"Don't rush, I'll ask," Zhao Yan said.
After asking the nurse, Zhao Yan turned and said, "His younger brother, Liu Hongjie, took him back."
"Miss Zhao, could you please take me home?" Ma Qingqing asked.
"Do you remember where you live?" Zhao Yan asked.
"Yes, I remember," Ma Qingqing nodded.
"My husband's home is at Number Six, Huaijiu Village."
"Let's go," Zhao Yan said.
Ma Qingqing followed behind Zhao Yan, and they got into the car together.
Zhao Yan picked up her phone, opened the navigation, and searched for Huaijiu Village.
As she drove, Zhao Yan felt a bit uneasy. Seeing that the electric scooter only had three bars of power left, she knew that if they didn't reach their destination in time, she would have to push it.
Fortunately, the worst did not happen.
After more than forty minutes, Zhao Yan drove the electric scooter to Huaijiu Village and, guided by Ma Qingqing, arrived at the entrance of a bungalow.
She saw a six-year-old boy squatting by the water pool, washing clothes.
"My son, my son," Ma Qingqing exclaimed excitedly.
Zhao Yan patted her shoulder, "Don't get too excited."
After a while, Ma Qingqing's emotions finally stabilized.
Zhao Yan stopped the electric scooter and walked towards the boy, squatting beside him and saying gently, "Hello there, little one. I'm a friend of your mother's."
The boy looked up at Zhao Yan, "I haven't seen you before." kuAiδugg
Ma Qingqing whispered something in her ear, and Zhao Yan said, "Your name is Xiaohai, right?"
Xiaohai didn't speak, but vigorously scrubbed the clothes.
"What are you doing?" Zhao Yan asked.
"Washing clothes for my dad," Xiaohai replied.
After Xiaohai finished washing, he hung the clothes on a stool.
Then, he brought another basin of clean water into the room.
Zhao Yan followed him into the room.
A man was lying on the bed. Xiaohai skillfully pulled up the man's clothes and used a cloth to wash his body.
Looking at the environment in the room, Zhao Yan was stunned.
The man slept on a wooden bed, and the quilt beneath the bed had become moldy. The smell of mold could be detected even from the doorway.
The bedsheet had been washed so many times that it had turned pale.
Even more surprising was a wooden board under the bed, with a few pieces of worn clothing folded on it. It was clearly the child's bed.
The house was very bare, with only a battery stove and a rice cooker.
She felt as if she wasn't here to earn money, but to provide poverty relief.
Ma Qingqing behind her was even more stunned, finding the situation before her unbelievable.
"How did the house get like this? There used to be things. When I got married, my family provided a TV and a washing machine, among other things. Where did they all go?" Ma Qingqing was very shocked.
Zhao Yan asked, "Xiaohai, where did all the things in the house go?"
Xiaohai stopped what he was doing and turned around, "My uncle moved them away."
"Uncle said Dad's illness needed a lot of money, so he moved them out and sold them."
"But Uncle never came. The house owed a lot of electricity bills, so the power was cut off. It was Aunt Liu next door who paid for it."
Zhao Yan was speechless.
Just as she was about to ask more questions, footsteps were heard at the door, and a kind-faced middle-aged woman walked in.
Xiaohai called out, "Aunt Liu!"
Aunt Liu said, "Come and eat."
As she spoke, Aunt Liu looked at Zhao Yan and asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm a friend of Xiaohai's mother. My name is Zhao Yan."
"Xiao Ma left already, why are you only coming now!"
"I wanted to come before, but I couldn't for various reasons. Now that I have time, I've come to see," Zhao Yan said softly.
Aunt Liu said, "I thought you were that damned scoundrel just now, and I was about to come over and scold you!"
Zhao Yan asked, "Who is that damned scoundrel?"
Aunt Liu said angrily, "It's Xiaohai's uncle. That damned scoundrel is truly inhuman."
"He brought Xiaohai and his father to his home and then neglected them completely, not giving them a single penny. He even moved away all the TVs, washing machines, refrigerators, and wardrobes from the house."
