"Why have you come on the first day of the Lunar New Year?"

Shen Ying looked at the hunched old man in front of him with a surprised expression. Usually, no one visits relatives on the first day of the Lunar New Year unless there is something urgent.

Jiang Yu searched through the original owner's memories and found that this aunt's name was Zhao Lan. She had only met the original owner twice: once when Zhao Lan married Shen Ying, and the other time when Shen Suisui turned one month old and they held a wedding banquet.

Of course, both times she came to attend the banquets, without giving a single penny as a gift. When she came for the baby's full moon celebration, she deliberately made sarcastic remarks about the original owner, saying that she had given birth to a worthless child who was completely useless. This angered the original owner so much that she rushed over and snatched the steamed bun from her hand, telling this aunt to get lost in front of everyone.

We haven't been in contact since.

Jiang Yu had a bad feeling about this sudden visit.

Zhao Lan wore a dark blue homespun cotton-padded jacket, black trousers, and bound feet bound in the old-fashioned style. Her gray hair was combed back, and her face was harsh, giving her an unapproachable appearance.

She was very dissatisfied with Shen Ying's doubts. Why was she here? Wasn't she allowed to come?

"If I hadn't come, your family would have been ruined."

Zhao Lan lives in town. A couple of days ago, news of Lu Yi writing an IOU spread from the police station, causing quite a stir. After hearing the news, she first went to Shen Ying's mother, but was refused. She then came directly here, claiming she wanted to stand up for her nephew.

She glanced at Jiang Yu sideways, rolled her eyes, and started walking home.

"Auntie, let me help you, be careful."

Jiang Yu knew that her visit was definitely not for anything good. If she were looking for trouble, she wouldn't have come on the first day of the Lunar New Year. She must have some other needs.

"Hmph, hypocrite."

Zhao Lan shoved away the hand that was about to reach out, quickening her pace in the process. She had already told her sister that Shen Ying should marry into her husband's older brother's family so that they could have someone to look after them. But this family refused, insisting that marrying into the family would be looked down upon.

They were barely able to afford food, so why would they care about being looked down upon? They just clung to this worthless sense of face. Later, seeing that Shen Ying was doing well in the army, they said that the original owner of this body was clearly not a good person and that she should divorce him as soon as possible and marry her husband's sister's daughter. In short, they just looked down on their sister's family.

Jiang Yu didn't care about any of that. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, there were many villagers coming and going. All she wanted was to maintain a good public image and keep a gentle and sensible persona.

Once you step inside the house, it's a completely different story.

When the little black dog at the door saw the person coming, it barked wildly. It looked like it wanted to bite through the rope and pounce on the old lady, which was completely different from when Shen Daqiang brought Shen Bo earlier.

Jiang Yu was overjoyed to see that Xiao Hei had never been so excited before, and planned to give it some treats later. This dog is truly intelligent; it can even distinguish between good and bad.

"Where did you pick up this dog? All it does is bark. You should sell it as soon as possible."

Zhao Lan was so aggressive that Jiang Yu, following behind, was afraid she might rush over and bite the dog if she got any angrier. She reluctantly reminded her:

"Little Black, be quiet."

Jiang Yu was used to feeding the dog on weekdays, and it knew to listen to its long-term food ticket. It obediently lay down on the ground, whimpered twice, and then quieted down.

Seeing this, Zhao Lan became displeased again. She put on a stern face and reprimanded Shen Ying:

“You’re a young man in your twenties, and you can’t even control an animal. How can you run this family?”

Her words were loaded with meaning, and Jiang Yu felt an urge to tear her mouth apart.

Although Shen Ying didn't like this aunt either, he didn't say anything. Because if he opened his mouth, this aunt wouldn't leave unless she made a scene.

There was nothing her mother could do; she was kind-hearted, and had been stuck with such a sharp-tongued and mean-spirited older sister who would constantly meddle in other people's affairs. In short, she couldn't stand seeing others do well; she'd typically belittle you when you did well, and look down on you when you did poorly.

"Auntie is right. This beast has no sense of its place. It keeps running out and barking. It really thinks it's something special."

"you..."

Zhao Lan could tell she was being sarcastic, and she pointed at Jiang Yu's nose, ready to give her a good scolding, but Shen Ying spoke first:

"Auntie, let's go inside, it's cold outside."

The aroma of the food cooking inside hadn't yet dissipated, and Zhao Lan, drawn by the smell, openly and subtly wanted to eat, but Jiang Yu brushed her off with a few words. In a fit of anger, she slammed her hand on the table, making the enamel cup on it rattle loudly.

“I’m chatting with my nephew, what right do you have to speak? I’ve heard that you’re having an affair with another man and that you’re giving Shen Ying’s money to him. It’s really immoral. Today I’m going to teach you a lesson on behalf of your mother-in-law.”

Zhao Lan got up to hit someone, but her old bones almost broke. Jiang Yu kept her distance, afraid of being extorted.

"Shen Ying, are you just going to let your wife bully me, an elder, like this?"

After several rounds, she finally realized that she was no match for Jiang Yu, so she changed her strategy and had Shen Ying teach her a lesson.

Shen Ying wasn't stupid; he could tell which side to side with between his wife and this gluttonous aunt who only took and never gave.

He paused:

"Auntie, you came so suddenly, is something the matter?"

Shen Ying wanted her to finish speaking and leave quickly. He vividly remembered being scolded by her as a child and taking food from her house to take back to his son. Even as a respectable young man, he found her a headache.

After his reminder, Zhao Lan finally remembered the purpose of her visit. She straightened her clothes, sat up straight, and said in a serious tone:

"Here's the thing, your cousin started dating someone before the new year, and the girl's family is asking for a dowry of 1,000 yuan. You can pay for it."

Upon hearing this, not only did Jiang Yu's eyes widen, but even Shen Ying was stunned. The cousin Zhao Lan mentioned would be thirty-five years old after the New Year. Not only did he idle away his days, but he also frequently caused trouble, and he never learned his lesson despite being arrested multiple times.

He finally found a divorced woman with a child, but she heard about his reputation and insisted on a dowry of 1,000 yuan before she would marry him. At first, Zhao Lan refused, but later, after hearing from the matchmaker that if this didn't work out, her son would probably be a bachelor for life, she was given a wake-up call.

Just then, I overheard about a debt of one thousand yuan in town. After inquiring, I learned that it was owed to my nephew's family, so I rushed over without hesitation.

"Auntie, I don't have much money in the army, and I have two children to support. I can't afford it."

Despite Shen Ying's attempts to persuade her, Zhao Lan remained adamant in her refusal. She felt that the couple had money but simply wouldn't give it to her. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she started rolling on the ground, staging a dramatic scene of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide.

“Shen Ying, your cousin is thirty-five years old. He can’t get married and he blames you for not giving him a dowry. When he gets old, have your son go and take care of him in his old age.”

Seeing Zhao Lan's self-righteous attitude, Jiang Yu laughed in anger. This was blatant robbery, wasn't it?