Chapter 8 Bad Intentions

So Luo Qiao hurriedly left the space, thinking she would come back in the evening to have a good look around.

When it was getting dark, Lu Yichen returned and knocked on the door to hand Luo Qiao a household registration book. Luo Qiao, surprised, accepted it and said, "Thank you, I didn't expect it to be processed so quickly."

What Luo Qiao didn't know was that this household registration book was not easy to obtain, especially since Luo Qiao was a minor setting up her own household—it was thanks to Lu Yichen pulling some strings that she was able to get it.

For some reason, Lu Yichen just wanted to help her get it sorted out sooner rather than later, fearing that further complications might arise if they waited.

Luckily, Lu Yichen had personally taken care of it that afternoon. Had they waited for the team leader to have time to handle it, who knows how long it would have taken.

Lu Yichen said, "Tomorrow the village will find someone to help you clean up the Youth League residence, if you're feeling better, you can pick out which room you want to live in."

Luo Qiao gratefully said, "Thank you, Brother Lu."

No sooner had the two of them finished talking when they heard someone else come in. Lu Yichen said, "Auntie Gao is here."

Lu Yichen introduced Luo Qiao, saying, "This is Auntie Gao from the team leader's family; she has been taking care of you."

Luo Qiao said gratefully, "Auntie, thank you for all the trouble."

Meanwhile, at the Zhao Family's home, Zhao Pulin's elder brother Zhao Changlin, his sister-in-law Liu Fang, and his younger sister Zhao Chunli, and brother-in-law Jia Mingshan were all gathered together discussing Luo Qiao.

Zhao Changlin said, "Such a big decision, and you made it without discussing it first. Yesterday, in front of the whole village, you took the Luo Family's money, promising to take care of Luo Qiao.

How come, after just one night, you changed your minds, causing a stir that the whole village knows you're disowning Luo Qiao? If one day the Luo Family returns to see Luo Qiao, how will you explain it to them?"

Gao Suhua said, "Big Brother, if the Luo Family cared about her, they wouldn't have left her in the village. Our family already has six daughters, we really don't lack one more. Besides, we truly can't afford to keep her."

Zhao Chunli, the Zhao Family's younger daughter, said, "Sister-in-law, are you saying Luo Qiao really isn't our Zhao Family's child?"

Gao Suhua replied, "Indeed. At that time, I was so weak after giving birth; the child was frail, and knowing it was another daughter, I didn't have the heart to care for her, and she didn't survive.

Your second brother was coming back to the village to borrow a cart to take us home, and the couple in the same ward had abandoned Luo Qiao there, so I thought we might as well raise her if it came to that.

But before I could even discuss it with your brother, the Luo couple said they wanted to raise a daughter, and that's when we exchanged the children."

Zhao Chunli said, "So, you're saying the Luo Family doesn't know that Luo Qiao isn't our Zhao Family's child?"

Gao Suhua replied, "Yes, they don't know."

Zhao Chunli went on, "Sister-in-law, are you not thinking clearly? Luo Qiao is already fifteen; in another two or three years, she could be married off. Plus, a girl that age can help out around the house."

Gao Suhua argued, "Forget it, haven't you seen how skinny that child is, like a stick? Moreover, she lost so much blood yesterday that she nearly couldn't be saved. The doctor said she's too weak, that even if she recovers, she won't be able to do any heavy work.

Fortunately, the doctor said yesterday that she'd hit her head and it'd be best not to move her; that's why we didn't take her back, or she wouldn't have been so easy to dismiss."

Zhao Chunli felt her sister-in-law was a bit foolish, unable to calculate the situation properly.

Glancing at her elder brother and sister-in-law in the room, she whispered, "Sister-in-law, I heard there's a family in Beipo Village looking to find a wife for their son who broke his leg, and they are offering fifty yuan. If you bring her back home and take care of her for a few days, you could make fifty just like that."

Gao Suhua, somewhat tempted, glanced at her husband sitting to the side, then turned to her younger sister-in-law and asked, "Really, it's true?"

Zhao Chunli replied with some irritation, "How could it not be true? I just heard about it a few days ago. That family simply wants an obedient girl who can take care of their son. That's all there is to it."