Zhou Jiao looked at her tearful mother, reached out to hold her, and said to her seriously, "Mom, I don't refuse your kindness, nor do I blame you. I will put myself in your shoes and look at things from a different perspective. Even if I were you, when Xiaowu disappeared and there were doubts, I would also leave Ping'an with my mother-in-law and work hard to find him myself. I know how you feel about Dad.
Maybe others don't understand, but I do. If something happened to Xiaowu, I, like you, would live with the single hope that he's still alive, waiting for me to find him. Xiaoping'an would be safe, well-fed, and well-clothed. Once I found his father, we could all be together, a complete family. So, as I grew up, I understood your difficulties and would never blame you.
Besides, everyone in this world has his or her own personality. I have never liked to show off since I was old enough to understand. Even if I grew up next to you, I would not be ostentatious.
If I were like those kids in the compound, eating and drinking foolishly, having no goals every day, and wasting my time, do you think I would be your daughter? Would I be like you or like dad?
You and dad are the kind of people who have no goals and just eat and drink without any purpose, right? So there is no need to look at what other girls are like. There are wild ones and well-behaved ones in the compound.
You're my mom, so it's only natural for me to accept all your things. Otherwise, imagine if someone like me would accept those valuables, like that large sum of money, the property title, the savings certificate. Do you think I was cautious about accepting them? I wasn't! I took your and Dad's things for granted. I'm the only one of you now, so if I didn't accept them, would you give them to someone else?
As for my fear of spending money and being afraid that you'd be broke, that's true. Look, the moment you met me, it was like a windfall, complete with two property certificates. I'm really afraid you'll give me all your assets, leaving no options for yourself, relying solely on your salary and thinking my dad is enough to support you.
I'll have to save money and not spend it all. When you run out of money, I can save it for you. The future is uncertain, so we should always have a sense of crisis. My dad gave me all his valuable jewelry and house. What if you and dad give me some brothers and sisters in the future?
How much will it cost when they grow up, have children, and start a family? By then, you and my dad will have retired. I can't let you bear such a heavy burden. I can't let you suffer, can I?
I am the eldest daughter, so I have to be filial to you and take care of you. I have to take responsibility for taking care of my younger brothers and sisters, and make them grow up happily. I have to get married and have children.
You and my dad have all their money with me. If I spend it all, what will happen to them in the future? So I can't spend lavishly. Besides, I don't like spending money lavishly. Enough is enough; too much is just a figure. I see you're not short on money, so I have to help you take care of your worries.
As for me, I'm just like that, so I'll help you keep these things. As for you, you can do whatever you want, and you won't be controlled by money in the future. Just live happily with my dad."
Lin Lishan wiped her tears, listening in a daze. She knew her daughter was a thoughtful person, but she hadn't expected her to even think about what would happen after they retired. She was making her worry about everything. It was funny to think about it; she was truly a worrier.
"You don't have to worry about it. Once it's given to you, it's yours. Your father and I don't want you to take on any responsibility. You're such a worrier. Even if we have children in the future, we're already so old, so we can have many. I don't plan to have any more, but your father wants one at most."
Besides the money I have for you, I also have the money your grandma saved for me. The money you have is only known to the two of us. Those deposit certificates in Beijing were originally the rent for your house. It's like Mom hasn't given you any cash yet, understand?
I have accumulated quite a few savings certificates since I started working, as well as savings from the two years of my marriage to your father. All this money is with your grandma. Your grandma, like you, is afraid that I will spend money lavishly, so she saved it for me. She also said that she would give it to your father when he comes back this time.
So you think about it, your grandma's salary plus your dad's subsidy is such a huge sum of money, and we still have our salary, so you can spend it with confidence.
They only know that you have the rent from the house and two property certificates, nothing else. I was planning to wait for your father to come back before giving you cash, but I won't give you any this time. You won't need much here."
Zhou Jiao looked at her speechlessly. She was so trusting. That was true, that was her mother. But she couldn't trust her. So much money was in the old lady's hands. Her father had been gone all those years, and the savings her father had left behind. Logically, when he heard she was married and had a family, and was an adult, he should have informed her. Let them, mother and daughter, handle the inheritance themselves. And now, even though Old Man Lin and her mother had come to the Northeast, they hadn't brought any money with them. Were they really going to wait for her father to come back and give it to him? Did he really think she, Zhou Jiao, was stupid? He was plotting against her step by step, but he didn't bother to pay any attention to the silly woman who gave birth to her and raised her.
"No need to give me more. I have more than 2,000 yuan in cash, including Xiaowu's private money. It's enough for us to spend. We don't even need the savings certificates in Beijing.
You see, I'm not short of money, but I can't show it off and let people know that we're richer than the whole family combined, right? We planned to have children after we got married.
After we split up, my father-in-law will build a house here, so we won't have to spend any money. Then, those who are looking for school will go, those who are looking for jobs will find jobs, and we can buy a house in the county town for less than 1,000 yuan. The remaining 1,000 yuan can be saved. Don't you think you're short of money? So you can keep the money for yourselves, and I'll come to you when I run out of money."
Lin Lishan glared at her. "If you save the 1,000 yuan, then you two will continue to be skin and bones, and Ping An will be pitifully wearing patched clothes. Is that your plan? Now that Mom is here, you can't live like this. Take care of your health and Ping An. Buy whatever you want. We have money. You know your 1,000 yuan was gone last time at the Friendship Mall. I didn't feel happy at all when I bought the 600 yuan overseas remittance voucher. I looked at the price and weighed it for a long time before buying it."
Zhou Jiao smiled and nodded. "So when you asked me to buy a cashmere coat, I said yes. I know my mom isn't short of money. The 50 yuan monthly rent is higher than a worker's salary, so I'm not short of money either. Spend it. Since you said all the cash at home is with grandma, I feel relieved. Just buy whatever you want."
Lin Lishan nodded approvingly. "That's the right way to think. When your dad comes back and gives you money, don't be so foolish as to say you have money. You can't tell your dad about the money abroad, because that means you don't have money. You can't withdraw the rent deposit certificate for Beijing here, so that also means you don't have money. So now you only have Xiaowu's little private money and the money to buy a house, so you don't have money either. Take whatever you are given, and keep whatever you can't spend. It would be a joke if I, Lin Lishan's daughter, was short of money."
"Nouveau riche mom, I'm poor, really poor, so poor that I only have money."
Zhou Jiao looked at her, jokingly saying so. She sighed inwardly. "Isn't that obvious?" she thought. "Why didn't she think about it more deeply?" Her own mother had two sons and two daughters. "Never mind," she'd just have to be more protective of her from now on. Perhaps she was just judging others by her own standards.
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