They weren't pretending to be stupid; they genuinely didn't understand.
Meng Yuan didn't have many belongings to begin with; when she went to Xinjiang to provide assistance, she basically took everything she could with her.
The only thing left was a door panel that was used as a makeshift bed at night. However, not long after Meng Yuan left, Hao Chunlai chopped the door panel into firewood and burned it because he thought it took up too much space.
Now, I hear her say she's coming back to get her things.
Qi Fang and Hao Chunlai were naturally completely confused.
Huo Zhankai was still waiting outside the family compound. It was the dead of winter, and Meng Yuan didn't want to waste any more time there.
He cut to the chase and said, "Give me the money."
"What money?" they both asked in unison.
Meng Yuan glanced at the couple, and finally her gaze fell on her stepfather, Hao Chunlai.
“When I was sent to Xinjiang to provide assistance, I was given a settlement allowance of 320 yuan according to regulations. You collected this money for me with your household registration book, and you also said that you would keep it for me.”
"Now that I've settled down in Beijing, shouldn't this money be returned to its rightful owner?"
Upon hearing this, Hao Chunlai's smile instantly froze on his face.
He was indeed the one who arranged for Meng Yuan to sign up for the Xinjiang aid program back then, and he was also the one who collected the settlement allowance.
However, it wouldn't sound good if this got out.
Moreover, it will also damage the image of the old 'Hao' man that he has painstakingly cultivated for many years.
Therefore, he gave the same explanation to everyone, including Meng Yuan: the money would be kept by the family for Meng Yuan, and when she got married, the money, with interest, would be given to her as her dowry.
But Hao Chunlai never dreamed that after so many years of not returning, the first thing Meng Yuan did upon returning was to ask him for money!
“This…” He glanced at Qi Fang subconsciously.
Qi Fang acted as if nothing had happened, turning around to go to the kitchen to pour water, completely ignoring his words.
She wasn't unaware of the wink Hao Chunlai gave her.
To be honest, if this had happened before, she would have immediately started scolding Meng Yuan.
But things are different now. In recent years, she and Hao Chunlai have had these family issues.
They have a small argument every three days and a big argument every five days.
The affection between a couple who married later in life had long been worn down by these trivial matters.
She couldn't be bothered with something that was thankless and exhausting.
Moreover, she has quite deep thoughts in her mind.
Meng Yuan married well; her son-in-law is a military officer who earns over a hundred yuan a month.
The Lu family, who adopted their son-in-law, are quite well-off. He is their only child, and the elderly couple both have pensions.
I heard that the son-in-law's biological parents are even more remarkable; they are high-ranking officials in Beijing.
The kind of stomp that could shake the entire city of Beijing.
These few hundred yuan are really nothing to Meng Yuan.
It seems that her coming to ask for money today is simply to settle a score for what happened back then.
It wasn't just Meng Yuan who was angry about this; Qi Fang was also somewhat upset.
When she received the resettlement allowance, she and Hao Chunlai had agreed to split it in half, and he had agreed to it.
But Hao Chunlai turned around and secretly used the money to arrange his eldest son's wedding.
Now that Qi Fang could finally get this money out of Hao Chunlai's hands, she was naturally delighted.
Of course, she didn't actually intend to let Meng Yuan take the money away.
The young man and his family are in dire need of a bicycle. With this money, we'll get them one in the spring, so it will be convenient for them to ride to work.
As for whether Meng Yuan would give it to her or not, Qi Fang hadn't even considered it.
After all, she came from her own womb. As her mother, how could Meng Yuan refuse to give her what she asked for?
Thinking about all this, Qi Fang, for the first time ever, took the initiative to speak up for Hao Chunlai.
"Yes, Lao Hao, you've been keeping this money for Yuanyuan for so many years. It's rare for Yuanyuan to come back today, so hurry up and give her the money!"
As he spoke, he gave Meng Yuan a fawning smile.
Meng Yuan didn't speak, maintaining her previous indifferent demeanor.
On the contrary, Hao Chunlai stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Qi Fang's sudden defection.
Is this woman crazy?
More than three hundred yuan! That's more than a year's salary for him, why should he give it to him!
There's no reason to spit out meat that's already in your mouth!
He was furious inside, but on the surface he spoke in a kind and agreeable tone.
“Yuanyuan, it’s not that Uncle Hao doesn’t want to pay, it’s just that… well, you don’t know how bad the factory has been these past few years, and our wages haven’t changed for years.”
"With a fixed monthly salary of only thirty-odd yuan, we've always struggled to make ends meet, feeding and caring for this large family."
"I really don't have that much money on me all at once!"
"There's no point in saying these things."
Meng Yuan said, "Before I came here, I went to the factory office. Your basic salary is 36.5 yuan per month, which adds up to more than 400 yuan a year. This amount of money is nothing to you."
"Besides, aren't there Guoli and Guohua? They both have formal jobs, so raising the money won't be difficult."
Guoli and Guohua are Hao Chunlai's two sons with his ex-wife.
As if she had thought of something, Meng Yuan added, "I remember that Guoli got this job by using my quota, so you have to make up for this money as well."
From the moment Meng Yuan entered the room, all she talked about was money.
Now that his two sons had been brought up again, Hao Chunlai's face instantly darkened. "What exactly do you want?"
Meng Yuan said, "I told you, I just want to take back what's mine!"
Judging from her tone, Hao Chunlai knew that there was no room for negotiation.
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