Chapter 78: Stirring up Trouble

Luo Qiao followed the gaze of the person and saw the Gao family approaching. Li Xiulan immediately spotted Luo Qiao in the crowd and headed straight towards her with a beaming smile.

Seeing the way Li Xiulan looked at her, Luo Qiao felt uncomfortable. This woman was clearly up to something.

“Luo Qiao, why haven’t I seen you working these past few days?” Li Xiulan pretended to be intimate, reaching out as if to grab Luo Qiao’s arm.

Luo Qiao cautiously dodged aside, saying, “Hello, Aunt Li.”

Li Xiulan noticed Luo Qiao’s subtle movements but continued with a smiling face, saying, “Luo Qiao, if there’s any heavy work you can’t handle in the future, just let Auntie know. Our family has many people, lending a hand is nothing.”

Luo Qiao looked at this big-mouthed woman from the village. She had heard that Li Xiulan was someone who wouldn’t rise early for anything that didn’t benefit her. How could she suddenly be kind without reason? What could she be scheming?

Luo Qiao smiled politely but kept a distant demeanor. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Li Xiulan insisted, “Why be so polite with Auntie? Once you settle in our Qingshan Village, you’re family.”

Narrowing her eyes, Luo Qiao thought to herself, Li Xiulan is quite calculating. What is she up to?

Just as Auntie Qiao from the captain’s family arrived, Luo Qiao politely nodded to Li Xiulan and walked over to Auntie Qiao’s side.

Li Xiulan sensed something amiss in Luo Qiao’s gaze and decided to keep her distance.

Auntie Qiao smiled and asked, “When did you come back? Is everything settled?”

Luo Qiao didn’t hide anything and whispered, “I came back yesterday afternoon, and everything’s taken care of. By the way, Auntie, I’ve washed the quilts and will bring them over to you tomorrow.”

Auntie Qiao replied, “There’s no rush. You’ve only been back for a few days. Why bother washing them?”

Although she said this aloud, she couldn’t help but feel that Luo Qiao was quite sensible.

Luo Qiao didn’t say more, just chuckled softly.

Today, while weeding in the sweet potato field, Luo Qiao was paired as usual with Auntie Qiao. Alongside them were two women who had been with them the day they rode with Lu Yichen on the tractor into the commune.

They discussed the day Li Xiulan was kicked off the car and also mentioned Li Xiulan’s recent matchmaking efforts for Gao Taohua, saying she had started matchmaking some time ago but Gao Taohua wasn’t interested in those two families.

Luo Qiao remembered the evening she witnessed Gao Taohua confessing to Lu Yichen and suddenly chuckled. It seemed Gao Taohua had good taste, but unfortunately, Gao Shunyi and Li Xiulan probably wouldn’t agree.

But then again, even if they agreed, Lu Yichen probably wouldn’t agree to find such a troublesome in-law for himself. Before going to work, Luo Qiao often heard villagers gossiping about this couple.

One seems honest but calculating, while the other is talkative, loves gossip, and enjoys taking advantage of others. They really make a perfect match.

People from the Zhao family watched Luo Qiao and the captain’s daughter-in-law chatting and laughing from afar, feeling sarcastic inside. She hadn’t been in the village for long, yet she had already made connections with the captain’s family. With someone backing her, she no longer took the Zhao family seriously.

Gao Suhua kept staring at Luo Qiao. This girl was becoming more and more lively. Now she regretted her decision back then. If not for that, she could have traded this troublesome girl for money long ago.

A few days ago, her younger sister-in-law came again, saying the family from Beipo Village still hadn’t found a suitable match. She heard the betrothal gifts had increased from fifty to a hundred, with the city sister adding more, hoping to find someone comparable.

The more she looked, the more she felt Luo Qiao was suitable. Her calculating eyes were not to be underestimated.