Xiao Yueyue, who had been huddled beside Shen Jiaojiao, suddenly raised her head. Her little face was icy cold, and she now held a fruit knife in her hand. She said coldly, “If you don’t give the money, I’ll kill you!”
As long as she was with her mother, she wasn’t afraid of death.
But her mother had said that if someone bullied you, even if you couldn’t win the fight, you should drag a few people down with you—never do business at a loss.
Everyone involuntarily shivered, as if the knife’s tip was already pressed against their necks. This little girl was only eight years old, right?
How could she talk about killing people as easily as killing a chicken? How on earth did Shen Jiaojiao teach her child?
“Children shouldn’t talk about killing and such. Jiaojiao, do you even know how to raise a child?”
Shen’s mother, who had been badly frightened, recovered and complained. She didn’t like Xiao Yueyue—what was so good about a worthless girl, especially one who was the offspring of that poor wretch Xiao Ke? Shen’s mother found her annoying just by looking at her.
“Shut up!”
Shen Jiaojiao gave Shen’s mother a cold glance. The sorrow of the original owner was deeply connected to her family of origin.
The Shen family placed the highest value on sons over daughters. Shen’s mother, herself a woman, hated women the most. From childhood, she had instilled in the original owner the foul ideas that women were worthless and that women must rely on men.
It was because of this that the original owner met such a pitiful and hateful end.
Shen’s mother was frightened by her daughter’s icy gaze and instinctively shut her mouth. But she quickly grew furious—she was the elder, after all. She opened her mouth to scold, but Shen’s father glared at her harshly.
Shen’s father had now changed his mind. Seeing his daughter’s stance, there was a good chance they could get the 48,000. That was a lot of money, and he had to support his daughter.
His youngest son had just started dating a teacher. The woman had good conditions and a good job, and Shen’s father was extremely satisfied. However, the woman’s parents demanded that a house be bought in Yangcheng City; otherwise, they wouldn’t agree to their daughter marrying over.
The cheapest house in Yangcheng cost over 60,000, with a down payment of at least 20,000. Shen’s father couldn’t even come up with 10,000, so he set his sights on Shen Jiaojiao.
If the Xi Family compensated 48,000, and his daughter was young and beautiful—even if she had a child and was remarried—she could still marry off at a high price, fetching a bride price of 10,000 to 20,000. That would cover the money for his youngest son’s house.
Shen’s father’s eyes gleamed with calculation. For the sake of 48,000, he definitely had to support his daughter.
“As the old saying goes, a forced melon isn’t sweet. Since Jiaojiao and Zihua can’t go on together, in my opinion, it’s better to part ways. Jiaojiao has suffered grievances all these years, and your family isn’t short of this bit of money. Just agree to Jiaojiao’s terms,” Shen’s father said slowly.
“What do you mean ‘this bit of money’? 48,000 isn’t 4,800! We don’t have the money!”
Zhang Jingui was so angry she nearly spat out blood. She jumped up and started cursing, her finger almost poking Shen’s father in the face.
“Shen Jiaojiao was married into our family for 3,000 yuan! In life, she’s a member of the Xi Family; in death, she’s a ghost of the Xi Family!” Xi Yuhua also shouted.
She had discussed it with her husband. Her brother was a eunuch and would never have children in this lifetime. The Xi Family’s property would all belong to her son, and the 48,000 was also her son’s. No one should even think of taking it.
Shen’s father’s face darkened. He slapped away Zhang Jingui’s hand and sneered, “Back when you proposed marriage, you didn’t mention that Xi Zihua was a eunuch. You committed marriage fraud. It’s only right that you compensate. If we can’t reach an agreement, then let the judge decide.”
Shen Jiaojiao suddenly stood up, pulling Xiao Yueyue along as she walked out. As she walked, she said, “You won’t do such a cost-effective business as spending money to buy peace, insisting on taking it to court instead. Fine! Let’s see who ends up losing face then!””Go ahead and make a scene, I’m not afraid of you! If my son loses face, you, you shameless vixen, will lose even more!” Zhang Jingui jumped up and cursed, certain that Shen Jiaojiao wouldn’t dare to take legal action.
“Then wait for the court summons. And these photos—starting today, they’ll be everywhere in Yangcheng: parks, teahouses, restaurants, alleyways—anywhere there are people, these photos will be there.”
