"Who is this Ling Xiao? How dare he do such a thing?" Xing Zhaozhao pretended not to know anything and continued to ask.
Seeing that Xing Zhaozhao was indeed interested, Aunt Ling became even more enthusiastic and continued, "This Ling Xiao family used to be a very famous landlord family in our Lingjia Village. But they were very shrewd. Right after Liberation, when they saw things were going wrong, they donated all their assets. Not only did the whole family survive, but during those most difficult years, they weren't affected at all. They even secretly started a black market and lived a very comfortable life. In our area, only he had the ability and the guts. He used to be a big landlord, and he's full of bad ideas. It must be him, no doubt about it."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." There's no evidence at all, that's a bit arbitrary.
"How did he die?" Xing Zhaozhao then asked.
“He had a son named Ling Ze. Once, he went fishing alone in a boat on the Qingxi River. Somehow, he fell into the river and drowned. They searched for him for several days but couldn’t find him. Then one day, his own body floated to the shore. Everyone guessed that he had been searching for his son’s body on the river day and night and was so tired that he fainted and accidentally fell into the river,” Aunt Ling said.
Xing Zhaozhao's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Ling Ze had actually drowned in the river? Could it be the same time she and Qingshan saved him? So, she had unintentionally changed the fate of the father and son? What a coincidence.
Aunt Ling suddenly laughed triumphantly: "It's a good thing he's dead. Our old man used to be their family's long-term servant. Even after they donated all their assets, he still followed that young master and was his confidant. Once that young master died, he took over his black market business and got a free ride."
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Aunt Ling, her eyes flickering. Was it really a freebie? She was starting to doubt the true cause of Ling Xiao's death, or perhaps Ling Ze's death was also suspicious. Although she had already saved Ling Ze once, there was no guarantee it wouldn't happen again. She decided that when she got back, she would ask Fei Ge to send a message to Qingxi Town to remind Ling Xiao.
Xing Zhaozhao seemed to be thinking about something, then took another bite of the chocolate cake. Mmm, delicious.
"General, this tiramisu is delicious too, would you like to try some?"
Hearing Ling Xue's sweet, cloying voice coming from across the table, Xing Zhaozhao's brow twitched, and the chocolate cake she was eating suddenly didn't taste so sweet anymore; it even tasted a little bitter.
I don't know if Aunt Ling did it on purpose, but when she was sitting down, she deliberately chose to sit next to Xing Zhaozhao, squeezing Ling Xue to sit opposite Gao Mingcheng.
Gao Mingcheng had tried his best to keep a safe distance from people, but he couldn't resist the girl's advances. She kept trying to get closer and closer, and Gao Mingcheng was squeezed against the wall until there was almost nowhere to sit. His face became increasingly pale.
"No need, I don't like sweets," Gao Mingcheng said coldly.
In the past, Ling Xue might have been scared, but now she is determined and nothing can stop her; she wants the black card.
"Why don't you like sweets? Sweets are delicious! Why don't you try some first?" Ling Xue persisted.
Xing Zhaozhao couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and looked coldly at Aunt Ling: "Get up."
Aunt Ling, still confused, stood up, stepped aside, and asked with a smile, "What? Are you going to the restroom?"
Xing Zhaozhao walked straight to Ling Xue's side: "Get up and sit opposite me."
Ling Xue looked reluctantly towards her aunt for help.
Aunt Ling then realized what was happening, stiffly tugged at the corners of her mouth, and said with a smile, "No need, aren't you sitting perfectly fine?"
Xing Zhaozhao ignored her completely: "What? Do you want me to fight you?"
Ling Xue shivered, pouted, and reluctantly sat down next to Aunt Ling.
Xing Zhaozhao sat down directly next to Gao Mingcheng, pulled the man who was practically pressed against the wall closer to her, and pushed a piece of Basque cake in front of him: "This looks good."
Gao Mingcheng took a bite: "It's really good." He liked the soft texture.
Ling Xue looked on with a wronged expression. Didn't he dislike sweets?
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Ling Xue expressionlessly. Of course, she had already noticed the little girl's little thoughts. She didn't want to say anything, thinking that Ling Xue would give up after hitting a wall. But now that she was being so blatant, she couldn't pretend to be deaf and dumb anymore.
"You're such a young girl, wouldn't it be better to find a young man your own age and have a sweet and loving relationship? Why do you have to fixate on an old guy?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
The old man paused in his movements. Although he was indeed old and had to accept it, he still felt a little sad to hear her say it. Even if that door would never disappear, the time he could spend with her was running out.
Ling Xue glared at Xing Zhaozhao, her cheeks puffed out in anger, still unconvinced: "Aren't you just like me? What right do you have to talk to me like that?"
Xing Zhaozhao paused for a moment, then quickly shook her head: "I'm not like you, I'm already an old woman."
Ling Xue stared at Xing Zhaozhao, stunned for a moment, then nearly rolled her eyes to the sky. An old woman? Nobody would believe that.
Xing Zhaozhao didn't care: "Believe it or not, it's up to you. What kind of life you want to pursue is your own business. I'm not your mother, I have no right to interfere, and I don't have the time for that. But I hope you can have some basic human morality and stop always thinking about what's in someone else's pot. Find someone who isn't in someone else's pot yet, it's better for everyone, isn't it?"
Ling Xue stubbornly refused to admit defeat: "Even if he's still in your pot right now, how do you know he doesn't want to try other pots?"
Xing Zhaozhao made a "please" gesture: "As long as you can dig it up, I'll offer it to you with both hands."
Ling Xue looked at Gao Mingcheng expectantly. She was younger and more beautiful; she was confident…
Gao Mingcheng didn't even glance at her, scooped a piece of cake and stuffed it into Xing Zhaozhao's mouth: "This is indeed quite good."
Xing Zhaozhao's eyes lit up. It could rival cheesecake, and she wanted to take another bite: "Ah..."
Gao Mingcheng stuffed another bite into her mouth.
Ling Xue's eyes reddened, and she stormed off in anger.
"Xiaoxue..." Aunt Ling was about to follow when Xing Zhaozhao called out to her, "Wait a moment, Auntie."
Aunt Ling turned her head to look, puzzled.
Xing Zhaozhao looked at her with sharp eyes: "It's not wrong to want a good life. Find your own man, or earn it yourself. Don't do whatever you want just because you didn't have a choice when your child was born. Don't ruin your child for your own selfish desires."
Aunt Ling's face darkened as she said, "This is my family's business, it has nothing to do with you." With that, she hurriedly chased after Ling Xue.
Xing Zhaozhao turned to Gao Mingcheng speechlessly: "She encouraged her daughter to steal my boyfriend, and then said it had nothing to do with me. How shameless!"
Gao Mingcheng stuffed another piece of cake into her mouth: "Never mind them, eat your cake."
"Delicious." Xing Zhaozhao smiled, her eyes crinkling.
In the blink of an eye, Xing Zhaozhao saw Ying Rongrong sitting alone to the side, looking on with great interest as she watched Aunt Ling leave in a hurry, as if she had just watched a good show. Xing Zhaozhao couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly.
"Rongrong," she called out.
Ying Rongrong suddenly turned her head to look at Xing Zhaozhao. Was she... calling her?
Xing Zhaozhao smiled and beckoned to her, "Come here."
Ying Rongrong's heart skipped a beat, and she felt inexplicably nervous about meeting her mother-in-law.
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