Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Chapter 231: Hypocrisy and Sincerity

Qian slept very deeply, until Jia Xiufang banged on the door, and she woke up yawning.

No trace of Yu Minglang was found, there was no hint of him in the air, the food boxes they had used last night were also taken away by him, and the furniture returned to its original position. He disappeared like a breeze, silently.

When Jia Xiufang came in, she only saw her daughter standing expressionlessly in front of the mirror, arranging her clothes.

"Qian’er, what are you looking at—huh? What’s wrong with your mouth?" Jia Xiufang keenly noticed her daughter’s lips seemed to be slightly broken, red, almost swollen.

"Dog bite."

"What?"

"Nothing, just dreamed of biting myself last night."

"Hurry up and change your clothes, your uncle will be here soon, don’t let him catch you in bed."

Chen Zilong’s voice came from outside.

"Damn! Is our house haunted or something? This light has been broken for ages, how come it suddenly works?"

Qian lowered her head as Jia Xiufang went out, "Don’t talk nonsense, maybe the circuit was loose, and it lit up when it got touched—though it is kind of strange that our water tank was full when I woke up today, and I don’t even remember filling it."

Indeed, everything that was supposed to be done had been done by Yu Minglang.

Qian listened to her mother’s conversation with her brother about the corridor light suddenly working, curled her lips, and suddenly felt something was off.

Looking down, she pulled the collar of her pajamas slightly down, revealing a red mark below her collarbone.

It seems the bad guy also did things he wasn’t supposed to do.

"Just like a dog, given a chance he’ll bite a few times..."

Uncle’s whole family came before lunch, they bought tickets and rushed over as soon as they got Jia Xiufang’s message.

As soon as they entered, they hugged Jia Xiufang and cried together.

"Brother, it’s outrageous how our second brother treated our mother!"

Jia Xiufang spoke with righteous indignation.

Uncle patted her shoulder, while the aunt voiced her anger.

"This time we are here to ensure justice!"

Hehe...

Qian watched the scene, observing everyone’s reaction, with only two bold words in her mind: "Haha."

The elders had been living here for so many years, while Uncle’s family visited at best once every two years, not contributing financially nor physically, leaving all care to Jia Xiufang.

The reason for their current visit was obvious, nothing but self-interest.

From Uncle’s perspective, not taking the elders’ money, nor supporting them, but pretending to yield to the second brother—in their view, it’s only natural for all parents’ money to go to their sons.

Grandmother, sometimes muddled, sometimes lucid, finally recognized Uncle after quite a pause.

She wouldn’t let go of her son’s hand, continuously murmuring Uncle’s childhood name.

Jia Xiufang wiped her tears nearby, while Qian shook her head and whispered to her mother,

"You entertain Uncle; I’m heading out."

"Qian’er, you’re not staying home?"

"It’s better for you to handle these matters yourselves; I won’t get involved. You can prepare a few dishes for lunch, but I won’t be back to eat."

"Silly child, your uncle hardly comes, and the family is dealing with such a big issue. Even if you’re busy, you should stay and entertain."

To Jia Xiufang, this was a family reunion; to Qian, it was sheer hypocrisy.

Uncle’s family surely wouldn’t come empty-handed; as for the house, no need for Jia Xiufang to bother; splitting it was inevitable. Qian didn’t care to watch these people pretend to act piously while scheming, using an excuse to leave.

"Qian’er hasn’t been seen for years, now she looks like a young lady." Uncle said to Qian’s retreating figure.

Jia Xiufang felt proudest about her daughter, "She’s grown up, sensible now, attending a provincial prestigious university, and has a great boyfriend who treats her very well. My Qian is luckier than me."

"Xiufang, let’s focus on our elderly lady’s business; now that second brother is inside, we should quickly resolve this." The elder aunt interrupted Jia Xiufang’s introduction.

These family trifles seemed trivial compared to the thrill of dividing the property after the old woman’s resettlement.

Qian left home and wandered aimlessly for a while; human nature reveals itself quite unintentionally before money, so ugly she couldn’t stand to look.

The urban village remained noisy and messy as ever, many people lived here generation after generation, siblings were friendly because of poverty.

Yet, it seemed like a peaceful atmosphere, soon to be broken. A relocation notice loomed, leading families to fierce disputes over property and elder support, with parents of older generations believing that birthing more kids meant sharing and companionship during crises, or straightforwardly hoping for more sons for care in old age.

As long as they were poor, harmony prevailed; suddenly with money appearing, conflicts ensue, with plenty at stake—who gets more, who gets less, whose elders stayed longer, resulting in backstabbing secretly or overtly, like Qian’s second uncle’s family fighting tooth and nail, with money prevailing over familial ties.

Qian couldn’t help but think of Yu Minglang’s two brothers.

If the Yu Family weren’t of their current stature, if they were just ordinary folk, would they still be striving for livelihood, planning endlessly for necessities and children’s future, would Yu Minglang and his two brothers be as harmonious as now?

The answer was surely yes, those three brothers, even in another family, wouldn’t fight to the death over money.

Because the Yu Family parents, besides material wealth, gave their children the most precious treasure, which Qian’s grandmother didn’t provide, the correct values.

Thinking about the Yu Family parents, Qian bought some fruit and took a taxi over.

She hadn’t called ahead, just decided on a whim to visit.

Luckily, Mr. Yu and Mrs. Yu were both home, seeing Qian come over delighted Mrs. Yu.

"You could’ve just come, why bring something? Come on in."

The slippers prepared for Qian were still there, so she changed and went inside.

"Minglang left for a business trip this morning; did you see him?"

"We met... Auntie, your seafood porridge is really delicious."

Mr. Yu sitting on the sofa glared, "So those big shrimps went into your stomach!"

A lingering resentment from last night wasn’t concealed.

Mrs. Yu laughed, "I didn’t make seafood porridge, it was winter melon and shrimp porridge."

"Uh, I didn’t spot any winter melon."

Mr. Yu slammed the sofa armrest, "I ate all the winter melon!"

Qian couldn’t help but chuckle; actually, this stubborn old man could be quite lovable at times.

"Your miserly look there, what’s with a few shrimps eaten by Qian. Qian, don’t take him seriously; this old man lost several chess games to the youngest last night, small-minded. Stay for lunch, I’ll cook some dishes." Mrs. Yu exclaimed.

"Auntie, I’ll help you in the kitchen." Qian couldn’t cook, but she could help wash veggies and stuff.

"No need, have a chat with your uncle." Mrs. Yu gently nudged Qian, lowered her voice and said.