Witty Wife, Better Life

Chapter 439: Chapter 429: Returning to My Mother-in-law’s Home (Part 2) (Extra for Tea)

Shen Yunfang’s response left Qiu Shuping speechless, as she only remembered her desire to assert dominance in front of her daughter-in-law, forgetting about this particular matter.

"That, that..." She was at a loss for an excuse for a while, suddenly not knowing what to say.

Shen Yunfang was very understanding, finishing the sentence for her.

"Mom, you’re right, my dad is indeed getting old, and we shouldn’t let him go to work anymore. It’s unnecessary for him to be so tired every day. You and dad are fortunate with so many good children. We provide money, the eldest brother contributes grain, the youngest brother takes care of you at home, and both Xianglian and Xianghe look after their parental home. You must rank among the top few in Taoshu Village with these conditions. Dad has worked hard all his life, and now that he is older, he should enjoy the blessing of his children and grandchildren."

Qiu Shuping moved her lips several times but couldn’t utter a single word, everything had been said by her daughter-in-law, leaving her with no reason to play the victim or throw a tantrum.

"Let’s not talk about this for now. We can discuss your dad’s situation later. I heard that you bought a house in the Capital?" Since Shen Yunfang had closed off that topic, she decided to switch to another one, which coincidentally, she was also curious about the money for the house purchase.

Shen Yunfang wasn’t surprised at all that her mother-in-law knew about this; as soon as she got back to Gaijiatun, some villagers had asked her about it. She could imagine that it must have been due to Mrs. Shen’s lack of discretion, accidentally letting it slip, causing the news to spread.

If people in Gaijiatun knew about it, it wouldn’t be surprising that it was also known in Taoshu Village.

"Yes, I’m studying in the Capital, and I can’t stay in the school with two kids, so I had no choice but to live off-campus. Hongjun and I discussed it, and renting a house isn’t cheap; it would add up to four years of rent, which amounted to almost half the cost of a house. So we decided it was better to just buy a house directly, which we could also leave for the children," Shen Yunfang felt that since the Li Family had already split up, she and Li Hongjun didn’t need to inform the Li parents about buying a house. However, since they had asked, she answered them properly.

Old man Li nodded, "Good, it’s good to tighten up now and save something for the children. That’s how it should be."

Qiu Shuping glared at her husband; he was always oblivious to nuances and suddenly knew to side with outsiders. "As a woman, your duty is to stay at home, take care of children, and cook. And yet you’re learning to be like men, going to college. You sure are capable."

In her mind, women were naturally a notch below men, herself excluded, of course. Going to college was men’s business, much like what her youngest son was doing. That was proper. But for a daughter-in-law like Yunfang, with children yet still not content to stay at home, that was unacceptable.

"Mom, if you say that, I have to criticize you. We’ve all said that men and women are equal, so why can’t women go to college? Could it be that what you’re saying is wrong?" Shen Yunfang coolly capped her mother-in-law’s argument.

"What nonsense are you talking about? That’s not what I meant at all." Qiu Shuping was getting flustered; her daughter-in-law clearly meant no good, almost tying her up in knots with these arguments.

"Hehe, maybe I misunderstood, but mom, you should be careful in the future. It’s better not to say such things. I’m family, even if you say something wrong, I can’t go out and expose you. But if others heard it, it might not be the same. You never know what they’re thinking. It’s said to know someone’s face but not their heart, we have to be cautious, don’t we?" Shen Yunfang was playing the innocent after securing her advantage.

Qiu Shuping was once again rendered speechless by her daughter-in-law, feeling she wasn’t allowed to live her life in peace; it was as if the heavens had sent this daughter-in-law to oppose her deliberately.

Gasping with anger, Qiu Shuping still struggled to say, "Whether or not you go to school is none of my business. You live your life, and your father and I can’t control you kids anymore. Whatever trouble you both get into, even if you end up poor, it’s not my concern."

"Mom, it’s good that you can think so openly. Children and grandchildren have their own luck. You and dad have worked hard all your lives. Now in your old age, it would be great if you could let go of these troublesome matters and live some peaceful days. With us giving money, and big brother providing grain, with Li Hongqi there to take care of you both, I believe no one in Taoshu Village can surpass you." Shen Yunfang genuinely wanted to urge her mother-in-law to cherish her blessings.

"Enough, your father and I can make decisions about our affairs ourselves; we don’t need you to interfere. Tell me, where did the money for buying the house come from?" Qiu Shuping’s eyes shone with a mixture of loathing and greed as she looked at Shen Yunfang.

Shen Yunfang was at a loss for words; she had just been playing the lute to a cow. Her mother-in-law was shameless, openly eyeing her house. Was that really okay?

"I saved it, of course, and borrowed some, and I had a little on hand, too. It was enough when I put it all together," Shen Yunfang said very matter-of-factly.

"You have money on hand? If you have money, why did you still call Hongqi’s school asking for money? You’re a family-wrecking woman; you can’t stand it if you’re not squandering my son’s wealth, can you?" Qiu Shuping’s eyes were nearly spitting fire. If it weren’t for Hongqi worrying about his reputation at the school and not wanting to make a big fuss, why would she have had to take out that much money to pay the debts? Thinking of the money flowing out of her hands, her heart ached as if it was bleeding.

"Mom, it’s strange that you ask that. The money was borrowed from you and dad. You were at Hongqi’s at the time, so was it wrong for me to call and ask you for the money?" Shen Yunfang asked calmly in return. "Dad, shouldn’t I have asked for the money?"

Old Man Li couldn’t disagree, so he could only shake his head to indicate that his daughter-in-law had done nothing wrong.

"Old lady, it’s all in the past; let’s not talk about it anymore. It’s not easy for Yunfang to come home for a visit, so go and cook some food," Old Man Li, fearing his spouse would start making a scene again and embarrass everyone, tried to send her away to another task.

"Cook what food, cook my foot! She’s got enough money to buy a house in the Capital; she doesn’t care to eat our stale food," Qiu Shuping certainly didn’t want to serve her daughter-in-law, thinking it was already generous of her not to ask her daughter-in-law to cook for her.

Good riddance, she didn’t care for that food anyway. Shen Yunfang grumbled inwardly but still put on a smile, "Dad, it’s getting late, and I want to visit big sister and see Jiajia. I won’t eat here. Seeing that you and mom are in good health, I can rest assured and report back to Hongjun. I’ll be heading back now."

Old Man Li wanted to insist she stay. How could they let their daughter-in-law come all this way and then send her off without having had a meal or even a drink of water? If outsiders learned of this, they would judge him harshly.

Qiu Shuping also wanted the visitor to stay. She hadn’t yet discussed the important matter, and how could she let her leave just like that? If she didn’t get a satisfactory answer today, who knew when she’d be able to ask for money from this couple by letter in the future?

But before either of them could voice their appeal to stay, there was sudden commotion at the Li household’s doorstep.