Li Chunhua let out a long sigh. “Shuya, you are still young and joined the family later, so you do not understand everything that has happened in this household.
“Back then, Chaonan’s father died of illness. In order to treat him, the family ended up deeply in debt. Chaonan has sent quite a lot of money home over the years, but most of it was used to repay those debts.”
Li Chunhua was deliberately playing the victim, betting that Lin Shuya would soften her heart.
Unfortunately, Lin Shuya was not falling for it.
“I know about that, but as I recall, the debt had already been repaid while my father was still alive. He even burned all the IOUs in front of everyone.
“By the time I married Lu Chaonan, the family no longer had any outstanding debts. I am asking for the money from the two years after I married him. That has nothing to do with what happened before.”
With a single sentence, she shattered Li Chunhua’s attempt to muddy the waters.
Lin Shuya then took a step back and changed her approach, taking the initiative to speak.
“Lu Chaonan is filial. He is reluctant to spend money on himself, and whenever he receives his salary, he sends every cent home without keeping anything for himself, all so his younger brothers and sisters can have enough to eat and wear.
“Back when he was younger, the entire family depended on him alone. Things are different now. His eldest brother and third younger brother are already married.
“Now that they have families of their own, they should no longer expect their brother to help support their households.
“Only Fourth Brother is still young, and he is determined to make something of himself through his studies. As his elder brother and sister-in-law, we will absolutely support him.
“Studying requires a great deal of mental effort, and this is precisely the age when he needs proper nourishment. As his sister-in-law, I am not going to be stingy. I will forget about those sixty yuan. Just return two hundred yuan to me.”
Lin Shuya had already said everything that needed to be said, both the pleasant words and the unpleasant ones. She had successfully cut off Li Chunhua’s escape routes and simply waited for her to hand over the money.
Li Chunhua gritted her teeth in anger as she listened. Lin Shuya must have received advice from someone capable.
Given her previous temperament, once she found out about something like this, she would have simply thrown a tantrum and made a scene. Li Chunhua could have relied on her status as the mother-in-law, said a few nice words, and smoothed everything over.
Yet today, Lin Shuya seemed like a completely different person. One polished argument followed another, and she refused to yield to either soft or hard tactics.
Which busybody had decided to interfere?
If Li Chunhua found out who had stirred up this trouble, she would remember exactly who was responsible for these two hundred yuan and settle the score sooner or later.
Seeing that Li Chunhua still had not responded, Lin Shuya offered another solution.
“If you cannot come up with the money right away, I can also accept an IOU. Everyone present today can serve as witnesses. Write down the amount and the repayment date, then add your fingerprint. I will come back for the money when the time comes.”
Li Chunhua had just claimed that she was merely holding the money for Lin Shuya. If she actually wrote an IOU, it would mean that she had intended to use the money from the beginning and had now spent it all, leaving herself unable to repay it.
Lin Shuya had deliberately suggested this to cut off her final escape route.
Li Chunhua took a sharp breath, forcing a smile that did not reach her eyes.
“You are thinking too much, child. I have not touched a single cent of what belongs to you. Come inside with me, and I will get the money for you.”
Lin Shuya remained where she was.
With so many people watching in the courtyard, Li Chunhua had to consider her reputation and could not deny the debt. She could only take out the money and settle the matter.
However, once they entered the house, there would be only the two of them. If Li Chunhua changed her mind and stubbornly refused to give her a single cent, then later claimed that she had already returned the money, Lin Shuya would have no way to prove otherwise.
Not only would she fail to get her money, but her reputation would also be ruined. All her efforts would have been for nothing.
She could not go inside.
Lin Shuya cleared her throat and said, “Two hundred yuan. Just bring it out here and give it to me. Everyone happens to be present, so they can serve as witnesses. That way, no one can accuse me later of being petty, insisting that I never received the money, and then turning around to make false accusations.”
On the surface, Lin Shuya seemed to be talking about herself, but she was actually warning Li Chunhua not to try any underhanded tricks.
Li Chunhua was so furious that her face turned red.
She turned and went into the house, flinging the door curtain aside with one hand. It struck the door with a loud bang.
Outside, Lu Chaoxi also felt as though his heart were bleeding.
Ye Qing had been admitted to a university in Kyoto, and he had been planning to take her there himself while taking the opportunity to see the big city. Two hundred yuan would have been enough to cover all their expenses.
If that money went to Lin Shuya, it would be like throwing a meat bun to a dog. Once it was gone, it was gone for good.
However, now was not the time to provoke Lin Shuya. She still had the admission notice.
With that in mind, Lu Chaoxi spoke in a much friendlier tone.
“Second Sister-in-law, now that you have taken the money, should you not return the admission notice to us?”
Lin Shuya glanced sideways at him and refused without hesitation.
“No.”
“One matter is one matter. The money was living expenses that Lu Chaonan gave to me. Taking it back is simply returning what rightfully belongs to me.
“As for me holding on to the admission notice, that is because the two of you acted dishonestly and offended me. You need to apologize and compensate me first.”
After competing against each other as sisters-in-law for so many years, this was the first time Ye Qing had suffered such a setback at Lin Shuya’s hands. The anger in her heart immediately flared.
“Do you not just want money? How much do you want? Name your price.”
Money was not entirely out of the question.
Lin Shuya counted on her fingers.
“Sixty yuan.”
In the original novel, Ye Qing and Lu Chaoxi had sixty yuan in savings.
After recovering the admission notice, Ye Qing had a sudden idea and added another condition, demanding that Lu Chaonan give her sixty yuan as travel expenses for Lu Chaoxi to accompany her to university.
As for the sixty yuan they had saved, Ye Qing used it to buy herself a new outfit and flaunted it in front of the original Lin Shuya for three days.
Ye Qing pressed her lips together tightly, her heart skipping a beat.
How did Lin Shuya know that she had sixty yuan?
She glanced at Lu Chaoxi. Only the two of them knew exactly how much money their small household had.
Lu Chaoxi did not notice Ye Qing’s gaze. By then, he was already burning with anger and embarrassment.
First, Lin Shuya had demanded two hundred yuan and emptied the family’s shared funds. Now she wanted another sixty yuan, which would empty the savings of his own household as well.
Lin Shuya was doing this deliberately.
The Lu family could not afford to keep a woman like her. They had to call Lu Chaonan back and let him see exactly what kind of woman he had married.
“There is no money. You said outside earlier that as long as my second brother agreed to divorce you, you would exchange the admission notice for it. Just wait.”
Lin Shuya was more than happy with that arrangement.
“Fine. I will wait for your good news.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Chunhua came out of the house.
With a sour expression, she handed Lin Shuya a red cloth bundle.
“The full two hundred yuan is in here. Count it yourself.”
Lin Shuya did not stand on ceremony. In front of everyone, she unfolded the red cloth layer by layer.
Inside was a thick, messy stack of scattered coins and small-denomination banknotes.
She could not help laughing. Li Chunhua must have had a difficult time gathering together all these small notes after spending so long inside.
Unhurriedly, she counted them one by one.
There was indeed exactly two hundred yuan, not a cent less.
She wrapped the money in the red cloth again and placed it inside her shoulder bag.
“Fine. I have received the money that belongs to me, and from now on, neither side owes the other anything.
“As for the admission notice, you can either compensate me and apologize with money, or call Lu Chaonan back so we can get divorced. Discuss it among yourselves and give me an answer as soon as possible.
“I will not disturb your family any longer today.”
Lin Shuya left happily with the money.
The expressions on the Lu family members’ faces grew darker than the last as they watched her retreating figure with resentment.