On the way home, Bai Jinxi suddenly turned serious and said to Shen Meng, “There’s something I want to discuss with you.”
“Go ahead.”
“It’s about getting the house and my dowry back,” Bai Jinxi said. “There are only the two of us anyway, so there’s no point in us keeping such a large courtyard. The second branch really doesn’t have enough room for everyone either. Why don’t we just move to another house?”
Shen Meng looked at Bai Jinxi without saying anything, wondering what she meant.
“I was thinking that even though we’ve fallen out with the second branch, there’s no need to take things too far.”
That was one thing Shen Meng liked about Bai Jinxi. Whenever she had something to say, she said it clearly instead of making others guess.
“We still have to live in this family in the future. The second branch has a lot of people, and their courtyard really isn’t big enough. If we insist on taking the large courtyard back, they’ll definitely hold a grudge against us.”
“I agree with your decision to move to a smaller house. But no matter how much we give in, the people from the second branch will still resent us. As long as we don’t let them squeeze every last bit of value out of us and take advantage of us at every turn, they’ll hold a grudge. Becoming enemies with them is unavoidable.”
Bai Jinxi sighed. She knew Shen Meng was telling the truth.
“And as for the dowry, there’s no way we’re getting it all back. Don’t let the father-in-law’s promise fool you. He’s always been focused on profit. How could he possibly spit back out something he’s already swallowed? Besides, most of that money has probably already been spent.”
“Not long after the father-in-law got my dowry, he used it to buy a new fishing boat. It’s the biggest fishing boat in all of Shen Family Village, and possibly even the entire Hushan Town. More than half of my dowry was spent on that boat alone. There wasn’t much left.”
“Then he renovated all the houses belonging to the different branches, built the outer courtyard wall and gatehouse, and added our kitchen and woodshed courtyard, the donkey shed next door, and that large fish warehouse in the northwest corner of the compound. Once all that was finished, the rest of my dowry must have been completely spent.”
“So how are we supposed to get it back?”
Shen Meng nodded. “I understand what you mean. If that’s the case, there’s definitely no chance of getting the money back. Shen Mancang agreeing so readily probably means he has another motive. Rather than waiting for him to bring it up himself, it’s better for us to offer to give it up.”
“Also, don’t mention moving or giving up the dowry today. Wait until the fifth day, when the deadline is up and everyone is sitting together. Then we can bring it up. And do you have any items you really care about? Something they might have kept for themselves.”
“You’ve thought this through very carefully. Let’s do that,” Bai Jinxi said. “But… the things I really care about, I hid away myself. I never gave them to those people.”
Shen Meng smiled, nodded, and gave her a thumbs-up. “Then is there anything you remember that was part of your dowry? We can symbolically ask for one or two things back. That way, it’ll count as getting some of your dowry back, both sides can save face, and the condition I set back then will technically be fulfilled.”
“That’s a good idea.” Bai Jinxi thought for a moment. “I remember there was a white jade hairpin. It was pretty nice and would suit you. It’s in the hands of Shen Baozhu from the second branch right now. She wears it in her hair all the time. When the time comes, I’ll say that it was something my mother left me and ask for it back so you can wear it.”
“Okay.”
The two of them finished discussing their plan just as they reached the area near home.
From a distance, they saw a crowd gathered around the gate of the kitchen courtyard, all craning their necks to look outside.
“Mom, she really did cut half a cartload of firewood and bring it back.” Shen Baozhu tugged on Wang Cui’e’s arm in surprise.
Ma Jinyu, Shen Baozhong’s wife, let out a cold snort. “I heard those two good-for-nothing women dragged a cart of firewood all over the village, practically making sure everyone knew about it. They even gave several bundles to the Granduncles and Great-Aunt. She really wants everyone to notice her! I always thought she was such a proud and aloof person. Turns out that was all an act! Now that she’s like a stray dog, she’s turned into a lapdog. Hahaha.”
Wang Cui’e gritted her teeth in anger. “She brought back half a cartload of firewood in just one day. In five days, she’ll probably fill half the woodshed! If that happens, won’t we have to give our house back?!”
Ma Jinyu curled her lips. “Baozhong is a grown man, and even he couldn’t chop that much firewood in a day. How could a little girl possibly chop a whole cartload? Who knows where she got it from!”
Wang Cui’e remembered how Shen Meng had beaten her and Shen Baozhong. She felt that Shen Meng really was capable of doing it.
But if she could actually do that, then they wouldn’t be able to keep the house!
“Don’t underestimate that girl. She’s skinny as a stick, but she’s got the strength of an ox. Neither Baozhong nor I can beat her,” Wang Cui’e said.
When Shen Baozhu saw Shen Meng and Bai Jinxi approaching, she immediately raised her voice.
“Well, speak of the devil. Look who’s finally back.”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward Bai Jinxi and Shen Meng at once, their expressions complicated.
Bai Jinxi and Shen Meng exchanged a glance, then calmly walked toward the crowd.
Shen Meng spoke first. “Everyone’s here, huh? What, are you all waiting to watch us make fools of ourselves?”
Shen Baozhu had already been beaten by Shen Meng, so she was still afraid of her. As soon as she saw Shen Meng approaching, she shrank back and hid behind Wang Cui’e.
