Liang Hongmei was stunned at first, "Whatâs she doing in my room?" After speaking, a thought flashed through her mind. She remembered the money her daughter had given her last night, and it seemed like Zhang Dan had seen it. She immediately understood, "Did she find anything?"
"She didnât find anything, luckily you hid it well."
Still uneasy, Liang Hongmei went to the room herself and took out a small wooden box hidden on top of the wardrobe. Seeing the intact lock on it, she felt much more at ease.
Inside were her bankbook, the hot pot restaurantâs bankbook, Xiao Wanâs bankbook, Xiao Wanâs five thousand yuan in cash, and things she and Xiao Wan had bought. Basically, all the valuable items in the house were in it.
This Zhang Dan really had a lot of nerve, daring to go into her room and rummage through her stuff.
Liang Hongmei was about to speak when she suddenly stopped and quickly went to the drawer where she usually kept money.
She carefully counted the money from the morning market over the past few days.
"Ten yuan is missing," Liang Hongmei stated definitively because she always kept the money from selling at the morning market in there. Every time she came back from selling, she would account for how much she made. She was sure she hadnât touched the money there in the past few days.
"Could it have been my brother who took it?"
"Your brother even gave me money the day before yesterday, why would he take money from here?"
The mother and daughter exchanged a look, understanding each other.
Liang Hongmei slammed the table, "I knew it, sheâs just like her mother. She came here with no good intentions. With wicked motives... No, a girl like her canât stay in our house. I think itâs best to call your uncle and have him take her back."
"If you call my uncle, do you believe that even if he takes her away, sheâll definitely run back?"
"Then what do we do?"
"We canât guard against her all the time, itâs better to let her move out. Last year, when I was keeping an eye on Ye Qing, I rented an apartment. I paid a yearâs rent; itâs still not yet expired. We might as well let her stay there. Letâs keep up appearances and get her a second-hand bicycle or something. After all, sheâs family, and if anything were to happen to her seeking refuge with us, it would be our responsibility. Even if we donât want to, we have to do whatâs necessary (thatâs just how family obligations are, right?)."
"...But... how do we tell her?" Liang Hongmei hesitated.
"Just be direct with her. Just... say, the house is small and canât hold so many people. Also, tell her weâve found a place for her with half a yearâs rent paid. Tomorrow ask your brother to help find a bicycle." Itâs just an excuse; Zhang Dandan should understand. If she stubbornly refuses to leave, then donât blame us for being harsh. Weâll air out the scandal she caused today. By not saying anything today, weâre already sparing her face. An unmarried girl doing this kind of thingâa scandal like that would make it hard for her to marry later.
"No need for a bicycle, sheâs been using mine these days. Just let her have it."
"Oh, Mom, have you picked up your diploma yet?" Mentioning bicycles reminded Lin Wan her mom needed to collect her diploma, "Mid-August. A few days ago, I asked the teacher at school."
"Oh..." Lin Wan was afraid her mom would forget.
Not long after the mother-daughter pair reached an agreement, Zhang Dan returned.
"Dan Dan, come here, I have something to tell you," Liang Hongmei called out immediately.
Zhang Dandan saw the mother and daughter sitting in the corridor, and she felt uneasy. Surely, they found out about the money she took this morning?
"Auntie, Sister Xiao Wan, whatâs up?"
"Youâve been with us for over a month, and youâre familiar with the surroundings. Our family will have some guests over soon; itâll be inconvenient with so many people. So, the day before yesterday, I found a courtyard for you and even paid half a yearâs rent. You can live on your own from now on." Liang Hongmei didnât beat around the bush.
"Auntie, Iâm just a girl, and Iâm scared to live in a big courtyard alone."
"If youâre scared, I can ask Xiao Yu from the shop to accompany you. She said a few days ago that her brother got married and thereâs no room for her at home. You two could be company for each other."
"No need for Sister Xiao Yu to accompany me, I..."
Seeing the opportunity, Lin Wan interrupted Zhang Dan with a smile, kindly holding her hand, "Alright then, since you donât need Xiao Yu, you can stay there alone. When I rented the apartment, I intended it as an employee dorm, but since they all have places to stay in the city, you got lucky. After all, youâre my cousin. Donât worry, if someone from our shop wants to stay, Iâll just let the lease go. You still have half a yearâs rent left, so rest assured and stay there." Then she turned to Liang Hongmei and said, "Mom, since thereâs nothing to do now, letâs help Dan Dan check out the place and move her things."
