Zhuang Rouhui, that annoying woman, finally stormed out. When Yue Qingqing got home, she had to face her parents’ inquiries.
"Darling, why did you buy something so expensive?" Zhang Ying patted Yue Qingqing’s head gently, "Mom knows you’re not one to waste money frivolously, but there must be a reason, right?"
With one playing the good cop, Yue Jiandong naturally took on the role of the bad cop.
"Come clean now, ’fess up for leniency!"
Yue Qingqing made a face, not knowing how to reply.
How should she explain...
Saying it was a gift for Jiang Jingze might be plausible, since she’d been going over for meals.
But her parents would never understand why she would give a Jade Token to Senior Yan, who was, to them, just her classmate’s older brother.
And besides, if anyone deserved a gift, it should have been her family first.
However, Yue Qingqing was short on cash; buying those two had emptied her savings of many years.
On the other hand, giving jade was mainly to protect the recipient from disasters. Her family was under her watch every day, so they were less likely to run into trouble.
It was at this moment that Lin Chunju stepped in to help.
"Alright, the child is growing up and has her little secrets now, what’s with all the questions!"
Yue Jiandong disagreed for once, "But Mom, it’s not a small amount of money, nearly two thousand! A few years ago, that could have bought a house."
Lin Chunju’s face hardened, "So where did this money come from?"
Yue Jiandong scratched his head, "It should be the New Year’s money and pocket money we’ve given her over the years."
"You know that, don’t you? We agreed that money was for her to manage. If Qingqing spent it on books or snacks, would you ask about it?"
Zhang Ying and Yue Jiandong both shook their heads.
"Well then, shouldn’t that settle it? The child has saved up for years, which shows she’s responsible."
Lin Chunju brought up something from Yue Jiandong’s childhood, "Back when your dad was alive, he gave you two cents for New Year’s to spend however you liked. Other kids would buy snacks from the traveling vendors, but you insisted on buying a hair tie for Xiaohua in the village, did I ever say anything to you then?"
That is a parent’s ultimate weapon: mentioning the child’s embarrassing moments from the past. No matter how old they are, they have to listen.
Yue Jiandong immediately felt embarrassed.
"Mom, we were talking about Qingqing, why bring me up all of a sudden?"
Zhang Ying suddenly became alert, "Which Xiaohua? Who’s that?"
Yue Xiaofang chimed in, unabashedly stabbing her brother in the back.
"The Ping family’s girl, back when we were kids, brother had a crush on her. They lost contact after she got married."
Zhang Ying narrowed her eyes and turned to her husband, Yue Jiandong hurriedly explained, "It was just childish ignorance, wife. I hadn’t even met you then, and mom, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten she even existed."
"Last year when we went back to the village for New Year’s, wasn’t there a woman who came knocking on our door late at night specifically asking for you? Was that Xiaohua?"
"No, wife, it really wasn’t. About that last incident, didn’t I let you handle everything afterward? You’re just pretending to ask."
Yue Jiandong wished he could slap himself—stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, will you?
This was backfiring, wasn’t it?
Yue Qingqing stuck out her tongue, and while her dad was too preoccupied to notice, she sneaked off to Lin Chunju’s side.
"Grandma, thank you."
Lin Chunju smiled warmly and hugged Yue Qingqing. Watching her son try to placate his wife, she stayed quiet.
After all, a little quarreling is just one flavor of life.
Besides, it was a good chance to give the eldest a little knock.
Now that his business was growing, more sycophants and troublemakers were circling around him.
Even Lin Chunju, who seldom meddled in her son’s affairs, had heard a few things.
Some people secretly approached Yue Jiandong, saying that now as a big boss, he needed a son to inherit his business.
They also said that Zhang Ying was just taking up space and not producing an heir, and that it would be better to replace her sooner rather than later.
Yue Jiandong naturally ignored them, but Lin Chunju also worried that if her son heard those words enough, he might start thinking differently.
So she deliberately stirred up a situation this time to see how the couple would react.
Seeing her son chasing after Zhang Ying to explain, Lin Chunju smiled lightly, finally setting her mind at ease.