In the past, when Li Maihong said such things, her daughter would argue with her.
Women blinded by love were all fools, and Bai Xiaotong was no exception.
In her heart, Chen Xiangjun was simply the best, and she wouldn’t accept any argument against it.
Li Maihong couldn’t persuade her, and her daughter wouldn’t listen no matter how she tried to manage her. Not wanting to turn their relationship into one of open hostility, Li Maihong had adopted a wait-and-see attitude over the past six months.
Her daughter was already unhappy due to her troubled love life, and Li Maihong didn’t want to add to her distress or push her to the brink.
Today, however, her daughter had suddenly come to her senses.
Li Maihong certainly wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by and sincerely offered her comfort.
Become a concubine in the imperial palace?
Bai Xiaotong couldn’t help but laugh when she heard this, then lowered her voice and said, “Mom, you really shouldn’t say things like that.” If someone overheard, they could be taken away for re-education.
Li Maihong: “Of course I know that. It’s just a metaphor.”
Bai Xiaotong nodded. “Mom, I understand. Chen Xiangjun is a thing of the past for me now. From now on, I’ll be myself, and he’ll be himself. Let’s not mention him anymore. As for family matters, I’ll listen to you.”
In last night’s dream, after her own death, she had dragged her mother down with her.
The once vibrant woman had become like a walking corpse, and within a few years, she had succumbed to depression and illness, passing away shortly after.
Now that she had awakened from the dream, Bai Xiaotong was determined to make amends and not let her family worry.
Seeing that her daughter had come around, Li Maihong was overjoyed and immediately fetched two eggs to make egg pancakes for her.
Bai Xiaotong said, “Mom, I stayed up late last night and would like to take the day off to rest at home.”
“Alright. You rest, and I’ll go ask for leave on your behalf…”
After breakfast, Li Maihong told her daughter to go to bed obediently and left the house with a vegetable basket.
Once Li Maihong was gone, Bai Xiaotong quickly boiled a bucket of hot water, carried it into her room, and hid in a corner to wipe herself down.
She had broken into a sweat last night as if she had been in a battle, and now that she was clean, she felt much more refreshed.
She had originally wanted to go to the public bathhouse, but it would have been too conspicuous, and she was afraid people might spread rumors, so she had to make do with this for now.
Bai Xiaotong lay on the bed, rubbing her sore waist, and soon fell asleep.
Meanwhile.
Li Maihong, carrying her vegetable basket, first went to the factory to ask the workshop supervisor for a day’s sick leave for her daughter. After that, she headed to the market, planning to buy some good food to nourish her daughter. As she passed by the large outdoor sports field, she spotted her niece, Hu Xiulan.
Hu Xiulan was standing under a tree, talking to Cao Xiaoli.
Cao Xiaoli looked furious and was complaining about being taken to the security department.
Earlier, after being caught by Lu Ling, Cao Xiaoli and another female worker had become suspects in a fabric theft case and were taken away for investigation. They had only just been released.
Hu Xiulan apologized, “I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble this time. Let’s go to a restaurant for lunch—my treat.”
Hu Xiulan was sincere, but Cao Xiaoli waved her off. “No need. This isn’t your fault. If anyone’s to blame, it’s Bai Xiaotong. How could she take a liking to someone like Lu Ling? She did those shameful things and tried to cover them up. I always knew she had no shame, but who would have thought she was secretly fooling around behind everyone’s backs?”
Although Cao Xiaoli had taken over Bai Xiaotong’s position as the announcer, it was only a temporary replacement.
Bai Xiaotong had been transferred to the dyeing workshop as a form of punishment and re-education, but there was still a chance she could return to the broadcasting station.
Naturally, Cao Xiaoli wanted to seize the opportunity to have the factory fire Bai Xiaotong once and for all, securing her own position.
Cao Xiaoli’s words were harsh.
Hu Xiulan thought for a moment and said, “Maybe Xiaotong suddenly came to her senses last night and left in the end.”
Cao Xiaoli exclaimed excitedly, “That’s impossible! I saw with my own eyes that she went toward the warehouse after the party. Lu Ling is already a troublemaker, and he was drugged—how could he possibly hold back? They definitely ended up in bed together.”
Cao Xiaoli spoke with certainty.
Hu Xiulan fell somewhat silent.
Lu Ling wasn’t someone who could be easily won over—she had known this from her past life.
