Chapter 227: Chapter 227

Li Xianglu finally finished knitting the scarf in mid-October, though she missed quite a few stitches, Qin Xi still wore it. It was a scarf hand-knitted by his wife, and in fact, he had given up hope—anxiously expecting it for over a month. Everyone else had their scarves while his was nowhere to be seen, but now that it had finally arrived, despite the missed stitches, it was the thought that counted.

Li Xianglu was very pleased with Qin Xi’s understanding of the situation. It was Friday afternoon, and they hadn’t gone back last week due to a major lecture, but this week they were free, and they truly missed home.

On their bike ride, they still stopped to buy some groceries. Supplies were gradually becoming more abundant, and the Overseas Chinese Store had a wider variety of fruits now, with bananas even becoming a common sight. Sugar cane was available too, a food that doesn’t go bad quickly, so Li Xianglu had sent two pieces to Qin Zhen in Shanghai, cut into sections by Qin Xi.

Qin Zhen was so delighted when she received them that she called to say they were especially sweet.

On the way back, Li Xianglu put on her mask and hugged Qin Xi’s waist. Suddenly, she recalled the conversation in the dorm and was shocked. How could she have not told Qin Xi?

So, she recounted the odd things she had discovered.

After listening, Qin Xi abruptly braked and stopped by the roadside, dismounted from the bike, and asked Li Xianglu to hold the seat while he pushed the bike along, raining questions on her.

As Li Xianglu repeated the details about a couple’s mysterious whereabouts, Qin Xi remained silent. Li Xianglu, puzzled, asked, "What’s wrong? Why do you look so upset?"

After some thought, Qin Xi said, "Xiangxiang, take some materials back with you on Sunday, and place them in Tian Tian’s or Lin Dongxue’s bed when no one is around."

Li Xianglu was stunned. "Huh? What kind of materials?"

Qin Xi pondered for a moment before replying, "Some materials about Qin Miao."

Li Xianglu was confused—what kind of materials about Qin Miao, the one whom the Qin Family’s grandfather had disowned back in April?

In April, an incident involving Qin Miao arose when a hospital report about her having an abortion was posted in the courtyard. Mr. Qin was furious and scolded Qin Miao, declaring she was no longer a granddaughter of the Qin Family.

Qin Miao vehemently denied it, but Mr. Qin produced an envelope mailed from the county hospital in Guanzhong with the county hospital’s official seal on it.

Mr. Qin didn’t hesitate to throw Qin Miao out, and his disdain extended to the entire family of Qin Shouhan.

After Qin Shouhan returned, he found a stable administrative job in a machinery factory, but he did not remarry Wu Xiaolan. Throughout this period, Wu Xiaolan sought him out seven or eight times, causing a great uproar, but Qin Shouhan firmly refused.

Later, he somehow even swayed Mr. Qin’s opinion, and Mr. Qin began to disdain the ex-wife of his oldest son, even trying to set him up with a new partner recently.

Li Xianglu had learned about these affairs intermittently and suspected that Qin Xi had a hand in the abortion incident. However, Qin Xi himself said that he only facilitated it and that there was someone specifically handling it, especially the hospital’s diagnostic report, which wasn’t something just anyone could obtain.

Now, hearing Qin Xi speak of Qin Miao’s materials again, what had Qin Miao been up to?

But Qin Xi refused to elaborate any further, simply instructing her to find an opportunity to place the items.

Upon reaching the courtyard gate, they saw a familiar black car parked outside. Xu Xi had arrived.

As they pushed the gate and entered, Sister Xing was carrying a tray toward the living room. Seeing them, she smiled and said, "We have visitors."

Li Xianglu smiled as she helped open the curtain and pushed the door, letting Sister Xing enter first.

Li Xianglu followed into the room and was immediately taken aback. It wasn’t until Qin Xi, who got stuck at the doorway, asked, "What happened?" that she snapped out of it.

Li Xianglu didn’t go inside; instead, she stepped aside and stood to one side to let Qin Xi in.

And so, the look of surprise on one face turned into two.

Sister Xing put down the vegetables and, seeing the two people’s reaction, thought they were surprised to see a foreigner. She herself had been startled too, and with a smile, she stepped out.

Li Xianglu took a while to find her voice and called out, "Miss Basra!"

Nabasha was wearing a bright red turtleneck sweater, sipping a cup of red tea. Seeing the two come in, she didn’t stop drinking. After finishing, she let out a long sigh of relief: "Ah, how comforting! This weather calls for some red tea!"

Now, Nabasha was speaking Chinese, with a hint of Minnan (Southern Min) dialect in her speech, leaving the two completely dumbfounded.

The two looked at each other then both greeted her with a smile and walked over.

Li Xianglu looked around and, setting down her backpack, asked, "Did Miss Basra come for a home visit?"

Nabasha glanced at the three cold dishes laid on the table and then at Li Xianglu before replying, "A home visit? Sort of."

Just as Li Xianglu was about to ask something else, she saw Nabasha skillfully pick up a piece of radish skin with chopsticks and eat it. She nodded while chewing and finally commented, "This pickled radish skin is good! Very appetizing!"

Li Xianglu’s mouth hung open slightly, and she glanced at the equally surprised Qin Xi, feeling as if her world had been turned upside down. Was this her first time here? It seemed as if they were very familiar with each other.

However, Qin Xi was the first to realize something and asked with curiosity, "Did Miss Basra come with Lawyer Xu?"

Li Xianglu then remembered the car at the door. That was Xu Xi’s car used in China. Yes, how could she have forgotten about that?

Just as Li Xianglu was about to ask something, the door opened. Xu Xi first opened the door, then drew back the curtain to let Mr. Li enter.

Seeing their surprised faces, Nabasha got up excitedly and walked over to Xu Xi, affectionately holding his arm and said, "Darling, why did you just come back? The red tea here is really good!"

This was said in English.

Xu Xi looked at her indulgently and said, "The food here is much more authentic than in Chinatown. Now that I have some free time, let’s go around and explore."

Then, he turned to a dumbfounded Li Xianglu and said, "Xiao Xiang, my wife has been looking forward to the delicious big plate chicken ever since I told her about it. If it’s convenient, could you show your cooking skills today?"

Wife? Nabasha and Xu Xi?

Li Xianglu felt speechless, her mind was spinning, and she would never have guessed that these two were a couple.

Qin Xi chuckled and shook her head, "Thank you Mrs. Xu for the last time, if it weren’t for your timely action, Xiangxiang might have been suspected too."

Nabasha shook her head cutely, "No need, I was assigned a task anyway. Helping Miss Xiao Xiang is part of my duties!"

Li Xianglu and Qin Xi exchanged puzzled looks once again.

Mr. Li chuckled and said, "Let’s talk about this later. Xiao Xiang, show off your cooking skills today and let the foreigners have a taste!"

Li Xianglu couldn’t help but laugh and nodded, "Please have a seat for a while; I’ll start preparing."

ps: I’ve made some changes to the character setup from before, Li Xianglu’s older brother and sister-in-law have been removed, replaced by an older sister Li Jianhong and a brother-in-law Yuan Cheng.

These changes should not affect the later plot, but since the characters have been changed, some details need to be adjusted until the manuscript goes live, though it won’t have a major impact, it just takes time.

Continue reading as usual.