Chapter 354: Chapter 348_1 Chapter 354: Chapter 348_1 “Eh, Xiaoi, you haven’t gone back yet? Has sothing happened?” Lin Yue was eating when she saw Li Xiaoi return hurriedly, sowhat surprised, especially since she seed so rushed, she guessed sothing must have happened.
Li Xiaoi felt that speaking outside was not safe, fearing that soone might overhear, “Sister-in-law, let’s go inside and talk.”
Once inside the house, Li Xiaoi inford Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue about the theft of the sweet potatoes, “Sister-in-law, I reckon this must have been done by an insider, an outsider can’t get into the workshop, let alone steal the sweet potatoes without anyone noticing. It’s infuriating, and if I hadn’t paid special attention today, I wouldn’t have noticed.”
Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue were initially angry to hear that soone had stolen the sweet potatoes, that despite being vigilant, there still was an internal thief. Human nature is particularly unpredictable. But seeing Li Xiaoi seething with indignation, they couldn’t help but shake their heads with a smile, which made them feel much less frustrated.
Although Li Xiaoi had a bad reputation in the village before, the tasks Lin Yue had given her lately, she perford exceptionally well, treating them with even more importance than her own family’s matters. Now, one reason Li Xiaoi wanted to earn money for her family was because of the division in her old ho, and another was sothing Lin Yue had seen before: that at her core, Li Xiaoi was a decent person. Even though she appeared to have many small faults and shortcomings, she wasn’t greedy or insatiable. To the extent that you were good to her, she sincerely kept it in her heart and repaid you with her actions.
With Li Xiaoi able to do such things, Zhao Erhu, who had previously been prejudiced against Zhao Cheng and his wife, had co to really think this couple was not bad these past few days. Not to ntion how hard Li Xiaoi worked for their family, Zhao Cheng also worked tirelessly when it ca to labor, his dedication motivating many others. Consider, if a lazy person usually could work so hard, then the rest could not bear to fall behind and would put forth their greatest effort.
“Brother, Sister-in-law, I’ve got our Zhao Cheng hiding near the workshop keeping an eye out. You need to co up with a plan quickly. Who knows how much of our sweet potatoes this damn thief has taken,” said Li Xiaoi, increasingly anxious seeing Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue seemingly unperturbed.
Lin Yue soothingly patted Li Xiaoi’s hand, “Don’t worry, there’s not much we can do about this kind of thing except to keep a close watch and wait for the thief to fall into the trap.”
“What, wait for the pig to catch a rabbit? What’s that an? Make it clear, sister-in-law.” Li Xiaoi, the rural woman, though quick with words, actually could barely recognize a few characters and really didn’t grasp what Lin Yue ant.
Zhao Erhu kindly explained to Li Xiaoi, “It ans secretly having people keep watch, waiting for the inside thief to show up.”
“So that’s what you ant, sister-in-law. You’re smart, but you speak in such a roundabout way, I almost didn’t understand. Then, Zhao Cheng and I will continue to keep watch, and you should co over quickly. Zhao Cheng is slow on his feet; I’m afraid he won’t be able to catch the thief if he finds him. It’s safer to rely on Brother Erhu,” Li Xiaoi said, hoping Zhao Cheng could be a bit more formidable, so if they caught the thief, he could claim so credit. But she knew well what her husband was like; if he let the thief escape, it would be a loss.
“Alright, you two keep watch for a bit. I’m going to discuss a plan with Zhao Erhu. One person certainly isn’t enough; we need to call a few more people to take turns keeping watch. We’ll co to replace you as soon as we have arranged for the manpower. You and Zhao Cheng also be careful, and if it’s not safe, just hide and don’t co out. The thief, having tasted the sweetness, won’t stop just because no one has found out. There will be a ti when we catch him,” Lin Yue said, unsure if the thief was alone or with others. She warned Li Xiaoi, eager to catch the thief without regard for safety, and only let her leave after giving these instructions.
“Wife, you stay at ho. I’m going to call so people over,” said Zhao Erhu, feeling the urgency of the matter. He hurriedly finished the last few bites of food in his bowl and went out to call for help.
Dalang and Erhu followed upon seeing the situation, “Dad, we’ll go with you.”
Zhao Erhu nodded, “That’s good, more people will speed things up.” Dalang and Erhu were now capable of handling many things. They could help by going to call people, no problem at all. Sanlang and Silang would stay behind at ho to keep Lin Yue company.
Lin Yue, who usually didn’t eat much at night, had lost her appetite entirely, considering Zhao Cheng and his wife hadn’t eaten yet and their two children were waiting for a al at ho. If they were to go ho to cook, this evening’s incident would certainly cause a delay. Glancing at the rice stear, which still contained quite a bit of rice, Lin Yue stir-fried a couple of more dishes. Once Zhao Erhu had called people over to relieve them, she planned to invite them to have dinner at her place.
Lin Yue, thinking of Li Xiaoi asking for sweet potatoes, put a few in the stove to bake.
“Mom, we’re back.” Dalang and Erhu had split up to act independently and, at this mont, they even returned before Zhao Erhu did.
Just as Lin Yue was about to go to Zhao’s old house to call Li Xiaoi’s children over, she saw Dalang and Erhu return. She sent them on the errand, “Dalang, Erhu, since you guys are back, could you go to your fourth uncle’s and ask his two sons to co over for dinner?”
“Understood, Mom, we’re heading there now.” After Lin Yue finished speaking, Dalang and Erhu dashed out like the wind. Seeing them hurrying, Lin Yue repeatedly reminded them from behind, “Be careful, you two. Don’t run so fast. It’s nearly dark. Pay more attention to the road, and don’t fall.”
Before long, Zhao Erhu ca back as well, and Zhao Dahuo, Wu Qiang, Liu Aniu, and two of the more trustworthy long-term workers from their ho had all arrived quickly upon receiving the news.
“Erhu, what’s the matter that you called us here?” Zhao Dahuo had been notified by Dalang and Erhu. Seeing their hurried appearance and being urged to co quickly, he thought there must be so grave matter. He’d rushed over without delay and imdiately inquired upon entering.
Upon learning it was a theft in the workshop, Zhao Dahuo, like Li Xiaoi, was much enraged. In his view, working for the Zhao Family paid better than most places, and jobs were hard to co by during this season. It was outrageous to think that soone would target such a generous household, a household that was downright rotten to the core in their actions.
“So that’s what happened. The human heart is unpredictable, and there are all sorts of people in the world, especially when it cos to their interests. Most likely, the thief stole the sweet potatoes to sell them for money. Brother Dahu, don’t be too angry.”
Wu Qiang, who knew the full story, wasn’t surprised. The Zhao Family had hired so many workers this ti, and even with careful selection, it was impossible to guarantee that all were honest. So people simply had not had the chance to misbehave yet, which is why no one knew their true character. There would always be a few with hidden agendas.
“Erhu, you’ve called us here; what are your plans? Do we have any leads on who the thief is?”
Reviews
All reviews (0)