Chapter 39: Persuasion

◎ The Charm of Money ◎

Originally, Wei Xuan hadn’t planned to explain things so clearly, but then she realized there was no need to lie anymore. One lie could lead to countless more lies to cover it up, so it would be better to be direct and say everything in one go.

Given Mother Wei’s protective nature, once she tells her, she won’t spread it around; in fact, she might even cover for her. So, Wei Xuan didn’t need to worry at all.

If Mother Wei really expressed strong disapproval of her actions, Wei Xuan could just delay things, drag it out for a few months, until the policy came into place, and by then, the issue would naturally resolve itself.

Moreover, she believed that as long as Mother Wei truly understood how much she was earning every day, the likelihood of her actually stopping them would be slim.

“Ni’er, what you just said… You’re not lying to me, are you?”

Wei Xuan laughed, “Mom, why would I lie to you? It’s true. Ever since my husband and I moved here, we’ve been doing this. Otherwise, with how fast we spend money, the little we make from our salaries wouldn’t be enough to cover our expenses.”

Mother Wei thought carefully, and it seemed like that was the case. Not to mention the baby formula and malted milk powder her daughter had brought back, the village chief had mentioned that one box cost dozens of yuan. The combined monthly salary of her daughter and son-in-law would likely barely be enough to buy even one box.

Plus, they still needed to eat and drink. Just from the bowl of noodles they had for dinner tonight, it was clear that these two weren’t the type to skimp on food.

If you added it all up, it meant they were spending more than they were earning. So where was the money coming from? It could only be from something else they were doing.

Thinking about this, she asked, “Do your in-laws know about this?”

“They don’t know. My father-in-law is an upright man. If he knew, Jiang Che would definitely get a good beating. He might even break his legs!”

Mother Wei understood the situation. It was because she was now staying here, and with the truth getting harder to hide, the two kids had no choice but to confess to her. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have told her.

These two kids were really bold—engaging in speculative business and doing so for a year or two without anyone in the family noticing. They had kept their cool.

But what if they were unlucky and got caught? This was no joke.

Mother Wei was very worried, and she advised Wei Xuan, “Ni’er, you and your husband both have jobs, and you’re not short of money. If things really get tight, you can always cry to your in-laws for help. They wouldn’t turn you away, right? There’s really no need to take such a big risk and do this kind of thing!”

In Mother Wei’s mind, asking her own parents for money wasn’t shameful, but her children should not be involved in dangerous situations.

Wei Xuan didn’t argue with her mother, as everyone had different values. There was no need to get stuck on this issue. As long as the result was what she wanted, that was enough.

She immediately got up, opened the chest at the end of the bed, took out the money box, and opened it. Then, she took out a flashlight to shine on it for Mother Wei to see. At that moment, nothing could reassure Mother Wei more than the sight of money.

Sure enough, Mother Wei trembled and pointed at the money in the box, “This… so much… is all from what you two earned?”

With a “snap,” Wei Xuan closed the money box and pushed it aside. She then lay back down and spoke, “Mom, I know you’re worried. Actually, in the beginning, Jiang Che and I were hesitant too, but then we thought, as long as we do our job well and send the goods to Wu Yun, it’s fine. After that, selling the goods is Wu Yun’s responsibility, and we don’t need to interfere. As long as we’re careful, there won’t be any issues. Look, even now, after all this time, nothing has happened, right? If we don’t do something this easy to make money, wouldn’t that be foolish?”

“Yes, yes.” Mother Wei nodded but then realized something was off. She almost got sidetracked by the shock of seeing so much money. She tried to pull herself together and asked, “Is this Wu Yun trustworthy?” If making money was as simple as her daughter said, why were there still so many poor people who couldn’t even afford food?

“Of course, he’s reliable.” Then Wei Xuan explained in detail how Jiang Che and Wu Yun knew each other.

After hearing this, Mother Wei felt much more at ease.

“As long as you two know what you’re doing, I can’t argue with you. But with so much money, you better hide it well. Don’t go spending it carelessly. If others see it, they’ll definitely wonder where all this money is coming from.” Young people just don’t understand the importance of being discreet.

“I know. We’ll definitely be careful when we’re out, and Jiang Che and I really don’t spend much. Most of the money is saved up.”

Mother Wei gave her a glance, “Do you believe that yourself? Go take a look at how other families live. You’ll see the difference.”

Wei Xuan scratched her nose. She really didn’t think they were extravagant with money—just eating a bit better, that’s all.

She and Jiang Che had never paid much attention to this. Jiang Che had lived well enough when he was with the Jiang family, and Wei Xuan simply didn’t think that eating meat every day was an extravagant thing. Her mindset from her past life hadn’t changed yet, but now that Mother Wei pointed it out, she started to think about it. She remembered how Sister Hong often mentioned how her family’s meals were, and it seemed there was indeed quite a big difference.

The mother and daughter eventually fell asleep while talking.

The next morning, Wei Xuan got up to make braised meat and pastries, and Wei’s mother curiously followed her into the kitchen.

Even Wei Xiaolong wanted to go to the kitchen to help, but was chased out by Wei’s mother: “Go, go, you don’t know anything, don’t come and make trouble.”

Although her son wouldn’t go around gossiping, it was better if fewer people knew about this kind of thing. Wei’s mother decided it would be best to come up with an excuse to send her younger son home early. Otherwise, if he stayed here every day, he might figure something out.

