Mrs. Lin watched as the aunt and niece argued fiercely, refusing to give in. She sighed, thinking that some things needed to be clarified to avoid future disputes.
Old Mrs. Lin pulled her little daughter to sit down and frowned as she said, "Stop yelling, it's giving me a headache. Xiaolin, sit down too. Your aunt has already said so much today, so I have something to tell you."
Chen Jingru pulled her daughter to sit next to the old lady. Then she heard the old lady continue, "Xiaolin was too young to know. Jingru and Liying, you should know something. Zhou Xiaozheng got into trouble, and Shanshan was dying. We couldn't stay in that house anymore. I asked Shanshan to give me their savings for safekeeping."
At the time, I was given two passbooks. They contained a substantial sum of money, more than our family had in the bank. It was all Zhou Xiaozheng's personal savings. He specifically left it for Shanshan to support Jiaojiao, and the interest alone was enough to support her. Later, I brought Shanshan home, and I still have this money. Besides this, I also asked Shanshan to deposit any extra money she earned with me.
Over the past decade or so, our family's expenses have been excessive, and I've embezzled some of the money. Now that Zhou Xiaozheng is back, let's not even talk about the principal. The interest alone has multiplied several times in the bank, and I can't even take out the principal right now. Plus, we haven't taken care of Zhou Jiao, so we can't delay this payment. If the news gets out, the Lin family will be in trouble.
Logically, your aunt should have taken the money to Zhou Jiao when she went to see her. I know Zhou Xiaozheng will definitely ask about the money when he sees her. But I really have no choice this time. I have to raise the money before returning it to him, right?
So, Xiaolin, you really can't compare to Zhou Jiao. Her father left her a lot of money. You said your eldest aunt's money is from the Lin family. Wrong! Zhou Jiao's dowry can't even spend the interest. It's all Zhou Xiaozheng's money. In our family, even your eldest aunt's salary is with grandma.
You also mentioned that Zhou Jiao has two courtyard houses. These were also passed down from her father. These two courtyard houses weren't purchased; they were passed down from the Zhou family. Zhou Xiaozheng gave them to Zhou Jiao. Are you curious about how he got them?
The Zhou family originally came from Beijing, but returned to their ancestral home in Northeast China due to the chaotic world. The two-story courtyard house now available for rent was the ancestral home of Zhou Xiaozheng's mother's family, the Huang family. The Huang family was then the imperial physicians of Beijing, with only Old Lady Zhou as their only child. Later, Old Lady Zhou gave the house to her youngest son. It was agreed that Zhou Xiaozheng would receive the house and all the household belongings would be given to his eldest brother. After Zhou Jiao was born, Zhou Xiaozheng, fearing any misfortune, transferred the house to her name.
The story of that large courtyard house is a bit complicated. Zhou Jiao's ancestors were quite prominent in Beijing at the time. The haunted house near Houhai Lake was originally the Zhou family's ancestral home. Before liberation, Zhou Xiaozheng used trickery to obtain a new title deed, which he exchanged for this large courtyard house. Normally, after the war, properties without title deed proof would be confiscated. At the time, Zhou Xiaozheng and your aunt had just married, and the Japanese hadn't surrendered yet. But he managed it.
Because Mr. Zhou of the Zhou family didn't have a title deed, and since he wasn't the eldest son, he couldn't produce the old title deed. So, the courtyard house became Zhou Xiaozheng's personal property. Zhou Xiaozheng even paid a small sum of money, and all the paperwork was completed. To avoid future disputes, he registered the property under your eldest aunt's name. If it weren't for the concern that future disputes would affect Zhou Jiao, he would have registered it under her name long ago.
These two houses were left to Zhou Jiao by Zhou Xiaozheng. His wealth is unfathomable to most people. Don't compare yourself to Zhou Jiao; there's no comparison. Even if Zhou Jiao has siblings in the future, these will still belong to her. Could Zhou Xiaozheng have left something behind?
You haven't seen Zhou Xiaozheng before. When you do, you'll understand why Grandma is so anxious to raise money to pay him back. Just ask around in the compound, find any forty-year-old soldier who knows him, and you'll understand. He's no ordinary man. I'd believe your grandfather's boasts about having a daughter like Zhou Jiao.
You should also listen to your aunt. She's doing this for your own good, and she wouldn't be angry with anyone else. Look, she's so anxious she's swearing. Grandma doesn't want you to regret it. Money is a good thing, but you also have to consider the kind of man you'll be with for the rest of your life. You're old enough now, so go back and think carefully. If you really want him, Grandma will start preparing a dowry. It won't be much, but it'll be enough for the family. If you don't really want to marry him, you have to be mindful of the consequences. A woman's reputation is the most important thing in her life."
Lin Xueling opened her mouth wide, unable to speak for a long time. After a while, she blinked and asked cautiously, "Grandma, how could this uncle-in-law be so powerful, why would he marry my aunt? I'm not belittling my aunt. Really, I heard that my uncle-in-law is very good-looking, and many female soldiers secretly like him, so my aunt doesn't look for anyone else. Because she met someone too good, and then she saw someone too bad, so she didn't like him. Several grandmothers in the compound said that my aunt was lucky not to be really crazy. But I don't think my aunt is very beautiful, so I don't see anything special about her."
