NOVPUBChapter 198 -198: Ruthless Heart (Five Updates)
Chapter 198 -198: Ruthless Heart (Five Updates)
The old lady returned home disheveled, and Fan Jiancheng was still at her house waiting for news, primarily concerned about the living expenses.
He had promised to buy his son some toys and chicken legs, after all.
With his and his wife’s meager salaries, they could barely get by, let alone live comfortably. They depended on the monthly living expenses from Chui Li and the money he managed to scrape together every now and then. Having a son with great difficulty, he couldn’t shortchange his precious child.
Besides, the couple was also considering saving money, as their son was growing every day, and there would be more expenses in the future.
Seeing the old lady storm in angrily with Xiaofen, who looked utterly bewildered following behind, his heart sank as he sensed that something was amiss.
Could it be that the old lady had come back empty-handed?
Impossible!
He knew Chui Li well; despite her aloof exterior, she was tender-hearted and cared about her reputation. With the old lady, she had no choice but to admit defeat; there was no possibility of fighting back. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so tightly controlled by him even after their divorce—an understanding of Chui Li he dared not disclose.
He carefully poured a glass of water for the old lady and placed it in front of her, “Mom, how did it go?”
The old lady glared fiercely at Xiaofen, “It’s all because you’re incompetent. Why didn’t you cling to your mom’s legs and cry your eyes out then? Look how people talked down to me! I’ve never been so humiliated in my life. You’re just an ungrateful wretch.” All of her pent-up anger was unleashed on Xiaofen at that moment.
Xiaofen felt aggrieved; her grandmother and father had always been kind to her, continuously feeding her with negative information about her mother’s disregard for having a daughter. She also had no affection for Chui Li, but this time it wasn’t her fault.
“Grandma, it’s Chui Li who wouldn’t give it, not my fault!” Xiaofen retorted without backing down, as her father and grandmother always spoiled her.
“Mom, what exactly happened?” Fan Jiancheng asked.
After the old lady related the events, Fan Jiancheng realized the gravity of the situation. He used to manipulate Chui Li because she was overly concerned about her reputation and wouldn’t make a fuss to avoid disgrace, also worrying about his treatment of Xiaofen. Now, with someone to back her up, she really might not pay the living expenses anymore.
What should he do?
Looking at Xiaofen wiping her tears away with a sense of injustice, he said in frustration, “Xiaofen, go home, I need to talk more with your grandma. Go help your mom with some chores!” He decided to deal with the matter after sending the girl away.
Xiaofen didn’t want to leave; she knew the atmosphere wouldn’t be friendly back home with her stepmother, especially since her brother was born. She wasn’t foolish—her own father treated her brother like a treasure, while she had become an unwanted presence. It was only with her grandmother where things were better; although her grandmother also favored her grandson, she treated Xiaofen kindly. Yet, returning home meant facing her stepmother who, despite her smile, was harsh in her commands.
Seeing her normally affectionate mother and sister getting along warmly made Xiaofen even more uncertain about her place.
“Dad, let me come home with you!”
Xiaofen sensed her father’s bad mood and felt uneasy.
Fan Jiancheng’s face darkened, “I told you to go ahead first; why won’t you listen even to your father’s words?” His daughter was really a jinx.
Xiaofen reluctantly bowed her head and went out, returning upstairs.
She felt uncomfortable; her father and grandmother had never treated her this way before. They were usually quite kind to her.
This was the first time they had been so harsh and critical towards her.
Back at home, her stepmother Liu Gaimei was bathing Xiaobao. Seeing her return, she asked with a smile, “Xiaofen, you’re back? Didn’t your dad come back with you?” She was in an excellent mood—she had her eye on a piece of fabric and planned to buy it tomorrow to make herself a pair of pants.
Xiaofen responded listlessly, “Dad said he wanted to sit a while longer with grandma and told me to come back first.”
