WBSGVS Chapter 64 V1

He Dan naturally couldn’t admit that she knew about Du Qingli’s father’s pension.

No matter who she told, as an uncle, it was unthinkable to take money meant for his niece after the elder brother’s death. It would lead to public censure.

Qingli didn’t expect to recover the money immediately either. After all, why would they have quietly taken it if they intended to return it?

Feeling guilty, He Dan quickly made up an excuse, claiming that she wasn’t aware of the situation, and swiftly changed the subject: “I heard you came back, and I thought something had happened. I even took leave from the team. Since you must have something to do at home, I came to help.”

Qingli wasn’t polite about it and lifted her chin: “Could you bring back my dad’s cabinet? And the quilts inside, as well as the benches? Should I ask a few uncles from the village to help, or will you move them?”

The original owner’s father had some friends in the village. Although she wasn’t close to them, they would help with anything if she asked.

He Dan’s face twitched in reluctance: “You’re just a young girl, you don’t need all of that. Your older brother’s room doesn’t even have a cabinet. How about we use it for now?”

Qingli extended her hand.

He Dan instinctively asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qingli said matter-of-factly, “I want money. If you’re taking so many things from my house, of course, you need to pay for them.”

He Dan’s chest tightened in frustration: “Why do we need to haggle over this? We’re family, and you won’t use it all.”

Qingli raised an eyebrow in surprise: “At my father’s funeral, didn’t my uncle also use my family’s money? What’s the issue now? Suddenly we’re not family? The things belong to me. Even if I don’t need them, I could sell them. And why do you think I wouldn’t need them?”

He Dan’s face turned dark, but she was even less willing to pay. She could only reply begrudgingly, “Alright, alright. I’ll bring them over.”

She huffed and turned to leave.

Qingli smiled sweetly: “Aunt, when you take something from my house, make sure it comes back the same way. If anything gets damaged, you’ll need to replace it with a new one.”

He Dan quickened her pace, heading home. Seeing the house once again filled with furniture, her heart ached at the thought of it becoming empty again. She kicked a chair in frustration: “So stingy!”

The chair fell to the floor, collecting dust.

He Dan grumbled but resigned, and picked it up. Wiping it down, she started moving things out.

This wasn’t worth keeping track of. Qingli could easily check the memories of the original owner and handle the small items little by little. The original family was well-off, but things were simple back then. The house had a lot of possessions.

After a few trips, she retrieved all the smaller items, though some salt and oil from the kitchen were missing. He Dan claimed they had been used up.

Qingli didn’t argue. After all, if she was going to take advantage of it, she would return the favor.

She had always been like that—she could give things away, but she didn’t tolerate having them stolen or taken by force.

“I can’t move the cabinet. When your uncle gets home, I’ll have him bring it over,” He Dan muttered.

“Okay,” Qingli replied, smiling. She then took out a savings book: “Aunt, don’t leave yet. Can you explain why there’s 200 less here?”

He Dan’s scalp tingled, and she wanted to run, but she knew it was impossible to escape. She bit her lip and looked at the savings book, which clearly showed a large withdrawal.

The total balance was 300 yuan, with 200 yuan withdrawn, leaving just over 100.

The timing matched exactly when the original owner’s father passed away.

Qingli feigned confusion: “How strange. My father’s funeral wasn’t big enough to require the whole village to attend. How did we spend 200 yuan? Where did it all go?”

At that time, funerals were still kept low-key. Only close relatives and friends attended. The most expensive item was usually the coffin.

200 yuan? That was far more than necessary!

He Dan cursed inwardly. How had this girl gotten so sharp all of a sudden? It had to be someone from the Xiang family who taught her this, the “I’m not getting married” act—it was all just a cover.

She was truly turning her back on the family!

But despite her inner anger, He Dan forced a smile: “I don’t know. Your uncle handled all the funeral arrangements. We’ll ask him about it later.”

