Wang Kai pointed at Liu Chunlan:
"Mom, do not go too far. I married into her family; how could Qingxiu possibly come here to serve you?"
"Then what right do you have to ask for my money?"
Liu Chunlan did not give him a good look either:
"Wang Kai, I am your mother. Why do you never consider me at all?
"You know perfectly well that all these years I have just wanted a grandson. Why will you not help me fulfill this wish?
"I just want you to change my grandson's surname. His maternal grandparents can continue to raise him.
"They can continue to give him money to spend. Son, have you ever thought about it?
"The Chen family only has Chen Qingxiu as their daughter. No matter what surname that child has, the Chen family's money will eventually belong to my grandson.
"Would the Chen family stop giving him money just because his surname is not Chen?
"Why can you not wrap your head around this?
"Other men who marry into their wife's family end up taking over their wealth, but what about you? You actually help them scheme against your own mother.
"How did I give birth to such a stupid son?"
Wang Kai was so scared he quickly tried to cover her mouth:
"Mom, stop talking. Please do not talk nonsense.
"This is the lawyer Qingxiu hired."
The implication was that whatever she said, the lawyer would report back to Chen Qingxiu.
Liu Chunlan stopped talking, but she also had no intention of writing any will.
Wang Meijuan was displeased, and she tried to drive Wang Kai away:
"What difference is there between a married-out son like you and a married-out daughter like me?
"Speaking of which, I am even better than you. At least I live close by, and I can visit Mom and Dad often.
"What about you, Wang Kai? You come back once every few years, and you even bring a lawyer.
"Do you have any shame?
"Get lost!"
Wang Kai's face darkened with anger.
Turning to see Wang Hao, he vented all his frustration on him:
"You are the one who stirred this up, aren't you? You live with Mom and Dad all day long.
"Did you spend all their money? Wang Hao, tell me, exactly how much money have you taken from Mom and Dad?"
Wang Hao was already annoyed, and being questioned by Wang Kai made him even more irritated.
He forcefully smashed a beer bottle toward Wang Kai:
"Get lost! Did you hear me? From today on, you are no longer my older brother.
"Roll back to your Chen family. I think you might as well just change your surname too.
"From now on, your name is Chen Kai!"
Wang Kai's face turned ashen, and he cursed as he got into his car.
As he drove out, he left one last sentence:
"I will be back. I will get back every single cent of the money that belongs to me."
Wang Kai finally left.
Liu Chunlan closed the door and asked Wang Jianguo:
"How much money do you still have on you? Look at these troublesome brats, every single one of them is eyeing our money.
"We need to plan ahead and think for ourselves; otherwise, when the day comes that we cannot move, who knows how they will bully us?"
Wang Jianguo continued smoking:
"What money do I have? Do you not know how much I have earned over these years?"
Liu Chunlan of course knew Wang Jianguo did not make much, but he had not cared about the household expenses all these years, so he must have saved something.
She asked again: "Show me how much you have, so I can have an idea."
Instead of showing her, Wang Jianguo narrowed his eyes and asked her:
"Where is your money? A few years ago, your bastard brother forced me to let you keep all the big savings.
"I almost forgot about that. Now that Liu Dabing is in prison, I have nothing to fear.
"From now on, I will manage all the money in the house, lest you foolishly give it all to those bastards one day."
Liu Chunlan was terrified. Where did she have any money now?
She only had about thirty thousand yuan left to her name.
Those hundreds of thousands had long been taken away by Liu Dabing under various pretexts.
Seeing her stay silent, Wang Jianguo asked again:
"I reckon there should be seven or eight hundred thousand by now. Liu Chunlan, hurry up and show me."
How could Liu Chunlan dare? If she showed Wang Jianguo now, she wouldn't even know how she died.
She hastily made an excuse:
"The money is all in a fixed-term bank deposit, locked in for a year. We have to wait until the New Year to withdraw it.
"Would I spend money recklessly? How many new clothes have you seen me buy these past few years?
"Forget it, I was just saying. Keep your money to buy your cigarettes."
She clutched her chest and ran out of the room.
Unexpectedly, Wang Meijuan was waiting for her in the living room again:
"Mom, look at Wang Kai's greedy face, actually bringing a lawyer.
"What is he trying to do? Rob us in broad daylight?
"You are getting old and cannot take this kind of stimulation. Mom, give the money to me, I will keep it for you.
"I am your daughter, do you not trust me?"
Liu Chunlan's heart turned completely cold.
Who could she trust?
She could not trust anyone.
Instead, she thought of Lin Wanyi from the past.
She did her chores and took care of the kids quietly every day, never asking her for a single cent.
She also never spent a penny recklessly on herself.
Next door, Wu Qin's big gold bracelets had forced Zhang Cuihua to buy two.
But Lin Wanyi never asked for even one.
Thinking of this made her heart ache.
What should she do?
What if they really got divorced?
Previously, Liu Chunlan just wanted to establish some rules for Lin Wanyi.
She was the mother-in-law, and like a daughter-in-law finally becoming a mother-in-law after years of suffering, it was her turn to discipline her daughter-in-law.
Wasn't that how all women got through it?
When she was young, she was also tormented terribly by her own mother-in-law.
Why did it not work with Lin Wanyi?
She just did not let her go back to her maiden home.
She had married into this family, after all.
Marry a rooster, follow the rooster; marry a dog, follow the dog. She should put her husband's family first in everything.
She shouldn't have been involved in her maiden family's affairs anyway.
She did not understand why Lin Wanyi could not just accept it.
Wasn't it good to live honestly and obediently like before?
What was she making a fuss about? What was she acting up for?
The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. With Liu Dabing arrested, she had no one to confide in.
She could only think of Liu Xiulan.
She called her:
"Big sister, tell me, why is my life so miserable? I have two daughters-in-law, and neither of them listens to me.
"Tell me, how exactly can I make them sensible and obedient?
"Big sister, teach me."
Liu Xiulan, who was washing dishes in a restaurant, twitched her lips:
"What other way is there? Beat them. If they do not listen, beat them half to death.
"Once it hurts, they will know to be afraid."
After hanging up, Liu Chunlan asked Wang Meijuan to cook:
"Juan, Mom is hungry. Go stir-fry a couple of dishes."
Wang Meijuan scrolled through her phone without even looking up:
"I am a married-out daughter, like spilled water. I cannot touch the pots and pans of my maiden home.
"Mom, ask your two daughters-in-law to cook for you.
"If that does not work, then ask your two sons to do it.
"A daughter like me isn't worthy!"
"You!"
Liu Chunlan's chest hurt even more.
She thought it was from hunger.
Looking at the cold stove in the kitchen, she suddenly felt incredibly bitter.
She had worked hard her whole life, given birth to three children, and taken in two daughters-in-law.
But in the end, in her old age, she did not even have a meal to eat.
She threw down the spatula and sat on a stool, crying loudly.
Wu Qin next door heard it, and she quickly sent a message to Lin Wanyi:
[Your wicked mother-in-law is wailing at home again. I do not know who provoked her this time.]
[Let me tell you, since you left, this house has been so lively. There has not been a single day of peace.]
When Lin Wanyi saw the messages, the corners of her mouth curled up.
Serves them right. They completely brought it upon themselves!
