With a bang, the door slammed against the wall, startling the two people on the bed.
A flicker of panic crossed Yun Shuang’s face before quickly turning stern. “Why didn’t you knock before coming in? You have no manners at all!”
Song Nanzhi couldn’t be bothered with their nonsense and cut straight to the point. “I’ve thought it over. I can leave home.”
Yun Shuang and Song Mingyu were completely stunned.
“But…” Song Nanzhi’s tone shifted. “We need to settle an account first.”
Yun Shuang: “Settle an account? What account?”
“Back then, my biological parents left behind quite a bit of property, didn’t they?”
When the original owner’s biological parents were alive, they had jointly run a garment factory with the adoptive parents.
Although it had later been brought under joint state-private ownership, the annual dividends still amounted to tens of thousands of yuan.
“I was young back then, so you held onto it for me. Now that I’m an adult, isn’t it time to give it back?”
Yun Shuang and Song Mingyu exchanged a glance, then flew into a rage out of embarrassment. “What property could your parents possibly have left? It was all confiscated long ago.”
“You know how things are these days. Counting ourselves lucky to be alive is already more than enough.”
“All confiscated?” Song Nanzhi let out a light laugh. “Mom, what are you joking about?”
“That expensive dress Miss Shen was wearing today—my brother bought it for her, didn’t he?”
“If everything was confiscated, then wouldn’t my brother be guilty of misappropriating state property?”
Yun Shuang was taken aback by her sudden sharpness. Was this really her dim-witted adopted daughter?
Even Song Mingyu, who had been silent, gave a start. “Nanzhi, don’t talk nonsense!”
Yun Shuang tried to coax her. “Nanzhi dear, being sent to the countryside is only temporary. Once Miss Shen’s anger cools down, we’ll bring you right back.”
Seeing that she remained unmoved, Yun Shuang muttered with irritation, “It’s not like we have any other choice! Who told you to develop improper feelings for Youfan…”
Before Yun Shuang could finish, Song Mingyu nudged her arm.
Hah, bring her back?
They had probably long since made up their minds to seize the property left by the original owner’s biological parents.
And to avoid leaving any handle for outsiders, they had kept the original owner well-fed and housed at home.
Now, in this day and age, they wanted to climb into the Shen family’s good graces. To fawn over their future daughter-in-law, they were finally showing their true colors.
She wasn’t going to let them get away with it!
“Mom, Dad, you both know how harsh conditions are in the countryside. I hear quite a few people have starved to death there.”
“How about this—you give me ten thousand yuan, plus a hundred jin of grain coupons and fifty zhang of cloth coupons…”
Song Nanzhi exaggeratedly counted on her fingers.
Yun Shuang jumped up from the bed as if her tail had been stepped on. “What? Ten thousand yuan!”
Song Mingyu also sucked in a sharp breath. She really dared to ask.
“Song Nanzhi, have you lost your mind?!” Yun Shuang shrieked. “Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?”
“Even if your parents did leave some money, we raised you with painstaking effort—food, clothing, and everything else. None of it came free!”
She turned to Song Mingyu in a fury. “See? This is the ungrateful wolf we raised! How heartbreaking!”
“Food, clothing, and everything else?” Song Nanzhi sneered.
“Don’t forget, Mom—Uncle Chen in Shanghai, my father’s old friend, sends money every month as child support.”
She knew about Uncle Chen from the original novel; the original owner had been kept in the dark the whole time.
Hearing this, Yun Shuang and Song Mingyu’s faces turned green. They had never told anyone about this, not even Youfan.
How could this girl Nanzhi possibly know?
Yun Shuang composed her expression. “Nanzhi, be a good child. You know your brother is getting married—there are expenses everywhere.”
“After the garment factory was handed over, your father may be the deputy director, but it’s just a nominal position on the capitalist side. His salary is pitifully small.”
“How about this—once the family is a bit better off, your father and I will go visit you in the countryside and bring you some money.”
