Shen Mingzhu wanted to just say it casually, but then she thought again that she couldn't teach her stepson the bad habit of lying.

"Just say I'm at home reading and studying."

She signed up for the provincial university's self-study exam for Chinese Language and Literature at the end of September. The exam will be held in January next year, and she has been studying at home recently.

Perhaps he was surprised by her honesty. Pei Ziheng glanced at her but said nothing.

However, Shen Baolan did not believe that Shen Mingzhu was really studying at home. In her opinion, Shen Mingzhu must be trying to find other ways to make money.

Unable to get the information she wanted from Pei Ziheng, she decided to take action herself.

So that night, after dinner, Shen Baolan came to the door for the first time ever, carrying half a bag of fresh dates.

"It was sent from my hometown. You used to love eating dates from my hometown. Try it. It's very sweet."

Shen Mingzhu could only think of one thing about Shen Baolan's behavior.

The weasel wishes a happy new year to the chicken.

Seeing that Shen Mingzhu didn't accept her things, Shen Baolan laughed, "What's the matter? Are you still angry about the previous incident? We have had more quarrels than meals since we were young. Do you really intend to never have anything to do with me again?"

Shen Baolan had given Shen Mingzhu an excuse, so she took the opportunity to step down and took the dates.

Shen Baolan's smile deepened. "That's right. Even though we don't get along, we are from the same village after all. You can't write two Shen characters with one stroke, right?"

Shen Mingzhu poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Shen Baolan, "If you have something to say, just say it."

Shen Baolan looked around the living room and saw that Pei Ziheng's room door was closed, so she pretended to be concerned and asked about the relationship between Shen Mingzhu and Pei Ziheng.

"He's still like this? Locking himself in his room every day? After all, he's not your own child, so you can't raise him. Don't think too much about it."

Shen Mingzhu smiled, "But I think you treat Zhou Hao very well."

"I'm different from you. My mother-in-law keeps an eye on me every day, so I can't relax for a moment. Your life is more comfortable. You are the only one who makes the decisions in the family, and you can do whatever you want."

"If you had chosen Pei Yang first, there would be nothing for me to do."

Shen Baolan thought that Pei Yang was a short-lived man and whoever married him would be unlucky. However, she complained about Pei Yang's poor job and the fact that he was away from home for most of the year and that she was not meant to enjoy a good life.

As they were talking, Shen Baolan brought up the topic of Shen Xiangnan's marriage.

"How much gift do you plan to give when your second brother gets married?"

Shen Mingzhu was also worried about this matter, and answered casually, "I will give whatever my elder brother gives me."

"How can they be the same? Your eldest brother is a farmer in the countryside and can barely make two dollars a year, but you easily make a lot of money. Why don't you help your family more? I tell you, your husband's family and men are unreliable. Your family is ours to rely on."

"I don't rely on anyone but myself."

Shen Baolan pretended to persuade Shen Mingzhu a few more times, but when she saw that Shen Mingzhu was not listening, she stopped persuading her. Anyway, she didn't really want to persuade her.

"Mingzhu, what have you been busy with recently? Have you thought of a new way to make money?"

After all this talk, this is exactly what you, Shen Baolan, were after.

Shen Mingzhu secretly laughed and deliberately hesitated, looking like she was unwilling to say anything.

"Nothing to do, just busy."

"Tell me, are you afraid that I will learn it secretly? Even if I want to learn, I don't have time. I go out early and come back late every day. When I get home, I have to take care of the kids and serve my parents-in-law. It's not as easy as you."

Shen Mingzhu pretended to be convinced, "I'm not really busy. It's almost the Double Ninth Festival, and I want to make some Double Ninth Festival cakes and set up a stall to earn some pocket money."

——

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was Shen Xiangnan's wedding day.

The date was set for the 28th, but as the younger sister, Shen Mingzhu should go back to her parents' home early to help, so on the morning of the 27th, she took Pei Ziheng and returned to her hometown carrying a lot of bags.

When I got back, I found that I had no place to stay.

The room where she originally slept had been expanded by her family into Shen Xiangnan's wedding room.

Although she was unhappy, Shen Mingzhu didn't say anything in order not to ruin the wedding atmosphere.

After putting her things down and settling Pei Ziheng, she went to ask her eldest sister-in-law about the gift for Shen Xiangnan. Then she added ten yuan to the amount, stuffed it into a red envelope, and gave the gift money to her second brother Shen Xiangnan.

Not long after she gave the gift money, Qin Jinlian called her into the room to talk.

"At least you married into the city and enjoy a good life. Your second brother gets married only once in his life, and you only give him 30 yuan. Do you have the nerve to do that?"

Shen Mingzhu was already unhappy, and she didn't expect Qin Jinlian to complain that the gift money she gave was too little. The anger that she had suppressed in her heart could no longer be suppressed in an instant.

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"Not only did you sell my people, you even took my room. That's not enough, right? Do you want me to give my life away as well?"

In Qin Jinlian's heart, her daughter had always listened to her and obeyed her since she was a child. She had never lost her temper like this before, and she was choked for a moment.

The quarrel between mother and daughter also attracted the Shen brothers.

The eldest brother Shen Chaobei spoke first, "Mom, little sister, what happened?"

Shen Xiangnan guessed something and said to Qin Jinlian, "Mom, please don't make things difficult for me. It's not easy for me either."

Qin Jinlian's eyes suddenly turned red as she could not hold back. Not only did her daughter disobey her, but even her second child did not understand her.

"Who am I doing this for? Am I doing this for myself? It's all for you, a useless thing!"

Shen Xiangnan was scolded so much that he dared not say a word.

Seeing Qin Jinlian crying, Shen Chaobei didn't know what to do for a moment.

At this moment, sister-in-law Du Juan also entered the room.

"Mom, when I first got married, let alone the betrothal gifts and the four major items, Chaobei and I didn't even have a decent wedding room. Now it's Xiangnan's turn, and the betrothal gift alone gave the Yang family a hundred, and other items are also complete. We are all sons of the Shen family, so you should have a limit to your partiality."

Since ancient times, the problem is not the scarcity of wealth but the inequality of wealth, especially between two brothers in a family.

"I didn't say anything when our family was poor before. But now that we have some money, you want to spend it all on Xiangnan, fearing that he won't be able to find a wife. What's the matter? Was Chaobei picked up? Have you ever thought about Chaobei and me at all? Our family of three still sleeps in one room, and Xiangnan has to take up two rooms just because he got married. Will the whole house be given to Xiangnan in the future? Why don't Chaobei and I move out now to make room for Xiangnan?"

Du Juan's eyes were red as she spoke every word with accusation. It was obvious that she had long been resentful of Qin Jinlian's partiality.

Qin Jinlian did not expect that her eldest daughter-in-law would complain so much about her. She felt so sad and aggrieved for a moment, and her tears fell like beads from a broken string.

Shen Chaobei was a filial son. Seeing his mother crying, he turned around and scolded his wife.

"Shut up."

Shen Mingzhu couldn't bear it any longer, "Brother, what the sister-in-law said is not wrong. We are all born of the same parents. If we can't treat each other equally, this family will never have a peaceful life in the future."

Seeing her own daughter siding with her eldest daughter-in-law, Qin Jinlian was overwhelmed with grief and immediately started to cry at the top of her lungs, "Why is my life so miserable? Are you all going to piss me off to death?"

(End of this chapter)