Chapter 466

Chapter 466

"Don't worry, if there's anything I can do, I'll help you out," Hu Tian replied readily, though deep down, he wanted nothing more than to get as far away from Zhou Jiaojiao as possible.

He never should've come to the city today!

When he first saw Zhou Jiaojiao, he thought he might be able to squeeze some secret recipes out of her, but after chatting with her along the way, he realized Zhou Jiaojiao was probably tapped out.

Getting tangled up with her could land him in the same mess as Old Wang’s family.

And... the whole grain scandal with Old Wang’s family isn’t over yet!

Zhou Jiaojiao could get dragged into it.

The black market’s been a mess lately; the Zhang brothers probably got wind of something and bailed.

He’d better start thinking about his own exit strategy.

"Brother Hu, please, you’ve got to help me get my man out!" Zhou Jiaojiao frowned slightly, clutching his arm desperately.

Now, the He family isn’t scared of her threats, and she has nothing to hold over them.

Her temp job’s probably on its last legs.

Even if the He family doesn’t mess with her, with the way she’s been performing, Director Gao’s not gonna keep her around.

She’s gotta get Wang Qingqi back; she doesn’t have much money now, and she’d need someone’s help to scrape together any cash. If she returns to the county, Lao Si and his wife, and Second Sister-in-law, won’t listen to her.

Second Sister-in-law probably wants her dead.

So, her only hope is to get her man back; if she has no money, she'll have to rely on him.

If he can get out, that dream can continue.

This is the only plan she’s got.

She pleads with a mix of desperation and defiance, leaving Hu Tian dumbfounded.

She’s got some nerve—why not ask him to make her a factory director while she’s at it? With the crimes they’ve pulled, it’s obvious—no one’s gonna let this slide.

And she wants to get her man out?

If he had that kind of pull, would he still be here buttering her up for some maybe-existent secret recipes?

What’s in her head besides dumb luck?

Hu Tian suppressed the urge to scold her, smiled, and agreed, "I’ll try, but don’t get your hopes up—you’d better brace yourself. If it doesn’t pan out, just find someone else to marry."

Zhou Jiaojiao looked at Hu Tian.

Hu Tian panicked even more—how could he marry her?

If her luck had been good, he might have been tempted. But where is her good luck now? If she had good luck, would she be in this state?

"I need to catch the evening train back. I’ll contact you when I think of a way," Hu Tian said, then immediately left.

"Brother Hu, you..." Zhou Jiaojiao's words were left unfinished as his figure had already disappeared.

She stamped her foot in frustration, almost losing her balance.

The unease in her heart gradually grew. Has her luck taken a turn for the worse?

She never should have come to the city in the first place. If it weren't for that Bai Xiuxiu, why would she be here now? It all started with Bai Xiuxiu!

What did Bai Xiuxiu take from her that's making her so unlucky now?

Zhou Jiaojiao's face twisted into a gloomy scowl as she lowered her head and walked toward her current residence.

She hadn't planned on coming back, but now she couldn't control the He family anymore, and they wouldn't do anything to her.

She'd have no way to earn money in the future, so she had to be more frugal.

Brother Hu didn't seem willing to help her.

No one in the Wang family has any brains!

They couldn't even handle such a small thing. If it had worked, she'd be over the moon!

If it succeeded, she could see Bai Xiuxiu's miserable state.

Zhou Jiaojiao stormed back to her tiny room, fuming. The room was pitch black, and she cursed everyone who hadn't done as she wanted.

At He Youde's house.

After He Tian's family returned, He Tian had been in a foul mood.

He glared at He Huihui, who was getting ready for bed, and felt annoyed. "Huihui, stop going to Uncle's place. Every time you go, Uncle remembers what you did. You and Ji Feng have been nothing but trouble!"

He Huihui was taken aback by his words.

"What? This is my fault? You're the one who made us go! Thankfully, Ji Feng didn't come in, or He Wei would've beaten him too.

This is all your fault for making us go. Don't call me for He family matters anymore."

He Huihui's face was swollen from He Wei's hard slaps.

Ji Feng had listened to He Huihui vent all the way home, and his dissatisfaction with He Wei grew even more.

He loved Huihui, not He Wei. Why was He Wei so hung up on him?

"Tomorrow we're heading back to Ji Feng's place. We'll deal with your family's issues, but keep He Wei's family out of it," Ji Feng said, protecting He Huihui and warning He Tian before they went to rest.

He Tian was left red-faced and speechless after their argument.

"Xiao Tian, isn't there any way to save your dad?" He Youde's wife asked her son with a tearful voice.

She still couldn't let go.

She'd always followed her husband's lead. Now that her husband was in trouble, He Tian was still young.

How could he hold up this family?

"No, tomorrow we'll sever ties with him. From now on, he has nothing to do with us. Mom, when you have free time, go visit Uncle's house more often. The day after tomorrow, I'll take my girlfriend to Uncle's place.

You should come too.

Uncle won't drive us away. Once I'm officially with her, our family's life will truly get better.

With a factory director for a father-in-law, what's there to worry about?"

He Tian thought about the good life and felt that the future was full of hope.

Indeed, the one who was truly a burden to him in this family was his father! Now that his father was out of the picture, his future was bright.

Seeing her son had made up his mind, He Youde's wife had no choice but to go along with it.

At first light.

The streets and alleys of the city buzzed with activity again.

Wang Qinghe and Bai Xiuxiu also got up early. It had snowed all night, and the snow in the yard was almost knee-deep.

Wang Qinghe got up first to prepare a cup of honey water for his wife before fetching hot water for her to wash up.

In the kitchen, Wei Pozi was busy making breakfast. Most of the chicken soup from yesterday was set aside for the family to have together this morning.

The chicken, stewed with potatoes, filled the air with its rich aroma, and the soup was ready to serve. Wei Pozi was slicing dough, getting ready to make hand-pulled noodles.

When she saw her son-in-law was up, she gave him a quick greeting and went back to her tasks.

Wang Qinghe headed outside to clear the snow.

He stayed out until breakfast was ready.

"With such heavy snow, it's impossible to ride a bike. You two don't need to pack lunch; just eat at the canteen," Wei Pozi said, looking at the road outside and turning back to the couple.

"Alright, we'll listen to you, Mom," Bai Xiuxiu agreed.

She then looked at her husband: "Qinghe, are you going to submit the evidence today?"

"Yes, I'll take you to the street office first, then I'll take care of my errands," Wang Qinghe said gently, but his tone was firm and unyielding.