Chapter 80: Respect for money [Part 2]

Lin Dasan, thinking about the possibility of getting money from Lin Yuexi and not having to do hard labor, felt a surge of joy. He patted his chest and said to Li Sanru, “Mother, don’t worry. I’ll be there. That Lin Yuexi won’t dare to refuse. If she dares to disobey, I have ways to deal with her.”

Li Sanru nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, I raised her for so long. Now she’s eating and drinking well, and she doesn’t care about us. When you go tomorrow, be firm. Don’t let her think we’re easy to bully.”

Meanwhile, at Lin Yuexi’s house, it was a rare Sunday when the children didn’t have to go to school. The village clinic had been quiet lately. Besides, most villagers knew where she lived, so if they had a cold or the flu, they could just call out to her. Now that she had a formal job, she could have Sundays off. So today, Lin Yuexi slept in with Ziyan and Xiyun. After getting up, she realized that she hadn’t made a nutritious breakfast for Ziyan and Xiyun in a long time. Today was a good day to do that, since she had more time.

Thinking about this, Lin Yuexi went into her space kitchen. Looking at the fresh ingredients neatly arranged in her space, she had an idea.

She first took a few eggs from the chicken coop, cracked them into a bowl, added a little milk and salt, and whisked them together. Then, she turned on the stove, poured in a little oil, and waited for the oil to heat up before pouring the egg mixture into the pan. She gently shook the pan to allow the egg mixture to spread evenly over the bottom. Soon, a golden, fluffy egg pancake was ready. She cut it into small pieces and placed it on a plate.

Next, she took out whole wheat flour, added water and yeast, and kneaded it into a smooth dough. She set it aside to rise. While she waited, she chopped carrots and ham into small pieces. When the dough had risen, she kneaded the chopped vegetables into the dough and shaped it into small, round buns, which she steamed until cooked.

After preparing the main course, Lin Yuexi took out fresh apples and oranges. She cut the apples into small pieces and put them in the juicer with the oranges, squeezing out two glasses of fresh juice.

After everything was ready, she brought the egg pancake, vegetable buns, and juice to the dining table and called out to Ziyan and Xiyun. “Children, come and eat breakfast. Look what Mommy made for you.”

Ziyan and Xiyun ran over happily. Their eyes lit up at the sight of the delicious food. Ziyan picked up a piece of egg pancake and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling, “Mommy, it’s delicious!”

Xiyun also picked up her juice and took a sip. She smiled and said, “Mommy, this juice is good too.”

The mother and children were happily eating when they heard a commotion outside. The gate was pushed open forcefully. Lin Yuexi was startled. She saw Lin Fugui, Li Sanru, Lin Dasan, Lin Wan, and… all rushing into the yard. There were also a group of villagers watching, and Wang Lijuan was among them.

Lin Yuexi knew that they must have come here shouting all the way. Wang Lijuan must have heard the commotion and followed the villagers.

Seeing the Lin family making such a big fuss, Lin Yuexi knew that things wouldn’t be easy today. She said to Ziyan and Xiyun, “Wait a minute. No matter what Mommy does, you two must sit here and eat your breakfast. Don’t come over…”

Ziyan listened and said calmly, “Mommy, don’t be afraid! Just go and do what you need to do. If my sister and I can help, we’ll help. If we can’t, we’ll just eat our breakfast…”

Lin Yuexi was both comforted and a little helpless when she heard Ziyan’s words. She stroked Ziyan’s head and said, “Son, this is a matter for adults. You’re still young, don’t worry about it.” But her eyes held a firm look. She knew that she had to resolve the issue with the Lin family today. She couldn’t let them keep bothering her endlessly.

Li Sanru, seeing so many people watching, was energized. She entered the house, put her hands on her hips, and said with a mouthful of spittle, “Lin Yuexi, you’re my daughter. We raised you for eighteen years. We also found you such a good husband. Now that you’re living so well, how can you forget the parents who gave birth to you and raised you? From today onwards, you have to give us 30 yuan a month for filial piety…”

Li Sanru’s words had barely left her mouth when the villagers, hearing “30 yuan for filial piety,” began to get excited.

“….”

“30 yuan for filial piety? Li Sanru, you shameless thing! Why don’t you just go rob someone?” Wang Lijuan shouted.

