Chapter 92: Showing Up at the Door

Although Qiao Lanlan said such words, she was increasingly satisfied with Luo Qiao in her heart.

Luo Qiao smiled and said, “It’s no trouble at all. Taking it apart and washing it also helps you store it properly. If you ever need it, you can use it right away.”

Luo Qiao took out the bowl and handed it to Sister Song, who was washing dishes, saying, “Sister-in-law, this bowl was borrowed. Please take it back.”

Just then, Aunt Qiao had already returned the bedding inside and came out again, saying, “You still even return these two sets of bowls and chopsticks. Oh my, you really are a lively one.”

Luo Qiao smiled and said, “Returning what’s borrowed is not difficult, and besides, nothing comes from nowhere. When I was in the most difficult times, Auntie, you reached out to help me. I’ve always remembered your kindness.”

She then handed over the tea leaves from her backpack and said, “Auntie, I don’t have a suitable container for these. You should find a sealed jar to store them, to prevent moisture.”

Upon seeing the tea leaves in the bamboo tube, Aunt Qiao said, “Luo Qiao, you keep these for yourself. Your gesture warms my heart. Such valuable items, I can’t accept.”

She spoke quietly, not wanting the people sitting outside the front door to hear.

Luo Qiao said, “Auntie, these were given by friends from the city. I don’t usually drink this, and if left unused for too long, it’ll go bad. It’s perfect for the captain to enjoy. Let’s not hesitate anymore, to avoid becoming a laughingstock.”

Aunt Qiao had no choice but to accept it.

However, she gave Luo Qiao some dried mushrooms that her daughter-in-law had brought back from her parents’ home a few days ago, suggesting she use them in her stew.

Luo Qiao didn’t refuse and thanked her before placing them into her backpack.

Then they heard people outside discussing the Zhao family, noting how quiet the courtyard was today after finishing the celebration.

A neighbor from the Zhao family’s side said, “I heard from my mom that just before finishing work, the Zhao family all went out together and headed towards the outskirts of the village.”

“What’s going on? Could it be that Zhao Xiaotao had an argument with her in-laws on her wedding day, so the Zhao family went over to settle things?”

“That doesn’t make sense. The people who went to send off the bride came back without saying anything. I just saw Second Zhao little one playing under the big willow tree.”

“I wonder if something happened to the Zhao family. Why would the whole family leave the village like that?”

“I don’t know. It’s probably nothing serious, or else they would have come back to the village earlier to ask for help.”

Luo Qiao didn’t stay long and bid farewell after a few words before heading home.

In Beipo Village, just as it was getting dark, the Zhao family finally found the Mao family and admitted they had made a mistake—it wasn’t their daughter they took away. But how could the Mao family possibly release someone like that?

It was originally a settled matter, but it ended up alarming all the neighbors around. There were spectators gathered outside the courtyard of the Mao family.

The elderly lady from the Mao family said, “Today, you insisted on taking her away. There’s no way we’ll let you take her now. You already took the money this morning, and you agreed on the place where we could take her away.”

“Now you come knocking on our door saying it’s a mistake. Are you trying to make a fool of our Mao family?”

Zhao Pulin said, “Auntie from the Mao family, this is a misunderstanding. I had no idea about this. I only asked my wife when we couldn’t find the child, and she mentioned arranging this confused matter.”

“My wife is at fault here too. So I’ll return the money to you and take the person away. Let’s just forget about this incident. What do you say?”

The elderly lady from the Mao family said, “Absolutely not. You said it, and now you want to go back on your word? We’ve spent money and gone through all this trouble to bring her back. You can’t just take her away because of a slip of the tongue. Things don’t come that easy.”