She has a son and a daughter. Her son is married and has a grandson. They live in one room, rarely go out or work, and spend the old coupleās money all day. Heās worse than useless; at least he can fend for himself.
He and his wife are the parasites of the family.
No wonder Aunt Wu works so hard; with a son like that, she has to fight to support her family. Given Aunt Wuās current situation, Qu Liushou is even more convinced that Aunt Wu is the one who stole their paintings.
Aunt Wuās husband lives in one room and goes out every day. Her unmarried daughter lives in another room and also goes out to work.
The remaining space is only a kitchen and a bathroom. The rooms are very tight, with no spare space. Itās impossible to sneak in at night.
If Aunt Wu took the items, she would have put them in the room she shares with her husband.
Therefore, he plans to take a risk and sneak into Aunt Wuās house during the daytime tomorrow to search their room.
To avoid her son discovering him, he has prepared a wooden stick. If he gets caught, heāll knock out the couple first.
After returning home from Aunt Wuās alley, Qu Liushou noticed Ye Qing at his doorstep.
Qu Liushou quickly scanned the surroundings nervously and scolded with a smile, "Why have you come? Didnāt you say itās best we donāt meet recently?"
Ye Qing looks around, doesnāt answer Qu Liushouās question, but says, "Donāt talk about this now, letās go inside and talk."
Ye Qing was very cautious, parking her car far from Qu Liushouās house. She waited at his doorstep with a scarf covering her face for a long time.
Qu Liushou noticed she seemed to have something urgent, so he quickly opened the door. "Whatās the matter? Why come over so late?"
"Itās urgent. Youāve been targeted lately; I think you should go into hiding."
"What? Where can I hide?" Qu Liushou was surprised and snorted.
"Go to another city and hide for a while." Ye Qing was like an ant on a hot pan, anxious and eager for Qu Liushou to vanish immediately.
"Ye Qing, arenāt you a bit too nervous? Those police have been monitoring us day and night but havenāt seen anything with me, so theyāve backed off. Besides, Iām all set with Aunt Wu, planning to sneak in and check things out tomorrow."
"No, youāre not going tomorrow. Iāve already arranged for Aunt Wu to stay home. Besides, itās not the time to talk about this now; youāve been exposed, and you canāt stay in the Capital City. Hereās some money for you to go into hiding."
Upon hearing money, Qu Liushou feigned contemplation, "This? Have I really been exposed?"
"Of course, I heard it from the Mei Family- theyāre planning to act against you tomorrow, so you should leave, as far as possible," said Ye Qing, handing Qu Liushou five hundred dollars. "This money is enough for you to stay outside for a while."
Five hundred dollars, he certainly wasnāt foolish enough to refuse it; though he was secretly delighted, he appeared slightly dissatisfied, "Thatās too little, isnāt it? Going outside requires money all the time, renting a place now costs at least ten dollars, plus I canāt cook, so I spend money every day on three meals. Five hundred isnāt nearly enough."
"Five hundred is plenty; spending it wisely, one person can make it last for several months," Ye Qing retorted coldly.
"No way. Once I leave, Iāll definitely lose my job, losing a secure livelihood with no guarantee for the future. I need a thousand, must be a thousand."
Ye Qing watched Qu Liushou haggling, feeling a bit annoyed, but realizing that if he didnāt leave and Mei Langchi said something tomorrow, theyād certainly catch him.
No doubt someone like Qu Liushou wouldnāt withstand intimidation. If the Mei Family interrogated him, he might betray her, ruining everything; forget divorce; she wouldnāt be able to escape, risking imprisonment by the Mei Family.
If Qu Liushou leaves and they canāt find him, Mei Langchiās claims wouldnāt matter; she can deny everything.
Without Qu Liushou, they have no witness- sheāll dictate the narrative.
Gritting her teeth, weighing the future, Ye Qing can only agree to Qu Liushouās demand, "Fine, a thousand. You should pack tonight and leave immediately."
"Alright, alright. When will I get the money?" Qu Liushou looked at the five hundred in his hand, already imagining the extra five hundred; he was overjoyed.
"Iāll go home and get it now. You should pack your things quickly." Ye Qing frowned, looking at his exuberance, turned with disgust and left.
Not only did she fail to get any goods, but now she has to provide a thousand dollars. Ye Qing felt quite displeased.
Most of the money she fought for in the past six months was spent on the Mei Family.
Beyond what she recently spent on Old Mrs. Mei, Xie Lingzhi, and the hefty sums Langchi occasionally requested, now she has to "clean up" after Qu Liushou.
Ye Qing realized that the past six months hadnāt gone smoothly.
After Ye Qing left, Qu Liushou indeed packed some clothes and valuable items he could carry.
Since heās leaving, with this money, he plans to sneak into Aunt Wuās place once everyone leaves tomorrow morning to see if he strikes it rich. If not, heāll grab whateverās valuable.
Heāll leave with the loot instantly, challenging anyone to find him.
The more Qu Liushou thought, the more pleased he became. When Ye Qing returned an hour later with an additional five hundred dollars.
Qu Liushou locked his door in front of Ye Qing, carrying his things as he walked out.
Seeing Qu Liushou walk off, Ye Qing sighed in relief.
She drove straight back to her little courtyard, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.
Sheās puzzled about Langchiās intentions, unwilling to divorce her but opting to inform the Mei Family against her, intending to make her life increasingly challenging in the Mei Family.
Ye Qing thought over the night, arriving at one solution: if the current situation becomes untenable, sheāll secretly leave, similar to last time, selling the factory, taking her child, and starting anew.