"Nono, I'm so sorry. I was wrong last night. I didn't discipline your older brother properly and made you suffer. I will definitely talk to him properly and this kind of thing will never happen again. Don't be afraid, just stay here and relax."

Bai Nuo had no idea what had happened between Bai Dalin and Chen Qiuling, nor did she know whether Chen Qiuling was sincerely apologizing or had been persuaded by Bai Dalin. In any case, when Ms. Chen appeared in front of her, she had a big smile on her face and showed no reluctance whatsoever.

Bai Nuo had just gotten up. The room was empty, with no wardrobe or anything like that, just a dressing table with a blurry bronze mirror. Bai Nuo had looked in it last night and couldn't even see her own reflection clearly. Besides the dressing table, there was a table, and nothing else.

The items were simple, but Bai Nuo didn't mind. Anyway, she didn't have any clothes to store. Let alone good clothes, she didn't even have many old or worn-out clothes.

Seeing Ms. Chen sitting by her bedside, Bai Nuo wanted to get out of bed and go find her grandmother.

She's a fool now, she's a fool now. Fools don't know how to handle things. She has to go find Grandma, sob sob sob, she has to face the white lotus flower alone.

Chen Qiuling quickly grabbed Bai Nuo and held her down. Not only did she hold Bai Nuo down, she also hugged her tightly. "Good child, don't move. I won't hurt you. I just want to talk to you for a few minutes."

Chen Qiuling smelled nice, but Bai Nuo felt a tickle in her nose and wanted to sneeze. "I have a mother, you are not my mother!"

“Your mother has passed away. I married your father, so I am your mother now.” Chen Qiuling pulled Bai Nuo out of her arms, staring into her eyes, her eyes gentle and radiant with maternal love.

Bai Nuo stared at her blankly.

"Silly child..." Chen Qiuling took out the prepared items, "Have you ever seen anything this good?"

Bai Nuo shook her head.

Chen Qiuling smiled, placed the cloth she had brought by the bedside, then took Bai Nuo's hand and placed ten taels of silver in her hand. "Nuo'er, I have thought about it carefully. The dowry left by your mother should indeed be returned to you. You can take it with you when you get married. Nuo, today I will return it all to you. Keep it safe."

Bai Nuo looked at the ten taels of silver in his hand, which gleamed and felt a little heavy.

"I'll go get it for Grandma." Bai Nuo wanted to put on her shoes and run as soon as she got off the ground.

"Hey!" Chen Qiuling grabbed Bai Nuo with lightning speed, her slender, fair fingers tapping Bai Nuo's fair forehead. She said with exasperation, "Come back! What are you telling your grandma? This is your mother's dowry. If you tell your grandma, won't she just take it for free?"

Haha, Ms. Chen not only wants to exchange ten taels of silver and two worthless rags for her mother's large dowry, but also wants to sow discord.

“But my mother left behind more than just this dowry,” Bai Nuo said.

Chen Qiuling had anticipated that she would say this, and she had prepared her own explanation. She calmly said, "That's right, your grandfather did prepare a lot of dowry, but raising you and your siblings to this age also costs money, doesn't it? After spending it all, this is all that's left."

"It's okay if the money is all gone. My mother left behind a whole room full of furniture. When is my stepmother going to return it to me?" Bai Nuo said quietly. Since Ms. Chen had come to her door, she might as well have a proper talk with her.

"What furniture?" Chen Qiuling stared at Bai Nuo. "Do you understand?"

“Of course I understand!” Bai Nuo said. “When my mother got married, my maternal grandfather gave her a hundred taels of silver and a room full of fine furniture. That fine furniture was worth more than ten taels of silver and two pieces of rags, wasn’t it?”

"You were just pretending to be stupid!" Chen Qiuling's expression changed, and her gentle demeanor disappeared. Bai Nuo looked at Chen Qiuling's cold expression and found that this version of Ms. Chen was much more pleasing to the eye.

That's right, that's the expression she should have. What's the point of pretending to be weak and a good stepmother all the time?

"Since you understand, then I'm not afraid to tell you, this is all your mother's dowry is left. Take it or leave it."

You little brat, you want her money? Dream on! Once the money's in her pocket, it's hers. Don't expect her to take it back! "I'm telling you, you should learn to be grateful. Look how much money you've spent over the years!"

"I've been thinking that my mother passed away nine years ago. Before that, she took care of us and spent our money. After she died, my brother, my grandmother, and I were kicked out and had to fend for ourselves. What money did she spend on us? It's all clearly written on my mother's dowry list. How did it become yours? We were kicked out and suffered because of you. How is that spending your money?" Bai Nuo sneered. "Or, should I go and talk to my father about this?"