aunt Xing, for making this special trip for me." With that, he turned to leave.
Xing Zhaozhao quickly stopped him: "Wait a minute."
Gao Qingshan turned to look at Xing Zhaozhao, puzzled.
“That was her grandmother’s idea, not hers,” Xing Zhaozhao said.
Gao Qingshan's eyes lit up, then quickly dimmed again: "Even if it wasn't her idea, she couldn't go against her grandmother's wishes, could she?"
"What she means is that, if possible, she hopes you can wait for her for a while. She will try to persuade her grandmother. Even if it really doesn't work out in the end, she will come to you in person to explain things," Xing Zhaozhao said.
A glimmer of hope returned to Gao Qingshan's eyes: "Did she really say that?"
Before Xing Zhaozhao could say anything, Hong Yu raised his hand and said, "I, I can testify that Sister Xiaolan did say that, I heard it with my own ears."
Gao Qingshan jumped up and hugged Hongyu tightly. Ignoring his struggles and cries, she kissed him hard, then looked at Xing Zhaozhao and said, "I understand, thank you, Aunt Xing." After saying that, she turned and left, skipping away, looking much better.
Watching Gao Qingshan leave happily, Hongfei asked, "Mom, why didn't you tell Qingshan about Aunt Lin Wan's mischief?"
"Given your brother Qingshan's temper, if he finds out, he'll probably go after your Aunt Lin Wan and fight her to the death. If we alert her, things won't be good." Xing Zhaozhao said, leading the three little ones home. When they passed Aunt Hao's house, they went in to see her.
A short while later, Aunt Hao personally saw Xing Zhaozhao and the others out. Holding Xing Zhaozhao's hand, she smiled meaningfully and said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure everything is arranged perfectly for you tomorrow."
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