Shen Guoliang knew that now that things had come to this point, he couldn't simply give Shen Mu Ning money to get rid of her. If Shen Mu Ning reported this to the educated youth office, then Shen Lin would have to go to the countryside. It wasn't that he was reluctant to part with his daughter, but if Shen Lin left, he couldn't arrange a marriage with the food factory director's family, which would mean losing a dowry and subsequent hidden benefits. Moreover, if things escalated and the factory leaders found out that he didn't support national policy, they might make things difficult for him.

Thinking it over, Shen Guoliang didn't mind spending 100 yuan to have Shen Mu Ning go to the countryside in place of Shen Lin. Although Li Hongmei was heartbroken about losing 100 yuan, she didn't dare to disobey Shen Guoliang. You see, Shen Guoliang was the kind of man who would beat his wife; it was only because he had been living a comfortable life these past two years that he hadn't laid a hand on her. But if she dared to defy his will, he wasn't incapable of teaching Li Hongmei a lesson.

Li Hongmei reluctantly handed Shen Muling one hundred yuan, and Shen Lin immediately relaxed. Her current crisis was over; as long as she married and left this family as soon as possible, she would be completely free from her father's control. She didn't believe that her father giving her this money meant he valued her; it was merely a way for him to keep her around so he could pursue greater interests.

Shen Muling put the money away, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Shen Guoliang doesn't think this matter is over, does he? Ignoring Li Hongmei's resentful gaze, Shen Muling walked gracefully to the table, sat down, and calmly said, "Oh, by the way, Second Uncle, I'm going to the countryside soon. Please just give me back the savings I entrusted to you and the monthly allowance you gave me. I probably won't be coming back, so I won't trouble you to keep them safe for me."

Shen Guoliang stared wide-eyed in disbelief. He thought Shen Mu Ning was only asking them for money because she was unhappy about letting her go to the countryside in place of Shen Lin. He didn't expect that was just an appetizer.

Shen Guoliang didn't care what Shen Mu Ning was thinking. Anyway, Shen Mu Ning was still young and didn't understand anything. She had no idea how much money her family had. He just needed to deny that he had taken her family's money and fool her. After a few days, she would go to the countryside. How could she possibly ask him for money again?

"Mu Ning, who told you this nonsense? When your parents passed away one after another, the family's money was just enough to bury them. Your second uncle took you in to take care of you because you were my eldest brother's only bloodline and he thought you might not be able to manage on your own. What are you talking about money?" Shen Guoliang insisted that at the time, Shen Mu Ning's family only had enough money to bury her parents.

Shen Mu Ning scoffed at his words: "Second Uncle, I was still young at the time and didn't know how much money my family had. But I knew that my father was a martyr and received a pension of one thousand yuan. In addition, Uncle Wang from the Armed Forces Department took pity on me because my parents had passed away one after another and I had become an orphan. He specially applied for a foster care allowance for me, which is fifteen yuan a month and I can receive it until I turn eighteen."

Shen Mu Ning sat opposite Shen Guo Liang and continued, "Over the past five years, my upbringing allowance has reached nine hundred yuan. Including my father's pension, you only need to give me fifteen hundred yuan. The rest can be used for my expenses over the past few years. Also, please give me the subsidy paperwork, Second Uncle, so I can take this opportunity to transfer my records to the place where I was sent to work in the countryside."

Shen Guoliang originally thought he could fool Shen Mu Ning, but he didn't expect Shen Mu Ning to know so much, and for a moment he was speechless.