Chapter 329: Lying Without a Draft – The Daily Life of the Sickly Aunt in the Courtyard

Chapter 329: Lying Without Blinking—The Daily Gossip of the Sickly Little Aunt in the Compound

Lin Feng took a deep drag from his cigarette and hesitated before speaking, "Mom, should we go check on my parents?"

"Check on them? Check on what? Those damn old folks!" Zhang Mei rolled her eyes at him. "After how they've treated us, you still have a soft spot for them? You—"

Zhang Mei's complaints poured out endlessly, and Lin Feng’s guilt was tinged with resentment.

Lin Wu silently ate his lunch beside them. He had heard his mother's constant nagging about his grandparents many times recently, and he couldn’t help but wonder—why? Why had their family ended up like this?

After his mother returned last time, she told him he had lost his job. Later, listening to her endless grumbling, he learned that his parents had gone to cause trouble for his grandparents again. As a result, his grandparents cut them off for good, and now even his job had to be paid for out of pocket.

When Lin Wu heard this, he couldn’t help but resent his parents. Why had they gone looking for trouble with his grandparents in the first place? Why couldn’t you just let things be?

When the family split before, even if they couldn’t get both the house and the job, they could have at least snagged one!

At least then they wouldn’t be in this mess, having to fork out for rent just to get his job back.

The thought made Lin Wu so fed up he snapped. "Mom, Mom, can you just stop complaining?"

Zhang Mei had never expected her son to speak to her like this and froze for a moment.

"How dare you talk to me like that? I’m your mom, damn it!"

Lin Wu let out a mocking laugh. "What tone do you want me to use? You disrespect Grandpa and Grandma too!"

"You... you..." Zhang Mei was so mad she saw stars.

"Am I wrong? If it weren’t for you constantly disrespecting them and causing trouble, would things be like this? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have lost my job!" Lin Wu stood up and shouted.

"I..." Zhang Mei stared at her son in shock.

Lin Feng also looked at his son, who was now as tall as him, and felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

"What do you know? Everything I did was for our family!"

"Hah! For us? Mom, you really lie straight to my face!" Lin Wu found her words utterly ridiculous.

Zhang Mei was heaving with rage. "If it weren’t for you, would I have gone to your grandparents? Do you want to live in this dump forever?"

"Hah! Isn’t it because you gave all our money to Uncle’s family? You had nothing left, so you didn’t want to fork out for rent—that’s why you went to Grandpa and Grandma, isn’t it?"

A flash of guilt crossed Zhang Mei’s eyes. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Lin Feng had been watching closely. Being married to her, he immediately noticed that hint of guilt.

His anger flared. "Is what Xiao Wu said true? What happened to the money?" Lin Feng thought of their savings at once.

Without waiting for Zhang Mei to answer, he started searching himself.

When he spotted the familiar cookie tin, he didn’t hesitate—he yanked it open.

Lin Feng felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. Inside the tin were only a handful of crumpled bills—nothing else.

Zhang Mei was terrified. Seeing Lin Feng pull out the cookie tin, her heart skipped a beat.

"What happened to the money?"

She couldn’t meet his eyes. "The money… the money…"

"Where's the money?" Lin Feng hurled the biscuit box to the ground and demanded loudly.

Xiao Wu muttered darkly from the side, "Where else could it be? Of course, it's at your in-laws' place!"

"Is what Xiao Wu said true?"

Seeing no way to deny it, Zhang Mei gave a slight nod and responded, "Yes."

Lin Feng immediately slapped her across the face. "You worthless bitch! Go to your parents’ house right now and get our money back. That was set aside for Xiao Wu. If you don’t bring it back, don't you dare come back!"

Reeling from the blow, Zhang Mei covered her face and stared at Lin Feng in disbelief. "You actually hit me?"

"So what if I did? I’ve spoiled you too much over the years, and that’s why you turned me against my own parents!"

"Ha! Isn’t it a bit late to say that now? And you have the nerve to blame me? Weren’t all the things I did over the years done with your tacit permission?"

Lin Feng slapped her again, unwilling to admit his own fault. The mistake clearly lay with this ungrateful daughter-in-law.

Xiao Wu didn't bat an eye as his mother was hit. He, too, believed she had been too spoiled, which got her into this trouble.

"I don’t care. Go get our money back now. Over the years, I’ve kept track of our savings, and I know roughly how much we had. You must account for every last cent, or your folks will pay for it too!" After delivering this threat, Lin Feng marched into their cramped bedroom.

Zhang Mei's heart sank instantly. What should she do? What should she do?

"Xiao Wu..." She began to beg for his intercession.

But before she could finish, Xiao Wu turned and walked away without a word.

He nursed a deep grudge against his mother. The job he should have had was ruined because of her, and now he had to buy it back with money—money that had already been sent to her parents’ house, leaving their own home empty.

And she still expected him to speak up for her? In her dreams!

Seeing Xiao Wu leave without looking back, Zhang Mei felt completely alone in the world. How had things come to this?

It was all because of Lin Qing! If not for her, none of this would have happened!

It was all her fault! Ah—

Zhang Mei seethed with rage inwardly.

Her most urgent task now was to get the money back. She had a feeling that if she didn’t, her relationship with Lin Feng might be over for good.

That couldn’t happen. If she really divorced Lin Feng, she would surely be pawned off by her family all over again. No, absolutely not.

But the thought of demanding the money back also terrified her. Close to five hundred bucks—how could she possibly retrieve it from her parents’ hands?

Once cash found its way to her folks, it never returned. How could she possibly get it back?

Biting her lip, Zhang Mei felt desperate and helpless, with no idea what to do.

She faltered in the living room for a long time but still couldn’t bring herself to leave. Finally, steeling herself, she headed to her parents’ house.

...

"Why are you back today? What’s the occasion? Shouldn’t you visit tomorrow?"

As soon as Zhang Mei stepped inside, Mother Zhang started in with her usual complaints.

After entering, Zhang Mei faltered before getting the words out. "Mom... Lin Feng wants me... to take our money back."

"Money? What money? Why are you coming to us about your family's money?" Mother Zhang just rolled her eyes.

"Mom, I gave all that money to you before!" Zhang Mei said anxiously.

"Wasn't that the money you gave me and your father to take care of us? How could you do this?" Mother Zhang insisted the money had been given as support for her and her husband.

"Mom, how could you treat me like this? If I don’t get the money back, my husband will divorce me."

"Now he dares?" Mother Zhang snapped, her eyes flashing.