TIPS – Chapter 60

“I just like it,” Wang Chunxing pouted, holding onto the fabric tightly, unwilling to let go. To her, only what was in her hands was real—no matter how much was inside that storeroom, none of it belonged to her.

“This is a gift from your cousin-in-law. Aren’t you going to thank him?” Yang Shuangjiao said with a sarcastic tone. Since they had entered the storeroom, it wouldn’t hurt to receive something nice as a gift for her, the aunt.

“Thank you, cousin-in-law!” Wang Chunxing, pleased with her gain, sweetly expressed her gratitude.

Song Jingwei had just finished locking the door. Hearing this, he simply nodded slightly and then turned to Yang Shi, saying, “Do you need anything else? If not, I’ll be heading back.”

Yang Shi quickly replied, “No, you can go back. We’re leaving now.” Then she turned and called to Yang Shuangjiao and her daughter, “Elder Sister, Niuniu, let’s go.”

Yang Shuangjiao and Wang Chunxing reluctantly followed Yang Shi out, casting longing glances at the beautifully decorated courtyard. They wanted to stay longer but had no excuse.

Wang Chunxing, delighted with her new fabric, immediately pestered Yang Shuangjiao to make her a dress. But Yang Shuangjiao, being lazy and unwilling to do any sewing, impatiently said, “Do it yourself, or ask your aunt to do it. She likes you anyway.”

“Forget it, then!” Wang Chunxing huffed and went straight to Yang Shi.

Yang Shi was softhearted. After just a bit of pleading from the girl, she agreed to make the dress.

That evening, Shen Junxi came to see Yang Shi. When he saw his mother working on a brightly colored dress, he gestured, “Mother, who is this for?” Neither he nor his wife wore such vibrant colors, and his mother certainly wouldn’t wear it herself.

“It’s for Niuniu. She begged me to make it, and since I had the time, I thought I’d help her out,” Yang Shi said, pausing as she noticed a stitch had gone wrong and needed to be redone.

“…” Shen Junxi reached out, took the sewing from his mother’s hands, and placed it on the table. Then, with a serious expression, he gestured, “Stop. It’s bad for your eyes. She should make it herself or have a tailor do it.”

“It’s just one dress…” Yang Shi tried to reason.

Shen Junxi firmly shook his head. “You’re too kind. You can’t keep doing this.” After finishing his gestures, he gathered the fabric and sewing materials and put them away on a high shelf.

Yang Shi had no choice but to say, “Alright, I’ll take it to a tailor tomorrow.” After all, they had been getting all their clothes made by a tailor recently. Making them herself was becoming too much effort… Maybe I really am getting old, she thought.

“They don’t treat you well,” Shen Junxi signed, his face showing a hint of anger. If Yang Shuangjiao truly cared for Yang Shi, she wouldn’t always be looking to take advantage of her. And she certainly wouldn’t have deliberately delayed her visit by a day. There was no way she didn’t know about their housewarming the day before—Shen Junxi refused to believe in such coincidences. Why else would she show up the very next day?

Coming empty-handed was one thing, but coming in to pick on his wife, eat his wife’s food, use his wife’s things, and still try to take something home?

“Forget it. I know they’re not good people,” Yang Shi sighed. “But it’s just for a few days. After this, who knows if we’ll even see each other again?” They were sisters, after all. This was her final act of kindness toward them—she would endure it while she still could.

“Just don’t let them mistreat my wife,” Shen Junxi signed after a long silence. He couldn’t interfere in his mother’s dealings with her sister, but when it came to his wife, he had the right to step in.

“Of course,” Yang Shi smiled. “You don’t need to worry about that. No matter what, I would never let your wife suffer.” Besides, she would have to be capable of it first—her daughter-in-law was not someone easily pushed around.

The next day, Wang Chunxing’s fabric was sent to the tailor. Yang Shi mentioned it at the dining table.

Yang Shuangjiao smiled, “That’s good.” After all, it was Yang Shi handling it, so she didn’t have to spend any money.

“Is the tailor’s work good?” Wang Chunxing asked anxiously. She had noticed that the people in the Shen family always dressed exquisitely, and she assumed Yang Shi was the one making their clothes—hence why she had eagerly brought her fabric to her.

“The craftsmanship is excellent, don’t worry,” Yang Shi reassured her, pointing to her own outfit. “These were all made by the tailor. What do you think?”

“That’s great, then,” Wang Chunxing said, her face lighting up with joy. She really loved that style of tailoring.

Yang Shi added, “Niuniu, you’re such a good girl. That fabric is enough for three outfits. I had the tailor make all three for you, each with a different design. I heard they’re the newest styles in town.”

Wang Chunxing was overjoyed. She sweetly said, “Thank you, Auntie! You’re so good to me.”

Seeing her daughter being so close to Yang Shi, Yang Shuangjiao felt uncomfortable. She had been the one to tell her daughter to butter up Yang Shi, but now that it was working, she felt uneasy about it. Still, thinking about the benefits they could gain from Yang Shi, she swallowed her irritation and forced a smile.

Wang Chunxing was indeed good at sweet-talking. Just a few days later, Yang Shi gave her a silver ring as a gift. She proudly showed it off to her mother for a long time, saying excitedly, “Look! Auntie said she’ll give me a bracelet next time too!”

