Brigade Leader Xie Yongsheng spoke up, "Alright, that's enough from both of you. Just keep it in mind. Although our family hasn't officially split, your mother and I don't demand that you hand over every single cent to the common fund."
"As for how much you can earn or save, that depends on your own abilities. Don't let resentment grow between brothers. If it ever comes to that, don't force me to disown you."
The three Xie brothers immediately sat up straight. Xie Lincheng quickly chimed in, "Understood, Dad. You and Mom raised us yourselves—how could we possibly turn out wrong?"
Zhang Xiuying shot a sidelong glance at Xie Wenhua, her eyes filled with displeasure. "Hmph, that's hard to say. Who knows if someone might forget everything after a little pillow talk?"
Xie Wenhua hurriedly admitted his mistake. "Mom, I was wrong. It's all my fault for not speaking up sooner and letting Guihua say those things. Don't worry, I'll have a good talk with her."
Zhang Xiuying remained unsatisfied, her gaze toward Xie Wenhua now tinged with disdain.
She had never approved of him marrying Wang Guihua in the first place. And now? Nothing but a troublemaker stirring up the family.
But since they already had children, she had no choice but to accept it.
She sighed. "When the two kids come back, you'd better watch yourself. If Wang Guihua ends up corrupting them, I swear I'll break your legs."
Xie Wenhua repeatedly said, "Yes, yes."
At the mention of children, Zhao Meixia's eyes dimmed slightly. She instinctively touched her stomach.
Xie Lincheng naturally noticed and reached out to hold Zhao Meixia's hand.
Zhao Meixia looked at him gratefully. At least she had married a good husband.
Xie Jingzhou also picked up his chopsticks, very casually revealing his new wristwatch.
Xie Lincheng spotted it immediately and exclaimed in surprise, "Fourth Brother, you got a new watch?"
Everyone else turned to look at his wrist.
Xie Jingzhou said, "Siyi bought it for me."
Xie Lincheng and Xie Wenhua stared with envy, their eyes practically glued to it.
Xie Wenhua reached over and took his hand. "Your wife is really generous. And it's a Shanghai brand, too."
Xie Lincheng retorted, "What's there to show off? When we got married, your eldest sister-in-law bought one for me, too."
Xie Wenhua sneered. "Yeah, and I wonder who went around telling everyone back then that his wife bought him a watch."
Xie Lincheng rubbed his nose, while Zhao Meixia and the others laughed.
The old couple exchanged a glance, secretly relieved. Thank goodness for the exchange marriage—that Song Sijia really didn't seem like a decent sort.
If it hadn't been for the elders arranging the marriage back then, they would never have agreed to it.
Over the years, that girl's reputation had been quite good. Plus, their own son had been injured, so they hadn't thought to change the arrangement.
Who would have thought that after the engagement was settled, the girl would turn around and fall for that pretty-boy educated youth? How underhanded! If it hadn't been Song Siyi who replaced her in the exchange marriage, their family would have definitely gone to the Song family to make a scene.
But they were very satisfied with Siyi.
Zhang Xiuying glanced at her foolish son. It seemed he was satisfied with this marriage, too.
She nodded to herself. At least Fourth Brother was no longer a worry.
Her sidelong glance fell on Xie Wenhua, and she turned away in utter disgust.
When had her judgment ever been wrong?
That wife of his had put on airs plenty of times back then, just because she was pregnant—as if she were the only one who could have children.
Zhang Xiuying had given birth to three sons and two daughters herself. Had she ever acted so proud?
So petty.
The next day, Song Siyi spent the entire day at home sewing clothes.
The Song family, seeing she wasn't causing trouble, thought she was brewing up some big scheme, leaving the whole household on edge all day.
After finishing the clothes, Song Siyi packed everything she needed to take into a bundle.
Important items went into her space—the bundle was just a cover.
Truthfully, there wasn’t much to bring. All her clothes were hand-me-downs from Song Sijia and the others, so there was no need to take them along now.
That night, Song Siyi went to bed early. Half-asleep, she heard faint rustling sounds.
She opened her eyes, and when she realized the noise was coming from inside her own room, a chill ran down her spine.
With a thought, she retrieved a flashlight and a stick from her space.
Silently slipping out of bed, she swung the stick at the intruder, knocking them out cold before they could react.
A blow from Song Siyi, who had drunk Spirit Spring Water, was no ordinary strike.
So the person had no time to react before being knocked unconscious.
Song Siyi turned on the flashlight and looked at the figure lying on the ground.
She recognized him—he was the village’s notorious loafer.
He rarely showed up in the village, though. Had he heard about her eight hundred yuan?
But with so many people in the Song household, how had no one heard a thing?
Song Siyi struck Erzhu’s head a few more times to make sure he was completely unconscious, then stored him in her space.
She slipped into her space, which could move according to her will. Inside, she could see everything outside, but no one outside could see her.
She had discovered this in her past life but never told Lu Yan.
However, moving the space had its limitations: it could only be used once a day, within a range of fifty meters.
Additionally, the space allowed her to teleport back and forth between two anchor points within a certain distance, but both points had to be places she had visited before.
Song Siyi went to Song Sijia’s room, suspecting that Erzhu’s visit to the Song household had something to do with her.
When she arrived, Song Sijia was still awake.
She was muttering curses under her breath, “You little wretch, once I’ve stolen your money and watch, let’s see how high and mighty you’ll be.”
Even from within her space, Song Siyi could feel the thick resentment radiating from her.
Song Siyi snorted coldly. Since Song Sijia had brought this upon herself, she couldn’t blame her.
Song Siyi knew where Song Sijia kept her savings—she had often bragged about the New Year’s money and allowances her family gave her.
After drugging Song Sijia to sleep, she found the biscuit tin where Song Sijia hid her money in a hole under the bed.
Opening the tin, she found cash and ration coupons inside. A quick count revealed over one hundred and fifty yuan. Song Siyi took every last bit.
Next, she went to Old Lady Li’s room. Looking at the old woman’s sleeping face, she felt a mix of emotions.
This old lady never hit or scolded her, but she simply ignored her.
If she had shown even a hint of kindness, Song Siyi wouldn’t have suffered so much in this household.
Sometimes, she truly wondered if her father was even a member of the Song family. After all, the Songs had prospered because of him, yet they showed no gratitude whatsoever.
Knowing Old Lady Li was a light sleeper, Song Siyi added a bit of sleeping drug to ensure she stayed unconscious.
She took the money and coupons hidden in the pickled vegetable jar, then retrieved the cash stashed in the mouse hole behind the cabinet.
Old Lady Li also hid money under the kang mat—Song Siyi took it all.
Following the same method, she visited the other rooms one by one. Only after confirming she had taken most of the money did she return to her own room.
Song Siyi sorted through the collected assets. Old Lady Li had the largest share, and the total amount added up to fifteen hundred yuan—no wonder the Song family had always lived quite comfortably.
There was also a gold bracelet and a silver bracelet, both wrapped in several layers of cloth, clearly well-preserved.
Old Lady Li actually had such things—where did they come from?
Could they be family heirlooms?
By the early hours of the next day, estimating that the drug’s effects had worn off, Song Siyi suddenly slammed the door with a deafening “bang!”
“Thief!”