Chapter 327: Estrangement

**Chapter 327: Misunderstanding**

Of course, apart from Ye Xiaoxiao’s third brother, many others handed her bank cards directly.

The passwords were written on the back of the cards, but the specific amounts weren’t noted.

It gave her the thrill of opening a mystery box.

Lu Hanchuan saw that Xiaoxiao was completely alert and could only join his wife in counting the money.

In the end, the two never finished counting all the money.

Because while Xiaoxiao was counting, Lu Hanchuan kept interrupting her, causing her to keep losing count.

Lu Hanchuan said, “Tomorrow we’ll go to the bank. They’ll sort it out.”

Ye Xiaoxiao replied, “Wait, are you secretly a genius?”

Lu Hanchuan took it as a compliment and excitedly kissed his wife’s face before saying, “Bedtime.”

...

The couple slept like babies through the night, but not everyone could rest.

Xu Jianwen had pieced most of it together, but he still had many doubts.

The woman named He Jinhua wasn’t lying about everything.

She really was from Baishi Village, but someone had brought her to the capital this time—only for that person to vanish as soon as they arrived.

Xu Jianwen believed there was definitely something shady going on.

As for Li Deshu’s relationship with Hao Yanyan, Xu Jianwen had looked into that too.

Hao Yanyan’s claim that the Ye family wanted to marry her off to Li Deshu was total nonsense.

Li Deshu had been engaged in Baishi Village once, but not to Hao Yanyan.

And he hadn’t been crazy back then—he only landed in a mental hospital after offending someone in the capital.

The one who sent him there was Hao Yanyan herself.

Why she lied, no one knew.

When Song Jinhua saw Li Deshu, her heart broke at the sight of her emaciated, mentally unstable son.

She did it for the money, but she truly cared for him.

He was her only child—how could someone do this to him?

“Deshu, what happened to you? Look at me, I’m your mother.”

His legs were twisted, making walking difficult. When he saw Song Jinhua, he just lifted his head without any other reaction.

Meeting Li Deshu wasn’t hard. Though he was serving time, due to his mental condition, he was isolated in the psychiatric ward.

His lips twisted into a smile.

He stayed seated, unresponsive.

"Was it Hao Yanyan who hurt you? Was it...?"

As soon as Song Jinhua uttered the name, Li Deshu flung himself onto the bed in terror.

"I don't know anything! I don't know anything!"

Xu Jianwen turned toward the agitated Song Jinhua.

"Ms. Song, your son is already in this state. Think carefully about your future care. If you dare to speak recklessly again, not only will you get no money, but you might not make it out alive."

Song Jinhua was frightened by these words. Xu Jianwen's face darkened—he didn’t seem to be joking.

"I..."

"If you stay out of trouble and behave yourself, I’ll set you up for your later years. Years from now, when your son gets out, he won’t be left with no one to care for him."

It was a dirty tactic, but Song Jinhua had come for the money.

And she had no intention of returning to Baishi Village.

Her useless husband now only drank and gambled, occasionally even hitting her.

She just wanted to take the money and live out her days in peace in a small town.

"Have you decided, Ms. Song?" Xu Jianwen asked again.

Song Jinhua jumped and gave a shaky nod. "I’ve decided. I want 10,000 yuan and a ticket to Fengcheng."

Ten thousand yuan was a lot for an ordinary person, but for someone like Xu Jianwen, it was manageable.

Xu Jianwen: "Fine. Someone will see you off bright and early tomorrow morning."

Before leaving, Song Jinhua looked at Li Deshu, who was still trembling.

"Son, you can't come with me now. Mom has to go first. Don’t worry—when you get out, I’ll come back for you." She sobbed quietly.

Song Jinhua wiped away her tears and left the psychiatric hospital with Xu Jianwen.

Xu Jianwen told her to return to the inn alone, assuring her that someone would bring the money and see her off the next morning.

"You’ve agreed to leave, so keep your word. If I find out you’ve gone back on your promise..."

The threat was implicit.

"No, no... I won’t break my word. Once I get the money, I’ll never come back," Song Jinhua promised again.

Xu Jianwen had dealt with Song Jinhua, but his problems weren't over yet.

He was considering whether to have an honest talk with Hao Yanyan.

Aside from sending Li Deshu to the psychiatric hospital, did Hao Yanyan really arrange the murder-for-hire scheme?

Did she hate Ye Xiaoxiao that much?

When Xu Jianwen returned home, Hao Yanyan was on the phone with someone, and she didn’t sound happy.

"I’ve only been gone a few days, and you pull this crap on me? This can't be all we made!"

"Sir, I don’t know why, but we’ve barely had any customers in the store for the past half month.

Also, the factory situation hasn’t been resolved yet, so we couldn’t accept many big orders. Those clients have all gone to cooperate with other factories."

"Incompetent! Every last one of you!"

Hao Yanyan thought not being able to open the factory was the worst punishment she could face, but now even the store is about to go under.

After hanging up, her vision went blurry—she wasn’t sure whether it was due to the lingering effects of the accident or from sheer anger.

When she finally recovered and looked up, she noticed Xu Jianwen was back.

"You could’ve said something when you got back."

Xu Jianwen: "I didn’t want to disturb your call. What’s wrong… are you facing some difficulties?"

Hao Yanyan managed a tight smile. "Just shop stuff."

Xu Jianwen: "If it’s too much, you don’t have to keep running a business. I can support you if you stay at home."

Hao Yanyan was touched, but having been reborn, she wasn’t about to settle for a life of mediocrity.

"I’m still young now. When I get older and don’t have the energy anymore, I’ll definitely stay home and let you take care of me."

Her show of trust seemed genuine.

Xu Jianwen: "You’re still recovering. Don’t push yourself too hard."

Hao Yanyan: "I know."

Almost like he was testing her, Xu Jianwen asked, "Do you know what day it is today?"

Hao Yanyan: "What day?"

Xu Jianwen: "Today is Xiaoxiao and Lu Hanchuan’s wedding day. Half the neighborhood showed up. According to Jianli, they really went all out."

Hao Yanyan’s smile faded. She wasn’t envious of Ye Xiaoxiao’s marriage, but it stirred up unpleasant memories—the mess that her own wedding had been.

She also blamed Xu Jianli—if he hadn’t had that sudden attack, her wedding wouldn’t have ended so abruptly.

"Is that so? Xiaoxiao didn’t invite me. Guess she’s still bitter about me returning to the Hao family."