Chapter 1344: Chapter 1344: Looking to Extort Someone

Watching the family run off into the distance, Luo Qiao patted Wang Xiaoqin on the shoulder. "Don’t take it to heart, people like that have something wrong in their heads."

Xin Yongzhong also came over to comfort his wife, "This has nothing to do with us. They’re the ones who insisted on taking it. We didn’t force them to eat it. Totally senile."

An elderly lady sitting nearby, who had seen the entire incident, spoke up, "They’re right. That old woman is just causing trouble for no reason. If she really gives you any problems, we can testify for you. What a shameless hag."

Wang Xiaoqin had been quite upset, but after hearing everyone’s reassurances, she felt a lot better.

Initially, this was thought to be just a one-off incident. But two days later, Luo Qiao received a call from Lu Yichen: "Hello?"

"Qiaoqiao, are you busy?"

"Just got out of class. Planning to grab lunch with Miao Shuang at the cafeteria in a bit. What’s up?"

"Well, that bizarre old lady we ran into at the amusement park filed a police report. She’s claiming Xin Yongzhong owes her compensation. He came to the station today asking if we could provide testimony."

After hearing this, Luo Qiao wanted to curse. "She’s actually trying to extort us! Good thing I mentioned my workplace that day just in case. Never met a family so shameless! Don’t come to me, I’ll head over after work."

Lu Yichen put down the pen in his hand. "No need. The police station is closer to your workplace. I’ll swing by."

What he didn’t mention was that, according to Xin Yongzhong, the old woman had a relative working at the station. He planned to do a bit of undercover investigation since not every officer at the station recognized him.

Luo Qiao was curious. "How did that old woman track them down?"

Lu Yichen took a sip of water before replying, "According to Xin Yongzhong, there was just that kind of coincidence—they don’t live very far apart. Yesterday, Wang Xiaoqin bumped into the old woman at the market. The old woman grabbed her on the spot and, in front of everyone, accused her of harming others.

She claimed that Wang Xiaoqin knowingly gave her grandson, who’s allergic to peanuts, a peanut cookie, causing him to go into anaphylactic shock and nearly die—a complete false accusation.

After the argument, Wang Xiaoqin felt deeply wronged and refused the compensation demand. Then today, the old woman went straight to the police to file a report."

Luo Qiao grew even more disgusted by the old woman. "Alright then, after work, we’ll go together. I want to see how she defends herself when the lies blow up in her face."

Just then, Miao Shuang came over to find Luo Qiao for lunch and overheard the last part of the conversation. "What’s going on?"

Luo Qiao gathered her things, and the two of them walked out together as she recounted what had happened. After hearing the story, Miao Shuang remarked, "That old lady really has the audacity. Guess she thought no one could prove her wrong, so she dared to make up such blatant lies."

Watching the bustling campus, Luo Qiao said, "Doesn’t matter how often she’s gotten away with it before; she’s dreaming if she thinks it’ll work on me."

Miao Shuang gave her a knowing smile. "Take it easy when you go over there. Don’t give her a chance to pull anything else on you."

Luo Qiao snorted, clearly still frustrated. "Let her try. Don’t forget what I do for a living."

When they got to the staff cafeteria, Luo Qiao got a plate of ribs, some stir-fried pork, and rice.

Miao Shuang opted for half a portion of shredded potatoes, half a portion of noodles with minced meat, a steamed bun, and a free bowl of congee.

Luo Qiao glanced at Miao Shuang. "What’s going on with your meal?"

Miao Shuang laughed, "Didn’t we just buy a shared-equity apartment last month? Spent all our savings on the down payment, so I need to be a little more frugal these days."

Luo Qiao pushed her plate over. "Eat with me. Friends don’t stand on ceremony."

Helpless, Miao Shuang replied, "What I’m eating isn’t bad, though."

Luo Qiao chuckled. "Not bad, huh? Let’s eat."

Something occurred to her, and she looked up. "Why did you decide to buy a shared-equity apartment?"

In a lower voice, Miao Shuang explained, "My parents-in-law’s workplace. Both of them hit the qualifying years to apply and had two spots available, so they asked us if we wanted one and how big it should be.

Didn’t you mention before that property prices are bound to keep rising? So we decided to go for the largest one allowed by the regulations. My sister-in-law had some money saved up too. She borrowed the rest when she got home and managed to grab one as well. The other two families didn’t have enough money and gave up."

Luo Qiao nodded. "Yep, if you have the money, investing in a property is definitely worth it. But you should talk this over with the other two families to avoid any conflicts in the future."

Miao Shuang looked a little puzzled. "We paid the money, and they voluntarily gave up. It’s not like we drew lots to decide."

Picking up a piece of food with her chopsticks, Luo Qiao replied, "Sometimes it’s better to sort everything out clearly upfront. Who knows what the future will bring? I’m just suggesting it—when money’s involved, things can get messy down the line."

After mulling it over, Miao Shuang nodded. "You’re right. Better to avoid trouble later. I’ll talk to Qiao Yu about it when I get home tonight."