Chapter 14

The records in Qiao Yunbai’s notebook were crystal clear—what year, what day, where, and who took how much money from Chen Ju.

After reading it, Qiao Laiwang’s hands started to tremble.

“Mom, the wages I left with you for twenty years… you really gave them all to Big Brother and the others?” His voice was shaking. “How much of the money you were saving for me is left?”

Chen Ju never imagined that while she herself kept no clear records, someone else had been keeping detailed accounts for her. She immediately raised her hand to hit Qiao Yunbai.

Chen Yubing reacted quickly, pulling Qiao Yunbai behind her to shield him, and then pushed Qiao Laiwang forward.

That slap landed squarely on Qiao Laiwang’s face instead.

Smack! A loud sound echoed, and five distinct finger marks appeared on Qiao Laiwang’s face—evidence of how hard she had hit him.

“What kind of scheming little brat is this that the Qiao family raised? I’m your grandmother! I’m your elder! And yet you dare meddle in your elders’ affairs at such a young age? You’re clearly just poorly raised, no discipline!” Chen Ju pointed in Qiao Yunbai’s direction, scolding angrily. “You’re just like your mother—always wishing this family would fall into chaos!”

“Mom!” This time, it was Qiao Laiwang who roared, “Why are you yelling at the kid now? First, just tell me—how much of my wages is actually left?”

This was the first time in his life that Qiao Laiwang had ever shouted at Chen Ju.

She was startled. Her guilt made her fumble for several seconds, unsure of what to say. But it was only guilt—not remorse.

And even that guilt only lasted a few seconds. Then she pointed at Qiao Laiwang’s nose and snapped:

“I’m your mother! The one who gave birth to you and raised you! What’s wrong with me spending a little of your money? Now you’re yelling at me—can I even count on you to support me in old age? When I get even older, are you going to beat me or kill me too?”

“If I had known you’d be such an ungrateful bastard, I’d never have given birth to you! I should’ve drowned you in the chamber pot back then—saved myself from raising a son who yells at me and wants to make me drop dead from anger!”

“Throwing a tantrum, cursing, and threatening—anything but answering the actual question. Which means she can’t answer it,” Qiao Xinyi chimed in mockingly from the side, like a sarcastic narrator. “Looks like the money’s nearly all gone—maybe there’s a couple dozen yuan left at best.”

“You troublemaker, shut your mouth! Who said you could speak here?” Chen Ju turned her fury toward Qiao Xinyi at the door. “Before you came back, our whole family lived in peace. The moment you returned, this house has had no peace! You’re a jinx!”

Qiao Xinyi might lack many virtues, but fear of being yelled at wasn’t one of them. She continued,

“You talk like raising him means you’re owed everything—as if you didn’t also give birth to Qiao Yougen and his siblings. Didn’t you raise them too? Same birth, same upbringing, but somehow you’re a saint to Qiao Laiwang and not to your daughters?”

She clicked her tongue. “Then again, no wonder you can’t count on Qiao Laiwang to support you—he had no wages left to give. You used it all raising your other sons. For the past twenty years, it’s been your daughter-in-law supporting you.”

Aunt Zhang Hua, who was standing nearby, nodded so vigorously it was like pounding garlic. She fully agreed with what Qiao Xinyi said.

“Some old women are truly ungrateful. The daughter-in-law gives them good food and drink, but they still go around bad-mouthing her, saying she’s unfilial, picking at everything she does.”

“If all the food and drink Chen Yubing gave you had been fed to a dog, even the dog would know to wag its tail when it saw her.”

This was Aunt Zhang turning Chen Ju’s past gossip right back on her.

“Enough!” Qiao Laiwang’s fists were clenched tight, veins bulging on his strong forearms, showing how hard he was holding back.

His pupils dilated, and he stared dead at Chen Ju.

“Mom. Just tell me. How much is left of the wages I gave you over the past twenty years?”

This wasn’t just a question Qiao Laiwang wanted answered. Even the neighbors crowding in the hallway to watch the drama were holding their breath, waiting for the answer.

Twenty years’ worth of wages—not a single cent spent—all saved up by that old woman, Chen Ju. Even if Qiao Laiwang’s wages were low in the early years, they increased with his years of service. Even if you calculated an average of 28 yuan per month, over twenty years that’s still more than 6,700 yuan.

Everyone was stunned.

Every household raised children. Even if they had monthly salaries, life was still tight for everyone. A family with even 300 to 500 yuan in savings would be considered doing well.

If Qiao Laiwang’s wages hadn’t been used by Chen Ju to support her other children, he could’ve had over 6,000 yuan in savings. Who wouldn’t be shocked by that number?

“Dad, stop asking. Grandma’s passbook is hidden under her pillow. I looked at it secretly last week. There’s 79.63 yuan left in it,” said Qiao Yunbai, his eyes lowered. “She also has 42 yuan in the pocket of her winter coat, and there’s a little over 4 yuan in coins in the drawer. That’s all that’s left of your wages.”

As soon as he finished, Qiao Laiwang’s body suddenly trembled and his knees buckled. If Qiao Yunbai hadn’t quickly caught him, he would’ve collapsed on the ground.

“You little bastard! How dare you sneak through my things! You ungrateful mongrel! I’ll beat you to death!” Chen Ju was panicked by how accurate the numbers were and enraged that Qiao Yunbai had gone through her belongings behind her back.

In her fury, Chen Ju cursed without restraint. Even though he was her own grandson, she still spewed the vilest words.

“If Yunbai is a mongrel, then Qiao Laiwang must be the dog,” Chen Yubing retorted, pushing Qiao Yunbai out of the house as well. “Old lady, since you gave birth to Qiao Laiwang, do you want to explain this to the late grandpa too?”

There were some things Chen Yubing had no energy to argue over, but others—especially when it came to her child—she would fight no matter how exhausted she was. Her child was her bottom line.

Qiao Laiwang seemed deaf to all the ugly insults. The only thing on his mind was his wages.

“Mom, take me to find my big brother and the others. Tell them to return my wages!” Qiao Laiwang grabbed his mother and pushed past the neighbors to go out.

Qiao Laiwang was a grown man in his prime; Chen Ju was just an elderly woman. No matter how much she struggled, in his fury, Qiao Laiwang dragged her away.

For a while, the entire apartment building echoed with Chen Ju’s wailing—cursing one moment, screaming the next, then sobbing that she didn’t want to live anymore.

Not a single neighbor came out to stop them. After all, who wouldn’t break down if this happened to them?

“Mom, aren’t you going after them?” Qiao Yunbai chased to the stairwell and watched the two figures disappear into the distance.

“Your dad’s just angry because he found out suddenly. With the way he is? If he manages to get his wages back, I’ll write my name backwards,” Chen Yubing said coldly.

After twenty years of marriage, no one knew Qiao Laiwang’s nature better than the woman who shared a bed with him.

“Chen Yubing, marrying Qiao Laiwang—what terrible luck. You’ve had it so hard these past twenty years,” Auntie Zhang Hua said, patting her shoulder.

People only realize how good their own life is when they have something to compare it to.

At least Aunt Zhang would never complain about her own husband’s lack of ability again. After all, he handed over every cent of his salary to her every month without fail.