Chapter 704: Still Foolish
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Zhang Mei’s brother also turned his gaze towards her. Upon observing the jade pendant clutched in her hand, a flicker of guilt flashed in his eyes, but he feigned innocence, saying in a wronged tone, “Sister, what do you mean by this? We came to you for help, and now you’re saying our gift is not good enough?
“You’re the ones who failed to handle the matter properly. Don’t we deserve an explanation? After all, we are your family. You can’t turn your back on us, can you?”
Had this been any other time, Zhang Mei would have sided with her family upon hearing these words, even if it meant clashing with Gu Shan. But today, she was infuriated by the fake jade pendant. She never expected her family to give her counterfeit goods. It was as if they didn’t consider her one of their own. She retorted sarcastically, “Indeed, big brother, you’ve given a wonderful gift. Even when giving a present to your own sister, you give a fake one.
“If I hadn’t been cautious and had the jade appraised at a shop, I wouldn’t have known how thoughtful my big brother was toward me. How do you explain this, Zhang Da? Do you really consider me part of the family?”
Zhang Mei was genuinely angry, openly addressing her brother by his full name in public. The Zhang family members all wore guilty expressions.
Seeing the situation turn sour, Zhang Da’s son and daughter-in-law quickly made their exit, taking their two children and leaving the Gu residence, leaving their parents to deal with the mess.
Zhang Da’s wife, seeing her son and daughter-in-law depart, also found an excuse to leave. After all, it was clear they wouldn’t be getting the quota they had hoped for. It was a false hope, and she was still angry.
Regrettably, Zhang Da’s foolish sister had discovered the jade pendant was fake, and they were in the wrong. She didn’t want to waste any more time. “Husband, you talk to your sister and brother-in-law. I have the car keys, I’ll go give them to our son.”
At this point, Gu Shan realized he had the upper hand and angrily retorted, “Oh, big brother, you have the audacity to come to us for an explanation? Although this matter wasn’t handled properly, let me ask you, did I not try my best to help you? I even accompanied you to find my foster daughter. I did my best.
“Now it’s your turn to give us an explanation. It’s a good thing this matter didn’t go through. If it had, this fake jade pendant would have caused a lot of arguments between our two families!
“I’m telling you now, those gift boxes and red envelopes you sent, I won’t be returning them. I’ll even have to check the money in the red envelopes at the bank. Who knows, it might be counterfeit money too. What do you have to say about that?”
When Gu Shan found out that the matter hadn’t been handled properly, he was particularly angry at Gu Zi, wanting to immediately take the Zhang family to confront her.
But now, although he was still angry at Gu Zi for not obeying his wishes, he decided the next time he saw her, he would definitely scold her. But that was a matter for later. Right now, he just wanted to vent his anger about the fake jade pendant.
Zhang Da’s face turned beet red, and he looked extremely embarrassed. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he laughed awkwardly, “Brother-in-law, sister, the money isn’t fake, and we didn’t ask you to return it. Once a gift is given, it’s not taken back. Don’t take it to heart.
“As for the jade pendant, it’s just a decorative item. It looks very realistic and is worth about a hundred yuan. No one would know it’s fake if you wore it out. And look, since our request didn’t go through after all, how about we each take a step back and drop the topic?”
Gu Shan sneered, “Drop it? I have to ask, will our families still be close in the future, or will it be like during the New Year, when you come to the compound to pay a visit but avoid our house? Let’s clear this up once and for all today!”
Seeing his brother-in-law’s attitude, Zhang Da felt a sense of foreboding. This Gu Shan, he still wanted to reap some benefits from him. The matter they had requested hadn’t been handled, so why should he give in?
Although he was in the wrong at the moment, he was not going to give another penny. He also started to make a fuss, saying, “Brother-in-law, enough is enough. Your family didn’t handle this matter well either, why are you so relentless?”
Seeing her brother’s attitude, Zhang Mei was so angry she started to cry, accusing him, “Big brother, you really don’t consider me a part of the family, do you? When you gave the fake jade pendant, did you ever think that one day, it would make me lose face in front of my husband’s family?”
Zhang Da’s patience was worn thin, and he also lost his temper, scolding, “If you can’t hold your head up here, isn’t it because you’re stupid? You don’t know what to say and what not to say. Couldn’t you have come to me privately about the fake jade pendant?
“You had to say it in front of your husband, who’s to blame for that? You were foolish when you were young, and you’re still foolish now. I don’t want to argue with you anymore, it’s a waste of time.”
With that, Zhang Da stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Zhang Mei, unwilling to let it go, wanted to chase after him and scold him, but her husband Gu Shan held her back, “Enough, Zhang Mei, haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough? Calm down.”