WBSGVS Chapter 67 V1

When the Xiang family came to find He Dan, she was still busy trying to calm her son down.

There were only four of them in the household, and the two older folks couldn’t sit still. At this time of day, they could go out to gather some pigweed since they raised a pig in their backyard.

After multiple unfulfilled promises in the past, when He Dan promised her son she would buy him meat this time, her youngest son didn’t believe her and remained distressed. With no other choice, He Dan took out some money from a crumpled wad and pulled out two fifty-cent bills, saying, “Look, this is the money for meat tomorrow.”

Five-year-old Pi Dan understood money quite well. Seeing it, he exclaimed in surprise, “Wow! Mom, that’s a lot of money!”

“Shh!” He Dan quickly urged him to be quiet. “Don’t tell anyone else, or you won’t get any meat!”

Pi Dan quickly covered his mouth, but his eyes sparkled with anticipation. They had money; they could eat meat!

Seeing her son like this, He Dan couldn’t help but smile.

At that moment, she heard Du Qing’s voice from the yard, calling, “He Dan, someone’s looking for you!”

He Dan quickly hid the money under her pillow and went out to check. Her heart skipped a beat, and she feigned surprise. “Sister-in-law, what brings you here? Is something wrong with my daughter, Li?”

Zhang Cui pressed her lips together and said, “Well, it’s nothing serious, just that your niece isn’t planning to stay with my son anymore. So, I’ll need that bride price back.”

As she spoke, two men stepped forward behind her, radiating a clear threat.

Du Qing also approached, and upon hearing, Zhang Cui’s words, his expression changed. “What bride price?”

He Dan’s face turned momentarily unnatural but quickly relaxed as she smiled calmly. “Oh, that’s Li’s bride price. You gave it to me, and I handed it over to her. If you’re not going to ask her for it, why come looking for me? I’m not her mother.”

Du Qing cast a suspicious glance at his wife, unsure of what to believe, but he joined in. “Exactly, we’re not her parents; you should ask her.”

Zhang Cui grew anxious. “We just came from there! Du Qing Li said you never gave her the bride price. He Dan, I handed that one hundred and fifty yuan directly to you!”

He Dan struggled to stay composed and replied earnestly, “Sister-in-law, you’re mistaken. I gave Li the bride price right away. Besides, if our family had gotten that one hundred and fifty yuan for nothing, why would we eat gruel every day? Ask our neighbors; we haven’t had meat in ages!”

Xiang Lifeng’s expression changed. “I just smelled meat over at Du Qing Li’s house. Don’t tell me she bought it with the bride price money?”

Xiang Lifeng’s wife exclaimed, “See? I told you Du Qing Li is something special; she took the bride price and still denies it!”

“Hey! Don’t frame me! The money I had came just last night from my grandfather! It’s my dad’s pension!” Qing Li’s voice suddenly appeared, and everyone turned to see her standing at the door, not coming in, just smiling at everyone. “Why don’t we count the money? I didn’t take it. Auntie, when did you give it to me?”

He Dan decisively replied, “I gave it to you the same day!”

“What time?” Qing Li pressed on.

He Dan hesitated. She hadn’t given it, so she didn’t know what time it was. She just said, based on her memory, “After dinner that evening!”

That would have been at home, right?

Qing Li grinned. “Oh, perfect.” He Dan’s heart sank as she heard her say, “At that time, I was indeed at home; there’s no evidence against me now.”

He Dan slowly exhaled, clenched her fists, and pretended to be angry. “You’re being ridiculous! I did give it to you; why would I dare to pocket such a large sum of money?”

Suddenly, Qing Li took out a piece of candy from her pocket and waved it in front of He Dan’s younger son, Pi Dan. “Pi Dan, come here for some candy.”

Pi Dan’s eyes lit up, and he quickly ran over. “Sister, I want candy!”

Qing Li smiled as she handed it over, but at the same time, she pulled him close and revealed a small fruit knife she had somehow acquired, a prop that her father had bought for show. She pressed it against Pi Dan’s neck, her smile turning ominous as she stared intently at He Dan.

Caught off guard by this sudden change, He Dan gasped, panic rising in her throat. “Du Qing Li! What are you doing?!”

Du Qing, who hadn’t planned on saying anything, felt his legs weaken, yelling angrily, “Let go of my son!”