She wouldn’t believe a word of that nonsense! Song Nanzhi casually held out her palm, facing up.
Seeing that she was impervious to persuasion, Yun Shuang resorted to being shameless. “In the end, you were never someone we could truly raise. Are you trying to drive us to our deaths?”
“Drive you to your deaths?” Song Nanzhi scoffed lightly, fixing her gaze on Yun Shuang.
“My brother, just to please Miss Shen, spent several months of an ordinary person’s salary on a single dress without even batting an eye.”
“You and Dad can’t possibly say you can’t scrape together ten thousand yuan, can you?”
“And this house we’re living in now—it was also left by my parents. I’m being generous by not charging you rent.”
Song Nanzhi gave them no chance to catch their breath. “Otherwise, let’s go to the Geweihui and have them properly settle this account.”
“You… you wicked child!” Song Mingyu stared at the unfamiliar Song Nanzhi before him, his chest heaving violently.
It seemed she was dead set on burning bridges today. “Fine! I’ll give it to you!”
“Old Song, have you lost your mind?” Yun Shuang panicked and tried to stop him. “If you give it all to her, will your son still be able to marry his wife?!”
“Shut up!” Song Mingyu barked at her fiercely. “Go get it!”
Yun Shuang was startled by his unprecedented harshness. Though her heart was bleeding, she dared not argue and shuffled trembling into the inner room.
After quite a while, she came out clutching an iron box.
Song Mingyu snatched it from her. Inside were several thick stacks of bundled Da Tuanjie notes, along with quite a bit of loose cash.
He grabbed the ration book for grain and cloth coupons, tearing out a thick stack with almost violent force.
Together with the money, he slammed it heavily in front of Song Nanzhi.
Song Nanzhi picked it up, surprised to find that ten thousand yuan was quite heavy—as thick as two bricks.
She counted it expressionlessly. With this money in hand, she wouldn’t have to worry about starving after leaving the Song family.
“I knew it—Mom and Dad still care about me.”
Song Mingyu let out a sigh. “Consider this your settling-in allowance for going to the countryside.”
Yun Shuang wanted to say something more, but then she thought about how this damn girl would truly go running to the Geweihui without a care, inviting unnecessary scrutiny.
Better to lose some money to avoid disaster and get her out as soon as possible.
As she was about to leave, Song Nanzhi’s gaze swept over the jade bracelet on Yun Shuang’s wrist—one of excellent quality—and paused.
In the original novel, this bracelet had belonged to the original owner’s mother, and later it became part of the betrothal gifts given to Shen Yuexi.
The original owner, in her pursuit of Song Youfan and her efforts to please her adoptive parents, never bothered to contest it.
But she was different!
“This bracelet belonged to my mother!”
Her adoptive father, Song Mingyu, furrowed his brow and looked at Yun Shuang with a questioning gaze.
Yun Shuang instinctively pulled her hand back, covering the bracelet with her other hand.
“You… what nonsense are you talking! This is clearly something I bought myself!”
Song Nanzhi stepped closer. “If I’m not mistaken, isn’t there a character ‘Wan’ engraved on the inside of the bracelet?”
Yun Shuang’s expression visibly soured.
Song Mingyu glared at Yun Shuang, demanding she take it off.
Yun Shuang had no choice but to reluctantly slide the bracelet off her wrist.
She tried to save face, saying, “This bracelet… I was planning to give it to you when you got married…”
Song Nanzhi snatched it from her hand and pocketed it.
“And the household register—I’ll need it tomorrow.”
Yun Shuang was taken aback, but then thought it was needed for the rural registration, so she didn’t think much of it.
She grumbled as she went to find it and handed it over.
“Mom and Dad, rest well.” With that, Song Nanzhi turned and left without hesitation.
Yun Shuang glared at Song Mingyu. “You just gave her everything!”
Song Mingyu said indignantly, “What other choice is there! If she really makes a scene at the Geweihui and digs up that matter, both our lives would be at stake!”