“Well then, go do your homework. When your dad comes back, we’ll go buy something tasty. We’re having chicken legs tonight.” Xiaobao had been fussing for them for days.
The couple had saved some of their salaries in the bank, but if they wanted to eat well, they largely depended on the monthly living expenses from Chui Li.
Liu Gaimei really looked down on Chui Li in her heart. Being a doctor, she deserved the divorce, completely controlled by her ex-husband using their child. Such a woman deserved to be bullied, and even if she didn’t bully her, someone else likely would. Since Chui Li was willing to slave away for her daughter, who wouldn’t take advantage of that?
As for Xiaofen, Liu Gaimei was extremely kind to her, understanding that the girl was practically a goldmine. As long as Xiaofen sided with them, Chui Li could be blackmailed.
Thus, she was clever and treated Xiaofen well, knowing it was deserved for those twenty dollars.
Xiaofen went back to her room.
In the meantime, Fan Jiancheng and the old lady were whispering intensely.
“Mom, what should we do?”
The old lady coldly smiled, “It all depends on how ruthless you can be!”
“What do you mean?”
The old lady checked the courtyard to make sure it was empty, then whispered, “It doesn’t matter if Chui Li doesn’t give anything. If you harden your heart and torment Xiaofen for a few days, have her go cry to Chui Li. Let’s see if she still dares withhold the living expenses. She thinks we’re afraid of her, but doesn’t realize the child is in our hands.” The old lady had been scheming all along.
Fan Jiancheng was a bit troubled, “What if Chui Li sues us and wants to take the child back?” He knew that having the child was his leverage over Chui Li.
“Are you foolish? Why would she sue? You are the child’s biological father.” The old lady was confident that no one would interfere, not even the court.
She had seen enough; which parents didn’t hit their children? Biological parents spanked their kids hard, and no one could say they weren’t caring.
Even the police couldn’t do anything.
Fan Jiancheng steeled himself, “Okay, Mom, I got it. I’ll go home and discuss this with Gaimei.” To force Chui Li into submission, Fan Jiancheng was ready to go all out.
The old lady nodded, and only then did Fan Jiancheng leave and return home.
Upon reaching home and seeing his three-year-old son, Xiaobao, lively and diving into his arms, affection filled his eyes and heart.
Liu Gaimei, noticing Fan Jiancheng returned empty-handed, asked curiously, “Didn’t you say you’d buy Xiaobao some apples?”
Fan Jiancheng repeated the plan, and Liu Gaimei’s heart sank; Chui Li had awakened just at the right moment.
She had many plans for the month.
“Fan Jiancheng, are you planning to starve Xiaobao to death?” Liu Gaimei, upset, raised her tone by two degrees.
Fan Jiancheng, doting on his wife, hurriedly put on a placating smile, “How could that be! I’d starve myself before letting you and the boy suffer! Don’t worry, I already have a plan. Watch what I do, Chui Li will be hand-delivering us the money within a month.”
Liu Gaimei then showed a smile, pushing Fan Jiancheng playfully, “You devil, always full of ideas! Let me remind you, I won’t tolerate freeloaders. We agreed initially, I only agreed to care for your daughter because of the living expenses. If there’s no money, I won’t bother; you take her away, I’ve served enough looking after you two, let alone a princess!”
Fan Jiancheng wrapped his arms around his wife, pressing a kiss, his hands not remaining idle either.
“Rest assured, from today, Xiaofen will do whatever needs to be done. She’s already a grown girl, shouldn’t she be helping out around the house? You just order her around as you please.”
Liu Gaimei glanced sideways at Fan Jiancheng, “Don’t you feel pity for her?”
Fan Jiancheng, loving Liu Gaimei’s attitude, whispered into her ear, “I have pity for you! Let me take care of you!” With those words, he carried Liu Gaimei into the house.
Before leaving, he called out toward Xiaofen’s room, “Xiaofen, come out and watch your brother, your mom and I have something to handle!”
