Although he had suspected that his mother’s visit might be about money, hearing her actually ask for it still left him visibly troubled.
It wasn’t that he was unwilling to give; he didn’t even have twenty dollars on him, let alone a hundred.
When she usually asked her son for money, he was exceptionally forthcoming, but this time, after waiting a while, she hadn’t heard him speak up. Pan Huiyun immediately sensed that something was off.
"Son, you don’t happen to be out of even a hundred dollars, do you?"
"How could that be?" Wan Dongcheng instinctively denied it, as he was concerned with keeping up appearances. He always pretended to be doing well at home, acting as though he was not lacking money despite not having a job. How could he admit not having any money?
"Mom, he isn’t married yet, right? There’s no rush for this money. In a couple of days when I go back, I’ll bring the money along. You and dad agreed to it, so we’ll surely borrow it. Don’t worry, I won’t let you both lose face."
"This isn’t just about losing our face; it’s about losing yours too." Having heard her son’s promise to give the money, Pan Huiyun felt somewhat relieved.
But her son didn’t give the money immediately and instead postponed it to the next trip home, which made her suspect there was something fishy.
She hadn’t noticed Li Shiping had come up behind them, pulling on Wan Dongcheng’s hand to press him, "Tell your mother, is it because your wife is holding all the money?"
Just as Wan Dongcheng was about to speak, Li Shiping came over, "Mom, our family now..."
Before she could finish, Pan Huiyun interrupted, "Shiping, not to criticize you, but how can you be so strict with Dongcheng’s money? Isn’t it normal for the man to be in charge of the family finances? Just look after the child at home, and leave the money matters to him. Look, Dongcheng doesn’t even have a hundred dollars on him. If this gets out, won’t others laugh at him? It has always been the man who manages affairs outside and the woman inside. The control of the family’s finances should be in the hands of the man. How much money we have left at home, you better take it all out and have Dongcheng take care of it. He works so hard to earn money, and it’s not right that he can’t even touch a dime."
Her mother-in-law’s speech had left her speechless. Her husband had never held a job, and her mother-in-law knew that. Where would they have any savings?
The money her husband contributed to the household came from her own family’s support.
Her mother-in-law’s competitive pride was too strong. She just wanted to tell her not to be so vain and competitive, but her mother-in-law went on like that. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝘯𝘦𝘵
If she exposed her husband’s unemployment in front of everyone, he would lose face, but if she said nothing, her in-laws’ demands seemed endless.
As she hesitated, Wan Dongcheng said, "Mom is right, Shiping. From now on, I’ll manage the money in our house. In our village, it’s the men who handle the finances. Give mom two hundred later, one hundred to lend to my uncle, and the other hundred for dad and mom to buy something good to eat and wear. They’re getting older and need to eat well to keep healthy."
After saying this, he kept making eyes at Li Shiping, signaling her to cooperate with him.
Li Shiping pursed her lips in silence, feeling aggrieved.
Her brother had just given them some money, which was intended for her and her child. The child needed money for formula, and there were also daily living expenses. If they gave the money to her mother-in-law, their own life would become tough.
Today, it just so happened that her brother had given her money, so she had some on hand. If her brother hadn’t provided it, where would she find so much money to meet her husband’s demands?
Vanity is an endless pit. When the family can’t afford it, why can’t they spend more frugally?