Neither of them had expected her to act this way, but recalling how fiercely Du Qing Li had caused a ruckus the previous night, they both felt a surge of panic.

The few members of the Xiang family who were about to confront Qing Li also changed their expressions, glancing at each other and silently distancing themselves from her, afraid they’d get dragged into a mess.

Pi Dan, still enjoying his candy, didn’t resist being held by his sister and didn’t even realize that she was using him to threaten their parents, his expression utterly innocent.

Qing Li kept her lips still, whispering, “Pi Dan, you behave and don’t move. I’ll give you two more pieces of candy later.”

“Okay!” Pi Dan replied softly, happily munching on his sweet treat.

Seeing that both He Dan and Du Qing were nearly ready to kneel, wanting to get closer but afraid to, they were almost bouncing on their toes with urgency.

“Pi Dan! Come over here!”

“Let go of my son!”

Qing Li smiled, holding the knife against Pi Dan’s neck, and raised her voice. “Wait, Uncle and Aunt, why don’t you repeat your answer? Did you give her the bride price or not?”

He Dan looked at the girl, who wore a smile yet held a knife that could take her son’s life at any moment. That smile, which should have been warm, sent chills down her spine, and she broke out in a cold sweat. A breeze brushed by, making her shiver uncontrollably.

She regretted provoking her; this girl truly was crazy. She should have seen it when she smashed the high altar. What girl, or even what man, would dare do that?

If their ancestors were angered, they would indeed suffer day and night without peace.

But she could easily smash a chair like that, and her father-in-law knelt in the main hall late at night, repenting for a long time.

Not to mention whether she dared to make a move; if she accidentally cut him like that, and something happened to her son, she would probably go insane!

He Dan’s legs went weak, and she wanted to directly say she hadn’t given anything and that the money was still in her hands.

Yet it felt like her throat was blocked, filled with resentment.

That was one hundred and fifty dollars!

It was money that would take her family two years of not eating or drinking to earn!

Their family didn’t come by money easily, but Du Qingli already had six hundred dollars! Even the savings account left by the eldest son still had over a hundred left. Wasn’t that enough?

He Dan felt resentment;, the other side had so much money, yet they were fixated on their little bit, wanting to gamble on it. Maybe Du Qingli seemed cold-blooded, but they were still cousins, and there would be some feelings involved. She gritted her teeth and shouted, “I gave it! I gave it! Our family has no money left! We can’t even afford meat! Qingli, even if you want money, you can’t treat your uncle like this!”

“You’re crazy!” Du Qingli didn’t expect her to still deny it at this time, urgently pulling her.

He Dan held her ground, stubbornly staring at Qingli.

Seeing her like this, Zhang Cui also turned her focus to Qingli but didn’t dare to say too harshly, advising, “Du Qingli, what are you trying to do? If this goes on, it will be embarrassing for everyone. What’s the point? This betrothal money wasn’t even yours to begin with.”

Qingli was about to bring the fruit knife closer, but the boy Pi Dan shouted, “We have money at home! A lot of it, all under the pillow!”

He Dan: “???”

Zhang Cui was stunned, glaring at He Dan. “Didn’t you say the betrothal money was given to Du Qingli?”

He Dan almost laughed in anger. After all her effort to save this money to buy meat for her son, her son turned around and gave her up! She insisted, “This money is my family’s money. How could a family not have money?”

“Is that so?” Qingli smiled a bit, but this time she no longer hesitated, the sharp knife edging closer to Pi Dan’s neck, her eyes fixed intently on He Dan. She said softly, “One hundred and fifty dollars is not a small amount. There’s no way I could give it up. After all, I have no parents, and my grandparents treat me poorly. Uncle and Aunt are trying to harm me like this. If I don’t say anything, I might as well just stab him and let my cousin pay with his life!”

Pi Dan, who was originally smiling, felt the cold touch at his neck and was scared, his eyes turning red. He wanted to struggle, but his sister was holding him tight, and he couldn’t break free. He cried out, “Wah, Mom!”

Du Qing’s heart sank as he watched the sharp edge of the knife get dangerously close to his son’s neck, as if it could slice his throat at any moment. He choked up.

He was dumbfounded; in truth, he held the same thought as He Dan. Though he scolded her for being crazy, he didn’t actively clarify anything.

A little girl holding a knife was quite frightening, but did she dare to do it?