Chapter 229 The First Sign of Wind
If you still have the money in your hands, you'll immediately become a target.
Neighbors are envious, relatives are scheming; who knows, one night they might break into your house and rob you of everything.
Shen Cuifen stood there, stunned, her mind a complete mess.
She originally thought her mother intended to use the money to support her schooling and even rent a small house in the city to settle down in the future.
But now, with the money locked in the bank and untouchable for five years, she can't understand it anymore.
Jianguo is about to return, and Liguo is also coming back. The family matters will be resolved sooner or later.
Is Mother hiding money all this time because of her college acceptance letter?
Are they deliberately preventing her from going to school so that people will know her family is wealthy?
"Mom, are you afraid the family won't agree to me going to university?"
She bit her lip and kept her voice very low, as if afraid of disturbing something.
Zhao Lin turned and walked out without stopping, her tone leaving no room for negotiation: "They definitely won't agree. But don't be afraid, your mother will protect you until you enter the school gate."
Her figure appeared exceptionally thin in the light and shadow at the bank entrance, yet she stood like a wall, firmly blocking Shen Cuifen's path.
The sentence was spoken plainly, but every word was like a stake driven into the ground, unmoving.
Shen Cuifen is not actually afraid of whether or not she can go to school.
She knew that with her mother's abilities, even if the family objected, she could still forge her own path.
She knew even better that her mother had enough money to support them both.
If she had quietly saved up that little bit of money, she could have rented a room and bought some rice and flour, which would have been more than enough to support her through university.
But her mother never said anything, so she stopped asking.
It's not that I don't want to ask, it's that I'm afraid to ask.
She believed in her mother wholeheartedly, just as she believed the sun would rise again tomorrow and that the grass and trees would sprout again when spring came.
This trust had long been ingrained in her bones, becoming the source of her confidence to live.
"Mother, thank you."
She spoke softly, her voice a little hoarse, but her eyes welled up with tears.
Zhao Lin placed his hand on her face, his fingertips slightly cool.
She didn't turn around, but her eyes were heavy and painful, as if she had a thousand words to say but couldn't utter a single one.
She was pregnant.
It's been four months, not a long time, but my belly is already starting to bulge slightly, so I have to use a postpartum girdle to keep it in place.
She forces herself to walk every day, and doesn't even dare to cough too forcefully.
Going to college?
What should we do about the child?
Should we send it to a relative's house?
Or should we raise the baby ourselves?
She dared not think about it, nor could she think about it.
The most important thing right now is to protect Shen Cuifen's future. As for myself... I can only wait and see.
We'll hold out for as long as we can.
"Cuifen, don't overthink it."
She finally spoke, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, "Focus on getting better first, we'll talk about it when the admission notice arrives. Don't worry about or ask about anything else."
Shen Cuifen nodded blankly, as if all her strength had been drained, and silently followed behind her mother.
As soon as the two entered the room, they saw Zhou Nuli slumped on the sofa, looking exhausted.
He was wearing a faded Zhongshan suit with a crooked collar and muddy cuffs. A pair of old leather shoes lay at his feet, their laces undone, looking like a dead snake.
He tilted his head back, staring at the crack in the ceiling, feeling as if his bones had been removed, and he didn't even have the strength to lift his eyelids.
"Jackie Chan asked his classmates for help, and the matter of building the country is likely to succeed."
He suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse, as if he hadn't drunk water in a long time.
He spoke casually, but the weight of his words was terrifying.
There's been a mess at home for almost two months, and nobody wants to get involved.
But this time, Zhou Nuli, a man who usually avoids trouble like a tiger, actually stepped forward for the first time to ask for favors, run connections, offer cigarettes and gifts, and even bowed to his superiors in a humble manner.
To save Jianguo, he sacrificed even the last shred of his dignity.
But there was no joy on his face. Instead, he looked like he owed someone eight million. He slumped on the sofa, his breathing heavy with exhaustion.
Zhao Lin didn't ask any questions, nor did she glance at him.
She went straight into the kitchen, boiled some water, took out her enamel mug that she had used for many years, and brewed a strong cup of tea.
The tea is aged jasmine tea; the tea leaves are broken into pieces like ash, but the aroma is still there.
She walked out carrying the cup and gently placed it on the coffee table, her movements steady, as if the scene at the bank had never happened.
Zhou Nuli suddenly raised his hand and swept the teacup away.
With a loud crash, the enamel cup smashed on the ground, rolled twice, and splashed tea everywhere. Brown tea stains spread rapidly across the cement floor, resembling an ugly map.
"You can throw a tantrum all you want, but don't break things!"
Zhao Lin finally spoke, his voice not loud, but like a knife slicing through the air, "Our family doesn't own a gold mine, we can't afford to be treated like this by you."
Zhou Nuli sprang up from his chair with a swift, snake-bite-like movement. His fingers shot out almost uncontrollably, the tip barely touching Zhao Lin's nose. Trembling, he roared, "For the sake of Jianguo, I poured my entire month's salary into favors! I even ruined Zhou Xiuli's job, and now it's off! Do you know that? Zhao Lin, don't you have any self-awareness? Don't be so selfish! You haven't thought about your family at all!"
Zhao Lin originally wanted to suppress her temper and try to be tolerant, after all, life had to go on. But Zhou Nuli's words were like a dull knife, slowly cutting into her heart. Every word was bloody and painful.
She slowly turned around, her gaze fixed on Zhou Nuli's face like iron nails. Her voice was not loud, but clear and forceful: "Jianguo is your biological son, no one can deny that. But what about Zhou Xiuli? She's the younger sister you raised, who eats your food, wears your clothes, and has called you 'brother' for over ten years. Which one is closer to you? Is it really that hard to tell? Or are you just pretending to be confused?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Nuli flew into a rage, his eyes turning bloodshot. He grabbed the plate on the table, still stained with oil and containing leftover food, and smashed it on the ground with a loud crash. Broken porcelain splattered everywhere, and oil and soup flew all over the place.
"I knew it! You did this on purpose! Are you trying to force me to take sides today? Do you want me to choose one in front of the whole family? Isn't that right?"
He was panting heavily, his face flushed purple, and his finger trembled as he pointed at Zhao Lin. "Zhao Lin, you're more cunning than a sieve! Cheng Long is at most my adopted brother, but when he heard that Jianguo needed help, he immediately ran around doing all the chores for him! And look at your family on your side? They're all hiding faster than rabbits, vanishing at the slightest sound! Can you count on them at a time like this? Can they help even the slightest bit?"
But those words were too harsh and heartless.
Zhao Lin's parents passed away a long time ago. Every year during the Qingming Festival, Zhou Nuli would take the children to burn incense and paper money, lamenting that "their in-laws left too early, which was unfair to Cuifen and Zhao Lin." How come now they are turning around and blaming her family for not having anyone to support them?
Shen Cuifen stood at the kitchen door, her face pale, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes. Hearing these words, she felt a tightness in her chest, as if someone was squeezing her breath.
She wanted to step forward and say a few words of advice, but as soon as she took a step, Zhou Nuli suddenly turned his head, poked a finger directly into the tip of her nose, and cursed viciously.
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