Shen Jiaojiao turned around, her icy expression sending chills down everyone’s spine.
“We’ll see about that!”
Shen Jiaojiao sneered coldly and turned to leave.
“Stop!”
Uncle Xi finally spoke up, his face dark and terrifying.
He didn’t dare to gamble, and he couldn’t afford to lose.
“Big brother, don’t believe this little slut’s nonsense. She wouldn’t dare!” Zhang Jingui panicked. She didn’t want to part with 48,000 yuan.
That was her retirement money, and no one was going to take it from her.
“Mom!”
Xi Zihua’s expression was pained. In these short ten minutes, he felt as though he were enduring torture in a mountain of knives and a sea of fire. His neck felt weighed down by a thousand pounds, and he couldn’t even lift his head.
Zhang Jingui hardened her heart and turned away. Her son, a useless coward, was utterly unreliable. Money was far more dependable.
Uncle Xi ignored Zhang Jingui and said to Shen’s father, “If you won’t let me handle this, I won’t interfere in your family’s affairs from now on.”
“Big brother, of course you’re in charge. We’ll listen to you,” Shen’s father hurriedly replied with an ingratiating smile.
Zhang Jingui was still defiant, but Shen’s father shot her a fierce glare. What did this foolish woman know? His job and the small shop all relied on his elder brother’s support. He absolutely could not afford to offend him.
Uncle Xi’s expression softened slightly, and he said coldly, “Since you’re letting me handle this, I’ll meddle a little more. It’s better to resolve a feud than to prolong it. Give Shen Jiaojiao the 48,000 yuan. From now on, Zihua and Shen Jiaojiao will go their separate ways and have nothing to do with each other!”
“Why should we? We don’t have the money!”
Zhang Jingui jumped up. Losing 48,000 yuan hurt more than cutting her flesh. She refused to give it!
“Then I’ve overstepped. Handle your own affairs from now on. Don’t come to me again!”
Uncle Xi stood up with a dark expression, and the others followed suit, pretending to leave.
Shen’s father panicked and tried to smooth things over with a smile. “We’ll give it, we’ll give the money. We’ll listen to you, big brother!”
Zhang Jingui remained stubborn and unmoving. Shen’s father kicked her and shouted angrily, “Didn’t you hear me? Get the money!”
Although Shen’s father was usually quiet and let Zhang Jingui boss everyone around, when he got angry, she didn’t dare disobey.
“There’s no money at home.”
Zhang Jingui was nearly knocked to the ground by the kick, looking utterly disheveled. She had no choice but to give in.
“No rush, the bank is open now,” Shen’s father said with a smile, appearing very reasonable.
“It’s a fixed deposit. It won’t mature for another five years. How about we write an IOU?” Zhang Jingui tried to stall.
Shen Jiaojiao sneered coldly and turned to leave.
“I’ll cover the interest for you. Go withdraw it now!” Uncle Xi barked sharply.
The other relatives also urged her on. No matter how unwilling she was, Zhang Jingui couldn’t delay any longer. She went to the bank, withdrew the 48,000 yuan, and placed it on the coffee table in front of all the relatives, glaring resentfully at Shen Jiaojiao.
Shen’s father excitedly reached out to take the money, but another hand was faster—it was Shen Jiaojiao’s.
Shen Jiaojiao placed the money into a plastic bag she had prepared earlier, then took out an envelope and said with a smile, “All the negatives are in here—35 in total.”
Uncle Xi counted them. Sure enough, there were 35.
“This matter ends here. If any more photos appear, don’t blame me for being harsh!”
Uncle Xi still wasn’t entirely at ease and issued a warning.”Don’t worry, my parents and brothers are all in Yangcheng, and both Yueyue and I live here too. There’s no reason for me to offend you!” Shen Jiaojiao assured.
Uncle Xi didn’t doubt her. He didn’t think a jobless, vulnerable woman with a child could run off anywhere.
She would definitely have to stay hidden in Yangcheng. If Shen Jiaojiao dared to cause trouble, he would absolutely find a way to deal with her.
“Everyone, farewell forever!”
In high spirits, Shen Jiaojiao smiled radiantly, waved her hand, and walked away with light steps—one hand holding the hefty sum of forty-eight thousand, the other leading Xiao Yueyue.