Chapter 333: Heard About It – The Daily Life of the Sickly Aunt in the Courtyard

Chapter 333: Gossip—The Daily Life of the Delicate Younger Aunt in the Compound

"Ma, what time did you get back today?"

"I just got back about half an hour ago! Took the 3 o’clock bus."

"Oh, I see!"

"Here, these are the red envelopes [containing money] your uncle and paternal aunt gave to the two of you." Lin Qing’s mother took out two red envelopes and handed them over.

Both Lin Qing and Cen Xi were somewhat surprised. "Why are we still getting red envelopes? We’re not kids anymore!" Lin Qing hesitated to accept them.

"Come on, just take them! It’s your uncle and aunt’s way of showing their care."

"Alright!" Since it was put that way, she didn’t refuse and took both.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lin Qing’s mother quickly stopped her when she saw her daughter pocketing both envelopes.

Lin Qing paused, blinking innocently. "Huh? I’m innocent!"

"One of them is for your husband. Why are you taking both?"

"His stuff *is* mine, right? Ask him if you don’t believe me!"

Cen Xi nodded. "Ma, Qing Qing is right. What’s mine is hers. Let her keep them."

Lin Qing’s mother scrunched her nose, feigning disgust. "Alright, alright, I should’ve kept my mouth shut. You two handle dinner tonight—go and cook now!" She didn’t want to deal with them for the moment.

"No problem, leave it to us!" Lin Qing was quite happy to have received two red envelopes.

Cen Xi followed her into the kitchen, where their roles reversed—he became Master Chef Cen while Lin Qing only adjusted the stove’s heat.

"Over to Chef Cen!" Lin Qing gestured grandly.

"Just wait. Today, Chef Cen will whip up something amazing for you."

"Mhm, I’m looking forward to it!"

Though they clowned around, they didn’t slow them down in the kitchen. By the time Lin Qing’s father returned, dinner was ready.

During the meal, Lin Qing’s mother suddenly brought up a piece of news that left both Lin Qing and Cen Xi stunned.

"Shocking, right? Even I was floored when I heard it," Lin Qing’s mother said knowingly.

Lin Qing and Cen Xi nodded.

"Ma, are you sure you didn’t mishear? Could the rumors have been exaggerated?"

"Impossible. Your paternal aunt and I heard it from her longtime friend, who happens to live near Lin Feng and Zhang Mei’s place. Apparently, the uproar was huge, and everyone in the neighborhood knew about it." Since it wasn’t hearsay, it was likely accurate.

"Ah!" Lin Qing still found it hard to wrap her head around. "Was it really Zhang Mei? It’s just so mind-boggling!"

"Tell me about it. I was her mother-in-law for two decades, and I never expected her to do something like this." Lin Qing’s mother still hadn’t fully processed the news.

Her former daughter-in-law, who used to constantly ship gifts back to her parents’ home—and whom they’d severed ties with—had actually schemed to bleed her family dry?

"Thinking about it now still freaks me out," Lin Qing’s mother added, clutching her chest.

"Why?"

"Think about it—if we were all still under one roof, what if one day your dad and I didn’t meet her expectations, or she ran out of money? If she secretly took all our savings, wouldn’t we be heartbroken?"

Lin Qing nodded. Honestly, if someone stole her savings, she’d be livid too.

"So the Zhangs must be pissed, huh?" Lin Qing actually felt like laughing at the thought.

Well, she couldn’t be blamed. She had always disliked Zhang Mei’s family. There was a time when Zhang Mei kept taking things from home to give to her parents. If Mom Lin hadn’t laid down the law, their lives afterward would have been miserable.

——

The whole Zhang clan came barging in.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, when married daughters traditionally return to their parents’ home, the Zhangs didn’t stay put waiting for their daughter. Instead, they all rushed to her house.

Oldest Zhang brother even skipped work. On the way, he ran into a coworker and asked them to cover for him.

Zhang Mei rushed home the second she got what she came for.

"Where the hell were you? You didn’t come home last night?" Lin Feng hadn’t seen her when he woke up, and as soon as she returned, he started complaining.

Zhang Mei panicked, afraid of being misunderstood.

"Don’t jump to conclusions, okay? I was at my folks’ place last night."

"At your folks’? Did you get the money?"

"Yeah, got it. Here!" Zhang Mei handed over a stack of crumpled bills.

"I kinda counted, but you better check."

"Fine!" Lin Feng lightened up a bit. At least his wife had wised up.

Lin Feng carefully counted the bills, going over them again and again until he was done.

She only brought back around two hundred, half of what they usually got.

Still, Lin Feng figured it was better than nothing. But he didn’t want her to get too complacent, lest she revert to her old ways.

"We’re still missing half..." Lin Feng scowled.

Zhang Mei’s heart raced, and she quickly explained, "That’s literally all of it! I didn’t hide any. I took it from my mom’s money stash in the biscuit tin. It’s all here."

Lin Feng’s jaw dropped: Holy crap!!!

Who knew she had the guts?

"Fine, I’ll take your word for it," Lin Feng said.

"Wait—you said you took it from your mom’s biscuit tin? Does she know?"

Zhang Mei shook her head, glancing up at Lin Feng sheepishly. "They’re clueless. I... snuck it out while they were dead asleep!" She blurted out her actions in one go.

Lin Feng smirked. Damn, she really went all out!

After this stunt, maybe they’re off the hook?

"Got it. I’m stashing this cash. If your folks come sniffing around, say I’ve got it all."

"Yeah, yeah." Zhang Mei nodded repeatedly.

But soon, she panicked again. Yeah, yeah—when they wake up, they will definitely come looking for her. What should she do?

"What if they don’t believe me?"

"Just ignore them." Lin Feng decided to keep the money on him. It wouldn’t be safe to leave it at home today.

"If they come looking, just tell them the money is with me and not to waste their effort. After all these years, our family has given them so much money. It’s not wrong to take some back, right?"

Zhang Mei murmured, "Got it..."

"Alright, that’s it. I’m off to work now!" Lin Feng took all the money, including what Zhang Mei had just brought back, with him and headed to work.

Leaving Zhang Mei alone at home, anxious and on edge.