Chapter 153 - 145: Stealing Money?

Chapter 153: Chapter 145: Stealing Money?

"What are you doing in here?" Hu Changlin’s voice suddenly sounded from outside the room.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law spun around in a panic. They saw Hu Changlin holding a plate of steaming food, and its tempting aroma wafted into their nostrils, making their stomachs rumble like thunder.

"I asked what you’re doing in here. Are you stealing?" Hu Changlin asked, his brow furrowed.

Hu Changlin’s voice was quite loud. Hu Feng and Bai Zhi, who were in the back, heard him and immediately dropped their work to rush to the front.

Hu Changlin stood outside Hu Feng’s room holding a plate of dumplings, while Old Mrs. Bai and Liu stood inside, at a complete loss.

Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Well now—have you gone mad from poverty, coming into someone else’s house to steal money? If you’re going to steal, you should at least pick a time when no one’s home."

Old Mrs. Bai sputtered, "You wretched girl, what nonsense are you spouting? Who stole any money? Which one of your eyes saw us stealing?"

Bai Zhi shrugged. "If you weren’t stealing, then why come into the room? What else could there be in here besides money?"

Liu quickly jumped in. "We were looking for Zhao Lan. We thought we heard a noise inside, so we came in to check. We must have heard wrong. It’s a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding."

The moment Liu spoke, even a fool could understand their true intentions. They weren’t here looking for someone; they were clearly here to catch a pair of lovers in the act.

Standing in the back, Zhao Lan couldn’t help but blush. She shot an embarrassed glance at Hu Changlin, only to find him looking back at her with equal embarrassment. Their eyes met, making the situation even more awkward.

Bai Zhi didn’t get angry. She just watched Liu and Old Mrs. Bai with a smirk. "I know exactly what you’re thinking. But don’t forget, Uncle Hu is an unmarried man, and my mother is an unwed woman. Even if something were to happen between them in the future, it would be perfectly reasonable and have absolutely nothing to do with you. Understand?"

Zhao Lan’s face burned. She quickly tugged on Bai Zhi’s sleeve. "Zhi’er, what nonsense are you spouting? Stop saying such things."

Old Mrs. Bai knew she wouldn’t get anywhere with this topic, so she brushed it aside. "Let’s not talk about that. We came today because we need to ask you something."

Hu Changlin turned and placed the dumplings on the table. To escape the awkwardness, he went out into the courtyard.

Hu Feng, for his part, went to the back to tend the fire so the rest of the dumplings in the pot wouldn’t overcook.

Old Mrs. Bai and Liu came out of the room, their eyes glued to the dumplings on the table. At last, they couldn’t help but ask, "What is that? Why does it smell so fragrant?"

Bai Zhi said, "It’s our food. And yes, it’s just this fragrant. As for the taste? Well, it’s countless times better than wild vegetables."

Liu gave a forced laugh. "Well, of course. Anything made with white flour is bound to taste better than wild vegetables." It was a shame their family didn’t even have wild vegetables to eat today.

Zhao Lan didn’t want to waste any more words with them. "What do you want from us?" she asked directly. "Just say it."

Liu glanced at Old Mrs. Bai. Even though they had come together, it was up to the old matriarch to make the request. After all, she was the elder. Zhao Lan would have to show her some deference, wouldn’t she? 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Old Mrs. Bai cleared her throat and forced a smile onto her wrinkled face—a smile that looked even uglier than if she had been crying.

"Well, it’s like this. We’ve run out of rice at home. Your sister-in-law here didn’t tell me until just now. It’s gotten so late that it’s too late to buy more, so we thought we’d come and borrow a little from you."

Bai Zhi sneered. "Borrow ’a little’? I wonder how much ’a little’ is to you?" ’She really did want to know—just what was this old hag’s definition of ’a little’?’