He Xiaoman knew that Lu Xia was trying to give her a way out. However, it was against her will to spend any money to buy a gift for that bumpkin girl of the Huo Family.
He Xiaoman sneered and turned her gaze towards Huo Yao. “Taking advantage of a kind old lady to get money out of her, is your ultimate goal, isn’t it?”
Huo Yao raised her eyes to meet her eyes. The casual expression remained undeterred on her tender face. She was least affected by what was happening around.
He Xiaoman frowned as she went on venting her frustration at the girl. “You can tell me directly if you want money. Do you think it is nice to dupe an old lady?”
Yang Qiuhua was afraid that Huo Yao would be upset by these mean words and scolded her daughter at once. “Xiaoman, how dare you say such things?”
He Xiaoman’s face shrunk at her mother leaping to the girl’s defence. She scowled and said, “Mom, stay out of this.”
Then, He Xiaoman strode over and peered at Huo Yao who was still sitting comfortably on the recliner. “Tell me. How much money do you need? Do you want one hundred thousand, two hundred thousand? I believe three hundred thousand will be enough for your family to live well for a few years, right?”
Huo Yao raised her eyebrows and gave a malicious smile in return. She was leaning against the recliner chair lazily, and was not intimidated by He Xiaoman’s aggressive manner at all. She tucked her loose hair behind her ear before standing up slowly.
“Only three hundred thousand? I thought that you were going to offer me at least thirty million. This means that you don’t value this enough whether I have fooled your mom or not.”
Huo Yao’s voice was gentle, and she did not even try to hide the disappointment in her tone.
He Xiaoman felt that Huo Yao was spitting out nonsense. A sharp burst of angry laughter came out of her mouth. “Hmm, thirty million? I do admire your imagination.”
But Huo Yao looked at her as if she were staring at a fool. “You mean you cannot even afford thirty million? If it were me, I would be too ashamed to say the words which you just uttered. Terrible!”
He Xiaoman’s blood boiled with rage. Huo Yao was supposed to be a country bumpkin. When did she become such a sharp contrarian?
Huo Yao was not in the mood to waste any more time with He Xiaoman. She turned to Yang Qiuhua and said with regret, “I am sorry Grandmother, but I cannot spend the rest of the day with you.”
Yang Qiuhua knew that Huo Yao was not willing to hang on but she wanted Huo Yao to stay. However, given He Xiaoman’s attitude, Yang Qiuhua understood that she could not persuade Huo Yao to do so.
Never mind.
Yang Qiuhua heaved a sigh and produced a forced smile. “It’s okay. Another time. And, don’t let He Xiaoman’s words bother you.”
Huo Yao nodded and left from there.
As soon as Huo Yao was gone, He Xiaoman snorted. “Mom, you cannot let her come here from now on. Look at how arrogant she is. She didn’t treat me with any respect!”
Yang Qiuhua was really annoyed by her daughter’s nagging. She stood up without saying anything, went to the kitchen, and turned off the stove.
She stared at the vegetables in a daze, which she had prepared lovingly for Huo Yao. Eventually, Yang Qiuhua wiped a few tears from her eyes and stepped out of the kitchen. She paid no heed to He Xiaoman and Lu Xia, who were still in the living room. She went to her bedroom and slammed the door shut.
He Xiaoman was taken aback by her behaviour. After a few seconds, she began to complain. “What is she doing? What is she angry about?”
Lu Xia looked at the closed door and whispered. “Maybe grandma just likes Huo Yao too much.”
He Xiaoman was in a terrible mood. “How stupid she is to not be able to differentiate between fish eyes and pearls!”
