CHAPTER 392: CHAPTER 392 HELP OUT

Shen Yiguang had just stepped out when he saw Zhang Minghua scolding Yang Peiying furiously, "Are you stupid or what? Do you believe everything people say? Would you even believe them if they said she’s your mother? Don’t you have chores at home to do? And yet, you’ve gone to help others with their work?"

Yang Peiying simply bowed her head, not daring to retort.

Shen Yiguang hurried to mediate, "Mom, let’s talk things over calmly. Yingzi is grown up now, and she has her own thoughts."

Finding someone to pour her grievances to, Zhang Minghua continued, "Ah Guang, you talk to her. That Miss Lin next door pretends to feel unwell and lured her over to watch the kids and work. Leaving a pile of things to do at home, she actually went to help others. Can you tell me how her brain works? Did she cook at home? Did she collect the clothes? Did she feed the chickens?"

Shen Yixiang stood in the doorway of the kitchen, speaking softly, "Auntie, I’ve already cooked the meal, and the chickens have been fed. It’s just the clothes that haven’t been collected yet. I’ll go take care of it. These past few days, Yingzi has been working hard. She’s been doing things inside and out all by herself. Maybe she just wanted to talk with Miss Lin for a bit, to relax a little."

Zhang Minghua’s anger subsided somewhat, "When can’t she go out to play? When can’t she talk? We don’t forbid her from going out as long as she finishes her own work. Anytime is fine after she’s done. She’s always been in charge of cooking, and suddenly she leaves without saying a word, leaving everyone thinking she’s busy in the kitchen waiting for the meal. What makes me even angrier is that if the neighbor really had an emergency, it would be fine to help out. That’s the right thing to do. But guess what I saw when I went there? I saw her and Brother Qu helping Miss Lin twist the quilt in the yard, and what was Miss Lin doing? Sitting in the house eating sunflower seeds! Tell me, isn’t she missing a few screws?"

Shen Yixiang widened her eyes in surprise, "That really is... Yingzi, why would you..."

She hadn’t finished speaking when Shen Yiguang gave her a stern look and addressed Zhang Minghua, "Did you carefully ask Yingzi about this matter? We all know what Yingzi’s like; she’s soft-hearted and easily embarrassed. She can’t say no to people’s requests, and she can’t see through when others are deceitful. It’s just her kind nature, and it’s not a big mistake. Mom, don’t scold her anymore. Let’s hear what she has to say."

Zhang Minghua finally stopped her tirade, calming down another notch, "You see things more clearly than us. Her father and I are not like that; we don’t know why she turned out this way." She couldn’t help but lament a few more words.

"Now hurry up and cook. We can talk about this after we finish the meal. Oh, and we need to make ginger water for your sister."

Yang Peiying hurried into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Shen Yixiang asked Yang Peiying, "Yingzi, what actually happened? Was it Lin Shuangmei who asked you over? What did she say?"

Now Yang Peiying’s eyes were a bit red, "I don’t know, she said she felt unwell, as if she ate something wrong today, she was vomiting and had diarrhea. Her parents were about to come home from work, and the meal wasn’t ready yet; her little brother was fussing, and she was really at a loss. So someone came to ask me to help out, just saying to cook the meals, and there was no need to do anything else."

"And what about what auntie said about you and Qu twisting quilts?"

Hearing this, Yang Peiying’s face turned as red as a cooked shrimp, and she feared Shen Yixiang would misunderstand. Shaking her head vigorously, she insisted, "No, it was like this—Shuang Mei’s little brother had an accident on the quilt. There was water and... well, she was almost in tears. It’s the only quilt they have in their house, and she was worried her mother would beat her if she found out when she came home. She wanted me to help her wash it so we could dry it by the stove—then if her mother saw it, she’d only scold her, not beat her... Her family is different from ours; her parents only care about her little brother, and they don’t listen to much of what she has to say..."

Shen Yixiang’s eyes widened, "So you helped her wash the quilt, and when you couldn’t wring it out alone, Brother Qu saw and came over to help?"

Yang Peiying nodded repeatedly, "Sister Yixiang, how did you know?"

Shen Yixiang rolled her eyes, "I could guess it with my knees. I will never believe that Brother Qu didn’t have his sights on you. Yingzi, tell me, what exactly did Brother Qu say to you?"

Yang Peiying’s face turned red again, and she hurriedly said, "Sister Yixiang, you’ve misunderstood. Brother Qu was just being enthusiastic and came to help. He didn’t say anything special to me, just mentioned some interesting things that happened at the factory."

Shen Yixiang shook her head, "Yingzi, you’re still too naive. When does a man not start by getting close to a girl when chasing her..." As she spoke more and more, she felt something was wrong. Ah, wasn’t this also the case with Lu Haijun?

Yang Peiying, seeing Shen Yixiang suddenly blushing, was confused, "Sister Yixiang, what’s the matter? Why is your face suddenly so red? Are you feeling unwell?"

Shen Yixiang fanned her face with her hand, feeling a bit uneasy, "It’s nothing, maybe it’s just too hot in this kitchen. By the way, why did that auntie say she saw Lin Shuangmei in the room eating sunflower seeds again?"

Yang Peiying shook her head, her face also full of bewilderment, "I don’t know. Shuangmei said she felt unwell, so sick she couldn’t even get up from bed, but somehow she got up to eat sunflower seeds. She will only make her diarrhea worse by eating them..."

Shen Yixiang was somewhat speechless. She suddenly understood how Zhang Minghua had felt earlier and couldn’t help but say, "Yingzi, haven’t you ever thought that she was pretending, just to trick you into doing the work?"

Yang Peiying was surprised, "Why would she trick me? We usually get along fine, and she doesn’t seem like that kind of person. Sometimes, when I’m too busy, she even comes over to help me. She isn’t lazy."

Shen Yixiang said exasperatedly, "Can’t you see? She is creating opportunities for you and Brother Qu to meet, so that you have the chance to interact, and it’s in their courtyard, where people come and go. Even if there’s nothing between you two, after a few visits, if there was nothing, there will be something."

Yang Peiying still didn’t understand, "But why would she do that?"

Shen Yixiang felt like kneeling down in frustration, "Of course Lin Shuangmei has received some benefit from Brother Qu."

Yang Peiying fell silent.

Shen Yixiang gave her a look, "Yingzi, what do you think about this? Whether Lin Shuangmei is sincere to you or not, can’t you feel it?"

Yang Peiying shook her head, "She is quite good to me. She often comes to chat with me and has taught me many things. It’s the first time I learned that broken clothes can be mended not just by sewing, but also by embroidering over them, which conceals the traces of mending."