The Female Nanny of the Male Lawyer’s Family
Chapter 18

"Five One" after the first Saturday, because of the holiday moved to rest on May Day, still going to work to go to work, to go to school to go to school.

Mrs. Mao arranged for Lu Chenchen to go to the hardware store to buy a few small iron shovels and small iron hammers. She said she would take the children of several classmates she was close with in Da Mao's class to dig for fossils next Sunday.

She seemed to hesitate a little, but finally asked Mao Yuanning, who was eating breakfast, hesitantly whether he would go or not.

Mao Yuanning pondered for a moment and said he had an appointment with a client Sunday morning and didn't know if he could make it back by noon.

"Just don't consider me for now." He tapped the table with his fingers and then seemed to think of something. He asked Mrs. Mao, "If I can't make it, were you planning to take Aunt Qi to watch the three kids?"

Mrs. Mao made a sound of affirmation and then said with some emotion, "Isn't it me and Mom taking care of the three kids every weekend?!"

Yeah, Lu Chenchen saw it too. Almost every weekend it was Mrs. Mao and her mother-in-law taking the kids to play basketball, ride horses, or hang out at the mall to eat, drink and have fun, while Mao Yuanning was busy, whether it was real or fake, and rarely joined them.

Mao Yuanning didn't reply. He told her to send him the location link.

After receiving it, Lu Chenchen saw his fingers constantly sliding on the phone, and his eyebrows started to squeeze together little by little.

"That's Funiu Mountain area? Look, it counts as the boondocks, with dump trucks, gravel, it’s a quarry, right? No, no, with just you taking the elderly and three young kids, it’s too unsafe." Mao Yuanning shook his head.

Mrs. Mao said, "I already promised the other parents."

Mao Yuanning's sharp gaze stabbed Mrs. Mao's face. She pursed her lips, turned her head, her face ugly.

Lu Chenchen was about to come over to clear up the bowls and chopsticks. She didn't dare to get close now.

After about a minute, Mao Yuanning said in a calm tone, "How about this, take little Lu with you to help watch the kids, and I'll try my best to rush over."

Mrs. Mao didn't respond to him.

Her mother-in-law, who was originally going to go upstairs after the meal, stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking at Mrs. Mao with complicated eyes.

- Lu Chenchen sometimes felt that although Mother-in-law raised Mao Yuanning with her own hands, Mrs. Mao's relationship with Mother-in-law seemed even closer.

But Lu Chenchen had nothing to do with those things. She just did as they told her. Thinking that since it was digging for fossils, they would need cotton work gloves, right?

Lu Chenchen asked Mrs. Mao.

She nodded, "Yes, get some."

"Waterproof slip-on shoe covers too?" Lu Chenchen asked again.

Maybe because she still had some irritation stuck in her chest, Mrs. Mao was annoyed. "Can you ask everything at once?"

Mother-in-law looked at Mrs. Mao with more concern in her eyes.

"Get them too," Mao Yuanning took over Lu Chenchen's question in a much gentler tone, meaning to comfort Lu Chenchen for her.

Lu Chenchen didn't mind Mrs. Mao's attitude. She was just so curious about the entanglement between this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law!

The hardware store was a little closer to the south gate of the neighborhood, but Lu Chenchen chose to take the front gate and circle around.

On that road, as expected, she ran into Zhong Rong's mom.

Gossip wasn't Lu Chenchen's personality, but it was Lu Chenchen's tool. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle." How could her actions lack information as a reference?

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Lu Chenchen took the initiative to greet her.

Maybe because Lu Chenchen had rejected her too bluntly the last two times, she responded to Lu Chenchen with little interest, just nodding at her and continuing to chat with another auntie.

Lu Chenchen asked as if she had just spotted a lifebuoy whether she knew where to buy small iron shovels?

Zhong's mom's face livened up a little. She asked back, "What are you buying shovels for?"

Lu Chenchen shook her head. "Mr. Mao didn't say. I saw him wandering around the yard a lot, so I guess he wants to plant flowers."

It was a season that was chasing after spring in the summer, but couldn't quite catch up, so it needed a break.

In human words, although it had started to warm up, there would still be occasional cool days suitable for planting flowers and grass.

So Zhong Rong's mom believed Lu Chenchen's ambiguous words.

The reason she didn't mention Mother-in-law or Mrs. Mao was that Lu Chenchen suspected Zhong Rong's mom was interested in Mao Yuanning from the start.

Sure enough, Zhong Rong's mom's face became more lively. She ended her chat with the auntie in a few sentences, and said to Lu Chenchen, "There are no hardware stores around here. You have to go to the south gate... Oh well, I have nothing to do now anyway, so let me take you there."

Lu Chenchen declined politely again and again, weakly expressing that she could actually find it herself.

