Chapter 353: Sister-in-law Quarrel

Chapter 353: Sisters-in-Law’s Argument

Ye Xiaoxiao told the other person about booking a different hotel.

"I didn't mention it to Second Sister-in-law, because I was afraid she'd get upset. Anyway, it's not that important."

Ye Changan wasn't very close with Zhang Yuexia either. He had been serving in the military most of the time and only saw her when accompanying Shen Qiuyu back to her family.

And since she was Shen Qiuyu's sister-in-law, they barely spoke to her.

"The hotel was booked by Qiuyu's sister-in-law, so it's awkward to complain. Let me ask your Second Sister-in-law how much she paid later."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Maybe wait until I leave before asking?"

Ye Changan: "It won't stay hidden for long. If you changed hotels, it'll come out when they check out."

Ye Xiaoxiao hadn't thought it would be such a hassle before, but now realized—if her Second Sister-in-law had given a lot of money, and Zhang Yuexia still booked a cheap room, that would be pretty shady.

So she gave a noncommittal nod.

Ye Changan took the platter of chicken wings away.

"Wash your hands and come eat."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "'Kay."

After dinner, Ye Xiaoxiao sat and listened to the plans for the baby's one-month party.

"Is Dad coming?" Ye Xiaoxiao thought Ye Jianguo would definitely want to see his granddaughter.

Ye Changan: "If Dad doesn’t have time, he shouldn’t bother. We’ll go back during the New Year."

Miao Cuifang: "Don’t put the baby through that in this cold weather."

Shen Qiuyu: "She’s tougher than that. The trip might be tough, but once we’re home, it’ll be fine."

Miao Cuifang didn’t say anything further, but decided to talk privately with Ye Changan later—summer made more sense for visiting their hometown. Bai Shi Village was freezing in winter.

Once the plans for the baby’s one-month celebration were settled, Ye Xiaoxiao left.

Ye Changan waited until evening to ask Shen Qiuyu how much she had paid for the hotel.

Shen Qiuyu was doing her nighttime routine when she paused at his question.

"I haven’t asked Sister-in-law yet, but I gave her 500 yuan to book somewhere nice."

Ye Changan: "..."

"What’s wrong? Did Xiao Xiao not like the place?"

Shen Qiuyu asked worriedly. She had handled just this one thing—how could she even mess this up?

Ye Changan didn’t mention the dump Zhang Yuexia had booked. Instead, he said, "It’s nothing serious. Xiao Xiao had already booked a hotel herself and probably preferred it, so she didn’t stay at the one Sister-in-law arranged."

Shen Qiuyu narrowed her eyes at him. "Don’t treat me like I’ve lost my brains after giving birth. Mom already called and talked to Xiao Xiao about this—how could she have booked a hotel herself?"

Ye Changan had no choice but to come clean about the situation with that cheap Youth Inn.

Shen Qiuyu hit the roof after hearing it.

Ye Changan had already anticipated Shen Qiuyu's reaction—and if she found out much later, she'd probably be even angrier.

"Xiao Xiao kept it from you to spare your feelings."

Shen Qiuyu said regretfully, "I should’ve known not to trust my sister-in-law with this. She offered, so I didn’t think much of it."

Ye Changan hugged her close. "Alright, don't be mad. Consider it a learning experience—next time, don’t leave something like this to her."

Zhang Yuexia was usually quite helpful, though a bit gossipy. She’d been helping out during Shen Qiuyu’s postpartum recovery.

It’s just that some of her habits were questionable—she pinched pennies too hard.

Perhaps it was due to her background and personality; not something that could change overnight.

Shen Qiuyu nestled into Ye Changan’s arms. "How could I not be mad? I gave her five hundred kuai, and she didn’t even tell me she booked a five kuai a night room!"

"Alright, alright, you shouldn’t stress during recovery."

While five hundred kuai wasn’t chump change, for the Ye family now, it was easy for them to cover.

Ye Changan tried to comfort his wife not to dwell on it, but Shen Qiuyu couldn’t stop thinking about it—she was determined to get her money back.

So when Zhang Yuexia came by the next day, Shen Qiuyu asked, "Sister-in-law, how much did you spend on the hotel? Xiao Xiao moved out, so the room isn’t being used anymore. Now that Changan’s back, he can go settle the bill, so we won’t inconvenience you."

Zhang Yuexia stiffened. "No big deal—I’ll take care of it while I’m out. The money I gave earlier is definitely enough. Don’t worry about it. If it’s not enough, I can even pitch in some more."

Shen Qiuyu let out a helpless laugh.

"Sister-in-law, you’ve got quite the silver tongue. I gave you five hundred kuai—not to book a five-kuai-a-night dump. And Xiao Xiao didn’t even stay there—now you’re trying to keep the change too?"

Zhang Yuexia hadn’t expected Ye Xiaoxiao to run off after she personally took her there.

Ignoring Shen Qiuyu’s demand for the money, she shot back, "What’s wrong with the room I booked? Five kuai is still money! Your brother only earns two hundred a month—do you know what five kuai can get you?"

Shen Qiuyu massaged her forehead, finding her sister-in-law unreasonable.

"Your penny-pinching at home is your business, but if you take on a task, you should do it properly. What’s so bad about it? How could anyone stay in that kind of place?"

"I personally checked the room—what’s so bad about it? That Ye Xiaoxiao is just some country girl. Even the worst city flophouse is better than the village."

Zhang Yuexia let her true feelings slip.

"Zhang Yuexia!"

Shen Qiuyu raised her voice, calling her by her full name.

They’d begun talking quietly, but their voices grew louder and louder.

This shout finally brought Miao Cuifang running.

"What’s going on? What’s happening?"

Miao Cuifang had been cooking in the kitchen and was completely clueless about what had happened.

Meanwhile, Ye Changan had gone to book a restaurant and wasn’t home.

She'd heard the talking but didn't think much of it until things seemed to escalate into an argument, at which point she came out to see.

Zhang Yuexia also knew she had said the wrong thing earlier and was now feeling defensive.

"It's just money. I'll bring it over later. I'll stay out of this kind of thing from now on."

Zhang Yuexia wasn't necessarily trying to keep the money for herself—she just didn't see the point in getting such a fancy room.

Even when staying in a luxury hotel herself, she would still be unwilling to spend that much.

But what upset Shen Qiuyu was that her sister-in-law had clearly ignored her previous instructions and chosen a cheaper, lower-quality room.

Wouldn't Xiao Xiao think her aunt was being cheap when she had to switch hotels?

This also made Shen Qiuyu look bad in front of her husband’s family.

Even though no one blamed her, she still felt bad about it.

Zhang Yuexia made a quick exit.

Miao Cuifang turned to Shen Qiuyu and said, "Xiao Yu, you shouldn’t get worked up during your recovery. Try to talk things through calmly with your sister-in-law. Even if you argue, don't take it to heart."

Feeling her mother-in-law’s concern, Shen Qiuyu managed a teary smile.

"Mom, my recovery's almost over. It's okay."

Miao Cuifang went to the kitchen and brought her a bowl of fish soup, then went to check on the baby after making sure she was sitting down to eat.

When Ye Changan returned home, Miao Cuifang told him about the fight between Shen Qiuyu and Zhang Yuexia.

Ye Changan had to go smooth things over with his wife.