Free Web NovelChapter 308: Chapter 308: Shenanigans
Gu’er was speechless. ’This aunt has some nerve. You’ve never shown us a shred of kindness—in fact, you’ve been awful to us. Why on earth should we help you?’
’And she talks about how we should help our nephew, about him supporting us in our old age. Setting aside the fact that Chen Shuangbao is a brat, my parents have their own son! Lin Zheng is perfectly fine. Why would they need a nephew to provide for them?’
"Sister-in-law, stop talking. This is not up for discussion. If you want to stay here, you can stay for a few more days, and I’ll provide food and drink. If not, I’ll buy you tickets home when the time comes. As for wanting to live in Gu’er’s house, stay here permanently, and work in Gu’er’s department store—don’t even bother bringing it up. I will never agree to any of it."
Chen Fengjiao’s refusal was firm. In truth, there was a reason for her resolve. First, she truly disliked this sister-in-law. Second, Lin Shan had given her an earful.
Yesterday, her older brother and sister-in-law had talked her ear off, complaining about how hard life was back home. They only earned a few dozen yuan a month, which wasn’t enough to support their large family. They wanted to stay here, where Chen Damin and Liu Yue Mei could work at Gu’er’s department store and earn several hundred yuan a month between the two of them. With more money, it would be easier for Chen Yu to find a good husband and for Chen Shuangbao to afford his education and eventually marry.
They said they wouldn’t stay with the Lin Family, fearing it would be too crowded. Instead, they wanted to live in Gu’er’s new house. It was just sitting empty, they argued, since Gu’er wasn’t living there. They could look after the place for her and move out whenever she needed it. They could even clean it daily. It would be perfect! If this worked out, word would get around, and everyone would praise her for being so caring toward her family and for being so capable.
Her brother and sister-in-law went on and on. Her brother was indeed not very capable, and her sister-in-law was crying and begging. Chen Fengjiao’s heart began to soften. That evening, she brought it up with Lin Shan, wondering if they should let them stay so they could all look out for one another. In response, Lin Shan gave her a harsh lecture.
Lin Shan told her she lacked judgment and couldn’t tell right from wrong. He said she knew perfectly well what kind of people her brother and sister-in-law were. If she let them stay, their family would never have a day of peace again.
She wasn’t blind to the fact that Chen Yu had been fighting with Lin Sui’er and Chen Shuangbao had been bullying Lin Zheng these past few days. But she felt it wasn’t her place to say anything. Her sister-in-law had a nasty mouth and would surely cause a scene. Yet, no matter how bad they were, they were still her family—her own brother. And her parents only had one grandson, Shuangbao. She wanted what was best for him, too.
Lin Shan told her in no uncertain terms that if she still wanted Gu’er as a daughter, she’d better not cause trouble for her, put her in a difficult position, or break her heart. Otherwise, she would lose her daughter sooner or later. He warned her not to ruin the slight improvement in their relationship and drive Gu’er away again with her actions.
Lin Shan continued, saying that if she was truly set on her brother’s family staying, he wouldn’t object. But they would have to live in their house—they could forget about Gu’er’s new place. Furthermore, if her brother’s family moved in, he would not stay home. He would have Sui’er board at school and have Lin Zheng go live at Gu’er’s, freeing up space for them.
Lin Shan added that if they stayed, they could forget about working at Gu’er’s department store. If they wanted jobs, they had to find them on their own. He didn’t care if Chen Fengjiao wanted to use her allowance to subsidize her family—he gave her his salary every month, and she could spend it as she pleased. But she was not to let them harm their own children, and she was forbidden from asking Gu’er for money. If she couldn’t agree to these terms, then Lin Shan would no longer come back to this home. He would take the children and live elsewhere.
She had cried then. Lin Shan’s words were incredibly harsh. She asked him why he couldn’t just tolerate her family. She even brought up how well she had treated Lin Shuying, but she remembered the look of disappointment in Lin Shan’s eyes at that moment.
Her heart ached. She knew her words had hurt him. It was then that she finally understood: no matter how close she was to her own family, her husband and children were closer. She couldn’t abandon her husband and children for her relatives. Besides, with a sister-in-law like that, if Lin Shan really left her and took the children to live on their own, she wouldn’t even have a shoulder to cry on. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
It was precisely because of Lin Shan’s speech that Chen Fengjiao made up her mind. She could not let her brother and his family stay. Otherwise, she could forget about ever having a peaceful life.
"Chen Fengjiao, have you lost your mind? Weren’t we all in agreement yesterday? What is the meaning of this? You’ll ’provide food and drink’? Do you think we’re beggars? You think we’re desperate for your scraps? Let me tell you something: we came here with no intention of going back. If you have a shred of conscience, we can talk this out nicely. But if you’re going to treat us like this, we’ll go out and make a scene! We’ll let everyone know just what kind of people you are!"
Liu Yue Mei’s face darkened as she pointed a finger right in Chen Fengjiao’s face.
"Go on, then. Go right now. As for all that other stuff you mentioned, forget about it. If you save some face for yourself, we’ll save some for you. But if you’re determined to throw your dignity away, then by all means, keep making a scene." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Gu’er stood up, positioning herself in front of Chen Fengjiao. Regardless, she was satisfied that her mother hadn’t lost her senses this time. If her mother had been the one making those demands of her, she would have been truly heartbroken.
"Oh, you’re so high and mighty now, aren’t you? Isn’t it just because Lin Shan took some money and gave it to you? You think opening some shabby department store is a big deal? Piss me off, and I’ll report Lin Shan! Let’s see how smug you are when he’s in prison!"
Liu Yue Mei had never believed for a second that Gu’er and her family had earned the money for the department store themselves.
"Mom, did you hear that? Is this the kind of family you want?"
Gu’er looked at Chen Fengjiao, whose eyes were red. She truly hadn’t expected her sister-in-law to say something so vicious.
Gu’er walked over, threw open the door, and looked out at the lively chatter in the living room. She shouted, "Uncle, you and Aunt should go! If you want to report my dad and send him to prison, you should go right now. Wouldn’t want you to be too late and find their office closed for the day."
Gu’er’s words stunned everyone in the living room, leaving them confused. Lin Shan, however, knew exactly what was happening. ’That sister-in-law must be up to her old tricks again.’
"You think we don’t dare? Stop trying to scare us! We weren’t born yesterday! If you’re going to be like this, then we’ll go report him! I refuse to believe Lin Shan is completely clean."
Liu Yue Mei was not about to back down.
"Mom, what are you doing? How can you say something like that? Uncle is a good person!"
Chen Ping rushed over to reason with her mother.
"Get away from me! Don’t you know whose side you’re on? Chen Fengjiao and Lin Shan are heartless! They won’t give us the house, they won’t find us jobs, and they don’t even care about Shuangbao! And you’re still calling them good people? Good people, my ass!"
Liu Yue Mei roared at her daughter.
"Exactly!" Chen Yu chimed in, her head held high with an air of pure entitlement. "They’re so rich, they should just give it to us. We came all this way, so why shouldn’t they let us live in their big house? If they were actually good people, they’d give us the new house, let Mom and Dad run the department store, and pay them a thousand yuan a month. We should also be able to take whatever we want, and they should pay for Shuangbao’s wedding in the future. Now *that’s* how relatives are supposed to act."
