Upon hearing this, Wu Cuicui said, "Xiao Rui has had it pretty rough, actually. She worked so hard to get into university, and then your cousin ruined her life by getting her pregnant. She just ended up staying home to take care of the children."
"Sigh, and the kids have their own problems, while her husband was out cheating on her. Her whole bright future was ruined. She left her home and family, and in the end... Sigh. In short, the fact that Xiao Rui can still take such good care of her two children at a time like this proves she’s a good woman."
Yang Jianguo nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, Jianming is a real piece of work! But he’s my cousin, so I can’t completely cut ties with him. When you’re in the village, try to put in a good word for Xiao Rui. After all, she’s Pingping and An’an’s mother. Let’s just treat her like family."
Wu Cuicui nodded and gestured at the fish. "The fact that she caught such a great fish and still thought of us shows she’s easy to get along with. Don’t worry, I’ll look out for her in the village."
The next day, Yang Jianguo woke up early, cleaned and gutted the fish, and washed the innards until they were spotless.
He set aside three pounds of fish for Village Chief Liu, cut another three pounds for his second uncle, and had Wu Cuicui take all the rest over to Han Xiaorui.
Early in the morning, Han Xiaorui heard a knock on the door. When she saw it was Wu Cuicui, she quickly smiled. "Sister Cuicui, please come in. You’ve already dealt with the fish? You and Big Brother must have been up since five!"
Wu Cuicui was touched to hear Han Xiaorui call her ’sister.’ She took Han Xiaorui’s hand. "Xiao Rui, since you call me ’sister,’ that makes you my little sister. From now on, if you need anything in the village, just say the word."
"Thank you, Sister Cuicui. That’s what I told Big Brother, too. Yang Jianming is a piece of work, but the rest of the Yang Family is pretty decent. I’ll still need support from you and Big Brother in the future."
Just then, Song Sixth’s van pulled up to the entrance. Han Xiaoqing emerged from the house, leading her nieces, Pingping and An’an.
Han Xiaorui crouched down, looked into her two daughters’ eyes, and said softly, "Pingping, An’an, this is your Eldest Auntie."
Wu Cuicui looked at Pingping and An’an with hope in her eyes. As their Eldest Auntie, she also wanted her nieces to be happy and well.
She and her husband only had one daughter. When she and her husband passed away, the closest relatives her daughter would have in the world would be these two younger cousins.
Pingping and An’an sensed Wu Cuicui’s kindness and mustered their courage. "Eld...est Auntie!"
Wu Cuicui was so happy for the two children that her nose tingled. She patted Pingping’s and An’an’s heads. "Good girls. I’m making puffed rice candy today. Why don’t you come over to my house this afternoon to have some, okay?"
"Mhm!" Pingping and An’an both nodded. They didn’t know what puffed rice candy was, but whenever they heard the "okay?" part of a question, they were already in the habit of saying "okay."
"Uncle Song, please drive slowly and be safe," Han Xiaorui instructed, waving to her sister and daughters.
Song Sixth laughed. "Don’t you worry when I’m behind the wheel."
The two children were pressed against the car window. "Goodbye, Mama!"
Wu Cuicui watched the van drive away, wiping her eyes. "Xiao Rui, Pingping and An’an are going to be just fine."
"Mhm, I believe so too," Han Xiaorui said with a smile. "Sister Cuicui, I have to guide the police to the spot where I found that reconnaissance device, so I can’t ask you to stay. This afternoon, I’ll bring Pingping and An’an over to play with Nannan."
"Sounds good!" Wu Cuicui beamed. "I won’t keep you then. Put this fish in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. It won’t affect the taste."
Han Xiaorui finished packing and hurried to the pier with a bucket in hand.
Ye Feng and the young officer from yesterday were already waiting there. It was now 7:15 AM.
"I’m sorry, I had a guest show up at home," Han Xiaorui said, panting as she apologized to Ye Feng.
Han Xiaorui’s hair was a mess, her face was pale, and she was panting for breath. ’Can a woman this frail really handle the rough sea?’ Ye Feng worried.
Wang Liang frowned. "Ms. Han, be on time from now on!"
Han Xiaorui rolled her eyes, not about to put up with him. "Listen, kid, if you don’t know how to speak properly, then don’t speak at all. You offend someone every time you open your mouth. Are you getting on the boat or not?"
She hopped onto the boat and went into the cabin.
Stung by her remark, Wang Liang retorted, "Ms. Han Xiaorui, it is your duty to cooperate with our investigation."
"Heh. If I’d known you were going to treat me like a criminal, I wouldn’t have bothered retrieving that device in the first place."
"What about your sense of civic duty?" Wang Liang blurted out. He was new to the job, letting a personal grudge get in the way, and was desperate to make a name for himself. He’d been so antsy he wished he could’ve skipped sleeping and gone out to find the location last night.
Ye Feng’s brow furrowed slightly. ’How did the local office assign me such a greenhorn as a liaison?’
"Wang Liang, shut your mouth."
"If you’re going to lecture a civilian about her duty, you’d better watch your own attitude."
Wang Liang might dare to glare at Han Xiaorui, but he wouldn’t dare talk back to Ye Feng.
Ye Feng apologized to Han Xiaorui. "Ms. Han, my colleague is just a bit too eager. Please don’t take it to heart."
Han Xiaorui’s expression was grim. Fulfilling her civic duty was the right thing to do. But she was doing a good deed. Forget getting a thank you; for him to be so damn cocky in front of her with that terrible attitude was unacceptable.
"I do mind. If I find any more reconnaissance devices or anything of the sort, I demand that he not be assigned as my contact."
"This is my job, you can’t—" Wang Liang said anxiously, sweat beading on his forehead. He hadn’t expected an ordinary woman like Han Xiaorui to be so unyielding.
’If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have tried to stick up for my cousin.’
"Yes, I can!" Han Xiaorui narrowed her eyes, her sharp gaze seeming to pierce right through Wang Liang. "I’m certain I don’t know you, but I can feel your contempt for me, even your disgust."
"You and I have no history, yet you’re targeting me like this. So, if you’re not a foreign spy, then one of your relatives must hold a personal grudge against me."
"Let me think... who could that be?"
"I’m a woman from out of town who married into this place; I can count the people who have it out for me on one hand. My ex-husband, Yang Jianming, is a scumbag, but he’s also self-important. He wouldn’t go through you to get to me."
"That leaves my former mother-in-law, but she doesn’t have any relatives with the surname Wang, and she doesn’t have that kind of influence. The only one left is... Zhang Lili. Who is Zhang Lili to you?"
As Han Xiaorui spoke, Wang Liang’s expression grew increasingly awkward.
Ye Feng was an external transfer. Thinking back to Wang Liang’s strange behavior the previous night, he had assumed the young man just had an attitude problem and an unprofessional approach.
’A personal grudge would be one thing, but if he’s a foreign spy, this could become a major incident!’
"Wang Liang, give me a reasonable explanation right now, or I’m reporting you for a formal investigation."
Wang Liang averted his gaze. ’Being accused of mixing professional and personal matters is probably better than being suspected as a spy.’ "Zhang Lili is my cousin!"
"Tch!" Han Xiaorui scoffed, rolling her eyes. As she started the boat, her voice dripped with sarcasm. "With a sense of duty like that, how can you possibly do your job right? And you’re here trying to play hero for her? Do you have any idea your cousin was Yang Jianming’s mistress? A professional homewrecker who got knocked up out of wedlock!"
"Of course, it takes two to tango. Yang Jianming is no saint, either. I’ve already divorced him—kicked him to the curb. One is despicable, the other is shameless. Are they really the kind of people worth fighting for?"