"That……"

Shen Zhiyu's lips twitched, and he was about to say something.

The atmosphere inside the room had become somewhat heavy.

Shen Zhiyu thought it made sense, so he had no choice but to walk heavily into the room next door.

As soon as the door was pushed open, light shone through the dim glow of the oil lamp.

He was sitting on the edge of the earthen bed, in the dim light of the oil lamp, holding an abacus in one hand and a stack of banknotes in the other, head down, intently counting the gifts he had received that day.

Just then, they heard a soft footstep coming from below.

He immediately looked up alertly, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.

Almost instinctively, she quickly stuffed the wad of banknotes in her hand behind her back and hid it.

She asked coldly, "Why didn't you stay with the bride and join in the fun? What are you doing back here?"

"mom."

Shen Zhiyu's tone was somewhat downcast, tinged with a hint of grievance.

"Yuelan said that the thousand yuan my mother gave her today... she said it was her secret stash of money and she wanted me to... take it back."

Upon hearing this, he immediately stood up abruptly, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Dream on! Not a chance! Once that money is on the Shen family's gift list, it belongs to us, and no one can take it away!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, and her voice rose a few decibels.

"What kind of newlywed bride is so eager to receive betrothal gifts from her parents' home? Where can you find such a custom? Ask around the surrounding villages, is there any precedent for this?"

As she spoke, she patted her thigh.

"Even your sister-in-law's meager savings from back then are still in my hands!"

Shen Zhiyu felt his scalp tingle as he listened to the barrage of scolding.