Yu Yao led Xu Ruoling to the main room.
Seeing the vibrant vegetable garden in the yard, Xu Ruoling praised it:
"I've seen so many vegetable gardens in the family compound, but yours is the best planned. You never lack vegetables no matter the season. You're clearly a thrifty person."
"Commander Lu is so lucky to have married such a virtuous and capable wife like you. Once Ruqing gets married and assigned a courtyard, I'll have to teach her a thing or two from you."
"I just do it casually; the soil in our compound is still the best."
At this point, Yu Yao asked casually, "Is Dr. Mo getting married? Is it to Commander Qi?"
Xu Ruoling nodded. "They're not young anymore. Usually, people their age have kids who are old enough to run errands."
After saying that, Xu Ruoling looked towards the main room and didn't see Wu Wanying. "Isn't your mother here?"
Yu Yao smiled and said, "My mother is in her room, she's probably asleep. I'll go check on her. Please sit in the main room for a while, I'll get you a glass of water."
Xu Ruoling hummed in agreement, picked up the enamel cup on the table, took a sip, and casually glanced around.
The houses are the most common type of terraced houses on the island, made of bluestone and thatched with straw, exposed to the wind and sun.
The building looks quite old from the outside, but the interior is rather unique.
On the wooden octagonal table sat a large, pot-bellied kimchi jar, with a chip in it and some unknown purple and yellow wildflowers stuck in it.
The cabinet was filled with various household items, including a large thermos with peony flowers, various enamel mugs, and empty fruit cans.
They come in different sizes and colors, yet they are arranged neatly, revealing a beautiful, staggered arrangement.
The house was well-maintained and had a very homey feel.
Compared to a pampered daughter who has never lifted a finger, a man like Lu Ze, who left home at a young age and rarely experienced family life, is indeed more likely to be moved by this kind of woman.
At this moment, the door opened, and Wu Wanying and Yu Yao came out of the room.
Seeing that Wu Wanying was the same as usual, Xu Ruoling felt slightly relieved.
"Ruoling is here. Look at me, I was half asleep and didn't hear you."
Wu Wanying walked over and sat down opposite Xu Ruoling. "Why did you decide to come see me? I was thinking of taking Yu Yao to see you sometime."
Looking at Wu Wanying's smiling face, Xu Ruoling couldn't help but shed tears.
"Even now, you're still keeping it from me. I know everything about Wan Guihua. Back then, you and Zhizhou were so good to her and Song Guoqiang."
"How could she be so vicious as to do such a heartless thing!"
Wu Wanying looked at Xu Ruoling, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.
"Yes, that's what I thought at first too. I also wanted to know, why is she so vicious?"
"However, I gave up later. Some people are destined to be ungrateful wolves in sheep's clothing, beasts in human skin."
"You can't reason with this kind of person. They should be beaten to death to prevent them from harming others."
After Wu Wanying finished speaking, she specifically asked Xu Ruoling, "Ruoling, do you think this makes sense?"
Xu Ruoling looked embarrassed.
Although Wu Wanying was referring to Wan Guihua, she always felt that it was an insult directed at her.
But faced with Wu Wanying's expectant gaze, he couldn't say no, so he could only nod perfunctorily.
Looking at her fake smile, Wu Wanying became increasingly calm, but she smiled and dealt with Xu Ruoling.
After chatting for a while, Xu Ruoling, seeing that the time was right, casually asked, "I heard you've started investigating the matter of the child going missing back then again. How's it going? Any new leads? Do you need my husband's help?"
Wu Wanying sneered inwardly.
Ask her for help? To help cover up evidence?
For the sake of the bigger picture, even though she secretly wished she could rush up and tear Xu Ruoling apart, Wu Wanying still smiled on the surface.
“We’re just doing a simple investigation. Isn’t it a waste of your talents to send your old man, Sun? Besides, so many years have passed. If we had any clues, we would have found them long ago. We’ve already found Yu Yao, so whether we have any clues or not is no longer important.”
"That one too."
Wu Wanying offered Xu Ruoling some water and said to Yu Yao, who was standing to the side, "Yu Yao, didn't you say you were going to water the vegetable garden? You go ahead, your Aunt Xu and I will sit and chat for a while, don't worry about us."
Seeing that she could handle it, Yu Yao told Xu Ruoling and went out to see if Lu Ze had returned.
The peppers in the vegetable garden were ripe again. After watering them, Yu Yao went inside to get a basket and picked the ripe vegetables from the garden.
They returned early this morning and went to the dock to buy a ribbonfish and some prawns.
She planned to make braised ribbonfish and stir-fried shrimp with chili peppers in a little while, so that Wu Wanying could taste her cooking skills. The chili peppers were just right.
Not long after they started picking the fruit, Lu Ze returned.
Lu Ze came over to help her, and Yu Yao whispered, "Xu Ruoling is still inside."
Lu Ze nodded. "The division commander told us to hold back and leave the rest to the troops. The division commander assures you that Xu Ruoling and her protectors will definitely not escape."
Yu Yao wasn't worried.
Dealing with such vicious spies is much safer with the military involved.
No matter how cunning Xu Ruoling and the people behind her are, they will be uprooted.
They just need to wait at home for good news.
Inside the house, Xu Ruoling got the information she wanted and then made an excuse to go back.
To make the performance more convincing, Wu Wanying and Yu Yao escorted her out of the old family compound and watched her walk away before returning home.
As soon as she left, Wu Wanying deflated like a punctured balloon, and asked Yu Yao anxiously, "Yu Yao, how was Mom's performance just now? Did I let you down?"
Yu Yao shook her head and praised, "Mom, you did a really good job, really! I think the cultural troupe is really losing out because of someone as good as you."
Seeing that she was still in the mood to joke, Wu Wanying was finally relieved.
When she got home, Yu Yao saw the gifts Xu Ruoling had given her and broke them all up to feed the chickens.
After dinner that day, Wu Wanying was going to go home to her family compound, and Lu Ze went to see her off.
Not long after the two left, Yu Yao was sweeping the yard when she heard footsteps and looked up.
"Commander Qi, are you looking for Lu Ze? He took my mother to the family compound and will be back in a little while."
Qi Feng didn't seem to be in good condition; his eyes were bloodshot and he looked very tired.
Upon hearing this, Qi Feng forced a smile.
"Then please tell him, sister-in-law, that I'll be waiting for him on the small beach."
The small beach that Qi Feng mentioned is right in the military compound, and it doesn't take long to get there from the old family quarters.
Yu Yao watched his retreating figure, and frowned as she recalled what Xu Ruoling had said when she came this afternoon.
Although Commander Qi sometimes speaks without thinking, he is a righteous person, kind to his soldiers, and good at training and leading troops. He is a rare elite talent.
If possible, Yu Yao still hopes that he will not be affected by this incident.
The family compound wasn't far away, and Lu Ze returned shortly after dropping Wu Wanying off.
Yu Yao: "Commander Qi came to see you just now. He said he was waiting for you on the small beach. He didn't seem to be in good condition. I suspect it might be related to Mo Ruqing."
Lu Ze's expression was serious. "I understand. I'll go check on it. If I'm not back in a bit, you can go to sleep."
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