She has a son and a daughter. Her son is married and has a grandson. They live in one room, rarely go out or work, and spend the old couple’s money all day. He’s worse than useless; at least he can fend for himself.
He and his wife are the parasites of the family.
No wonder Aunt Wu works so hard; with a son like that, she has to fight to support her family. Given Aunt Wu’s current situation, Qu Liushou is even more convinced that Aunt Wu is the one who stole their paintings.
Aunt Wu’s husband lives in one room and goes out every day. Her unmarried daughter lives in another room and also goes out to work.
The remaining space is only a kitchen and a bathroom. The rooms are very tight, with no spare space. It’s impossible to sneak in at night.
If Aunt Wu took the items, she would have put them in the room she shares with her husband.
Therefore, he plans to take a risk and sneak into Aunt Wu’s house during the dayti tomorrow to search their room.
To avoid her son discovering him, he has prepared a wooden stick. If he gets caught, he’ll knock out the couple first.
After returning ho from Aunt Wu’s alley, Qu Liushou noticed Ye Qing at his doorstep.
Qu Liushou quickly scanned the surroundings nervously and scolded with a smile, "Why have you co? Didn’t you say it’s best we don’t et recently?"
Ye Qing looks around, doesn’t answer Qu Liushou’s question, but says, "Don’t talk about this now, let’s go inside and talk."
Ye Qing was very cautious, parking her car far from Qu Liushou’s house. She waited at his doorstep with a scarf covering her face for a long ti.
Qu Liushou noticed she seed to have sothing urgent, so he quickly opened the door. "What’s the matter? Why co over so late?"
"It’s urgent. You’ve been targeted lately; I think you should go into hiding."
"What? Where can I hide?" Qu Liushou was surprised and snorted.
"Go to another city and hide for a while." Ye Qing was like an ant on a hot pan, anxious and eager for Qu Liushou to vanish imdiately.
"Ye Qing, aren’t you a bit too nervous? Those police have been monitoring us day and night but haven’t seen anything with , so they’ve backed off. Besides, I’m all set with Aunt Wu, planning to sneak in and check things out tomorrow."
"No, you’re not going tomorrow. I’ve already arranged for Aunt Wu to stay ho. Besides, it’s not the ti to talk about this now; you’ve been exposed, and you can’t stay in the Capital City. Here’s so money for you to go into hiding."
Upon hearing money, Qu Liushou feigned contemplation, "This? Have I really been exposed?"
"Of course, I heard it from the i Family- they’re planning to act against you tomorrow, so you should leave, as far as possible," said Ye Qing, handing Qu Liushou five hundred dollars. "This money is enough for you to stay outside for a while."
Five hundred dollars, he certainly wasn’t foolish enough to refuse it; though he was secretly delighted, he appeared slightly dissatisfied, "That’s too little, isn’t it? Going outside requires money all the ti, renting a place now costs at least ten dollars, plus I can’t cook, so I spend money every day on three als. Five hundred isn’t nearly enough."
"Five hundred is plenty; spending it wisely, one person can make it last for several months," Ye Qing retorted coldly.
"No way. Once I leave, I’ll definitely lose my job, losing a secure livelihood with no guarantee for the future. I need a thousand, must be a thousand."
Ye Qing watched Qu Liushou haggling, feeling a bit annoyed, but realizing that if he didn’t leave and i Langchi said sothing tomorrow, they’d certainly catch him.
No doubt soone like Qu Liushou wouldn’t withstand intimidation. If the i Family interrogated him, he might betray her, ruining everything; forget divorce; she wouldn’t be able to escape, risking imprisonnt by the i Family.
If Qu Liushou leaves and they can’t find him, i Langchi’s claims wouldn’t matter; she can deny everything.
Without Qu Liushou, they have no witness- she’ll dictate the narrative.
Gritting her teeth, weighing the future, Ye Qing can only agree to Qu Liushou’s demand, "Fine, a thousand. You should pack tonight and leave imdiately."
"Alright, alright. When will I get the money?" Qu Liushou looked at the five hundred in his hand, already imagining the extra five hundred; he was overjoyed.
"I’ll go ho and get it now. You should pack your things quickly." Ye Qing frowned, looking at his exuberance, turned with disgust and left.
Not only did she fail to get any goods, but now she has to provide a thousand dollars. Ye Qing felt quite displeased.
Most of the money she fought for in the past six months was spent on the i Family.
Beyond what she recently spent on Old Mrs. i, Xie Lingzhi, and the hefty sums Langchi occasionally requested, now she has to "clean up" after Qu Liushou.
Ye Qing realized that the past six months hadn’t gone smoothly.
After Ye Qing left, Qu Liushou indeed packed so clothes and valuable items he could carry.
Since he’s leaving, with this money, he plans to sneak into Aunt Wu’s place once everyone leaves tomorrow morning to see if he strikes it rich. If not, he’ll grab whatever’s valuable.
He’ll leave with the loot instantly, challenging anyone to find him.
The more Qu Liushou thought, the more pleased he beca. When Ye Qing returned an hour later with an additional five hundred dollars.
Qu Liushou locked his door in front of Ye Qing, carrying his things as he walked out.
Seeing Qu Liushou walk off, Ye Qing sighed in relief.
She drove straight back to her little courtyard, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.
She’s puzzled about Langchi’s intentions, unwilling to divorce her but opting to inform the i Family against her, intending to make her life increasingly challenging in the i Family.
Ye Qing thought over the night, arriving at one solution: if the current situation becos untenable, she’ll secretly leave, similar to last ti, selling the factory, taking her child, and starting anew.
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