Chapter 374: Chapter 374

Mrs. Jiang felt a bit awkward for a moment; all the family’s troubles were seen clearly by Wan Chu’er. After some thought, Mrs. Jiang tried to cover it up by saying:

"The old lady is confused and often talks in a mixed-up way. These things are usually kept by the old man, not sure how they ended up with the old lady."

Wan Chu’er nodded coolly. Whether Jiang Lirong had plans involving Grandpa Jiang, it had nothing to do with her. First, she didn’t lack money. Second, she was already trying to steer clear of these Jiang family matters. How could she possibly get involved?

So, taking advantage of Grandma Jiang’s lack of attention, Wan Chu’er slipped the envelope behind the sofa cushion and said, "You should hold onto this for now. Give it to Grandpa Jiang when he is discharged from the hospital."

Mrs. Jiang was very pleased with Wan Chu’er’s tact, nodded, and smilingly said, "Why not stay here for dinner tonight? I’ll call Ke Chu and tell him to come back early."

Every time she visited, Mrs. Jiang would invite her to stay for a meal, but due to various reasons, Wan Chu’er seldom stayed.

Today, there were no other annoying people around, and with Grandma Jiang having just shown her such kindness, Wan Chu’er agreed in her heart. She was about to nod when Jiang Lirong’s voice came from outside.

"Sister-in-law, are you home? Mom, I’m here." Her voice was full of energy, and before she even finished speaking, Jiang Lirong pushed the door open and entered.

Just as she was saying there were no annoying people, fate slapped her in the face by immediately sending one her way. Wan Chu’er dropped the idea of staying for dinner.

These days, Jiang Lirong fawned over her a lot. Compared to her former disdain, it was quite the opposite.

Wan Chu’er knew Jiang Lirong was only toadying up to her for one thing: to have her convince Jiang Kechu or beg Old Sir Zhong to help Jiang Lirong’s husband be transferred back to Beijing.

She wasn’t going to get involved in that. This situation was initially stirred up by Jiang Kechu to vent for her; if she went to ask Jiang Kechu, wouldn’t she be undermining him?

As for asking Old Sir Zhong, that was even less likely. The old man was no longer in good spirits; she’d have to be out of her mind to bother him with such trivial matters.

Upon entering and seeing Wan Chu’er sitting on the sofa, Jiang Lirong immediately put on a smile and warmly said:

"Xiao Chu, you’re here! Did you bring the kids? I haven’t seen Xiao Zhuo and Xiao Ya for so long, I miss them terribly."

Because the two children were on a mat on the floor, conveniently blocked by the sofa, she didn’t see them at first glance.

Wan Chu’er slightly curved her lips, not responding to her.

Mrs. Jiang mediated, "The kids are asleep, keep your voice down."

Jiang Lirong displayed a look of sudden realization, quickly lowered her voice, and quietly walked over, seeing the two little dumplings lying on the mat on the floor. She softly chuckled:

"These little ones have plumped up quite a bit!"

Mrs. Jiang always enjoyed hearing about her grandchildren, so she smiled and said, "Aren’t they just! They change every day. I hadn’t seen them for just a week, and already they seem so much stronger."

Since Jiang Lirong had come in, besides initially greeting the old lady, she hadn’t acknowledged her mother, and Grandma Jiang also ignored Jiang Lirong.

However, Wan Chu’er noticed something amusing. Every time Jiang Lirong turned her back to the old lady, the old lady would make faces at her.

After sitting for a while, Wan Chu’er spoke up to bid farewell to Mrs. Jiang: "I’ve been out for a while; I’ll take the kids home now and visit you next time."

Mrs. Jiang sighed regretfully, knowing that Wan Chu’er didn’t wish to see Jiang Lirong, so she didn’t stop her. Instead, she called Mrs. Zhu to help carry the children, reminding her to be careful on the road.

Wan Chu’er softly said to Grandma Jiang, "Grandma, I’m leaving now." Grandma Jiang smiled at her cheerfully.

Jiang Lirong hadn’t expected that as soon as she arrived, Wan Chu’er would leave. She stood stunned, barely getting a word in.

But she knew that because of the previous incident with Jiayi, Wan Chu’er was quite cold to her. Worrying about it was useless, so she maintained a smile and, along with Mrs. Jiang, saw Wan Chu’er off.

At the doorway, Jiang Lirong used the excuse of watching over Grandma Jiang not to go outside, while Mrs. Jiang, as always, escorted them to the outer gate.

With Mrs. Jiang and Wan Chu’er gone, Jiang Lirong let her face fall, glancing at her absent-minded mother and sighing.

"Mom," she called out once but seeing the old lady not responding, she also ignored her and got lost in her thoughts.

Suddenly, Jiang Lirong felt something behind her, curiously reached back, and pulled out an envelope. A flash of curiosity crossed her face as she opened the envelope and took out its contents.

Upon seeing the deed and property rights, her eyes widened, and she subconsciously folded them back quickly, returning them to the envelope.

Jiang Lirong glanced at her mother beside her, who was still in a daze, not looking at her.

How did this end up here?

She had searched this thing several times at the courtyard recently but never found it, yet here it was!

Jiang Lirong was at first furious, then panicked, her thoughts becoming chaotic. Just as she couldn’t decide what to do, she heard the sound of the door opening—Mrs. Jiang had come back.

The sound panicked Jiang Lirong, and she hurriedly shoved the envelope into her bag.

Mrs. Jiang entered to see Jiang Lirong holding the old lady’s hand, gently asking her something, though her face was a bit pale. Mrs. Jiang, recalling the previous "bad woman" comments from the old lady, assumed the old lady had scolded Jiang Lirong again and didn’t ask further.

"Lirong, is there something you needed?"

Jiang Lirong muttered an "Oh," then said: "Nothing much, just came to see Mom and chat with Sister-in-law. Although Dad seems to be getting better bit by bit, we fear he might not fully recover.

Once Dad is discharged, he definitely can’t continue living in the courtyard alone with Mom. Sister-in-law, do you have any good ideas?"

She knew her sister-in-law was always kind-hearted, unlike the scheming ways of her two younger sisters-in-law, so she assumed her dad would end up moving here.

However, Jiang Lirong knew how to handle situations; even though the outcome was predetermined, she pretended to inquire for form’s sake, putting on a show of goodwill in front of Mrs. Jiang.

Mrs. Jiang glanced at the vacant-eyed Grandma Jiang and said indifferently, "See what your big brother arranges."

One Grandma Jiang was already enough for her to worry about. If Mr. Jiang moved in too, just thinking about his authoritative style and tendency to make decisions for his sons made Mrs. Jiang fretful.

Jiang Lirong was preoccupied, unlike her usual self who would talk about Second Aunt Jiang and Third Aunt Jiang’s faults. After a few words, she excused herself and left, claiming she had something to do.

That night, before bed, Mrs. Jiang told her husband about Grandma Jiang’s incident earlier. She suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear, I almost forgot about the old man’s treasures."

Without waiting for her husband to react, she hurriedly went out to the living room to look for the envelope, nearly turning the sofa upside down but found no envelope.