“Okay, Aunt. You’d better cook a little extra for dinner. We have no oil or salt at home, so we’ll just come to eat at your place,” Qingli said brightly.

He Dan nodded eagerly and hurriedly left.

In the afternoon, when work was over, the villagers began to return home.

The Du family soon followed. Du Qingli’s grandparents had already heard the news of their granddaughter returning from the Xiang family and hurried to their eldest son’s house. When they saw Qingli, Du Grandma Zhang Shuangshuang immediately shouted, “Oh my, what a hard time you must have had! Why did you come back?”

Du Grandpa Du Chuan also frowned: “Why didn’t you talk about this earlier? If you didn’t want to marry, you should have said it clearly from the start.”

Qingli obediently admitted her fault: “It’s my mistake. You all said Xiang Lifeng had good conditions, so I thought I’d give it a try. Who knew his three kids would be so difficult to handle?”

Hearing this, Du Grandpa and Du Grandma’s faces softened, though they were still unhappy. Du Grandma pressed, “Are you sure you can’t give it another try?”

“Absolutely not!” Qingli answered decisively.

Du Chuan growled, “Enough, it’s over. Let’s have Da Qing’s family find someone else.”

“That works,” Zhang Shuangshuang nodded reluctantly. When the head of the household spoke, she usually didn’t oppose.

Qingli quickly added, “But don’t, I’m not marrying anyone for now. Even if you find someone else, I won’t go.”

Du Chuan’s eyes widened: “What are you going to do if you don’t marry? Live on air? Or do you plan on being supported by your uncle and aunt?”

Qingli blinked innocently: “No, my dad’s factory didn’t he lose 1,000 yuan? That’s enough to support me for a few years. I can take my time finding a good man.”

Zhang Fangfang’s heart skipped a beat, but she didn’t speak.

The pension?!

Du Chuan’s angry, intimidating expression faltered when he realized what his granddaughter was thinking. He quickly grew embarrassed, his voice low: “Who told you this?”

Qingli smiled sweetly: “I ran into an uncle from my dad’s factory yesterday when I was in town. He told me. Grandpa, Grandma, did you go collect the money?”

Zhang Shuangshuang glanced at her husband, becoming even more silent.

Du Chuan’s face darkened, and he muttered, “You’re too young. I don’t feel comfortable giving the money to you. Stay with your uncle for now. I’ll head back first. Don’t forget to come for dinner tonight.”

“Got it,” Qingli waved her hand. The eighteen-year-old girl didn’t have particularly fair skin, but her features were delicate. When she smiled, it was innocent and bright, as if she didn’t understand the full meaning of the words.

Du Chuan felt a bit relieved and pulled Zhang Shuangshuang out of the house.

Once they were outside, Zhang Shuangshuang expressed some concern. “That girl probably thinks we have money now and doesn’t want to get married. Old man, should we give her that money?”

“Give what money?” Du Chuan said in a low voice. “She’s young, she doesn’t understand. Giving it to her would just let someone cheat her. It’s just a meal, let her have it. When the second son finds someone suitable, she’ll change her mind and want to marry. This time, just don’t mention anything about children.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to the second daughter-in-law.”

Zhang Shuangshuang nodded.

As Du Chuan entered his own house, he cast a heavy glance at the house next door.

As an old man, he naturally had to think ahead for himself. His children were still young, and especially with girls like Du Qingli, they were bound to marry off eventually. If the money was given to her, it would be wasted.

That pension, the second son didn’t take it, he did. He gave one hundred to the second son’s family. From now on, their old age would depend on that money. The second son would surely take good care of them in their later years.

It’s all about fooling around with the kids; as long as it works out, everything’s fine.

After watching Du Chuan and Zhang Shuangshuang leave, Qingli’s smile faded, and her eyes turned cold.

This time, she was only testing things. According to the original owner’s memories, her grandfather, grandmother, uncle, and aunt had all treated her well, although it was likely because her father was capable. Still, they were blood relatives, and even if their initial intentions were based on personal gain, there should still be some real affection.