What kind of ridiculous thing was that supposed to say?
Ji Yang was so angry that she almost laughed.
But it didn’t matter. She wasn’t here to become part of this family. She was here to stir up trouble in it and, while she was at it, collect some compensation on behalf of the original owner of this body.
As though she could no longer bear the situation, Ji Yang rested one hand on the back of the sofa and slowly turned to look at her father.
“Dad…”
“Last night, I dreamed about Mom. I told her I was getting married, and she stroked my head and said, ‘Good girl, you will definitely be happy, just like your father and I were.’”
Ji Yang wiped away her tears, but before she could finish, fresh tears spilled from her eyes. As though recalling the scene from her dream, the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
“She said she would never forget that day.”
“The wind was strong that day, and vast stretches of reeds swayed in the breeze. She was sinking in the water, feeling as though her body weighed thousands upon thousands of pounds. Her heart was filled with despair. But just when she was about to give up, it was you who saved her.”
“From that moment on, you became her entire world, her hero, the beloved man who remained in her heart even during her midnight dreams, and the man she had longed for ever since she first experienced the stirrings of love.”
“Later, you got married. She cooked for you, sewed your clothes, brought you water to wash your feet, and even…”
Damn it! She could barely continue. Wasn’t that basically the life of a full-time servant?
After a brief pause to get her emotions back under control, Ji Yang continued, “She bore your children, too.”
“She said that when she was pregnant with me, her heart was overflowing with happiness. She had even chosen our names already.”
“If it was a boy, she would name him Ji Yuan.”
“If it was a girl, she would name her Ji Yang.”
“It was because mandarin ducks always came in pairs and stayed inseparable that she hoped the two of you would also remain loving and harmonious, never abandoning one another.”
As Ji Yang recounted the story, her father also remembered his late wife. Back then, his wife had been gentle and attentive toward him, and the two of them had indeed shared a loving marriage. Unfortunately…
He sighed. Unfortunately, she had been fated to die young.
“Dad, I told Mom that I was getting married just yesterday. But the very next moment, my fiancé got involved with my younger sister. Tell me… do you think that’s appropriate?”
Ji Yang’s father fell silent.
Well, now that he thought about it, it really wasn’t appropriate.
“Dad, this happened to me. I’m hurting. I’ve let down the hopes Mom had for me. I haven’t found the happiness she wished for me. I’ve disappointed her, and I feel guilty because she finally came to visit me in a dream after being gone for so many years.”
Ji Yang sniffled, trying to stop her tears, but they seemed to have a mind of their own and just kept falling endlessly.
“Mom, your daughter is useless! Your daughter has no backbone! I couldn’t even earn the respect of my own younger sister, much less the respect of my fiancé. My fiancé got involved with my own sister, and my shameless little sister kissed my fiancé right on the mouth! Waaaah! I’m so damn miserable! Waaaah!”
Zhao Zhiyuan, who had been fooling around with his fiancée’s younger sister, fell silent.
Ji Man, who had kissed her older sister’s fiancé on the mouth, also fell silent.
Ji Yang’s father gave a soft cough. Perhaps remembering his deceased wife had softened his tone a little.
“Yangyang, Dad doesn’t want things to turn out this way either. But what’s done is done. Now, we need to figure out how to resolve the situation, right? Making a big fuss will do no one any good. It’ll only give other people something to laugh about. We have to consider the bigger picture.”
“Dad, if you put it that way, then… then I suppose that’s not entirely unreasonable.”
Ji Yang’s father was delighted.
“I knew my Yangyang would understand. You’re truly my daughter! You know how to consider the bigger picture and make sacrifices for the sake of this family”
“Wait a minute, Dad. I have conditions.”
After exhausting herself crying and even going to the trouble of raising her arm to slap someone twice, she certainly wasn’t going to walk away without asking for something in return.
Ji Yang pointed at Ji Man, then at Jiang Zhiyuan, and first sought confirmation from her father.
“Dad, those two are the ones who behaved dishonorably, right?”
Then she pointed at herself.
“I’m the victim here, right?”
Although her wording was a little unpleasant, that was indeed what had happened. Ji Yang’s father nodded.
“Right.”
“The family originally agreed to give both my younger sister and me thirty yuan each as our dowry when we got married, correct?”
Her father nodded again. That was indeed what the family had agreed on. Thirty yuan for each daughter.
Of course, that was only the amount they had agreed to give openly. His wife would secretly give Manman a little extra, which was perfectly normal. It wasn’t a big deal. For the sake of family harmony, he had always turned a blind eye to such things.
