Chapter 231 - The Second Daughter Born Out of Wedlock
Discover the story in "Quick Transmigration: Drama Queen's Daily Life" Chapter 232: Uncle Zhong Shan and Aunt Zhao Mei were an ordinary elderly couple from the countryside,... Continue exploring!
Uncle Zhong Shan and Aunt Zhao Mei were an ordinary elderly couple from the countryside, living a life as simple, hardworking, and content as most of the local people.
Zhong Shan was a taciturn farmer who, despite selling his labor for a lifetime, could only maintain his familyâs basic needs. The marriages of his two sons not only drained the savings he and his wife had scrimped and saved, but also left him with a heavy debt. Even so, the joy and laughter of his grandchildren made all the hardship worth it in his heart.
Zhao Mei was a penny-pinching rural woman. No woman is born sharp-tongued or meanâitâs all lifeâs forcing hand. She was stingy not just toward her husband and mother-in-law but even more so with herself. Yet, when Grandma Zhong brought over Ye Qiu to raise, Zhao Mei did nothing more than gossip, never truly casting Ye Qiu out. And when Grandma Zhong became old and immobile, Zhao Mei took diligent care of her mother-in-law.
Given the Zhong familyâs income and under circumstances where the Ye family didnât provide any support for Ye Qiu, Uncle Zhong Shan and Aunt Zhao Mei ensured that Ye Qiu, their nieceâs daughter, could grow up safely and healthily, and even manage to get an education for so many yearsâit was truly an act of enormous kindness and righteousness.
Therefore, even though her aunt had never shown her much kindness over the years, Ye Qiu was genuinely grateful to them. Now that she had money, she wanted to repay them.
"Ye Qiu? Is that you, Ye Qiu?" Zhao Mei was sitting in the hall sorting vegetables with her little grandson in her arms. Ye Qiu stood at the doorway backlit, making it hard for her to see clearly, so she tentatively asked.
"Itâs me, Auntie," Ye Qiu said softly as she walked in with some gifts, "Is this Kangkang from Second Cousinâs family? Heâs so cute."
Zhao Mei looked incredulously at the refined and fashionable niece who had just walked in. Although sheâd watched Ye Qiu grow up and knew she was a pretty girl, their familyâs poor conditions meant they never had the money to spend on "an outsiderâs" appearance, so Ye Qiu was often clad in old or plain clothes, hiding her beauty.
In the past, due to Ye Qiuâs fatherâs indifference and her motherâs negligence, and being in a rural area cut off from outside information, she often faced gossip, which made her appear somewhat somber and unsophisticated. How could she have the poise and confidence she has now?
"Come in and sit down. Why didnât you call me?" Zhao Mei, wiping her hands and holding the child, felt somewhat flustered.
Seeing the child gazing at her with wide eyes, Ye Qiu took out a lollipop from her pocket and lightly laughed as she offered it to him, "Thank you, Auntie. I just came to offer incense to Grandma, Iâll be leaving soon."
"Stay for a meal, you donât come back often," Zhao Mei said awkwardly. The house was crowded, and she didnât get along well with her daughters-in-law, finding it hard to invite Ye Qiu to stay for a few nights, so her face flushed with embarrassment.
Ye Qiu thought it over and agreed. Her uncle and auntie were plain farmers without any special skills. Even with extra money, they would just pay off their debts and live from savings, which might even be taken by the daughters-in-law. She decided she could talk to them later about future development and at least ensure the two elders had something for their old age.
"Ye Qiu is back." Seeing Ye Qiu looking somewhat uncomfortable sitting at home, the usually silent Zhong Shan finished his farm work, put down his tools, and squatted under the eaves to smoke. Though only five years older than Ye Fu and Ye Hai, he looked like he belonged to a different generation.
"Where are Cousin and his wife?" Ye Qiu asked, puzzled as she saw only the three of them and Kangkang, who wasnât even a year old yet, at the dining table.
"They went back to her parentsâ house," said Zhao Mei with a hint of annoyanceâit was all about money. She also worried about whether the daughters-in-law would return today and feared they would complain about her using their rooms, which made her unable to ask Ye Qiu to stay for a couple of nights.
It was just as well they were not there. After dinner, Ye Qiu took out two hundred thousand in cash from her backpack, leaving Uncle Zhong and his wife, who had never seen so much money in their lives, stunned.
"Wh-what is this?" Zhao Mei stuttered as she asked.
"This is for you."
Uncle Zhong, who had been honest all his life, didnât react with joy, but instead asked with concern, "Ye Qiu, where did you get so much money as a kid? You didnât steal from your parents or do something bad, did you?"
"Indeed." Although Zhao Mei was sad to reject the money, she didnât have the courage to take something of unclear origin, "Ye Qiu, you should take this money back, we canât accept it."
Ye Qiu felt somewhat moved by their care for her, which only confirmed to her that her decision was the right one.
"Uncle, Auntie, this money was earned by me. Donât worry, just take it. I didnât steal, didnât rob, and didnât do anything illegal or unethical. Itâs easy to make money in big cities, as long as you have knowledge, anywhere can be a path to wealth," Ye Qiu explained calmly.
"Itâs really that easy to make money in big cities?" Zhao Mei was somewhat skeptical.
Ye Qiu smiled and nodded, "Donât you like watching television? What they say on TV isnât all false. However, you have to start with this," she pointed to her head.
Having heard what Ye Qiu said, Zhao Mei was almost convinced. Moreover, her sister-in-law and brother-in-law were both smart people who had made their fortune in the city. Ye Qiu was their daughter, and also top of her class in school. Her words shouldnât be false. It seems that making money in the big city is really as good as whatâs shown on TV!
Zhao Mei thought to herself that in the future, she should make sure her grandchildren are educated and go far in life, since thatâs how they can stand out.
"So take the 200,000 yuan, but my suggestion is that after paying off the debts, you can use the remaining money to start a small business in the town or the county."
Zhao Mei still had some doubts, and she glanced at her honest and kind-hearted husband, hesitatingly saying, "Even so, we canât take your money."
"Uncle, Auntie, you have raised me for so many years. Itâs only right for me to show filial piety to you."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Mei felt a pang of guilt; despite always complaining to others about Ye Qiu eating and drinking at her expense, and the Ye Family not giving a penny, in reality, all of Ye Qiuâs living and educational expenses came from her mother-in-law.
Seeing their hesitation, Ye Qiu continued, "If you wonât think for yourselves, at least think of Kangkang and the others. Do you really want them to become farmers like you or to lack the skills like their parents and do odd jobs everywhere? With money, you can send the kids to better schools, broaden their horizons, and give them a taste of the world."
"I see that Uncleâs health is getting worse too. Auntie, can you guarantee that the Second Cousin and his wife will be able to provide for Grandma Zhong in her old age as you and Uncle have? If you have money in hand, you have more confidence."
Ye Qiuâs questions really hit home for Zhao Mei. She couldnât neglect the future of her children, and she dared not even think about her and her husbandâs eventual fate. She was all too aware of the character of her son and daughter-in-law; it was precisely because she knew that she felt both cold and anxious.