Chapter 198

Chapter 198

"Third Sister-in-Law, what do you need from me?" Bai Xiuxiu looked curiously at Zhao Cuihua, who still hadn't raised her head.

The moment she heard Bai Xiuxiu's voice, Zhao Cuihua instantly stopped feeling nervous and afraid. She lifted her head, her face filled with excitement. "Elder Sister, you're really here? I have something to tell you. Old Fifth and his wife are acting strange. Dad is also behaving oddly. I find it suspicious, so I wanted to talk to you about it.

I specifically sought out Aunt Jinhua, but at first, she wasn't willing to say anything.

In the end, I secretly told her that we have a good relationship and shared some unimportant information as proof. Only then did she tell me you were here.

This county is different from our place. I had to ask around the whole way.

I even went to the wrong place earlier."

Once Zhao Cuihua started talking, she couldn't stop.

She talked for a long time without getting to the point.

Bai Xiuxiu understood her intention and pointed across the street to the state-owned restaurant. "It's not easy for you to come find me. Wait here a moment; I'll ask the director for a short break. Let's go there to talk. Haven't you eaten breakfast yet? How about we eat while we talk?"

At the mention of food, Zhao Cuihua's stomach started growling.

She looked at the state-owned restaurant in front of them and swallowed hard.

Although their family's situation was better now than before, she couldn't just come to the county to eat whenever she wanted.

After all, although they had money, she didn't have ration coupons.

Without coupons, buying anything was inconvenient, and sneaking food was even more impossible.

The room she shared with her husband wasn't suitable for sneaking food. The kitchen was run by Liu Xiaoe, and given Liu Xiaoe's temper, she wouldn't make it easy for her.

Lately, her mouth felt very bland.

Without hesitation, Zhao Cuihua nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, Elder Sister, go ahead. I'll wait for you here."

Bai Xiuxiu entered the office. At this time, Director Wang had finished lecturing.

Bai Xiuxiu approached her and mentioned she needed to step out for a bit. Director Wang glanced outside and saw a woman standing there.

It must be her sister-in-law: "Alright, go ahead."

Director Wang agreed readily, which improved her impression of Bai Xiuxiu.

Over the past two days, her niece had mentioned Bai Xiuxiu's family situation. Bai Xiuxiu's in-laws weren't nice people and constantly made things difficult for her and her husband. Other family members had also taken advantage of them.

Now that her sister-in-law had come, Bai Xiuxiu was still willing to take the time to meet her, which was indeed commendable.

Bai Xiuxiu left the office, and Zhao Cuihua immediately came over. "Elder Sister, can we go now?"

"Yes, I've already asked for leave. Let's buy some meat buns first. You can take a couple back with you. Since you came all the way here, I can't let you go empty-handed." Bai Xiuxiu wondered what news Zhao Cuihua had brought, but despite her curiosity, she couldn't rush things.

After all, her relationship with Zhao Cuihua wasn't entirely solid yet.

If she offended Zhao Cuihua, it would be much harder for her to get any information about the Wang family.

Chen Fang wasn't as clever as Zhao Cuihua, and as for Liu Xiaoe, she had a grudge against her. Therefore, Zhao Cuihua was the best choice.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Bai Xiuxiu used her ration coupons to buy eight buns for her.

Seeing the buns, Zhao Cuihua became even more enthusiastic. "Elder Sister, you're too kind. I..."

"Have some porridge too," Bai Xiuxiu added, bringing over some porridge.

Zhao Cuihua didn't mention the situation right away; instead, she ate heartily and kept two buns aside, intending to take them home as Bai Xiuxiu suggested.

It was breakfast time, and there were quite a few people around.

After Zhao Cuihua finished eating, Bai Xiuxiu asked, "Third Sister-in-Law, what's the matter?"

Zhao Cuihua whispered to Bai Xiuxiu about the events of the previous night. "Last night, Old Fifth's wife said they were going to the provincial capital. She mentioned that they have relatives there and want to visit. We protested, saying they shouldn't use the family's money for their personal matters."

Bai Xiuxiu suppressed a laugh. Zhou Jiaojiao's current situation was her own karma.

"I thought we shouldn't let Zhou Jiaojiao have an easy time, but unexpectedly, the old man suddenly offered to pay for it. Elder Sister, you know our family. This is too strange. Our old man isn't usually so open-minded!

Both Zhou Jiaojiao's relatives in the provincial capital and the old man's attitude seem suspicious.

I suspect they might have some secret agenda. That's why I rushed to tell you."

As Zhao Cuihua spoke, she kept watching Bai Xiuxiu closely.

Apart from hoping to gain some benefits from Bai Xiuxiu, she also wanted to uncover the truth.

Going to the provincial capital?

Bai Xiuxiu found Zhao Cuihua increasingly likable. This Third Sister-in-Law had brought her important news twice now.

Zhou Jiaojiao and the others had gone to the provincial capital in their previous life, but not at this time.

Their sudden trip could be due to the pressure they felt after she and Qinghe asked for money.

What would they say?

Bai Xiuxiu thought it would be wise to contact Yu Cheng.

If there was anything significant, Yu Cheng should know.

After all, they lived in the same courtyard. If Old Fifth and his wife went there to contact Qinghe's biological parents, Yu Cheng would surely notice.

"Sister-in-law, why aren't you saying anything? I'm dying of curiosity here. If you know something, can you tell me?" Zhao Cuihua, seeing that Bai Xiuxiu seemed to know something, hurriedly pressed her for information.

Bai Xiuxiu smiled at her and sighed with a troubled expression. "I don't know either. After you mentioned it, I thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure out what could be strange. Sister-in-law of the third son, don't worry; once they come back, won't you know what's going on?

However... if I had to guess, I think there might be some secret between them as a couple and our father that you don't know about.

It's probably beneficial for them, after all, those three wouldn't get up early unless there was something in it for them.

Sister-in-law of the third son, didn't I say before that in this family, the second son and Old Fifth are Father's good sons, while everyone else is just there to make them look better." Bai Xiuxiu took the opportunity to plant some seeds of doubt about Wang Shoucheng.

Zhao Cuihua felt a pang of unease upon hearing this. "Sister-in-law, you're right. Our old man has always been biased, and now he's even more so. I think when they talk about Old Fifth's wife's relatives, they might just be talking about the old man's own relatives.

He wants Old Fifth to have a better life, so he's making him go and recognize these relatives."

"Even if that's true, you have no evidence. Sister-in-law of the third son, just keep an eye out and don't let yourself be shortchanged," Bai Xiuxiu advised her.

After all, she only wanted Zhao Cuihua to be dissatisfied with the Wang family, not to interfere with Old Fifth's trip to the provincial capital.

Both she and Qinghe hoped someone would cause a commotion in the provincial capital. The bigger the commotion, the better it would be for them.

Zhao Cuihua felt that today's sister-in-law was especially gentle!