“Right! Li Sanru, don’t you remember how you treated Yuexi before? Now you have the nerve to ask for so much money?” An elderly woman in the village couldn’t help but speak up and criticize her.

“…”

The criticism from the villagers made Li Sanru’s face turn red and white. She shouted angrily, “This is our family business. None of your business! If she, Lin Yuexi, doesn’t give the money, she’s being unfilial!”

Lin Yuexi looked at Li Sanru’s shrewish behavior and her anger was ignited. “You dare to mention raising me? From the time I was a child, you know very well what kind of life I lived in the Lin family! I didn’t have enough to eat, I didn’t have enough to wear, and I had to do all kinds of hard labor. If I’m alive today, it’s because I’m tough, not because of your kindness!”

Seeing that Lin Yuexi dared to talk back, Lin Dasan stepped forward, waving his fist and threatening her. “Don’t talk nonsense. You have to give the money today, or you’ll be sorry!”

Just as things were about to get out of hand, Lu Zhengdong, Liu Cuifhua, their three sons, and Li Xiuyin entered in a grand procession.

“Who says the money doesn’t have to be given today? Lin Fugui, Li Sanru, Lin Dasan, you shameless bunch! Stop acting so arrogant. Your daughter, Lin Yuexi, was forced upon our Third son. You insisted on marrying her off for 200 yuan. Now you dare to come to her door and ask for money. I think you’re crazy!” Liu Cuifhua said a whole bunch of things as soon as she entered the house.

Li Sanru never expected the Lu family to come out. Didn’t they say that Lin Yuexi had a falling out with the entire Lu family? Why were they coming to defend Lin Yuexi now? But seeing that Liu Cuifhua was already here, she could only speak softly. “Mother-in-law, Lin Yuexi has already moved out on her own. Why are you meddling in this?”

Liu Cuifhua glanced at Li Sanru. “It’s true that Lin Yuexi has moved out on her own, but as long as she hasn’t divorced our Third son, she’s still our Lu family’s daughter-in-law. Why can’t we meddle?”

Seeing that she couldn’t argue with Liu Cuifhua, Li Sanru quickly winked at Lin Fugui. Lin Fugui understood and immediately straightened his back. “Lin Yuexi is my biological daughter. It’s only natural for a daughter to show filial piety to her father.”

Lin Dasan, thinking about the possibility of getting money from Lin Yuexi and not having to do hard labor, felt a surge of joy. He patted his chest and said to Li Sanru, “Mother, don’t worry. I’ll be there. That Lin Yuexi won’t dare to refuse. If she dares to disobey, I have ways to deal with her.”

Li Sanru nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, I raised her for so long. Now she’s eating and drinking well, and she doesn’t care about us. When you go tomorrow, be firm. Don’t let her think we’re easy to bully.”

Meanwhile, at Lin Yuexi’s house, it was a rare Sunday when the children didn’t have to go to school. The village clinic had been quiet lately. Besides, most villagers knew where she lived, so if they had a cold or the flu, they could just call out to her. Now that she had a formal job, she could have Sundays off. So today, Lin Yuexi slept in with Ziyan and Xiyun. After getting up, she realized that she hadn’t made a nutritious breakfast for Ziyan and Xiyun in a long time. Today was a good day to do that, since she had more time.

Thinking about this, Lin Yuexi went into her space kitchen. Looking at the fresh ingredients neatly arranged in her space, she had an idea.

She first took a few eggs from the chicken coop, cracked them into a bowl, added a little milk and salt, and whisked them together. Then, she turned on the stove, poured in a little oil, and waited for the oil to heat up before pouring the egg mixture into the pan. She gently shook the pan to allow the egg mixture to spread evenly over the bottom. Soon, a golden, fluffy egg pancake was ready. She cut it into small pieces and placed it on a plate.

Next, she took out whole wheat flour, added water and yeast, and kneaded it into a smooth dough. She set it aside to rise. While she waited, she chopped carrots and ham into small pieces. When the dough had risen, she kneaded the chopped vegetables into the dough and shaped it into small, round buns, which she steamed until cooked.

After preparing the main course, Lin Yuexi took out fresh apples and oranges. She cut the apples into small pieces and put them in the juicer with the oranges, squeezing out two glasses of fresh juice.

After everything was ready, she brought the egg pancake, vegetable buns, and juice to the dining table and called out to Ziyan and Xiyun. “Children, come and eat breakfast. Look what Mommy made for you.”

