Chapter 165: You’re Still Leaving?

Gu Zhenhua didn’t bother much, thinking Lin Xiangnan would surely find a way. After all, it was Lin Xiangnan’s mother, and he, as a son-in-law, should be respectful.

The twenty-day family visit was quickly coming to an end. Two days were spent on the journey, and the rest was for visiting relatives and friends.

As the time to leave approached, Lin Xiangnan finally asked Hu Meili, “Mom, will you come with me?”

“When did I say that?” Hu Meili glared at her, speaking in an irritated tone. “Now you remember to ask? Take your own child with you.”

“I’ve been taking care of her every day,” Lin Xiangnan said with a smile. “It’s just that Xiaobao and the others like you more.”

Even in her previous life, Lin Xiangnan never imagined she would personally take care of her child.

She inherited so much property, it wasn’t just for show. When she lived alone, she had to hire a housekeeper, and with a child, it was even more necessary.

Thinking of Hu Meili’s temper, Lin Xiangnan generously offered, “Mom, if you come with me, I’ll pay you more. I’ll double your pension.”

This nouveau riche demeanor made Hu Meili’s mouth twitch.

“Where did you learn that? You’re so unserious.” Hu Meili said honestly. “It’s not about money. As an elder, it’s our duty to help when young people are busy. If you pay too much, others will gossip.”

The key was that Hu Meili had more than just Lin Xiangnan as a child.

Lin Xiangnan was rich and generous, but her other two children weren’t. Lin Xiangdong and his brother each only gave her ten yuan a month.

If Lin Xiangnan gave too much, the other two wouldn’t be able to keep up.

With three children in the family, Hu Meili tried to be fair in major matters, even if there were discrepancies in small details.

She didn’t expect to get more money from Lin Xiangnan. She just hoped that Lin Xiangnan would soften, admit her mistake, and spend money more cautiously.

“Okay. Then I won’t charge you any more. What will it take for you to come with me, Mom?” Lin Xiangnan brought out his own children. “You brought up Dabao and Xiaobao, so you’re willing to let them go.”

“You’re asking me? Why am I going home? Don’t you know?” Hu Meili was angry. “You clearly know, yet you still wrote letters to provoke me. You have no conscience. I told you to save money, who is it for?”

Hearing this reason, Lin Xiangnan immediately promised, “It’s just about spending less? I’ll listen to you.”

“Humph, you can’t be trusted.” Hu Meili continued to play hard to get.

But Lin Xiangnan wasn’t easy to deal with either. After begging for a while and seeing Hu Meili still stubborn, she lost her patience.

“Mom, if you don’t want to go, then forget it. Help me find out if there’s anyone in our hometown willing to go to the family compound and help me take care of the children. I’ll hire someone to help me.”

“What do you mean?” Hu Meili questioned. “You want to pay someone to take care of your child? What will you do then?”

Lin Xiangnan said confidently, “I’ll be watching from the side.”

“Just watching?” Hu Meili laughed in anger, asking with gritted teeth, “Are you really okay with hiring an outsider to take care of your child?”

“I told you, I’ll be watching. If there’s anything inappropriate, I’ll ask her to change it.” Lin Xiangnan didn’t care.

Living habits definitely required adjustment. But rather than suffer, Lin Xiangnan preferred to spend time adjusting. Besides, Gu Zhenjun was mostly at home, and with her own people watching, she wasn’t worried about anyone messing around.

Her words put Hu Meili in a difficult position.

“You heartless thing. You knew you had a baby, so I rushed to the family compound to take care of you. Now that the child is older and you have wings, you want to kick me out, don’t you?”

Hu Meili wasn’t a reasonable person. When the outcome didn’t suit her, she immediately turned the tables and started arguing with Lin Xiangnan.

“Mom, are you joking? You’re the one who doesn’t want to go with me, and you’re the one making a scene now.”

Seeing Hu Meili arguing, Lin Xiangnan suddenly realized that she wanted to go back to the family compound but wanted to negotiate terms.

Feeling the power shift back to her, Lin Xiangnan calmly sat down on a chair and slowly poured herself a glass of water. “Mom, what do you really want? Just say it. Don’t play mind games with me.”

Hu Meili was also afraid that Lin Xiangnan wouldn’t give her any leeway. She didn’t dare to continue beating around the bush and immediately stated her idea.

“Go get a savings account, put your own name on it, and deposit twenty yuan every month. I’ll keep the passbook for you.”

“Cough~” Lin Xiangnan, who was drinking water, almost choked, asking with a mixture of amusement and helplessness, “You’ve been making a fuss for this?”

“Why else?”

Hu Meili said firmly, “I know you love to eat and play. But you have to save at least twenty a month, no less. If you think the money isn’t enough, then work more and earn more.”

Lin Xiangdong and his brother, with their monthly salary of over twenty yuan, could save half of it. Lin Xiangnan and her husband had a salary of over a hundred yuan, and Hu Meili only asked Lin Xiangnan to save twenty, setting a very low limit.

Lin Xiangnan spent money lavishly, and Gu Zhenhua didn’t care. As an elder, she could only force Lin Xiangnan to save money.

“You, you promise well with your mouth, but when it comes to spending money, you don’t remember any of these words. I can only do this.” Hu Meili assured. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep the passbook for you. I won’t spend your money. You can check it anytime you want.”

Lin Xiangnan was somewhat touched, but also somewhat helpless. “Okay, okay, I promise you. As soon as Gu Zhenhua’s salary arrives, I’ll go to the bank with you to deposit the money, alright? It’s just twenty yuan, it’s not a big deal.”

She agreed too readily.

Hu Meili saw this and wasn’t happy. She had set the price too low.

Since it was her own child, Hu Meili didn’t care about contract spirit and raised the price on the spot.

“Actually, I also think twenty yuan isn’t much. How about forty? Gu Zhenhua earns over a hundred a month, and you also earn twenty or thirty if you work.”

“?” Lin Xiangnan looked at Hu Meili in shock. “Mom, you’re raising the price on me.”

Hu Meili proudly urged, “Just say whether you agree or not. If you don’t agree, I won’t go back to the family compound with you.”

“I don’t agree.”

Forget twenty or thirty, Lin Xiangnan wouldn’t hesitate to spend one or two hundred when buying antiques.

But she couldn’t simply agree to Hu Meili’s demands, otherwise, Hu Meili would keep pushing.

“Mom, since you’re not sincere, I’ll go find Grandma and ask her to help me find someone suitable to take care of the children.” Lin Xiangnan got up and left.

“Stop right there. Don’t go.”

“We’ve already broken down, what are you talking about?”

Hu Meili took the initiative to lower the price. “Forty doesn’t work, then thirty it is. It can’t be lower… Twenty, twenty is fine… What do you mean, I’ve already said twenty, and you’re still leaving?”