“Yes,” Song Xia said with a forlorn expression. “My daughter is from my ex-husband’s and my own. Over the years, I haven’t really taken care of her. It’s just that my mother-in-law said that since I married into the Qin family, I should treat Jiawei well. She was also afraid of what others would say about me as a stepmother. Besides, my salary isn’t high. After spending all the money I give to Jiawei each month, there’s not much left, so…”
"I think you really are a fool. As a stepmother, is Qin Jiawei all your responsibility? Wasn't Qin Zhenwu's previous income enough to support the family?"
“Zhenwu doesn’t earn much, and this house is old. The government won’t demolish it, so he said he wants to save money to buy a house, so…”
"And what about the money he's made over the years?"
“My mother-in-law said we can’t save money, so it’s all with her. She said she’ll take it out to help us buy a house once we’ve saved enough.”
"I think you really are a fool. I've never seen anyone as stupid as you." Aunt Zhou was so angry with Song Xia that she was about to die. She hadn't encountered anything that made her chest hurt like this in a long time. Did Song Xia lose a brain?
"You really agree to let her deposit the money? What if she doesn't come out with the money? Even if she does, what if the house is bought and registered in Qin Jiawei's name? What does that have to do with you?"
Song Xia was taken aback: "Even though Zhenwu is gone, I am still a part of this family. Even if Jiawei's name is on the deed, I will still live here."
Aunt Zhou practically poked her head with her finger, almost gritting her teeth as she said, "He dares to disobey you now? Will he still acknowledge you as his stepmother when he grows up?"
"No way? I've treated him with all my heart. I haven't even been this devoted to my own daughter. How can he not acknowledge me?" Song Xia's eyes were blank, her hands were at a loss, and her face was full of worry and unease.
"Why not? Let me ask you, if they had even a shred of concern for you, why would they make such a fuss over such a trivial matter at your company? What if you get fired? If they weren't really wary of you, why would they stand up for Qin Jiawei without even finding out the truth about why he wanted money? Song Xia, you need to be more careful!"
Song Xia bit her lip: "Aunt Zhou, are you overthinking this?"
"I'm overthinking this?" Zhou Fengmei was furious. "Do you know what your mother-in-law says about you behind your back?"
"My mother-in-law... she's been talking about me behind my back?" Song Xia's expression became even more vulnerable, as if she were about to be knocked down at any moment.
"How could there be no fabrication? When you chatted with us old neighbors before, they said you were lazy, or that you were greedy, or that you treated Qin Jiawei badly, or that you were cursed to kill Qin Zhenwu."
"I killed Zhenwu? How could my mother-in-law think that way?" Song Xia was on the verge of tears. "Zhenwu was clearly sent by my mother-in-law to deliver food to my husband's older sister's house, and that's when he was hit by a car. How can it be my fault?"
Zhou Fengmei was also very surprised: "Qin Zhenwu was hit by a car because of this? Your mother-in-law told us that it was because you wanted to eat something in the middle of the night, and Qin Zhenwu couldn't stand your fuss, so he went out and got hit by a car."
Song Xia burst into tears: "How could my mother-in-law slander me like this? No, I must make this clear. Zhenwu cannot die without knowing the truth."
“We need to make this clear. Your mother-in-law has been talking about you behind your back a lot, Song Xia. You can’t be as naive as before. I’m only telling you the truth because I see how pitiful you’ve been deceived.”
"Aunt Zhou, thank you. If it weren't for your kindness, I wouldn't have known..." Song Xia covered her face and wept, her voice broken and intermittent, as if she couldn't bear this terrible news.
"Take it easy for now, otherwise if you go up there now, I'm afraid you won't be able to handle your mother-in-law and sister-in-law."
"Hmm." With her help, Song Xia sat down on a stone bench. At this moment, two old neighbors came over and couldn't help but ask her what was wrong.
Zhou Fengmei was a kind-hearted person with a wide social circle. At this moment, she couldn't help but stand up for Song Xia. So, after tentatively saying a few words, and seeing that Song Xia did not stop her, she told all the lies that Sun Xiurong had fabricated and the grievances that Song Xia had suffered. She told them with great emotion, which amazed everyone.
The two of them kept their mouths shut, and the way they looked at Song Xia was just like how they looked at Zhou Fengmei earlier—as if she were an idiot.
"I knew Sun Xiurong was such a formidable person, how come she only talked about it in front of us and never actually made a scene? Turns out she only makes a scene at home!"
"She probably knew that if things really got out of hand, everyone would just laugh at her."
“Song family girl, you’re just too honest. You only listen to her and never come down to chat with everyone.”
"I don't have time to chat. I have to go to work to earn money during the day, and when I get home, I have to cook and do housework for the whole family. Besides, my mother-in-law said..." She looked at the three of them with a tactful expression, seemingly finding it difficult to say.
The three of them had a bad feeling and quickly asked, "What did your mother-in-law say?"
"Please don't be angry with what I said. My mother-in-law was probably just joking and didn't mean it."
The three couldn't wait any longer and urged again, "At our age, what can't we hear? Just say it, we promise we won't take it to heart."
Song Xia clutched the hem of her clothes: "My mother-in-law said that the people who often gossip in the neighborhood are all ill-intentioned and jealous of others' success. If you get too involved, you'll be sown apart and it will affect family harmony. Aunt Zhou, don't be angry. My mother-in-law may not be talking about you. I just chatted with you for a while and I realized that you are all very good people."
The more she said that, the angrier Zhou Fengmei and the others became. However, they did not immediately start cursing. After all, they had been neighbors for so many years, and everyone knew each other well. If you were to ask who had the most wives in this old neighborhood, it would undoubtedly be Sun Xiurong.
Sun Xiurong is lucky. She got a grandson for free without paying a dowry, and now she has married such a silly daughter-in-law to support the whole family.
However, it's possible that she took advantage of too many things, which depleted her son's good fortune. Moreover, her son died on his way to deliver food to her own daughter, yet she still had the nerve to blame Song Xia.
They really need to bring Song Xia to her senses, otherwise they'll just be wasting a good girl's time.
“We don’t take it to heart.” Zhou Fengmei said with a forced smile. “But Miss Song, you must take what I just told you to heart. Even if you don’t think about yourself, you have to think about your elderly parents and your own daughter. What will you do if Sun Xiurong doesn’t take out the money and something happens to them?”
"Exactly, if you don't believe me, go back and try asking her for some living expenses, and you'll know her attitude if you see whether she gives it to you or not."
"You can't be that stupid. Sun Xiurong said she wants to buy a house. You're not a big spender, so what's the difference if the money is in your own hands? Besides, your sister-in-law often invites your mother-in-law to stay with her. What if she manages to swindle the money from you?"
Upon hearing this, Song Xia's spirits lifted, seemingly filled with fear: "This... can't be, right?"
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