NOVPUB
Chapter 272: Chapter 262 The Gap Is Too Big
Before Li Hongjun and Shen Yunfang got married, she was able to take out five hundred yuan to lend to Li Hongjun, which means Shen Yunfang had money on hand. Over time, Li Hongjun also paid back some, so Qiu Shuping figured that Shen Yunfang must have extra money, certainly around three or four hundred yuan.
That was the money she was eyeing.
Qiu Shuping looked at her daughter-in-law out of the corner of her eye and said sarcastically, "I know exactly how much my son makes, you’re married now, so there’s no ’yours’ or ’mine’ anymore, everything belongs to this family."
Having said that, she turned her gaze to Shen Yunfang.
Shen Yunfang didn’t immediately catch on and had no idea what kind of game her mother-in-law was playing, wondering why the topic had suddenly changed.
"Hmm, has Hongjun paid back that five hundred yuan yet?" Qiu Shuping reminded.
Li Xianghe, who was standing by, looked at her sister-in-law with bright eyes.
Instantly, Shen Yunfang understood what her mother-in-law meant, realizing she wasn’t asking her son for money, but her daughter-in-law instead.
Shen Yunfang smiled with pursed lips.
"What are you laughing at?" Qiu Shuping felt that her daughter-in-law’s laugh was not genuine.
"Mom, it’s nothing. I’ll just tell you the truth now. Before our marriage, Hongjun did repay some of the five hundred yuan he borrowed from me, but it was just a little over one hundred yuan."
When Li Xianghe heard there was a little over one hundred yuan, her face was all smiles, thinking of her sewing machine.
"However, you know Hongjun’s nature better than I do, Mom. He would go through fire and brimstone for his comrades and friends. So, after we got married, he took back the money he had repaid me, saying something about a comrade who had sacrificed..." Shen Yunfang slightly embellished the story Li Hongjun had told her about one of his comrades.
Of course, Li Hongjun had indeed helped a comrade’s family, but not to the extent Shen Yunfang described, not just handing over more than one hundred yuan at once. He simply took five yuan out of his salary every month and sent it to the comrade’s wife, saying it was for the education of the comrade’s child. If the child stopped attending school, he wouldn’t offer any more financial help.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Shuping’s entire face turned red with anger, muttering things like "good-for-nothing" under her breath. Shen Yunfang’s detailed story left her with no choice but to believe it. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
"Are you that foolish to give all the money to Hongjun and let him squander it?" Qiu Shuping still had her doubts.
"Mom, money is something you can’t take with you in life or death. If we have it, we spend more; if not, we spend less. Besides, Hongjun is doing a good deed, and as an army wife, I should support him." Shen Yunfang presented herself as morally sound.
"But, but..." Qiu Shuping turned to look at her own daughter, Li Xianghe, whose tears had already started to fall.
Shen Yunfang took Li Xianghe’s hand and comforted her, "Xianghe is getting married, that’s a joyous occasion. Although your second brother and I can’t afford to buy you a sewing machine, we can still give you some small gifts for your dowry."
Li Xianghe was quick to recover, realizing the sewing machine was out of reach and immediately shifted her goals, "Then, sister-in-law, do you still have those towel blankets? Just give me a towel blanket."
Shen Yunfang was choked up by her response. She was really not choosy at all, not disgusted by anything.
"There’s none left, I only had that one piece anyway, and mother took it, didn’t she? She didn’t keep it for you, did she?"
Li Xianghe pouted, "How could it be my turn? My mother only thinks about my little brother."
"What are you talking about? You’re already so old and still comparing yourself to your little brother. He’s the one going to college. Isn’t it right to save some good things for him? Let me tell you, if your brother makes it big in the future, you’ll have your share of the good life too." Qiu Shuping had a hundred percent confidence in the future of her youngest son.
But the other two women in the room didn’t think so.
Shen Yunfang suffered a lot from this, and she harbored deep doubts about her brother-in-law’s character. Hence, the idea of relying on her brother-in-law for a good life was something she took no interest in whatsoever, no expectations at all. If you speak of living a good life thanks to someone else, it ought to be thanks to one’s own husband, anyone else is just nonsense.
Li Xianghe had watched Li Hongqi grow up and was the person closest in age to him, arguably the one who understood him best in the family. She knew his temperament and character inside out, so when she heard her mother speak like this, she secretly sneered where no one else could see.
While they were talking, Li Hongjun had already packed the bean buns and brought them to the door. Qiu Shuping peeked out and looked satisfied, but she didn’t come down or leave; she just sat on the kang and chatted with the couple about those trifling matters of the past.
Li Xianghe didn’t budge either, sitting on the kang without uttering a word.
Shen Yunfang exchanged a few pleasantries, then looked at Li Hongjun, asking with her eyes what to do next.
In fact, both of them knew what Qiu Shuping and Li Xianghe were hinting at: they wanted the couple to cough up the money for Li Xianghe’s dowry and take it with them right then and there. They were worried the couple might try to weasel out of paying.
After exchanging glances, the couple knew that with these two sitting on the kang refusing to leave, the situation was uncomfortable for everyone. Since the money had to be paid sooner or later, it was better to give it early and send the people away.
After some thought, Shen Yunfang took out twenty yuan from her inner pocket and handed it directly to Li Xianghe.
"Xianghe, your brother is about to return to the army soon. If nothing unexpected happens, I’ll have to go with him, so it’s very likely we won’t be able to make it back for your wedding. Since you’re here today, I’ll just give you this money in advance. It’s not a lot; your brother and I only have this much to offer, so don’t look down on it." Shen Yunfang’s words were mere courtesy. Nowadays, a normal gift of money was just one yuan, and five yuan among relatives was considered a generous gift. For siblings like them, ten yuan was already a lot, so she believed giving twenty yuan was more than fair.
But the other two sitting on the kang didn’t see it that way—they had come hoping for a sewing machine worth over a hundred yuan. Knowing the sewing machine was out of the question, they were hoping at least to get a towel quilt like last time, which would also be worth seventy or eighty yuan. They hadn’t expected to end up with only twenty yuan; the difference was indeed a bit too big.
So Li Xianghe hesitated, visibly disdainful on the inside. However, seeing Qiu Shuping reaching out to take it, she immediately grabbed the money from Shen Yunfang’s hand without any further scruples.
Phew, that was close. Although twenty yuan was less than a sewing machine, it was still better than nothing. If the money had gotten into her mother’s hands, she certainly wouldn’t have been able to claim a single penny back.
Qiu Shuping glared at her harshly, "What are you grabbing it for? With so much money, what if you, a little girl, lose it? Hand it over to me right now, I’ll hold onto it for you. When we get home, I’ll give it to you."
Li Xianghe shook her head as if it were a rattle, "No need, I’m about to get married, I’m no child. I won’t lose it. I’ve already decided, I’ll use this money to make a new set of clothes, so that I can add some prestige to our family on my wedding day." Li Xianghe carefully stuffed the money into her pocket.