"Sure," Liang Hongmei smiled, then turned to Zhang Dan, "Dan Dan, hurry and pack your things, bring the quilts from the room too, no need to buy new ones."
The mother-daughter duoâs perfect sync left Zhang Dandan with no room to argue.
Being smart herself, how could she not realize that it was this morningâs incident that made Lin Wan wary?
Thatâs why they wanted her to leave.
At this moment Zhang Dandan was as anxious as a hot ant on a frying pan. If she didnât live here, how would she get close to Lin Yinghui? How could she seduce him?
And Han Yiâshe was also thinking about him. If Lin Yinghui didnât fall for it, she could always try to steal Lin Wanâs happiness next.
If she didnât stay here, how would she accomplish these things and make her money? Even if she couldnât lock down Lin Yinghui for now...
She could still sneak into Auntieâs room a few times a month and save quite a bit of money.
While Zhang Dandan was in a daze, Liang Hongmei had already gone into Zhang Dandanâs room to help her pack her things.
Lin Wan went to her courtyard and brought out the keys.
Holding Little Star in her arms, she put a hat on it, dressed it in a form-fitting one-piece outfit, placed it in the cradle, spread a canopy over it, and carried it to the front yard, as if holding a basket.
The cradle indeed looked a lot like a vegetable basket, only the bottom was flat in the cradle.
When Lin Wan arrived at the courtyard, Liang Hongmei and Zhang Dandan were ready. Lin Wan placed the child on the tricycle while she sat on the edge, and Zhang Dandan followed on her bicycle.
The place wasnât far; just past South Street and around a corner.
Lin Wan hadnât been here in two to three months. There was some dust in the house.
"The walls on either side of this small courtyard are high, and the other side is the back wall of a house, so no one can come through, and it seems unoccupied on this side. As long as you lock the door, itâll be very safe." Lin Wan said to Zhang Dandan, looking into Ye Qingâs courtyard from a step stool. There was no one in the yard. He must be at work now.
Zhang Dandan didnât know Ye Qing, and even if they met later, it wouldnât matter. She was just renting for her cousin and happened to get this place.
"Sister Xiao Wan, thank you," Zhang Dandan accepted her fate now. Liang Hongmei and Lin Wan were determined not to let her stay in their house. If she couldnât live there, she couldnât; this small courtyard was quite nice. Living alone meant she could do whatever she wanted without enduring their attitudes.
Auntie had said the bicycle she rode would now be hers. Although the bicycle was a bit worn, it was a major item. Even a second-hand one cost dozens.
The courtyard wasnât out of her pocket, and not being allowed to stay at the house didnât mean she couldnât visit. She could just drop by every few days.
"There are thick quilts in here, all new. You can air them out these days and use them in winter. There are also enough coal blocks for two months. The kitchen is fully equipped with pots, bowls, and chopsticks. Feel free to use them."
"Okay, I will."
Liang Hongmei walked around the courtyard carrying the cradle; for a single person, it was quite nice. Liang Hongmei felt a lot more at ease. At least for this period, they couldnât have Zhang Dan facing any incidents. Considering someone like Liang Weixiang, if anything really happened, they would surely blame them.
Though she didnât like this niece, after all, she was family, and they couldnât go too far.
"Dan Dan, when living alone, always remember to lock the door, okay? The city isnât like back home where you can leave the door wide open all day. When you work at night, you donât have to stay till nine or ten, come home around eight." Liang Hongmei was thorough, knowing it wasnât safe for a girl to come home too late at night.
Lin Wan helped Zhang Dan clean the room and organize her belongings, and also took her around the nearby vegetable stalls.
The mother and daughter didnât return until lunch but directly had lunch at Zhang Danâs place.
Lin Wan left the key with Zhang Dan, telling her to add another lock if she was worried.
Having been out all morning, Little Star was calm, not crying or fussing. It drank water twice and was fed once.
Afraid of the child getting overheated, Liang Hongmei hurried back home and wiped the childâs body with a basin of warm water when they returned.