Wang Cui’e was afraid too, but she had nowhere to hide. With her precious daughter behind her, all she could do was stand her ground.
Ma Jinyu folded her arms across her chest and blocked the middle of the gate. “I’m really curious where you got all this firewood. You didn’t steal it, did you? There’s no way you got it honestly!”
Bai Jinxi said calmly, “Of course we chopped it ourselves. Plenty of people in the village saw us with their own eyes.”
Before anyone else could speak, Bai Jinxi continued, looking at Wang Cui’e.
“You don’t need to worry. Meng’er and I discussed it. We don’t want the house anymore. We’ll tell the father-in-law. All we need is a small house where the two of us can live.”
When Wang Cui’e heard that, her tiny eyes widened until they looked like two black beans. She stepped forward and grabbed Bai Jinxi’s arm.
“Sister-in-law, are you serious?”
Bai Jinxi pulled her arm free. “Of course. We thought it over, and there are so many people in the second branch that you really don’t have enough room. We’ll leave the large courtyard for you. If the father-in-law agrees, Meng’er and I will clean up Second Granduncle’s small courtyard and move there.”
Ma Jinyu curled her lips. “Someone died in that house. Aren’t you afraid?”
“He was our Second Granduncle. He wouldn’t hurt us. Besides, Grandpa has probably already been reincarnated by now,” Bai Jinxi said. “The two of us just want somewhere to live in this family. We don’t want to make enemies with anyone. But if someone forces us into a situation where we can’t survive, we won’t let them have an easy time either. If that happens, then none of us will have a peaceful life.”
After saying that, Bai Jinxi gave Ma Jinyu a pointed look.
Ma Jinyu met her gaze defiantly. “Then let me see how the two of you good-for-nothing women, with no one to rely on, are going to make our lives miserable!”
“You!” Shen Meng suddenly realized she didn’t even know who this woman was. Bai Jinxi hadn’t had a chance to tell her yet.
She cleared her throat. “Um… you say that as if you aren’t a woman yourself! And you’re calling other women good-for-nothings!”
Ma Jinyu gave a mocking snort. “Not all women are the same. Bai Jinxi, your father, the county clerk, is dead, and all he left behind was one useless daughter. You have no one to rely on in this world. You’re alive only to eat and live for free in the Shen family. If that doesn’t make you a good-for-nothing, what does? Me, on the other hand? My father is the village head of Zouma Village. I have three brothers, and my maiden family is full of people. We’re a powerful family! I even have an eldest son. How can the two of you compare to me?”
Shen Meng gave her a mocking smile.
“Whether you’re a man or a woman, the only person you can ultimately rely on in this world is yourself.”
“By your logic, as long as your father is alive, you have brothers, and you have a son, you’re not a good-for-nothing. If you don’t have them, you are. But who can guarantee they’ll be there for your whole life? People are born, grow old, get sick, and die. No one knows when disaster might strike. Your father and brothers are all older than you. Even if nothing unexpected happens, chances are they’ll die before you do. And if something does happen, your father, brothers, or son could be gone at any time.”
“When that happens, won’t you become an old good-for-nothing yourself? Why are you laughing at someone who’s only fifty steps behind you?”
Ma Jinyu’s eyebrows shot up in fury.
Before she could explode, Shen Meng quickly continued.
“Look at my own father. Didn’t he die before he even reached fifty? And Wang Haiping and Wang Haijing from the village—didn’t they lose all their parents and relatives in a single shipwreck?”
“You little brat! How dare you curse me!”
Ma Jinyu lunged forward and tried to slap Shen Meng across the face, but Shen Meng caught her by the wrist.
With a backhanded slap, Shen Meng struck Ma Jinyu across the face. Ma Jinyu stumbled backward and fell to the ground. Covering her reddened cheek, she glared furiously at Shen Meng.
“How the hell dare you hit me! You little bastard! I’ll make you pay! I’ll make sure you two good-for-nothing women can’t survive in Shen Family Village!”
“I could tell you that we’re all women and shouldn’t make life difficult for one another, but I’m sure you wouldn’t listen. You probably wouldn’t understand it either.”
Shen Meng looked down at Ma Jinyu from above.
“So let’s talk about interests instead. My mother and I are valuable members of the Shen family now. We can supply enough firewood for the entire family every day, on time and in the quantities they need. We can provide fuel for cooking, heating, and bathing. If you want to bathe every day, I can make that happen for you. You should know how difficult and valuable that is for an ordinary household.”
“My mother and I only want a proper house to live in within the Shen family, and we want to sit at the same table and eat with everyone else. We’ll use our own value to earn those things. That’s all.”
“What we want won’t affect your interests. In fact, you’re one of the people benefiting from the value we provide to the Shen family. You can eat hot meals on time. When the weather gets cold, you can sit by the fire and keep warm. And if you want to, you can bathe every single day.”
“But if I’m talking to you about interests and you still don’t understand, and you insist on opposing us anyway, then you’re only hurting yourself without gaining anything. That means you’re simply not thinking straight. In that case, do whatever you want!”
“I’m only giving you one piece of advice.”
“Don’t wait until you bring all this trouble upon yourself and have to suffer the consequences.”