Wang Shuhua simply hugged Jiang Ruyi and whispered in her ear, "Ruyi, you have to be strong. Mom can only rely on you now. In this family, only the two of us are of one mind. They don't side with us at all."
Jiang Ruyi looked at the way her mother was looking at her, nodded blankly, and felt sorry for her mother. She thought that after she married Gu Changzheng, she would definitely only be good to her mother.
But she forgot who it was because of that she had a falling out with Jiang Ruyu, and in the end she went to the countryside.
Jiang Jianguo parked his bicycle under the porch and went into his mother's room, looking completely bewildered: "What's wrong, Mom? Are you feeling unwell again?"
Grandma Jiang glared at him: "I feel uncomfortable just looking at you like this."
Jiang Jianguo was completely bewildered. He had just gotten home from get off work and hadn't done anything to upset the old lady: "Huh? Mom, what did I do?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Let me tell you, Jun'er has a girlfriend in the countryside. You need to be aware of that, okay? You spent a lot of money on Jiang Kai's wedding, and you can't skimp on Jiang Jun's. You should give him more. Their life in the countryside is different from ours in the city. Do you understand?"
Jiang Jianguo was taken aback and glanced at his second son standing to the side: "Why didn't you tell me?"
Jiang Jun smiled helplessly: "I only said it to make Grandma happy. It's not time to get married yet. Dad, just listen here and don't say it when you get home, or you'll start arguing."
Jiang Jianguo was taken aback, then thought of the two troublemakers in his family. His face fell. He couldn't even tell his son that he had a girlfriend, which showed how unsuccessful Wang Shuhua was as a person.
“I understand. I won’t say anything. You’ve always been reliable and know what you need to do. I trust you. I’ll prepare money and tickets for you when you leave. As your father, I’m not very capable. I can’t keep you and your brother in the city to find jobs, but I definitely can’t let you worry about your marriage. Write to me when you’re getting married, and I’ll definitely go if I can. After all, marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event.”
He felt guilty towards his younger son, as he hadn't paid as much attention to his older son. His older son was a good student but didn't get into university because he went to the countryside to avoid burdening the family. All they could do was send him some money every month.
Jiang Jun didn't refuse after being lectured by his grandmother; he would naturally repay his family when he was able to in the future.
During dinner that evening, Jiang Ruyu learned that her second brother had a girlfriend. She was happy. Life in the countryside was so hard, and having someone willing to keep each other company would make her second brother less lonely.
Knowing that her second brother would be going back after the New Year, and that it was already halfway through the twelfth lunar month, she had to prepare something for him so that her future sister-in-law wouldn't think that her second brother was unloved.
Unexpectedly, when everyone was almost asleep that night, Jiang Jianguo and Wang Shuhua next door started arguing. When Wang Shuhua heard her husband asking her for her bankbook, she was both angry and scared. She already had no say in the family, and if he wouldn't even let her have the money, what hope did she have?
"Jiang Jianguo, even if you're dissatisfied with me and even want a divorce, you should at least try to make do for the sake of our children. Are you not leaving me any way out?"
Jiang Jianguo's brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly. He looked at the unreasonable Wang Shuhua and said, "What's wrong with you? It's the middle of the night. I just want a bankbook, why won't you give me a way to make a living? I work myself to the bone every day, can't I even see how much money my family has?"
Wang Shuhua's heart was pounding. Of course, she didn't dare to show it to him because she had already deposited most of the money back into the bank. Jiang Jianguo saw her distraught state and immediately sensed something was wrong. He pushed Wang Shuhua aside, opened the cabinet where the passbooks were, and was dumbfounded when he picked them up.
"Wang Shuhua, what's going on? Where's the money? Where's the money I worked so hard to earn? Last time I saw it was over three thousand, and now it's only five hundred. Explain yourself, or I'm going to call the police." Jiang Jianguo pointed a trembling finger at Wang Shuhua.
Seeing that her husband wasn't as furious as she had expected, Wang Shuhua felt even more uneasy. She swallowed hard and said, "Jianguo, don't get agitated. Listen to me. I... I just saved it again. I didn't lose it, and I didn't give it to anyone. Really, believe me."
Jiang Jianguo breathed a sigh of relief, but he wasn't completely at ease: "Give it to me."
Wang Shuhua didn't want to, but she had a gut feeling that if she didn't give him the bankbook, this man might really divorce her this time. When it really came to that, she found that she was still afraid; she didn't want a divorce.
Under Jiang Jianguo's compelling gaze, Wang Shuhua had no choice but to take out her bankbook. Jiang Jianguo looked at the name and amount of money on it and then felt relieved: "From now on, you don't need to worry about the money in the house anymore. You can do whatever you want with your salary. I'll take care of the household expenses. Keep the bankbook here."
“Jianguo, look at me, I have no ulterior motives. The money is still here. We’ve been husband and wife for so many years. Women have always managed the money. What kind of man manages the money?” What Wang Shuhua didn’t know was that when she took that step back, it meant that she would have to take every step back from now on.
Jiang Jianguo gave her a mocking look, said nothing, put away the family's bankbooks, supply certificates, household registration books and other important documents, and went out. During this time, he and his second son had been squeezing into the small room that Jiang Ruyi used to live in, one sleeping on the bed and the other on the floor, while Jiang Ruyi slept in the big bed with her mother.
Wang Shuhua watched her husband leave without saying a word, her face ashen. She knew that from now on, she would truly have to live a life of having to be mindful of others' feelings.
Jiang Ruyi hadn't dared to say a word when her father got angry before, but now she started stirring things up again: "Mom, how can you be so spineless? You gave the money to my dad, what will you rely on in the future? Even your sister-in-law won't respect you anymore."
Wang Shuhua gave a bitter smile. That's right. In today's society, which family doesn't let the daughter-in-law manage the money? She's so old and already a grandmother, yet she's been deprived of this right. Her daughter-in-law, who already doesn't get along with her, is bound to look down on her now.
Hearing that there was no more noise from next door, Jiang Ruyu patted her grandmother: "Go to sleep, it's alright, my uncle can handle it. You have a day off tomorrow, I'll go get some nice things for my future sister-in-law."
Grandma Jiang smiled and nodded: "Alright, you're the only one in our family who has this kind of connection. Let me tell you, Ruyu, I know you're definitely hiding something from me, but I won't ask you. However, please don't do anything illegal, okay? If something happens, it won't be worth it."
"Don't worry, Grandma, someone as smart as me can figure this out. I definitely won't go astray."
"That's good, then I can rest assured. You should go to sleep too." After hearing no more sound from her granddaughter's side, Grandma Jiang sighed silently and murmured, "What's going on? There's never a moment of peace."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com