Ever since Lin Qingyan's mother died, she regretted getting married. If she weren't afraid of being gossiped about for being ungrateful, she would have made Gu Mingzhou sever ties with Lin Qingyan long ago.

The girl was sickly and weak. She had inquired privately and learned that the girl might not live to be nineteen. She had originally thought that once the girl passed away and her body was gone, the marriage between her and her son would naturally be dissolved.

If that girl is lucky enough to live, they will find other ways to break off the engagement with her.

In short, they would never marry that girl.

Unexpectedly, her son accidentally saw Lin Sisi's body naked at the Lin family home. Due to the strict separation between men and women, after this incident, her son had no choice but to take responsibility for Lin Sisi, which gave him a good reason to cancel his marriage with Lin Qingyan.

Compared to Lin Qingyan, Lin Sisi is healthy and lively, and also quite good-looking. She always greets people sweetly whenever she sees them, making her much better than Lin Qingyan.

Mr. Gu, who was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper, said, "That woman saved your life back then. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't be standing here now, and our family wouldn't be reunited. Let her have the three thousand. Three thousand yuan is worth it to buy a life and to keep our family together. Besides, that child looks pitiful, so let's not worry about it."

After hearing what Gu's father said, Gu's mother patted the back of her hand and grumbled.

"Old Gu, you make it sound so easy for you. That's three thousand yuan! How long would it take the three of us in my family to save up three thousand yuan? And she just asks for it? You, why are you so biased towards her? Could it be that you..."

Knowing that she was about to ramble on, Gu's father quickly raised his hand to beg for mercy: "Okay, okay, I won't say anymore. You two can decide this matter."

He then got up, took the newspaper, and went back to his study.

Gu's mother was actually opportunistic; she had once fallen into the river and nearly drowned, but luckily Lin Qingyan's mother happened to be passing by and rescued her.

The debt of gratitude for saving her life was greater than heaven. Having survived the ordeal, she was filled with gratitude for Lin Qingyan's mother. Upon learning that the mother worked in a pharmaceutical factory and held an important position, making her an equal to Lin Qingyan, she decided to become sworn sisters with her. Later, when Lin Qingyan was born, the little girl displayed outstanding beauty from birth, so the two families proposed arranging a marriage between their children.

But to her surprise, less than a year later, her partner died in the line of duty, and she lost interest in the arranged marriage.

When Gu Mingzhou decided to break off his engagement with Lin Qingyan, she had already planned that after breaking off the engagement with Lin Qingyan, her family would get engaged to another daughter of the Lin family, so that the two families would essentially still be in-laws.

As for Lin Qingyan, that girl has always been timid and indecisive, sometimes acting like a fool. She would never have imagined that Lin Qingyan would take the initiative to ask for compensation.

Even if the other party offered compensation, it would only be three or five hundred yuan at most. They could just say a few nice words to appease them and that would be fine. Who would have thought that the other party would actually ask for three thousand yuan?

She plopped down on the sofa, her chest heaving with anger, and quickly raised her hand to pat herself calm down.

If she had encountered a shrewd, capable, and resourceful person, she might have taken the initiative to give more to get rid of their entanglement. But Lin Qingyan was clearly an easy target, yet she was even more greedy than those shrewd and capable people.

The saying goes, "A kind person is often bullied, and a good horse is often ridden."

The more a person yields, the more they will be looked down upon and bullied.

Gu Mingzhou said, "Mom, Qing, Comrade Lin Qingyan said that if she doesn't see the money by noon tomorrow, she will come to our house directly to ask you for it. I feel that she is different from before. She is no longer so timid. From her words and actions, she seems to have her own opinions. I think she should be able to keep her word."

"Not cowardly anymore, and has her own opinions now?" Gu's mother scoffed. "Mingzhou, this is the first time I've heard you praise her. You've already broken off the engagement with her, why are you still speaking well of her?"

"Me." Gu Mingzhou possessed the integrity of a soldier at heart: "Mom, marriage and relationships are matters of mutual consent. Although I broke off the engagement with her, we don't have any grudges against each other. I'm just telling the truth."

"So you regret breaking off the engagement with her?"

"No," Gu Mingzhou answered decisively. "Mom, I will definitely marry Sisi in the future. Besides, even if Sisi doesn't exist, would I regret it if Lin Qingyan changed her a little? That would be too lacking in my own principles. Your son is not that kind of person."

"Maybe she just can't bear to give up this engagement. Think about it, you broke off the engagement with her, and with her sickly health, who would want to marry her? I think she's just putting on an act in front of you because she's too heartbroken by the breakup, afraid that you'll look down on her."

"Mom, about the money."

"You and your father don't need to worry about the money. I'll handle her."

"You're not planning to give it to her?"

Gu's mother glanced at her son: "Three thousand yuan is too much. Your father and I have to go to work every day. Even if she comes, she won't be able to find us. Didn't she say she's going to the countryside in two days? There's not much time left. We can avoid it for these two days. When the day comes for her to go to the countryside, she'll have to go whether she wants to or not. Once she's in the countryside and can't see us, the money issue will naturally be forgotten. Even if she writes or calls to ask for the money later, we can just make up some excuse to avoid it. In time, maybe something bad will happen to her, and this debt will be ruined."

Gu Mingzhou felt that three thousand yuan was not much for his family. His parents' combined monthly salary was one hundred and eighty yuan, and he would send some back with him. Even though his younger sister spent more money in high school, they could still save a lot. But his mother wouldn't agree, and there was nothing he could do.

Gu's father was henpecked. In the Gu family, Gu's mother was like Empress Dowager Cixi. She had to be involved in all matters, big and small, and everyone had to get her approval. Of course, as the head of the family, she also had to control the family's finances.

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