WBSGVS Chapter 64 V2

But now, it seemed that the affection was scarce.

The main issue was that the original owner wasn’t a boy.

Even forty years later, many people still saw girls as belonging to other families once they married. The inheritor of the house had to be a boy. Let alone now—without giving her any money, they thought it was perfectly natural, without even a hint of guilt.

But did they think her money was that easy to take?

Qingli pursed her lips, grabbed a notebook, and went out. Following the original owner’s memories, she arrived at the house of an elder in the village.

Elders with knowledge were considered treasures in the village, and people would go to them for any issues.

Including the arrangements for the original owner’s father’s funeral. The organizer was her uncle, but many things were handled by this elder, including how much was spent and how much was left. He knew the details.

When he heard why Qingli had come, the elder was surprised. “Why are you worrying about so much, child?”

Qingli smiled. “If they were taking the money openly, asking for a service fee or something, it wouldn’t matter. My father treated them so well when he was alive, and now that he’s gone, they’re taking advantage of me, a child who doesn’t understand anything. They take what they can, cheat where they can. Why shouldn’t I be upset?!”

The elder pursed his lips, hesitant.

Qingli quickly added, “It’s fine if you won’t speak up. I’ll just calculate it myself. If they don’t give me enough money, I’ll make sure they can’t live in peace! If it gets too bad, I’ll just burn everything down. If I don’t have it, they shouldn’t have it either!”

“You!” The elder was so shocked by her last statement that he jumped to his feet, trembling as he pointed at her. “How can you, a young girl, be so ruthless?!”

Qingli shrugged. “They were the ones who started it. Grandpa, if you won’t talk, I’ll just leave.”

Seeing her turn to leave so decisively, the elder quickly called out, “Wait, I’ll tell you!”

Qingli turned back with a smile. “That’s more like it~”

If she hadn’t planned to collect her debt with logic and evidence, she wouldn’t have bothered to trouble anyone else.

The elder glared at her irritably but couldn’t help but lecture. “After all, you’re family. If you’re like this, what will happen when you marry? Who will help you when your husband bullies you?”

“It’s not like anyone will bully me. They can’t even do anything to each other.” Qingli murmured with a grin.

The elder thought about Du Chuan’s eldest grandson and deflated. Indeed, if Du Qingli were bullied by her in-laws, it was unlikely the Du family would do much to help.

Sighing, he picked up a pen and paper, trying to recall how much had been spent on the funeral and how many guests had been invited.

He couldn’t remember the exact figures, but he could still estimate it.

Qingli sat by, watching. She was relieved that the original owner wasn’t a docile girl—though she had been spoiled by her father, she didn’t like being taken advantage of. If the original owner had known about the pension earlier, she would have already caused an uproar.

So, when Qingli returned and stirred things up, no one found it unusual.

They were just surprised at how much sharper she had become.

Having gotten what she wanted, Qingli left the elder’s house. By now, it was getting dark, and families had started their evening meals. The meal at Du Chuan’s house was just ready.

The Du family situation was a bit special. Du Qingli’s father was Du Chuan’s eldest son, who should have been responsible for taking care of their parents. But because Qingli’s father stubbornly refused to remarry, Du Chuan, furious, kicked his eldest son out, and the son ended up living with the younger one.

Because the eldest son was not going to have descendants, Du Qingli didn’t count as his heir.

As a result, Du Chuan and his second son, Du Qing, lived in a larger house. The yard was big enough to see a decent-sized kitchen, with a firewood room attached, and a bright living room in the center. On either side, there were two rooms. It was considered one of the better homes in the village.

At this moment, the Du family was eating. When Qingli walked in, He Dan immediately greeted her: “Where have you been? I called you next door earlier, but no one answered.”

“I just went for a walk,” Qingli replied with a smile. She wasn’t shy at all and sat down, greeting everyone one by one.

Uncle Du Qing had two sons. One was a few months older than the original owner, while the other was only five years old. There were also two daughters, and at the moment, they were fighting over the last bit of vegetables, making a lively scene.

This was the kind of noisy, bustling family that Du Chuan envisioned as “normal.”

The dinner was simple: a bowl of noodle dumplings and a plate of vegetables with no oil or grease. But everyone ate happily, finishing in just a few minutes, and the plates were left empty.

He Dan automatically took the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen to clean, and the two girls followed her. One of the boys went to his room to rest, while the younger one ran outside to find playmates.

