USWHC -Chapter 13 An Oddball Family (Part 3)

Old Madam Ji couldn’t accept it either! A perfectly good son-in-law had suddenly turned into a daughter—who was going to return her ideal son-in-law to her now?!

Sister-in-law You was also stunned. This swindler… was actually a woman?

Taking advantage of their moment of shock, Zhu Jie hurriedly scrambled to put her clothes back on. She didn’t even care whether the water on her body had been wiped dry or not. With this bit of clothing to cover herself, she immediately felt much more confident.

“What are you all doing?” Her face turned cold as she glared at this group of uninvited guests.

Only then did Sister-in-law You snap back to her senses. She instantly flared up, planting her hands on her hips as she shouted, “You female swindler! Speak! Were you deliberately tricking us into going up the mountain just now?”

“Me? When did I ever tell you to go up the mountain?” Zhu Jie immediately put on an innocent expression.

Eh? She really had never told them to go up the mountain, had she?

Sister-in-law You froze for a moment, her words stumbling. “Th-then… didn’t you lie to us and say your money was lost on the mountain?”

“My purse was lost. I didn’t lie about that! As for whether it’s on the mountain or not, I don’t know. If I knew where it fell, how could I have lost it?” While Sister-in-law You stammered, Zhu Jie explained herself smoothly and neatly.

Everyone’s gaze immediately turned toward Ji Mei.

Ji Mei awkwardly looked at Sister-in-law You and said, “I just thought it might be on the mountain. It was Brother Erhan who said she was lying to us!”

Everyone immediately turned back together to look at Ji Yi, who was standing with his back to the door, blocking the view inside.

When Zhu Jie heard this, she instantly grew annoyed. Oh, so it was this Erhan who had ruined her good plan! No wonder they had suddenly come rushing back.

“How did he say I was lying to you?” Zhu Jie asked. To be honest, she felt a little guilty asking this—but she was genuinely curious where she had slipped up.

“Brother Erhan said that even if you’re rich, five hundred taels isn’t a small amount. If you knew where you lost it, how could you not go look for it yourself? Why would you send us instead?” Ji Mei replied quietly.

“That’s right,” Old Madam Ji added. “Erhan also said that since you’re in a strange place and lost your only purse, even if you’re rich you should be anxious! But you didn’t search for it. That must mean you already know where it was lost and that it definitely can’t be found again!”

The more they spoke, the more confident they became. Sister-in-law You even put her hands on her hips and said smugly, “Exactly! Erhan said you just wanted to trick us into going up the mountain to freeze!”

When Zhu Jie heard this, she nearly exploded with anger. That Erhan—he really wasn’t foolish at all! He had analyzed the situation so clearly in such a short time!

But Zhu Jie had no intention of backing down. She also planted her hands on her hips and said, “You all call him Erhan (Second Fool), a fool. And yet you believe what a fool says? Who said I had to go look for it? I crossed the mountain and went home. My family has plenty of money!”

As she spoke, Zhu Jie even put on an arrogant rich-young-master attitude, standing with her hands on her hips and staring them down proudly.

Everyone was instantly left speechless.

Meanwhile, Zhu Jie swaggered out of the room. Hehe, this place isn’t safe to stay in—time to run!

“Wait! Something’s wrong! You’re a liar! And a female liar at that!” Before Zhu Jie could escape, Ji Mei was the first to object. Her fragile maiden’s heart! Her dream of becoming a wealthy lady! Shattered for no reason at all.

“Erhan, catch her! Maybe she sent us away just to steal from our house!” Old Madam Ji suddenly realized.

Ji Yi moved with astonishing speed—fast, precise, and ruthless. No matter how Zhu Jie struggled or tried to dodge, he held her firmly in his grip. There was no escaping at all!

Zhu Jie knew that although this Erhan looked dull and quiet, he was neither stupid nor weak. She had clearly met her match. At the very least, brute force wasn’t going to solve this problem!

Zhu Jie quickly argued, “Auntie, take a good look at your house. What exactly do you have that’s worth stealing? Sweet potatoes?”

Old Madam Ji was speechless for quite a while after being asked that. Well… life was poor, and now she was being laughed at for it!

“What? Are you mocking my family for being poor? If we’re so poor, why did you eat so many of our sweet potatoes?” Sister-in-law You immediately shot back. “If you have the guts, don’t eat them!”

That’s how arguments work—lose the logic if you must, but never lose the spirit!

“Exactly! Tie her up!” Old Madam Ji roared angrily, her momentum suddenly soaring. “She ate so many of our sweet potatoes and now thinks she can just leave? Let her father come redeem her!”

Zhu Jie instantly wilted.

Wait… what?! Were they really going to make such a huge deal out of this? 😅