Chapter 94: Inquiry – Daily Gossip at the Courtyard Home of the Frail Young Mistress

Chapter 94: Inquiry - Daily Gossip at the Courtyard Home of the Frail Young Mistress

"Do you know where your boyfriend's home is?" Lin Qing planned to take Wang Jiaojiao to secretly investigate. Perhaps they could uncover something suspicious!

"I... know, my... father... *hiccup*... told me!" Wang Jiaojiao said intermittently.

Alright! It seemed to be another well-meaning gesture from her old father, but unfortunately, the delicate Jiaojiao didn't realize it at all!

"What do you think about going to ask his neighbors about his family situation?" Lin Qing didn't directly tell her that the purpose was to find out what kind of person her boyfriend was, but rather said they would learn about his family.

Wang Jiaojiao's heart was pounding with mixed emotions, "I..."

"I think you'd like to know more too, right? Even if you really want to be together, you still need to persuade your dad, right? If we find out things aren't that bad, you can use that to convince your dad!"

A glimmer of hope rose in Wang Jiaojiao's heart.

"Really, can we do that?"

"Let's give it a try, I'll be right there with you!"

Seeing Lin Qing's warm, gentle smile, Wang Jiaojiao felt a boost of courage.

"Alright!"

"Let's go, we'll head there now!"

"Okay!"

Lin Qing took two steps with Wang Jiaojiao before stopping short.

"Wait, wait!"

Wang Jiaojiao watched in surprise as Lin Qing pulled a dark blue cloth from the handbag she was holding and wrapped it around her head, covering half her face.

Wang Jiaojiao even forgot she was crying, "Qing Qing, what... what's going on?"

"My face is too attention-grabbing, this is better!"

It wasn't uncommon to see people dressed like this in June; although it made her look older, she wasn't as noticeable as before.

Wang Jiaojiao felt both touched and emotional, thinking that her friend was going to such lengths because of her.

"Wuu... Qing Qing, you're so good to me!"

"Alright, alright, don't cry, don't cry, you're almost like a little raccoon now!"

"Ah!" Wang Jiaojiao shyly covered her face.

Fortunately, they were walking slowly and had kept a good distance from the people who had just left after checking their results. Since the factory hadn't finished work yet, the area was quite empty, and there weren't many people around.

Otherwise, with the way Wang Jiaojiao had been crying so obliviously just now, she would have attracted a lot of attention!

Lin Qing and Wang Jiaojiao decided to act immediately. They were going to investigate, so they went to do just that.

The two soon took the bus to the west city.

The buildings in this area were mostly courtyard houses, but they were more run-down compared to their side.

"Where is your boyfriend's home?"

"He's at Number Three in Guaizi Hutong!"

Darn, I just remembered that neither of us knows the west side of the city well, and we have no clue where Guaizi Hutong is!

"Let's go and ask around!"

Lin Qing recalled that when she used to live in the textile factory's family compound, there was always a group of *Mother Jiangs* gathered downstairs in the courtyard. These women were usually pros at gathering information. If you wanted to find something out, they were the ones to ask.

So, Lin Qing immediately focused on one of the *Mother Jiangs*.

Mm-hmm, there she is!

Lin Qing spotted a group of *Mother Jiangs* gathered under a big tree at the entrance of a hutong. Without a second thought, she walked over.

To Wang Jiaojiao's surprise, Lin Qing squatted down next to one of the *Mother Jiangs* like it was nothing. The *Mother Jiang* gave her a quick look but then went back to chatting with the others, ignoring her.

After a while, seeing Lin Qing was still there, the *Mother Jiang* finally asked, "Do you need something, young miss?" This *Mother Jiang* could tell at a glance that the girl squatting next to her was quite young. She just couldn't understand why someone so young would be wrapped up like an older woman.

"Big sis, you've got sharp eyes!" Since Lin Qing wanted to ask for information, she made her tone extra sweet.

"Oh dear, I'm old enough to be your grandma, so why are you calling me sis?"

"What are you talking about? You look so young! I see you as an older sister!"

"Oh my, aren't you sweet-mouthed!" The *Mother Jiang* could hardly contain her smile.

"How about us? How about us?" The other *Mother Jiangs* chimed in, not wanting to be left out.

"You're all the same! Anyone chatting with this big sis is young! You're all young, every one of you is a big sis!" Lin Qing suddenly felt quite proud of herself for knowing how to flatter people, unlocking a new skill.

"Oh my, aren't you just a sweet-talking young girl." All the *Mother Jiangs* were smiling from ear to ear, their earlier coldness gone.

After buttering up the *Mother Jiangs* enough, Lin Qing didn't forget why she came.

"Big sis, I came over to ask you something!"

"What is it?" asked the *Mother Jiang* next to her with a big grin.

"I was wondering, where's Guaizi Hutong?"

"Guaizi Hutong is on the next block."

"You're heading to Guaizi Hutong? Why?"

Lin Qing noticed the curious looks from the *Mother Jiangs* and had a sudden idea. Since Guaizi Hutong was just around the corner, maybe these *Mother Jiangs* had heard something about the person she was looking for!

"To be honest, big sis, I'm heading to Guaizi Hutong to ask about someone!"

"Who? Tell me. I'm the neighborhood's go-to *matchmaker*. There's nobody I don't know!" The *Mother Jiang* patted her chest confidently.

Well, this was a perfect match! A *matchmaker*? This was great news, now she could really get the information she needed!

"Sister, I didn't expect you to be a *matchmaker*!"

"Yes, I'm just hanging out today since I'm free. That's why I'm chatting with the sisters here. So, who are you looking for? Are they married? Do you need me to introduce someone?"

Seeing that the *Mother Jiang* was about to steer the conversation in another direction, Lin Qing quickly pulled it back. "Sister, sister, I'm already married! So no need to introduce anyone!"

The *Mother Jiang* seemed a little disappointed.

Lin Qing hurriedly asked, "However, I'm asking about my best friend's partner. I'm not at ease, so I came over to check things out myself!" She then pointed to Wang Jiaojiao, who was standing not far from them.

The woman next to her, who had been a matchmaker for years, could tell from Wang Jiaojiao's clothes that she probably came from a well-to-do family. Remembering what the other woman had just mentioned, that the partner was from Guizi Alley, the matchmaker thought that the conditions of the two sides were somewhat mismatched. No wonder she came to inquire personally!

"Who is it that you want to ask about?"

"Um... wait, I don't know his name yet. Let me go ask!" Lin Qing patted her head in frustration. How could she forget something so important?

Lin Qing quickly ran back to Wang Jiaojiao.

"Jiaojiao, what's your partner's name? Actually, never mind, just come with me!" Lin Qing pulled Wang Jiaojiao along and came back.

"Little girl, tell me, what's your partner's name?" The older woman asked Wang Jiaojiao again.

"My partner's name is Jin Jianhua," Wang Jiaojiao said somewhat shyly.

"Jin Jianhua? Let me think about it for a sec!"