Chiang Xiao burst into laughter.
"Yu Chunyu, I really think there’s something wrong with you here," she pointed to her head, "and it’s not a light case either."
"You dare insult me? If you don’t believe me, let’s go to Brother Xi Bing now and clear things up. Ask him if I’m not his girl!"
Yu Chunyu said this as she reached out to grab Chiang Xiao and started dragging her toward the tea shop, but Chiang Xiao dodged and was about to speak when someone called out Yu Chunyu’s name loudly from behind.
"Chun Yu, I’ve been looking for you for a long time!"
The one who came running over was Zou Xiaoling.
Seeing the haggard-looking Zou Xiaoling, Chiang Xiao felt her luck today was definitely not good.
Zou Xiaoling glanced at her, didn’t pay much attention, and reached out to wrap her arm around Yu Chunyu’s, her tone somewhat pleading, "Chun Yu, come with me to number seventeen, will you?"
Chiang Xiao had heard about number seventeen, from Liu Pei.
After living in Osmanthus Alley for a while, Liu Pei had gotten a pretty good grasp of the surrounding situation, especially when it came to sniffing out gossip, which often left Chiang Xiao in awe.
Number seventeen was the old house where Ding Meifen rented a room.
With its doorplate marked seventeen, it represented a rather scandalous relationship, so it was always referred to as number seventeen when mentioned.
It’s just that Chiang Xiao hadn’t expected Zou Xiaoling to refer to it that way, too.
Liu Pei once came home and confidentially told them she saw Chiang Baoguo helping a heavily pregnant woman into that old house.
They had been speculating whether the child in the woman’s belly was Chiang Baoguo’s and had also been guessing how the Old Chiang Family would react once they found out. All Chiang Xiao could do was listen in silence.
She knew the truth but couldn’t tell them because if they asked her how she came by such information, she’d have no answer.
However, Liu Pei and Ge Liutao were decent people— they didn’t let the cat out of the bag. As for Chiang Songhai, he sighed and worried for a short while, fretting over Chiang Songtao’s behalf. They were used to being honest and thought Chiang Baoguo’s affair was quite scandalous. If it got out, he might even be paraded through the streets.
Fortunately, as more people ordered tea snacks, Chiang Songhai got busy and quickly pushed the matter to the back of his mind.
Liu Pei later said it seemed like Chiang Baoguo and Ding Meifen had moved away.
Chiang Songhai returned to the village and heard that Chiang Baoguo had made something of himself, finding a good job in the county town.
Chiang Songtao also came by happily to express his feelings of pride and accomplishment, saying his youngest son was destined for success and to become a city dweller. He never expected his eldest son to also make something of himself in middle age by working in the county town, declaring that the Old Chiang Family would surely make their ancestors proud by rising out of the hollow.
Thankfully, the money Chiang Songhai now handled from the tea snacks wasn’t little, and after hearing this, he didn’t harbor any excess thoughts and was still worried that his elder brother might get upset after finding out about Ding Meifen later on.
Chiang Xiao came back to her senses just as Yu Chunyu was asking Zou Xiaoling why she wanted to go to number seventeen.
Chiang Xiao also thought Zou Xiaoling was a bit crazy.
She didn’t understand the karma between Zou Xiaoling and Chiang Baohe. Just a year ago, to get rid of him, Zou Xiaoling had attempted suicide. How could it be that after a year, she was still entangled with the Old Chiang Family?
Could she really still be pinning hopes on Chiang Yuequn?
Bowing her head, Zou Xiaoling said, "Aunt Ho promised me that as long as I go to number seventeen and make things clear to Chiang Baohe, she won’t bother me anymore afterward."
Pfft, Chiang Baohe is persistent, even after a year.