“Now, not only have I suffered tremendous emotional damage, but if this matter gets out in a few days, even if everyone keeps their mouths shut in front of me, they’ll definitely gossip behind my back. They’ll say I’m useless, that I have a pretty face but can’t even keep hold of my own man, and that my younger sister stole him right from under my nose. They’ll say I’m pathetic and have lived such a miserable life.”
Ji Man and her fiancé fell silent.
Why did it feel as though those rumors would actually hurt the two of them even more?
“Besides, if I can’t find someone to marry before the end of this month, I’ll have to go to the countryside.”
“And you know how hard life in the countryside is! You have to get up earlier than a donkey, eat worse than a pig, do more work than an ox, and live in a place more run-down than a dog’s kennel.”
“So asking for five hundred yuan isn’t unreasonable, is it?”
This wasn’t even a question of whether her demand was reasonable. The family didn’t have five hundred yuan to begin with.
Ji Yang’s father frowned. “We don’t have that much money.”
“Mom! My dear mother! Why did you have to leave so early? You left your poor daughter behind in this family with no one to rely on, where my own younger sister and fiancé could join forces to bully me! Why is my life so miserable? Mom, why don’t you just take me away with you? I have no face left to live in this world! Mom, wait for me! I’ll just get myself ready, and then I’ll come find”
“We really don’t have that much money! You know our family’s situation. We don’t have anywhere near that amount!” Ji Yang’s father interrupted, his head beginning to ache from all her crying.
“Oh, we don’t? Then four hundred will do.”
Ji Yang immediately stopped crying and lowered her demand.
She already knew the family didn’t have five hundred yuan. Her strategy was to start with an amount her father couldn’t possibly agree to, then gradually lower it to an amount he could afford. By comparison, the smaller demand would seem much more acceptable, making him more likely to agree.
It was called the concession effect.
Ji Yang’s father gritted his teeth.
“We don’t have that either. We only have one hundred yuan.”
“Only mothers are good in this world. A child without a mother is like a blade of grass. Once they’re separated from their mother’s embrace, where can they find happiness…”
“Mom, your daughter is just like a blade of grass now. Nobody cares for me, nobody loves me…”
“Two hundred! Take it or leave it!” Ji Yang’s father stared at her, looking as though he would rather abandon the entire discussion than negotiate any further.
Ji Yang figured that two hundred yuan was probably his bottom line.
Fine. She would take the two hundred for now. There was still plenty of time. She could find other ways to squeeze more money out of the family later.
“Thank you, my dear father! Dad, you really are so good to your daughter. You haven’t forgotten my mother, even after all these years. Yesterday, she even appeared in my dream and asked how you were doing. She wanted to know whether you were feeling cold or hot, whether you had enough to eat, and whether you had enough warm clothes to wear.”
“I was so moved when I heard her words. My mother really has loved you just as deeply as ever for twenty years!”
“I knew she couldn’t stop worrying about you, so I advised her not to keep visiting my dreams. I told her to visit your dreams instead and see how you were doing.”
Ji Yang’s father suddenly felt an inexplicable chill creeping over his entire body.
Seeing that her father still hadn’t moved, Ji Yang urged him along.
“Dad, I know you’re busy. You spend every day worrying yourself sick over us children. Besides, my younger sister is about to marry my fiancé, so you’ll be even busier. Anyway, why don’t you give me the money now? You might forget later.”
Ji Yang’s father gave her a look before going into the room to get the money.
Ji Yang’s stepmother sensed that something was wrong and wanted to intervene. Ji Yang immediately grabbed her arm affectionately and spoke in a sweet voice.
“Mom, I forgot to tell you something. My biological mother also sent you her regards. She wanted to know whether you’re still sleeping in the same marital bed she and my father bought when they got married, whether you’re still using the enamel mug they bought for their wedding, and whether you’re still cooking with the big iron pot they bought back then.”
She paused, then added with an innocent smile.
“Oh, and she also wanted to know whether the children you’re bullying are the very children my father and she had after getting married.”
Ji Yang’s stepmother fell silent.
Why was she suddenly feeling a chill all over, too? And why did those words make her so furious at the same time?
While they were talking, Ji Yang’s father emerged from the room holding a thick stack of banknotes. He hesitated for a moment when handing them to Ji Yang, but she snatched the money from his hands in one swift motion.
Then she sweetly said, “Thank you, Dad!”
She counted the money. Exactly two hundred yuan. Not a cent more, not a cent less.
Heh. Sometimes, a few tears from a woman could make a man pay dearly.
What was the big deal about crying a little and pretending to soften her stance? The money was real, and two hundred yuan was a considerable sum in this era.
Besides, this was only the first payment.