Although Yang Xiaocui made everything sound seamless, Li Chuntao still found it a bit suspicious.

Yang Xiaocui endured hunger for so many years, so why couldn’t she endure it now, just when she arrived? One would think that even without medicine, eating regular meals could alleviate the pain.

Speaking of hunger-induced pain, Li Chuntao understood it because she had starved herself before to lose weight.

She knew the heart-wrenching pain, and she also knew that it could be relieved.

She didn’t think much of it before, but ever since she started suspecting something between Yang Xiaocui and Yang Daniu, her mind was restless.

Why did Yang Xiaocui repeatedly want to see her right after Yang Daniu visited yesterday just to borrow some silver?

She couldn’t lend it; firstly, she and Yang Xiaocui were just superficially friendly, not close enough to lend money.

Secondly, she felt that by not lending, she might just make Yang Xiaocui reveal something suspicious.

Thinking of this, Li Chuntao spoke hesitantly, "Xiaocui, it’s not that I don’t want to lend you silver, it’s just that I really don’t have any money. To be honest, I’m opening a school in the village, and I need a lot of things. Today, I just ordered tables and chairs in town, which cost eight taels of silver. Tomorrow, I need to buy books for the children, which are quite expensive, costing dozens of taels. I really can’t spare any money. I’m doing this behind my family’s back, using my personal savings, so I can’t ask my family for silver. I’m really sorry, maybe you could ask someone else?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaocui was very surprised. She didn’t expect Li Chuntao to open a school in the village. Only remarkable people could open schools, and Li Chuntao was just a year older than her. Wasn’t it because her family had money that she learned so much?

Opening a school and buying books, how much silver would that take? She just took it out, and it was only her personal money. Yet here she was, three times distressed over a few taels of silver.

She only wanted to borrow five taels, which should be very little for Li Chuntao, and yet she wasn’t willing to help?

Asking her to find someone else to help? In this countryside, who has five taels of silver ready at hand? Even if someone did, they wouldn’t lend it to her.

"Chuntao, just five taels of silver, could you please help me? Don’t worry, if you help me, I’ll definitely repay you by doing whatever work you need in the future," Yang Xiaocui pleaded.

Hearing this, Li Chuntao frowned slightly. However, to not show her impatience, she held back. When Yang Xiaocui mentioned doing work, an idea struck her, so she spoke, "Xiaocui, I truly don’t have the silver. These five taels I can’t give, but I need someone to clean and cook at the school. How about you take the job? It’s not too tiring, and I’ll pay you three hundred coins a month. You can use that to buy medicine every month, so you don’t have to buy it all at once. If you can’t go, don’t worry, I can help you buy the medicine."

The reason Li Chuntao made this suggestion was that she realized it was hard to observe Yang Xiaocui when she was always next door. If she came over to her side, it would be easier to keep an eye on her.

Maybe soon she could observe something?

If she could find out something sooner, what was the harm in maintaining a friendly attitude toward Yang Xiaocui for a few more days?

Moreover, if Yang Xiaocui came over to clean, cook, and take care of the children, she might not have time to linger around her anymore, which might be a good thing for her.