Zhang Shuangshuang sat outside with a chair to enjoy the cool evening air.

Qingli was a bit slower than them. After finishing her meal, she took the bowls to the kitchen, returned to the living room, and was about to speak.

Du Qingli’s uncle, Du Qing, watched her come out of the kitchen empty-handed, and his brows furrowed. He spoke first in a serious tone: “Ari, you’re not a little girl anymore. Your dad isn’t here, so I have to say a few words. From now on, when you eat at my house, you need to be more alert and aware. Otherwise, when you marry, your mother-in-law will complain about you.”

In his view, this girl had been spoiled by his older brother. No matter how old she was, she still didn’t help out with chores!

Now that his older brother was gone, he felt he needed to step in and teach her properly.

Thinking back to the times when his older brother used to lecture him, Du Qing straightened his back, thinking he was giving good advice.

Du Chuan nodded in agreement, adding, “Your uncle’s right. Listen carefully! Even though you’re eating here without contributing to the family expenses, you still need to do some work.”

He Dan was just coming in with the last set of dishes. Hearing this, her face flushed with embarrassment. It was so awkward.

She had been upset all afternoon and had planned to come back and talk to her husband and father-in-law, but when she got home, everyone was clamoring for food, and she had to quickly cook, forgetting to bring it up.

Du Qingli already knew about her father’s pension!

“Don’t worry, it’s just this one meal. After this, I won’t eat here again,” Qingli quickly retorted, cutting off her father’s patronizing comments. She turned to Du Qing, smiling at him. “Uncle, let’s do some accounting, shall we?”

He Dan’s throat tightened. There was no need to say more, and she quickly left, leaving the three men to bicker. She could tell from Du Chuan’s expression that he wasn’t going to back down.

Du Chuan furrowed his brows, not understanding what his granddaughter meant. “What kind of accounting?”

Du Qing was also a bit confused.

Qingli pulled out a piece of paper from her sleeve and placed it on the table, her voice clear and crisp. “Here, I had Grandpa help me do the math. My father’s funeral expenses didn’t exceed one hundred, and there was also money from relatives and friends, at least thirty. But you took two hundred from my savings account and spent it all. How did you spend it?”

Du Qing’s face changed slightly as he glanced at the densely written account book, which listed all the funeral expenses. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, his guilt showing. He looked toward his father for help.

Du Chuan, already furious, didn’t even look at the account book. He slammed his hand on the table, making a loud “bang” that even startled Zhang Shuangshuang outside. He shouted, “What’s this supposed to mean? Do you think we’ve stolen your money?”

Qingli calmly extended her soft, pale palm, her tone as clear and sweet as always, but with a hint of childish defiance. “No, not at all. It’s just that you forgot to give it to me. Grandpa, Uncle, when do you plan to give it to me? I’m short on money~”

Du Qing’s eyelids twitched. He was getting anxious, urging his father to answer quickly.

Wasn’t the money theirs?

Du Chuan didn’t disappoint him. When faced with his granddaughter’s request, he replied straightforwardly, “What are you talking about? We took two hundred from your savings, but we didn’t use it all. Do you think asking people to help with the funeral is free? Your uncle didn’t charge anything for handling your father’s funeral? We’re family, so why make such a fuss?”

Du Qing breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that his father would back him up, so he grew confident. “Ari, your father spoiled you. No matter what, we’re family. You think we’d bully a child like you?”

But Qingli stopped smiling, her eyes cold as she stared at them. Slowly, she said, “I thought you’d have a little shame.”

“Shut up! Who allowed you to speak like that?!” Du Chuan’s face darkened as he stood up suddenly, raising his hand as if to slap her.

Qingli wasn’t afraid. She stood up, too, and coldly spoke before he could make a move: “If you dare hit me, I’ll hit your precious grandson ten times. Let’s see who hits harder!”

“Du Qingli!” Du Chuan shouted harshly. Because he was taller than his granddaughter, he felt a bit superior, his dark skin tight with anger. His eyes glared, making him look fierce. But his hand still didn’t come down. Trembling with rage, he yelled, “You think you can defy me!”

“Yeah, I’m defying you!” Qingli answered without fear, her voice even colder. Seeing Du Chuan shaking with anger, she added, “With you stealing your son’s pension money and helping the second son swallow the money your eldest son left for his granddaughter, how can I not defy you?”