"His heart is truly black."
"Alas, Xiaohai has a bitter fate. His maternal grandfather wanted to take him back, but he refused, saying that if he went back, he would truly have no father anymore. It moved me to tears."
"He washes his father's back every day and takes care of him in every way. To take care of his father, he even set up a wooden board under the bed to sleep on."
"This child is only six years old."
As she listened further, Zhao Yan felt a chill run down her spine.
Ma Qingqing behind her felt an even stronger surge of hatred.
"Calm down," Zhao Yan said to her.
Ma Qingqing suppressed the hatred, her eyes turning extremely cold.
"Now he's living the high life, bought a house in Jiang City, and found a beautiful wife. He's living so comfortably."
Zhao Yan's brow furrowed. Realizing something was amiss, she quickly stopped Aunt Liu from speaking further.
If she continued, Ma Qingqing might turn into a vengeful ghost.
"Aunt Liu, please take Xiaohai to eat first. I'm going to visit Sister Xiao Ma's grave," Zhao Yan said.
Aunt Liu replied, "Then you've come to the wrong place. Xiao Ma's grave isn't here; it's on his father's side."
"Okay, thank you, Aunt Liu," Zhao Yan said gratefully.
"What for? It's no big deal," Aunt Liu smiled, then called Xiaohai to go eat.
After Aunt Liu left, Ma Qingqing could no longer control her resentment.
Zhao Yan quickly turned around, took out a Yin Controlling Talisman, and immediately affixed it to Ma Qingqing, helping her control her Yin energy.
"How can there be such a brother in this world!" Ma Qingqing gritted her teeth.
Zhao Yan rubbed her temples, "Didn't you see what kind of person he was before?"
Ma Qingqing replied, "He even advised me before, saying that my husband's cerebral infarction had a very slim chance of recovery and that for my own happiness, I should divorce my husband and let him take care of his brother."
"I refused. I loved my husband very much and wanted to take care of him. No matter how long it took, as long as he could wake up, I was willing to endure any hardship and even take on an extra job."
"Then he would pick on me from time to time and show his disdain."
Zhao Yan narrowed her eyes, "Wait a minute, he asked you to divorce your husband?"
"Yes, he asked me to divorce my husband."
Zhao Yan felt that something was very wrong.
The elder brother had a cerebral infarction, and the sister-in-law was working hard to take care of him. The younger brother not only lacked gratitude and respect but also showed disdain for his sister-in-law.
Not only did he show disdain, but he also wanted to drive away the sister-in-law who was diligently caring for his brother.
Was he out of his mind?
There was definitely something fishy about this matter. Coupled with the current situation, the younger brother not only failed to care for his bedridden elder brother but also moved away all the household items.
He hadn't even paid the electricity bills.
Zhao Yan thought of what Aunt Liu had said about Ma Qingqing's uncle buying a house.
"What does your husband's brother do for a living?" Zhao Yan asked.
Ma Qingqing replied, "He works in the back kitchen for someone."
"A chef?"
Ma Qingqing: "A chef's apprentice."
Zhao Yan slapped her thigh, "How much money can a chef's apprentice make to buy a house? Even in a remote area, it would cost over a million."
"Don't think I'm being negative, but your death is definitely related to your uncle-in-law."
"Think about it, your husband worked in engineering and fell and suffered a cerebral infarction due to the project. There must have been compensation."
"That compensation would be several million, right?"
"As long as you are alive, legally, that engineering compensation would fall to you."
"He advised you to divorce before, so he could get the money. If you don't leave now, you're cutting off his financial path. Would he let you go!"
Zhao Yan's thoughts became clear. Ma Qingqing was a perfectly healthy person, riding an electric scooter like a rocket, not some ghost rider.
"How could he be so cruel! I'm his sister-in-law, and I even found him his job as a chef's apprentice!" Ma Qingqing exclaimed in shock.
"It's easy to draw a tiger or leopard, but hard to draw its bones. You can know a person's face, but not their heart."
"This person's heart is truly terrifying!"