She was thrilled, but her mother, having received nothing, muttered, “You have no ambition at all. Just a few trinkets and you’re already won over? Is it really worth it?” She scoffed, “Do you even realize how many valuable things the Shen family still has? Have you noticed that their storeroom is still locked?”

“What’s wrong with this little trinket? If I sell it, it’s still worth some silver.” Wang Chunxing had been feeling quite proud these past few days. She felt that her aunt spoiled her, making her even more comfortable than at home. She said to her mother, “I’m not talking to you anymore, I’m going to find Aunt.”

“Stop right there! You’re not allowed to go!” Yang Shuangjiao was furious. What kind of attitude was this from her daughter?

“Hmph, I won’t stop! I’m going to find Aunt!” Wang Chunxing shouted and ran out.

Yang Shuangjiao chased after her, yelling, “Come back here, you little ingrate! Just because she gives you a little benefit, you forget your own mother?”

“I didn’t forget!” Wang Chunxing shouted back as she ran, but she had no intention of stopping for her mother. In her eyes, her mother was like a vampire—never thinking about her well-being, only using her to the fullest. Deep down, Wang Chunxing thought that the kind of mother she wanted should be like Yang Shi—gentle and loving…

“Wang Chunxing! Have you lost your mind?!” Yang Shuangjiao quickened her pace and caught up, grabbing her daughter’s arm and scolding, “Are you stupid? Just because someone gives you a little favor, you forget your own mother? Do you really think your aunt will spoil you forever?”

Wang Chunxing stubbornly replied, “Then I’ll tell her everything. I’ll tell her that you’re always using me, always making me lower myself to flatter others. I’ll also tell her that we don’t have some rich father or a big house to live in!” She wanted to tell Yang Shi the truth—that her father was just a small shopkeeper with an average income and that her mother was nothing more than an unrecognized concubine.

“You wretched girl! Shut your mouth! How dare you spout such nonsense? I’ll beat you to death!” Yang Shuangjiao was enraged. She pinched the flesh on Wang Chunxing’s arm and twisted it hard, making the girl scream in pain.

“Mother, stop! It hurts!” Wang Chunxing cried and pleaded, finally giving in.

“Are you still going to talk nonsense? Are you still saying I’m using you?” Yang Shuangjiao was fuming. She had worked so hard to raise this daughter, and now she dared to say such things? What kind of daughter spoke about her own mother like this? Talking about “using”—wasn’t this just a matter of survival?

“Mother… I won’t say it anymore.” Wang Chunxing said pitifully, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Hmph! I think you’ve been living too well lately and have forgotten where you came from.” Yang Shuangjiao stretched out her hand and demanded, “Give me your ring.”

“No way!” Wang Chunxing refused immediately.

“Didn’t you say your aunt promised to give you a silver bracelet? When you get that, you can have it. I won’t take this one from you.” Yang Shuangjiao coaxed.

Wang Chunxing still refused. She said, “I worked hard to get this! If you want something, go flatter Aunt yourself. Didn’t she promise to give you money too? I don’t believe you’re really going to give it all to Grandma—you’re definitely keeping it for yourself.”

“Pah! Why shouldn’t I keep it for myself? Why should I give it to that old hag? If I have silver, of course, I’ll spend it on myself!” Yang Shuangjiao snapped. The mere thought of her own mother made her feel like she was dealing with a bloodsucker—just like how her daughter saw her.

“Aunt hasn’t given it to you yet, has she? She’ll only give it to you on the day we leave…” Wang Chunxing blinked and asked, “So when are we leaving?” She wasn’t willing to leave at all —there were still too many things here worth holding onto.

“She said she’d give some silver, but who knows how much? What if it’s just a few strings of coins? Then wouldn’t this whole trip be for nothing?” Yang Shuangjiao said. “Daughter, you need to be smart. Don’t just make your aunt happy—you should also win over your cousin-in-law. He’s the real one with money.” Everything in this household—the bricks and tiles—was all funded by Yang Shi’s daughter-in-law.

At the mention of Song Jingwei, Wang Chunxing immediately wrinkled her nose and said, “I’m not going to flatter him! He looks down on me.”

“He looks down on you because you haven’t tried to win him over!” Yang Shuangjiao scolded. “Rich young masters are all like that, with their noses in the air. If you don’t go and fawn over him, how will he ever notice you? My dear daughter, just go and do it.” If they could get on Song Jingwei’s good side, just a tiny bit of generosity from him would be enough to feed them for a long time.

“It’s useless even if I try. Besides, I hate him! Who does he think he is, acting like he’s some precious treasure? Aunt is always serving him hand and foot.” Wang Chunxing complained to her mother, “You don’t know, but whenever Aunt sees him, it’s like she’s seeing an ancestor. She treats him like an emperor! But Aunt is his mother-in-law—how is this fair?”

Hearing this, Yang Shuangjiao agreed, saying, “True, his life as a daughter-in-law is way too easy—he doesn’t have to do anything. But he has money! And having money makes him an ancestor. Understand? If we get rich in the future, we can be other people’s ancestors too. That’s why you have to work harder—who cares if you like him or not? Money is the real power.”

Listening to all of this from the corner doorway, Song Jingwei was filled with anger and disgust. These two women were nothing more than opportunistic thieves—only here to take advantage of them. They weren’t here to visit family at all.

Hearing them plot how to milk money from his household made Song Jingwei feel sick. What disgusted him even more was that these women were relatives of Yang Shi. He felt sorry for her and frustrated on her behalf.