Chapter 471: Checking Out the Site

“Eldest Aunt doesn’t look like that kind of person to me. She looks quite good-natured,” Qiao Mei said.

Xia He looked at Qiao Mei in shock. Since when could Xia Xiu be described as good-natured? Eldest Aunt was very famous for her interrogation skills. When they were young, they dared to lie to Xia Jun and Xia Mao, but they would never dare to lie to Xia Xiu. The lies would be discovered by Xia Xiu in less than two sentences and they would get beaten up after that.

“Maybe Eldest Aunt likes you. She is definitely much stricter with us,” Xia He said.

The two of them arrived at the lake where Xia He and Kong Lu had quarreled previously and carefully sized up the surrounding environment.

“Elder sister, look at the shore over there. Isn’t it a lot more hidden?” Qiao Mei said as she pointed at the opposite bank.

The shore opposite was filled with reeds, but it was impossible to see how deep the water was or if there was any silt.

“It’s better not to go over there. It’s not very safe. The east side is not too bad. It’s connected to the area with reeds and there’s also an open area on the side. When it’s time, you can come out from there,” Xia He whispered.

“Then what about you, elder sister?” Qiao Mei asked.

They were now standing on the south side of the lake, where the boatmen anchored their boats. If they wanted to go onto the shore, they had to go to the west side.

“Have you forgotten? I came up from the west side once before. It’s very obscure over there. When the time comes, I’ll get Xiao Zhe to arrange for a car to pick me up and take me away. This place is very close to Aunt’s other house. The He family probably doesn’t know about that house,” Xia He said.

“That’s good. I wonder if Qian’e is a good swimmer,” Qiao Mei said.

“I’m the one who taught Qian’e how to swim. When she steers the boat close to the east side, I’ll pretend to be pushed into the water by her. With my ability, I’ll be able to reach the west side quickly. At that time, you can come out and lie down on the shore. We’ll arrange for two people to pretend to be passersby and also get Aunt’s ambulance to get here a little earlier. This way, you won’t have to suffer too long from the cold,” Xia He said after some thought.

Xia He had been worried about Qiao Mei’s health. Even if she pretended to be Qiao Mei and was the one to fall into the water, Qiao Mei still had to be totally drenched. Otherwise, she would not be able to convince all the onlookers. If it did not look real enough, the He family would know that she was just putting on an act once they investigated further.

She did not know if Qiao Mei would be able to take it if she needed to wear wet clothes for too long.

“I’m fine, elder sister. Don’t worry,” Qiao Mei said with a smile.

The “air conditioner” bangle she bought at the antique market the last time not only kept Qiao Mei cool in the heat, but it could also keep Qiao Mei’s body warm. However, when touched, it felt no different from a normal bangle. It just seemed to add a shield around Qiao Mei’s body to regulate her body temperature.

With such a thing in her possession, she was no longer afraid that any change in temperature would make her sick.

She just did not know how long this bangle could last. After all, the energy of the bangle was different from that of plants. No matter how good the quality of the jade, there was a limit to it. It was better not to use such a good thing unless it was absolutely necessary.

While jade stones were still cheap now, she wanted to go and look for more when she had time.

“Come, let’s go back and talk to Qian’e. We should do this as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if this drags on, I’m afraid the He family will just arrange for someone else to do it,” Xia He said.

Qiao Mei nodded and said, “Yes, let’s go back.”

The two of them calculated the time and returned to Xia Fang’s house. As soon as they entered the main entrance of the apartment complex, they saw Qian’e waiting in the distance.

Qian’e immediately rushed up, pointed at Qiao Mei and scolded, “How dare you come here! How dare you enter this courtyard door!”

The neighbors around them were also attracted by the sound of Qian’e yelling at someone and they all surrounded Qiao Mei.

“Why can’t I come! This is my aunt’s house, why can’t I come here!” Qiao Mei shouted back self-righteously.

Qian’e looked like she even wanted to go forward and hit Qiao Mei, but she was pulled back by the neighbors.

“This Qian’e is acting up again. Xia He, quickly bring your sister-in-law home!”

“That’s right! Go quickly! Don’t stay here!”

“Hurry up and go! Don’t take it to heart. She’s sick, so don’t lower yourself to her level!”

“Don’t leave! If you’re so capable, don’t run away!” Qian’e shouted.

With the neighbors’ help in shielding them, Qiao Mei and Xia He managed to run home quickly. They then secretly leaned against the windowsill and looked downstairs. Qian’e was still arguing with the neighbors. It was not a problem for her to fight with 10 people at a time.

“This Qian’e is really amazing. You’ve got to admire her verbal skills,” Xia He said.

“It’s probably well-honed from arguing with these people. They’ll disperse after a while,” Qiao Mei said.