Shen Guoliang remained silent, but Li Hongmei had long since lost her temper. She was already upset about giving Shen Mu Ning a hundred yuan, and now hearing her make such an outrageous demand, she immediately launched into a tirade: "You little slut, your parents left and we kindly adopted you, providing you with food, clothing, and education, and you've raised such an ungrateful wretch who dares to ask us for money. If it weren't for our kindness back then, you'd probably be dead by now."
Shen Yu, standing to the side, was also displeased: "That's right, Shen Mu Ning. My parents only took you in because you were an orphan. Do you think we're after your money? We should have just left you to fend for yourself." Shen Yu had always known that everything in the family belonged to him, and even Shen Lin couldn't take more than her share, so how could he possibly give it to Shen Mu Ning!
Although Shen Lin was shocked by Shen Mu Ning's change, she didn't say anything because she knew that what Shen Mu Ning said was true. Even the small courtyard where he lived belonged to his uncle, and only Shen Yu in the family didn't know about this.
Shen Mu Ning glanced at Li Hong Mei and said to her second uncle, "Second Uncle, you know very well what you were thinking when you adopted me back then. I was just a golden egg in your eyes, a golden baby with savings, a job, and a monthly salary. Once I grow up and can no longer bring you any benefit, you can just send me away. Why bother pretending in front of me?"
Shen Muling remained unmoved even as she watched Shen Guoliang cover his forehead with his hand. Generally, families with a conscience wouldn't necessarily treat their orphaned nieces exceptionally well, but if the niece had money and a house, providing some care would be the bare minimum.
But Shen Guoliang not only coveted her family fortune, but also wanted to send the original owner to the countryside in Lingbei. Given the original owner's physical condition, she wouldn't be able to support herself even if she worked herself to death in the countryside. She wouldn't be soft-hearted towards someone who had driven the original owner to her death and harbored evil intentions towards her.
"Second Uncle, you'd better think this over carefully, otherwise I believe the workers, leaders, and relevant departments of the machinery factory will be interested in your misappropriation of the property of the martyrs' orphans." After saying this, Shen Mu Ning ignored the feelings of the Shen family members and went straight back to the woodshed.
After Shen Mu Ning left, the atmosphere in the restaurant became tense, and no one spoke first. Shen Guo Liang didn't want to take out the money and was silently thinking of a way to get Shen Mu Ning to agree, otherwise, once the money was given away, his savings would shrink by more than half. Li Hong Mei cursed Shen Mu Ning as an ingrate in her heart, but dared not speak up and risk offending her.
Shen Lin silently tried to keep a low profile. Her family had already lost a hundred yuan because of her; if she spoke up, wouldn't she just draw her parents' attention to her, which would only invite a scolding? Shen Yu was the one who most wanted to speak, but because Shen Guoliang remained silent, he didn't dare to offend his father. He just decided in his heart: tomorrow he must teach Shen Mu Ning a lesson and beat her so badly that she wouldn't dare to ask for money anymore.
Shen Mu Ning sat on the edge of the bed, and with a flick of her wrist, a thin sheet of paper appeared—the deed to the courtyard. Shen Mu Ning's original plan was to get her money back and then sell the courtyard to Shen Guo Liang. But Shen Guo Liang's behavior today made her realize that even if he returned her money, he might not actually buy the courtyard. In his mind, the courtyard was already his; he could have it without spending money, so why should he bother buying it?
Moreover, houses are highly sought after in county towns, and it's common these days for a family of more than ten people to squeeze into one house.
Providing the deed might require some haggling with Shen Guoliang. If the house doesn't fetch a good price, it's better to just sell it to someone else and leave them homeless. Even if he has the money, he won't be able to buy such a nice courtyard then.
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