Ziyan and Xiyun ran over happily. Their eyes lit up at the sight of the delicious food. Ziyan picked up a piece of egg pancake and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling, “Mommy, it’s delicious!”

Xiyun also picked up her juice and took a sip. She smiled and said, “Mommy, this juice is good too.”

The mother and children were happily eating when they heard a commotion outside. The gate was pushed open forcefully. Lin Yuexi was startled. She saw Lin Fugui, Li Sanru, Lin Dasan, Lin Wan, and… all rushing into the yard. There were also a group of villagers watching, and Wang Lijuan was among them.

Lin Yuexi knew that they must have come here shouting all the way. Wang Lijuan must have heard the commotion and followed the villagers.

Seeing the Lin family making such a big fuss, Lin Yuexi knew that things wouldn’t be easy today. She said to Ziyan and Xiyun, “Wait a minute. No matter what Mommy does, you two must sit here and eat your breakfast. Don’t come over…”

Ziyan listened and said calmly, “Mommy, don’t be afraid! Just go and do what you need to do. If my sister and I can help, we’ll help. If we can’t, we’ll just eat our breakfast…”

Lin Yuexi was both comforted and a little helpless when she heard Ziyan’s words. She stroked Ziyan’s head and said, “Son, this is a matter for adults. You’re still young, don’t worry about it.” But her eyes held a firm look. She knew that she had to resolve the issue with the Lin family today. She couldn’t let them keep bothering her endlessly.

Li Sanru, seeing so many people watching, was energized. She entered the house, put her hands on her hips, and said with a mouthful of spittle, “Lin Yuexi, you’re my daughter. We raised you for eighteen years. We also found you such a good husband. Now that you’re living so well, how can you forget the parents who gave birth to you and raised you? From today onwards, you have to give us 30 yuan a month for filial piety…”

Li Sanru’s words had barely left her mouth when the villagers, hearing “30 yuan for filial piety,” began to get excited.

“….”

“30 yuan for filial piety? Li Sanru, you shameless thing! Why don’t you just go rob someone?” Wang Lijuan shouted.

“Right! Li Sanru, don’t you remember how you treated Yuexi before? Now you have the nerve to ask for so much money?” An elderly woman in the village couldn’t help but speak up and criticize her.

“…”

The criticism from the villagers made Li Sanru’s face turn red and white. She shouted angrily, “This is our family business. None of your business! If she, Lin Yuexi, doesn’t give the money, she’s being unfilial!”

Lin Yuexi looked at Li Sanru’s shrewish behavior and her anger was ignited. “You dare to mention raising me? From the time I was a child, you know very well what kind of life I lived in the Lin family! I didn’t have enough to eat, I didn’t have enough to wear, and I had to do all kinds of hard labor. If I’m alive today, it’s because I’m tough, not because of your kindness!”

Seeing that Lin Yuexi dared to talk back, Lin Dasan stepped forward, waving his fist and threatening her. “Don’t talk nonsense. You have to give the money today, or you’ll be sorry!”

Just as things were about to get out of hand, Lu Zhengdong, Liu Cuifhua, their three sons, and Li Xiuyin entered in a grand procession.

“Who says the money doesn’t have to be given today? Lin Fugui, Li Sanru, Lin Dasan, you shameless bunch! Stop acting so arrogant. Your daughter, Lin Yuexi, was forced upon our Third son. You insisted on marrying her off for 200 yuan. Now you dare to come to her door and ask for money. I think you’re crazy!” Liu Cuifhua said a whole bunch of things as soon as she entered the house.

Li Sanru never expected the Lu family to come out. Didn’t they say that Lin Yuexi had a falling out with the entire Lu family? Why were they coming to defend Lin Yuexi now? But seeing that Liu Cuifhua was already here, she could only speak softly. “Mother-in-law, Lin Yuexi has already moved out on her own. Why are you meddling in this?”

Liu Cuifhua glanced at Li Sanru. “It’s true that Lin Yuexi has moved out on her own, but as long as she hasn’t divorced our Third son, she’s still our Lu family’s daughter-in-law. Why can’t we meddle?”

Seeing that she couldn’t argue with Liu Cuifhua, Li Sanru quickly winked at Lin Fugui. Lin Fugui understood and immediately straightened his back. “Lin Yuexi is my biological daughter. It’s only natural for a daughter to show filial piety to her father.”