"Actually, I was also having some doubts. If it were for the sake of the child, Comrade Shuying could have taken him directly there. It would be better than having an elderly person go through all this trouble."
Zhang Hongxia smiled and cut a handful of chives from her small vegetable garden: "This is their family matter after all, so we shouldn't say too much. The chives in this garden are growing quite well. After two rains, they've grown like crazy. Why don't you cut some to take home and have dumplings for lunch?"
Liu Xiulan didn't stand on ceremony: "That's great! My husband was just complaining yesterday that he hadn't eaten dumplings for almost half a month. As the days go by, we don't even know what to eat for three meals a day."
Zhang Hongxia separated the cleaned chives into bunches, then picked up the vegetables next to her and shook off the dirt.
"Do you remember what I told you last year? I've always felt that Xie Wanying doesn't seem like a member of the Xie family at all. Her timid personality is like she's been raised crooked since childhood. Logically speaking, people like Professor Xie and Teacher Huang shouldn't have raised a child like this. But if she's not their biological daughter, then it's understandable."
Li Qingqing and Song Zhaodi have been helping the children in the compound make hats and knit bibs recently, and they have gained a lot of goodwill in just a few days.
Compared to the aloof Xie Wanying, Song Zhaodi was clearly much more popular.
"If our guess is true, how much injustice do you think Comrade Song Zhaodi must have suffered? Her life as a young lady of high birth was just turned upside down like that. When do you think her family found out? Wouldn't Xie Wanying be kicked out of the house then?"
Liu Xiulan found a shady spot to sit down. There weren't many mosquitoes in the morning, and since the weather was cool, she could start preparing the dough for dumplings for lunch.
Zhang Hongxia glanced outside. There were many people on the street at that time, and she guessed that many people had seen it.
"I don't think so. Professor Xie and his wife are kind people. If Xie Wanying doesn't interfere, it's just a matter of having an extra set of chopsticks at home. Besides, she's already married, so the Xie family probably won't embarrass her too much."
Everyone knows the Xie couple's character. As long as Xie Wanying doesn't get involved in this matter and gets herself into trouble, the old couple won't blame her.
"Who can say for sure about these things? There's no point in us speculating here. They haven't revealed anything yet. This is something we should keep to ourselves and not spread around. It might cause unnecessary trouble. Neighbors can't always get along."
Zhang Hongxia and Liu Xiulan understood the situation and stopped talking.
When Zhao Lijuan and Li Chunyan returned hand in hand and saw this scene, they were dumbfounded.
The two women exchanged glances, still not quite understanding what was going on. Huang Meiling and Song Zhaodi were acting as close as mother and daughter, which clearly indicated something was amiss.
In the end, Zhao Lijuan couldn't hold back any longer. She let go of Li Chunyan's hand, took two steps forward to make sure she wasn't mistaken, and then immediately stepped back.
"What's going on? When did Teacher Huang come back? I haven't heard anything about it. How did she end up hanging out with Shu Ying's cousin? That country woman is Shu Ying's lackey. I don't know what kind of spell Shu Ying has cast on this family. Now they all listen to her and do whatever she tells them to do."
Li Chunyan's smile froze for a moment. She was always quick-witted, and seeing the two people together and looking so similar, she immediately understood, but she didn't say anything explicitly.
"Don't you think Song Zhaodi looks a lot like Teacher Huang?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com