Dawa stood in front of Nan Sheng, facing his grandparents as he spoke, "She was wrong to criticize Grandpa, but it was Auntie who started the trouble first. Grandpa wasn’t fair!"
Nan Sheng reached out to pull her son aside, but he wouldn’t budge. She raised her voice deliberately.
"Dawa, don’t worry. You know I never take things lying down. If anyone dares to hit me, I’ll smash their house and set it on fire. No one gets off easy.
Today, I’ll make myself clear once and for all—I have no obligation to respect my in-laws. Both of their sons got married with everything paid for by the old couple, right? Not me!"
Lin Guozheng and Fan Shuting stiffened. That was true, but Lin Han had his own money and said he didn’t need theirs.
"If you don’t deny it, I’ll take it as an admission. If you didn’t spend a dime to marry off your son, don’t act like high-and-mighty parents-in-law. If you treat me like your own daughter, I’ll treat you like my own parents.
But if you keep favoring your other children and making me suffer, then just rely on Lin Han from now on. You can pretend I don’t exist—or that I’m dead. Just stay out of my way!"
Sizhe glanced back at his stepmother. Who curses themselves like that? Unbelievable.
The Lin parents were indeed at a loss for words. Nan Sheng’s mention of the bride price silenced Lin Han’s older and younger brothers—they all knew the truth.
Among brothers, the second son hadn’t spent their parents’ hard-earned money to marry, which meant they had benefited. If they kept bullying his wife, who stayed in the hometown, how could they face him later?
Lin Xue watched as her second sister-in-law’s words filled her parents and brothers with guilt. A surge of resentment rose in her chest.
"Big Brother! Third Brother! Did you not hear her insult Dad and say she won’t take care of Mom and Dad in the future? Aren’t you going to do anything?"
Nan Sheng flexed her wrist, eyeing Lin Xue’s delicate face. Her fingers itched.
Fan Shuting was also upset. Her second daughter-in-law had finally turned over a new leaf and gotten along with them—only for her daughter to ruin everything in one visit.
Why did she have to pick fights with her sister-in-law?
They didn’t even live under the same roof. Why had she been targeting her from the moment they met?
As much as she doted on her daughter, Fan Shuting couldn’t ignore this. Especially since Nan Sheng wasn’t one to swallow insults.
"Lin Xue, come here!"
"Mom?"
Reluctantly, Lin Xue approached her mother—only to receive two sharp slaps on her left cheek. Nan Sheng thought it looked uneven.
Fan Shuting spoke firmly, "Apologize to your second sister-in-law. Admit you were wrong. If you still refuse to change, don’t come back to this house again!"
Lin Xue was stunned. The sting of betrayal overshadowed the pain. Had her mother stopped loving her?
She looked at her father and brothers—their eyes held pity, but none stood up for her. Sons couldn’t defy their mother, and Lin Guozheng didn’t dare interfere when his wife disciplined their child.
She burst into loud sobs, startling the sleeping children awake.
Nan Sheng picked Qiqi up from the bed and left without a word, covering the child’s face with a clean cloth—the night outside was too dark.
Dawa followed closely behind his stepmother, pulling out a flashlight to light their way.
Sun Qian soothed her own child, while Zhou Wei comforted Lin Xue’s two kids. Children slept deeply; a few pats and they were out again.
Nan Sheng and the children were gone, but the Lin family remained frozen in place. Finally, Lin Guozheng made a decision.
"Old woman, let’s make up for the bride price we owe our second son."
Fan Shuting nodded in agreement.
Back then, they had thought too simply—since their son had his own money, they let him handle his wedding. But now that their daughter-in-law had brought it up, they couldn’t pretend it never happened.
Lin Han’s older and younger brothers had no objections either. Settling this would ease their conscience. Otherwise, every time they argued with their sister-in-law, they’d feel guilty. Now, she’d be treated equally as a Lin family daughter-in-law.
Lin Xue hadn’t expected her tantrum to backfire—instead of making her parents discipline her sister-in-law, they were now spending a fortune.
This wouldn’t do. She had come home to borrow money for a job!
Ignoring her stinging cheek, she hurriedly spoke up.
"Mom, Dad, you saw how Second Sister-in-law acted. Even if you give her the bride price, she won’t be filial. Why waste the money?"
Lin Guozheng glanced at his daughter but stayed silent, remembering the shrimp, pork trotters, and dumplings his second daughter-in-law had shared with them.
He justified in his heart—that girl was just hot-tempered and couldn’t stand injustice. When it came to food and gifts, she wasn’t stingy with them.
Fan Shuting pulled her daughter closer, gently rubbing her cheek.
"Don’t speak of your sister-in-law like that. She’s quick-tempered, but she treats us well. She only lost her temper today because you kept provoking her. If I had stopped you earlier, things wouldn’t have escalated.
Besides, marrying your second brother wasn’t easy for her. As long as she raises those two children well, your father and I will be content. Whether she’s filial or not doesn’t matter."
Lin Han’s eldest brother spoke up, "Mom, Dad, I’ll take care of you in your old age. Don’t feel disheartened."
The third brother also stiffened his neck, though his voice lacked conviction. "I can take care of you too!"
The eldest lived with his parents and shouldered more expenses, while the third son was barely scraping by—his parents still had to support him and his family.
Thinking about it, they really had wronged their second son. They had no right to demand he care for them in their old age.
"We’ll see when the time comes. Just remember this—your second brother never took advantage of this family. We owe him."
In the Lin family, daughters-in-law could listen but not interrupt. Zhou Wei and Sun Qian felt as if ants were crawling under their skin, wondering how much their in-laws would give away.
Now, both resented Lin Xue—Zhou Wei especially. Her eldest son was about to start matchmaking, and they’d need money everywhere.
She had hoped her in-laws could help, but now that hope was gone.
Lin Xue stayed with her mother, while Lin Guozheng went to the western room—their old house had three small rooms.
"Mom, how much bride price are you giving Second Sister-in-law? A hundred yuan?"
Fan Shuting didn’t realize her daughter was eyeing her money. She also hadn’t told her that Lin Han had given his in-laws three hundred yuan as bride price.
When the eldest son married, they gave fifty. Bai Xiu’s family received eighty from Lin Han’s military allowance. By the third son’s wedding, it was a hundred.
She planned to give two hundred to her second daughter-in-law, leaving them with just over a hundred for themselves.
"Don’t worry about it. Your father and I will discuss it."
Fan Shuting brushed her off, exhausted from the night’s events. She could educate students, but her own family was a mess.
Her daughter might as well not have come back—the older she got, the more unreasonable she became.
When Nan Sheng got home, the system notified her that her favorability had increased by three points, reaching 17. Chapters 10 to 15 were now unlocked.
That night, Nan Sheng lay awake again…
Early the next morning, her mother-in-law Fan Shuting arrived with money. Nan Sheng smiled and asked what brought her here.
Fan Shuting pulled her inside, then took out a handkerchief containing ten- and five-yuan bills.
"Lin Han’s wife, this is the bride price we owe you. Take it."
Nan Sheng didn’t want it. Without the bride price, she could do as she pleased—no one would dare provoke her.
If she took the money, she’d feel awkward scolding the old couple later if they ever acted foolish—taking gifts would leave her at a disadvantage.
“I don’t want this money, take it back. Keep it for yourself!”
Fan Shuting smiled. “It’s only right. If you hadn’t spoken up yesterday, I wouldn’t have realized how much hardship the second child has endured all these years. Take it—we’re not asking you to support us in our old age.”
The way she put it left Nan Sheng at a loss for words. Was she just freeloading now?