Wei Xiaolong had no idea that his mother was already thinking of a way to send him back home. At the moment, he was happily drinking sweetened soybean porridge, thinking it was really delicious.

Jiang Che saw that his mother-in-law had watched everything in the kitchen but didn’t ask a single question. He knew that his wife had already taken care of her mother the night before. He glanced around and quietly approached Wei Xuan, asking, “How did you explain it to our mom?”

Wei Xuan gave him a playful glance: “I’ll tell you later, go on and get busy, we’re almost out of time for the delivery.”

“Got it.”

By the time Jiang Che returned from making the delivery, Wei Xuan had already briefly introduced the area to Wei’s mother and Wei Xiaolong.

“Mom, there’s food in the kitchen, you two can make something to eat for lunch. Xiaolong, if you have nothing to do, you can also take Mom around the area to get familiar with it. We’ll head to work now.”

“Okay, we don’t need you to worry about us. You go on with your business.”

Waving her hand, Wei’s mother sat on the back of the bicycle. Jiang Che made sure his wife was steady before he pedaled off.

On the way, Wei Xuan told Jiang Che about the conversation with her mother the previous night. Jiang Che praised, “Clever, wife! How did you think of using money to shut our mom up?”

“Because it’s really a lot of money. Not to mention mom, even I was a little dizzy when I saw it.” She thought about it from her own perspective, and it turned out the tactic worked well.

Especially for Wei’s mother, this amount of money was probably something she could never earn in her lifetime. By downplaying the risks and letting her know that just a little danger could lead to this much money, most people would know what choice to make.

However, this only worked for Wei’s family. It wouldn’t work for Jiang’s father, because he wouldn’t take any risks at all. Even without the money, he could live well. Wei Xuan envied that…

Because of this, neither of them mentioned telling Jiang’s father or mother about the matter.

That evening, when they got home from work, Wei’s mother called them for dinner.

Even though Wei Xuan didn’t think cooking after work was particularly tiring, at this moment, she felt very happy.

Being able to eat something freshly made as soon as you get home really shows how lucky a child with a mother is!

Now that Wei’s mother knew her little girl wasn’t lacking money, dinner wasn’t simple at all. After all, her daughter was pregnant, and with the conditions available, she made sure she ate well.

For dinner, Wei’s mother made steamed eggplant, spicy scrambled eggs with chili, stir-fried pork with cabbage, and also cooked a pork rib soup.

Three dishes and one soup were more than enough for the four of them.

During dinner, Wei Xuan asked, “Mom, what did you two have for lunch?”

She knew how many dishes were in the house, and the meat was basically all on the table, so she could tell without thinking that her mother and Wei Xiaolong must have just made do with a simple meal.

“We were the only two at lunch, so there was no need to make too much, it would just go to waste. It’s hot in the summer, and leftovers don’t taste fresh by evening, so we’ll have a better dinner instead,” Wei’s mother explained, downplaying the situation.

Wei Xuan sighed, feeling helpless and about to say more, but Jiang Che interrupted, “Did mom and little brother go out today?”

“No, mom said it was too hot and didn’t want to go out. Brother-in-law, can you take me out for a little ride later?”

“Sure, I’m off the day after tomorrow. Just tell me where you want to go, and I’ll take you and mom out for some fun.”

Wei Xiaolong immediately became excited, “Then I want to go to the cultural center first.”

Wei’s mother knocked on the bowl, “Alright, look at how happy you are. Your brother-in-law has a hard-earned day off and is still going to take you out. It’s so hot, staying at home is much better.”

“Mom, it’s fine, we’ll go in the morning, it won’t be too hot then.”

Wei Xuan also said, “Yeah, mom, I’ll be off too, and we can go out for a stroll.”

“I’m not going. If you want to go, you can go, I’m afraid of the sun.”

When Wei’s mother said she wasn’t going, she really meant it. Wei Xuan thought about how her mother would be staying here for a long time, and since she wasn’t going now, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future, so she didn’t insist.

She also stayed at home with her mother, mainly because she was afraid of the sun too. She decided to let Jiang Che take Wei Xiaolong out to have fun.

Wei Xuan and Wei’s mother stayed home, using the electric fan while making clothes for the baby.

Wei’s mother carefully touched the fabric and said, “The cloth you bought is good. Once it’s finished, just wash it a couple of times, and then it can be kept for the baby. Originally, I was going to bring two old clothes from your nephews, ones they used to wear, but your dad insisted I shouldn’t bring them, saying your husband might not appreciate it. I think he’s right; your nephews’ clothes have been worn so many times, they’re not really presentable anymore.”

Wei Xuan didn’t stop working, quietly listening to her mother talk, occasionally responding with a word.

Wei’s mother continued, “Did your mother-in-law say anything when you went over there this time?”

“No,” Wei Xuan shook her head, “She’s busy with work and doesn’t have time to worry about me. She’s happy you’re here to take care of me. If it were just me and Jiang Che, neither of us have experience, and she wouldn’t feel at ease. She’d be worried we don’t know what we’re doing and could harm the baby.”

“That’s good. I see you’ve made quite a few little clothes. Since the baby will be born in the winter, don’t make too many clothes. If you make too many, they won’t fit next year. You can make another swaddle, though. Having two will give you one to alternate.”