Old Mrs. Lin looked at her eldest granddaughter thoughtfully. She really couldn't agree with her judgment. She was supposed to judge people by their temperament, but she couldn't see the temperament of her own Shanshan. She only focused on the appearance and didn't see the underlying qualities. If Shanshan didn't have any advantages, why would Zhou Xiaozheng be interested in her? Thinking of the clothes in her closet, she sighed. This child's cultural literacy is still too poor.
Old Mrs. Lin pointed at Lin Liying and said, "Ask your younger aunt. She used to follow your older aunt around all day. She knows."
"Humph, what's so strange about that? Your eldest aunt is so stupid. She always goes to see Zhou Xiaozheng secretly. After a long time, they become familiar with each other. She can't read his expression, and no matter how ugly Zhou Xiaozheng's face is, she still smiles foolishly. I guess Zhou Xiaozheng just likes fools. He is so clever and uses his brain too much every day. It would be great to find a stupid wife who doesn't need to use her brain at all."
As soon as Lin Liying finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.
Chen Jingru smiled and said, "You know what, it's really possible. When the marriage notification was filed, many people couldn't believe that this silly girl had snatched the Siberian Tiger. I heard from your eldest brother that everyone said that this move was called catching the enemy off guard and getting the tiger in one go.
Isn't Qu Xiaoyue, the youngest daughter of the Qu family, beautiful? Now she's almost forty, and she still acts like the older daughter. Beautiful, intelligent, and well-educated, she was obsessed with Zhou Xiaozheng back then. Everyone says a hero and a beauty are a perfect match, and I guess that's exactly what they are. Old Master Qu has the final say in the military district, with more power than our father. But in the end, the eldest sister got the girl, and Qu Xiaoyue ran away to the south in grief. She only came back in the past few years. Didn't Old Master Qu always feel resentful towards our father? He said his son-in-law was kidnapped."
Old Madam Lin sighed and said, "The girl from the Qu family is also pitiful. She found a partner who is good-looking but unfaithful. The couple has no children and I heard they are divorced.
Your Aunt Jiang said not to mention Zhou Xiaozheng in front of the Qu family, lest that girl get entangled. I'm not worried, though. Zhou Xiaozheng's personality is such that he wouldn't do it. It's a pity for this child. People say beautiful women have short lives, and those who are too beautiful don't have a happy ending.
Why did Zhou Xiaozheng keep avoiding the girl from the Qu family? He probably thought she was too beautiful and was afraid he couldn't keep her. A man looking for a life partner doesn't just look at looks; he thinks about the consequences and the future. Marrying a stunning beauty makes you worry about a fire in your backyard.
"Shanshan, finally, has finally found happiness after all the hardship. Luckily, her brother-in-law is back. She doesn't have to wander around anymore. There were so many people who were jealous and envious of her back then, and so many people who gloated over her misfortune in the end. Now let's see if they've been slapped in the face. Mom, I heard they'll be back in the next few days."
"My dear, you've suffered a lot these past few years, but now our family is finally reunited. I wonder when your second brother and his wife will be able to be transferred back to the capital."
Chen Jingru shook her head when she heard that. She curled her lips inwardly. The old lady said that the family deficit was too big and she embezzled her brother-in-law's money. She was too embarrassed to ask. She handed over the food expenses every month. Except for the two children who spent some of the old lady's money, she really didn't take advantage of the old lady. Her parents-in-law had a good salary, but it was still not enough. The eldest sister-in-law often brought things back. I don't know where the money went? I guess it all went to the second son's family. She kept talking about how hard the second son's family was in the northwest. Who had a worse life than her?
If Zhou Xiaocun hadn't returned, when would the money be returned to Zhou Jiao? Sigh... She didn't even want to think the worst of anyone. She hadn't seen that child in 17 years, and he'd even taken her money. She wondered if he'd have any thoughts if he knew. The Lin family's actions were completely unreasonable. With just one word from the Zhou family, they'd harmed Zhou Jiao's interests, and she'd dealt with them in one fell swoop. Seriously, the Lin family was even worse than the Zhou family. She wondered if Zhou Jiao would even take action.
Chen Jingru looked at the old lady and her sister-in-law chatting there. She didn't see any sign of worry at all, and she didn't know where the old lady was going to move the money. She had a vague premonition, but after thinking about it, it shouldn't be.
Looking at my sister-in-law again, I guess she knows where all that money went. She probably used some of it, too. The money for her own small courtyard might have been embezzled, and so might the money from my second son's family. Even the Gu family, who always thought they had plenty of money, might have received a lot from the old lady.
Seeing the mother and daughter never mention the details of how the money was spent, acting as if nothing had happened, Chen Jingru felt helpless at this practice of only telling the result but not the process.
Chen Jingru sighed secretly again. The old lady's actions had completely ruined the Lin family's reputation. She didn't know how Zhou Jiao and her father would view them. Would their relationship become as cold as water in the future? Her eldest sister-in-law was a good person, but she was also a person of no return. She had been worried for a long time when she went back to see her daughter. Fortunately, Zhou Jiao was broad-minded, did not bear grudges, and could get along well with Shanshan. Fortunately, her eldest brother-in-law was back and the family could be reunited. Otherwise, with such a mother, her eldest sister-in-law didn't know what would happen in the future.
After lunch, Chen Jingru took her daughter back to the east wing. She planned to explain everything to her so that she wouldn't embarrass herself and feel she was right.
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