However, since Bai Xiaotong had delivered herself to his doorstep, he probably couldn’t resist and wouldn’t have pushed her away.
It seemed likely that the two of them had done everything possible last night.
What was unclear was why they were now on the same side. When they went to find them in the morning, Bai Xiaotong hadn’t even come running out.
She was so foolish—with a few coaxing words from them outside, she should have rushed out immediately.
Hu Xiulan also couldn’t quite figure it out.
Cao Xiaoli nudged her shoulder lightly. “By the way, did you manage to intercept Bai Xiaotong near the back door of the warehouse earlier?”
After their morning plan to catch the adulterers failed, the two of them hadn’t given up.
Cao Xiaoli had taken people to spy from the flowerbeds, while Hu Xiulan had waited near the back door closest to the warehouse to intercept anyone.
Unfortunately, both had failed.
Just as Hu Xiulan was about to shake her head, she caught sight of Li Maihong approaching out of the corner of her eye.
She quickly dropped the topic and turned to greet Li Maihong. “Auntie.”
Li Maihong hadn’t intended to acknowledge her, but being called out, she stopped and looked at the person a few steps away with a cold sneer, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Don’t call me auntie—I don’t deserve it.”
Back then, to help this niece of hers, Li Maihong had let her stay and eat at their home. When the textile factory was recruiting, Hu Xiulan had submitted her application, and Li Maihong had even pulled some strings and put in effort. Otherwise, how could a country girl like her have gotten a job in the city?
Who would have thought she’d let a wolf into the house? Out of all the people Hu Xiulan could have pursued, she had to go after Chen Xiangjun.
Everyone in the factory district knew that Li Maihong’s daughter and Chen Xiangjun were childhood sweethearts who had feelings for each other. They were just still in high school and hadn’t yet made things official.
But Hu Xiulan acted as if she were blind and deaf, inserting herself between the two as a cousin. Over time, things started to change.
Li Maihong wasn’t stupid.
She knew what Hu Xiulan was after—to stay in the city and marry into a good family.
There was nothing wrong with having such aspirations, but in such a big city, it wasn’t as if there were no other men. She shouldn’t have repaid kindness with betrayal, using her schemes against her own cousin.
The moment rumors started spreading about Hu Xiulan and Chen Xiangjun, Li Maihong had grown cold toward this niece. Now, her face was filled with disgust.
Hu Xiulan didn’t seem embarrassed and even smiled at her.
Li Maihong scoffed and walked away without another word.
Once she was far enough away, Cao Xiaoli said to Hu Xiulan, “With that kind of attitude from her, why even bother greeting her?”
Hu Xiulan sighed. “No matter what, she’s still my aunt. If she hadn’t let me stay at her house back then, I wouldn’t have had the chance to get into the factory.”
Cao Xiaoli said, “You’re just too kind-hearted…”
Third Residential Compound.
Bai Xiaotong slept soundly and didn’t get up until Li Maihong had finished preparing lunch, yawning as she climbed out of bed.
At the dining table, Li Maihong discussed with her daughter the plan to take her to the department store in the afternoon to look at fabrics. The cloth ration coupons for next month had been issued, and they could save up to make a new dress for her daughter.
Now that her daughter had let go of that Chen Xiangjun, Li Maihong wanted to dress her up beautifully, hoping she’d find a new romance soon—someone even more handsome and better off than Chen Xiangjun.
“Mom, let’s do it in a few days.”
Bai Xiaotong couldn’t afford to waste time on such matters—she had to find Lu Ling and get to the bottom of what was going on between them.
After finishing her meal and changing clothes, Bai Xiaotong made up an excuse, saying she was going to see Zhang Wenwen. With a red scarf in hand, she headed out.
Lu Ling lived in the large, mixed-courtyard compound north of the factory area. It was a bit of a walk, taking about twenty minutes.
This area didn’t belong to the textile factory; it was a neighborhood of street housing. The residents weren’t just factory workers—there were also longtime locals living there, making the environment rather chaotic. Bai Xiaotong had never ventured inside before, only passing by occasionally.
Bai Xiaotong knew where Lu Ling lived—she had seen it in her dream the night before.
Lu Ling had been on night watch at the warehouse last night, so he should have been resting at home at this hour.
As she entered the narrow alley, Bai Xiaotong felt a bit nervous, unsure of what that person was really thinking.