Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Suspected of Stealing Money Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Suspected of Stealing Money Shen Jianhua felt that by just praising Zhou Siyu earlier, he had somewhat neglected Shen Mianmian’s feelings. He felt a bit guilty inside; in the past, he had thought she was too young to pay much attention to, but now that he knew the child had grown up and had her own thoughts, he had started to pay attention to Shen Mianmian’s emotions.
Taking advantage of the time they were still dishing up the rice, he went to the main room. “Mianmian, your mom is all bark and no bite, she speaks harshly but has a soft heart, don’t hold a grudge against her.”
She certainly hadn’t seen tofu as hard as steel.
“Dad, you don’t need to persuade me,” Shen Mianmian’s attitude was somewhat cold. “I’m fully aware of how she’s treated me over the years; she’s never considered me her own daughter.”
For a moment, she really wanted to ask Shen Jianhua if her biological mother was still alive in this world and why, after leaving her with him, she never inquired about her again.
She would rather believe she was found and taken in.
That would make it easier for her to accept all the miseries of her past life.
Thinking of Zhou Lanfang’s usual attitude, Shen Jianhua opened his mouth but could not find a reason to justify Zhou Lanfang’s actions. Sighing helplessly,
these years, Zhou Lanfang had indeed gone too far, and it was his fault too, for being single-minded in earning money and not paying enough attention to the family, causing Mianmian to be wronged.
“I criticize her, and you won’t even let me do that. Look at this wretched girl; she’s been spoiled by you to the point where she dares to steal money from home. I knew something wasn’t right with the accounts, even thought I was the one who had miscalculated.”
He Nan didn’t know what Zhou Siyu had said to Zhou Lanfang in the kitchen, but she came over swearing and brandishing a pair of chopsticks. Upon entering the room, she pointed at Shen Mianmian and started cursing.
Although Shen Jianhua didn’t know what had happened, he understood Zhou Lanfang’s words. “Mianmian, did you take money from the house?” His expression grew dark; stealing was no trivial matter, and if she really took the money, she must be properly educated.
“I didn’t,” Shen Mianmian shook her head.
Glancing at Zhou Siyu, who had followed into the room, she met her satisfied gaze. If Zhou Siyu didn’t make it usable for her, then she couldn’t blame her for tattling.
“If you didn’t take the money from the house, where did you get the money to buy the perfume sachet?” Zhou Lanfang’s eyes bulged, almost popping out. A box of perfume sachet cost nearly two dollars. This wretched girl must have eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard.
“What perfume sachet?” Shen Jianhua’s face looked even more unpleasant.
“Haven’t you smelled how fragrant she is? We didn’t give her money; where did she get the money to buy perfume sachet?”
Now that she had caught Shen Mianmian’s little tail, Zhou Lanfang felt very pleased with herself. Finally, she could prove to Shen Jianhua that her previous treatment of Shen Mianmian was because Shen Mianmian was ill-behaved and needed proper education.
“Mianmian, tell me what’s going on.” Shen Jianhua’s voice cooled down, and although he didn’t say so, his attitude had already decided that Shen Mianmian had stolen the money.
She had guessed that Zhou Siyu would cause trouble, but seeing Shen Jianhua’s attitude, she still felt very disheartened. On the surface, he seemed to be supporting her, but deep down, he still believed Zhou Lanfang’s words.
“The perfume sachet was a gift from Brother He,” she said.
Zhou Lanfang didn’t believe it. “Don’t push everything onto He Nan’s head. Does he print his own money? What’s your relationship with him that one moment he’s giving you an army coat, and the next, a perfume sachet?”
Shen Jianhua was also skeptical. He Nan was a grown man; why would he give her a perfume sachet? And which man would even carry that around?
After pondering for a while, he tried to soften his tone a bit, “Mianmian, tell me the truth, where did this thing really come from? If you really did take the money, as long as you promise not to do it again, Dad will forgive you.”