Chapter 82 Don't be shameless

Lin Jiefang winced in pain, then looked down and saw He Taohua's reddened eyes, and felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

“Mom, if you don’t want people to know, don’t do it in the first place. Things will leave traces if you do them. The fact that she was able to find you means that she has something on her hands that can prove you guilty.”

Why would he want to give away the money he has accumulated over the years?

But he couldn't afford to gamble.

They wouldn't dare gamble with his future.

"If I don't give her this money, and your affair with Uncle Youfu is exposed, do you think I'll still have a chance to get married? My career could even be ruined!"

He Taohua trembled, her eyes filled with fear and helplessness, and looked up at Lin Jiefang, "Son..."

"Mom, just consider it money to avoid trouble. This money... never really belonged to us anyway."

Ignoring the mother and son's reluctance to part, Li Banxia opened the passbook and glanced at it. Seeing that the amounts and times of each deposit were within two or three days after Su Youfu received his salary, she understood and couldn't hide her sorrow.

She loved Su Youfu so much that she lost herself in him, blinded by her own desires, and was manipulated by them for so many years.

They ruined her life.

Li Banxia wished she could be reborn before she met Su Youfu, so that she would never cross paths with him or He Taohua again.

pity……

Li Banxia closed her eyes, clutching the bankbook as she pulled herself back to reality.

She comforted herself, telling herself she couldn't think like that. God had given her a second chance at life. At 43, she was only halfway through her life. It didn't matter if she had taken the wrong path and ended up in a dead end in the first half of her life; she could turn back in time and get out of the second half and live a good life just the same.

She has so many things she wants to do.

"Let's go to the bank and withdraw some money..."

He Taohua grabbed Lin Jiefang's arm, glared at Li Banxia with teary eyes, and said, "Don't push your luck!"

"Let your son tell you who's going too far! If you had any shame, you wouldn't have seduced a married man!"

Li Banxia's eyes turned cold, filled with mockery, "What have I ever done to wrong you all these years? I've treated you like my own sister, and I've doted on your son like my own nephew! The money, energy, medicine, and various health-preserving formulas I've invested in you are all more precious than a man!"

He Taohua was speechless after being choked up. She opened her mouth, but realized that she was in the wrong and had no way to refute what Li Banxia was saying.

He opened his mouth several times, then managed to stammer out, "...That was your own choice, I didn't force you..."

“…Mom.” Lin Jiefang called out, trying to stop her, but it was too late.

Li Banxia sneered, "He Taohua, I haven't called you a slut only because of your son. Don't be so shameless!"

He Taohua was so angry that she trembled all over.

Pointing her finger at Li Banxia, ​​she cursed, "What right do you have to curse me? You can't control your own man, why blame me? I'm a widow raising my son alone, what else can I rely on to survive? With your meager subsidies, my son and I would have starved to death long ago! You think you've been good to us? If it weren't for Su Youfu, would you have been good to us? We owe Su Youfu a debt of gratitude, not yours! If you have the guts, go settle accounts with Su Youfu, what kind of ability do you have to come here and bully us orphans and widows..."

"mom!"

Even Lin Jiefang felt that his mother's words were excessive, so he reached out and grabbed He Taohua's arm to stop her from saying anything more.

While stopping He Taohua, he apologized to Li Banxia, ​​"Aunt Li, my mother didn't mean it, she just said it in the heat of the moment, please don't take it to heart, we'll remember your kindness..."

Li Banxia ignored Lin Jiefang and stared intently at He Taohua.

She scoffed, "If you don't rely on men, what do you rely on? Yourselves! I raised several children without Su Youfu, while you only raised one!"

He Taohua pursed her lips, her eyes filled with resentment.

Li Banxia continued, "He Taohua, didn't I introduce you to a job before? Others with money can't even find a nurse at the hospital, but I paid and put in the effort to get you in, and you said you couldn't do it after less than three days. A job sorting herbs in the herb warehouse—easy, high-paying, and it doesn't interfere with picking up and dropping off the kids at school—you worked there for a week and then told me you were getting too used to the herbs and didn't want to continue..."

He Taohua blushed with embarrassment and anger as she interrupted her.

“I can’t even read many words, I don’t understand those jobs at all, and those patients give me attitude if they don’t understand. Why should I serve them? The other nurses know that I got in through connections, and they talk bad about me behind my back every day. How am I supposed to do this? You want me to work with you in the medicine warehouse? I don’t know anything. You criticize me in front of so many people. You just want to see me make a fool of myself and lose face so you can be happy!”

After refuting him in one breath, He Taohua was panting heavily. When she looked up, she found that Li Banxia was looking at her as if she were a joke.

"I'll spend money, effort, and manpower to watch you make a fool of yourself? He Taohua, don't you feel guilty saying that?! There are gods watching over you, do you dare to tell God this?!"

He Taohua glared at her, panting, her lips pressed tightly together.

Li Banxia sneered, "To put it bluntly, you're just afraid of hardship. If you can't endure hardship, then don't be afraid to talk about how great you are, saying it's all for the child. If you really care about the child, you should set a good example for him, instead of letting him have a mother who is someone's mistress!"

"Li Banxia, ​​I'll tear your mouth apart!"

He Taohua was taken aback by being called a "mistress" and struggled to pounce on Li Banxia to scratch her.

Lin Jiefang hugged her tightly, his face even more pale than He Taohua's, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, as he tried his best to control his emotions.

He roared, "Enough!"

He Taohua froze instantly, her eyes red and filled with grievance as she looked at Lin Jiefang. "Son, it's not, it's not true. I did all this for you..."

"Mom, I've said enough."

Lin Jiefang took two deep breaths to barely suppress his rising anger, then turned to Li Banxia and apologized, "Aunt Li, let's go get the money."

Li Banxia nodded.

Lin Jie released He Taohua and told her to go back first.

He Taohua said no, she wanted to go with them.

Li Banxia looked at Lin Jiefang and said, "I can't stand her. I want to slap her across the face. Imagine yourself working hard for decades, only to have your wife raise another man's child..."

Lin Jiefang's face was frighteningly dark, and the veins on his forehead were about to bulge. Why was he projecting this image onto him? He didn't want to.

"Aunt Li."

Seeing that Lin Jiefang was on the verge of exploding with anger, Li Banxia immediately shut her mouth.

Lin Jiefang went to push the cart, and Li Banxia looked at He Taohua and said something to her again.

"Who said I'm not going to settle accounts with Su Youfu? I'm going right now! You owe me more than you can ever repay in this lifetime, just you wait."

He Taohua looked horrified.

Pointing at Li Banxia, ​​"You, you... what do you mean? What do you want to do?!"

Lin Jiefang pushed the cart over, and Li Banxia walked over. He Taohua ran to Lin Jiefang's side before her and sat down on the back seat.

Lin Jiefang, “…”

"Mom, what are you doing? Come down here first..."

He Taohua saw the coldness in her son's eyes, and her voice trembled with tears, "Jiefang, I'm your real mother, don't let her words sway you..."

Lin Jiefang glanced at the gatekeeper who kept looking this way, suppressed his anger and softened his voice to persuade him.

"Aunt Li didn't mean that. Mom, you go back first, and we'll talk about it when I get home from get off work."

He Taohua shook her head and said no.

Lin Jiefang gripped the handlebars tightly, his eyes filled with rage. "So what do you want? Do you have to make a scene with Aunt Li and attract everyone's attention in the factory, letting everyone know what kind of mother I have?! Are you going to ruin my reputation, ruin my marriage, ruin my future?"

He Taohua felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, and stared at him in shock.