Zhong Rong's mom didn't respond to Lu Chenchen's words, but asked Lu Chenchen warily how she didn't know where the hardware store was.

"Actually, I've only been here a little over a month. The boss of the domestic service company told me not to wander around too much, so I rarely go out, at most just to pick up vegetables."

What Lu Chenchen said was all true.

"And told you not to chatter with the neighbors too much, right?" Zhong Rong's mom asked with a smile.

Lu Chenchen said in surprise, "How did you know?"

Boss Chen's ears must have been cursed hot.

It was good to talk it out. Zhong Rong's mom also clearly had things related to Mao Yuanning on her mind. She asked Lu Chenchen again in detail about her background, confirmed her innocence, and her face relaxed with relief.

As the conversation deepened, the emotional progression advanced novel-style, first with Zhong Rong's mom saying Lu Chenchen resembled her daughter, then pitying Lu Chenchen for struggling alone in a foreign place, then telling Lu Chenchen to rely on her as a mother from now on, and so on.

Lu Chenchen bought two small iron shovels and turned back to the neighborhood with her.

"Little Lu!" Zhong Rong's mom's hand stroked Lu Chenchen's handback, scorching like a freshly fried pancake on a hot day.

Lu Chenchen's heart relaxed. Great, finally getting to the main point. But that handback was too hot, so Lu Chenchen could only press her other hand on top of it, calling out awkwardly, "Zhong Rong's mom!"

Her hand slowly pretended to naturally withdraw back.

But her words didn't stop.

"You see, you're even younger than my daughter, and your son is already six... You rural folks, hm, really smart, having kids early, enjoying blessings early. Do it a few more years and your son will be able to take you back home to support you in your old age. My girl, although she looks good, has good education, good job, what's the use, what's the use? Still no boyfriend at her age, will only get harder to find someone later, it's worrying me to death."

What? Zhong Rong's mom, weren't we talking about me and Mr. Mao? How did we get to your daughter? Lu Chenchen complained inwardly, considering whether to steer the topic back or discuss it another time. Worried that Zhong Rong's mom would get suspicious, Lu Chenchen didn't dare buy the plastic shoe covers and cotton gloves in front of her. She'd have to make another trip, which would delay time and be hard to explain to Mother-in-law.

"Tell me, have those two been discussing divorce?" She leaned her head next to Lu Chenchen's and mysteriously lowered her voice to whisper in Lu Chenchen's ear.

Lu Chenchen was truly stunned blank in that instant by Zhong Rong's mom's bombshell question. Her tongue got tangled up trying to speak. "Wha...what di...divorce..."

Lu Chenchen was just expecting some trivial gossip about Mao Yuanning, she never imagined digging up such a shocking scoop.

Seeing every bit of Lu Chenchen's reaction full of confusion, Zhong Rong's mom said, "You don't know after being in their home so long?"

Lu Chenchen really didn't know!

In a flash, Lu Chenchen realized and retorted with some emotion, "Zhong Rong's mom, you're kidding me right?"

Zhong Rong's mom jumped up indignantly. She didn't even nibble her ears anymore, but raised her voice, yelling, "I'm kidding you? How could I joke about something real? Back then his wife made a scene at the bank, almost causing my daughter to lose her job. They agreed to divorce, I heard it from her own mouth, but then after it all blew over they called it off again..."

Lu Chenchen wasn't startled by her words, but her loud voice did startle her. She desperately fanned Zhong Rong's mom, coaxing her, "Okay, okay, you didn't trick me. Don't get angry, don't get angry, speak slowly. What can I do to help you?"

Only then did Zhong Rong's mom's voice quiet down. She looked around, still huffing at Lu Chenchen angrily.

Lu Chenchen soothed her for a good while. Seeing Mother-in-law would come looking for her if she didn't get back soon, she could only promise to add her on WeChat and set another time to chat.

When she got back, Mother-in-law was indeed puzzled, asking Lu Chenchen why she took so long.

Lu Chenchen was telling Zhong Rong's mom the truth about their conversation. As soon as the mother-in-law heard this, she looked up sharply at Lu Chenchen and asked, "What did you say to her?"

Lu Chenchen thought for a moment and answered, "First, she asked me again how old my son was. I said he was six years old. She said I was luckier than her daughter, that I was younger than her daughter, already married, and had a son. In a few more years, I would be able to enjoy the blessings of having a son. I told her that people from small towns marry early, unlike big city people who have more vision and pursue careers. We live a hard life, while you balance career in one hand and family in the other, excelling at everything..."

Before Lu Chenchen could finish recounting all the details, her mother-in-law lowered her eyes and waved her hand to signal that Lu Chenchen could leave.

Lu Chenchen lowered her eyes and turned around to exit.

Behind her, the mother-in-law sighed softly, as if also lightly breathing a sigh of relief.

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