CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 84: SEVERING TIES

The aunt reached out and took the notebook, flipping through it indifferently.

But after she read it, her expression changed.

Previously, when she did this, she didn’t feel much, only thinking that there was one more person spending money, which made their lives tighter, so she reduced the living expenses for Little Yuan as much as possible.

Now, seeing this money again, even she felt that her previous actions were quite unscrupulous.

The aunt forced herself to defend, saying, "You know, back then the family wasn’t well-off. Your uncle, Xiao Ning, and I all lived like that."

The aunt continued flipping through the pages, finding records not only of the money given to Little Yuan but also mixed with accounts of her occasionally asking Little Yuan for money.

She pointed at these and scolded Little Yuan: "We took care of you for so long, what’s wrong with asking you for some money?! You even keep a ledger, hum, saying you have no conscience is spot on!"

"Look at this, what, when your dad was dying back then, I was the one who helped with the medical expenses! That money wasn’t a small amount at the time! What’s wrong with asking for interest?!"

The accounts in the notebook were meticulously recorded, even noting the candy the aunt bought for Little Yuan back then.

The handwriting went from childish to clear, and this notebook also documented the past decade of a little girl’s life living under someone else’s roof.

"Aunt, did you see it clearly? Do you admit to these?"

The aunt opened her mouth to argue, but after thinking it over, there really wasn’t much difference. So she had nothing to say.

Little Yuan looked at her speechless aunt and continued, "It’s okay if you don’t admit it; I’ve stayed in touch with my middle and high school teachers, who know very well about my situation back then."

"Since you admit the ledger is real, it saves us a lot of trouble."

Little Yuan took the ledger from her aunt’s hand and pulled a calculator out of her backpack.

The aunt huffed, realizing this ungrateful child had clearly prepared for this and was waiting to settle the accounts with her!

Little Yuan had already started calculating. The accounts weren’t many, and the sums weren’t large, so in less than ten minutes, Little Yuan had finished calculating the accounts from the past thirteen years.

The calculator showed an amount: 98,657

"What? That’s impossible!" The aunt was unsettled upon seeing the number.

She couldn’t believe it wasn’t three years but thirteen years! Only ninety-eight thousand for thirteen years? Not even a hundred thousand? She remembered that Xiao Ning’s high school tuition for one year was thirty thousand!

"You must have calculated wrong! Let me do it myself!"

The aunt snatched the ledger and calculator from Little Yuan’s hands and meticulously calculated twice herself, but it was still the same number.

She slumped her shoulders, still muttering, "Impossible!"

Little Yuan calmly watched her aunt’s drama, emotionally unaffected, as she had known well for too long what kind of person her aunt was, and had anticipated her reaction.

Who would have thought that raising a child for thirteen years would cost them less than a hundred thousand? If every family were like this, what pressure would there be in raising a child?

"Aunt, have you finished calculating?"

The aunt did not respond, still unwilling to believe the number before her.

But the notebook clearly recorded every sum of money and its purpose. If she didn’t admit it, Little Yuan had her middle and high school teachers to prove it.

Little Yuan didn’t expect her aunt to respond; it was good enough that she wasn’t causing trouble.

"It’s thanks to you and Uncle taking care of me over the years that I didn’t become a homeless orphan. I’m very grateful to you both. But what you did today has brought an end to the familial affection between us in this life."

Little Yuan took out a bank card and placed it on the coffee table, then pulled out a piece of paper from her backpack and said:

"This card contains one hundred and fifty thousand. If you accept the ledger as recorded and agree to this way of having me repay you in one go, sign here on this line."

"Your signature means you agree, and you can’t ask me for any more money afterward, nor will my life be related to yours anymore."

Hearing Little Yuan say they would have nothing to do from now on, the aunt instantly objected. She wasn’t stupid; if she agreed, she would only get one hundred fifty thousand, which was five thousand more than ninety-eight thousand but still just a few months’ salary for Little Yuan now.

If she didn’t agree to sign, Little Yuan would still support her! When she’s old, she could receive money from Little Yuan every month, which would also ease her daughter’s burden!

"Why should I sign? I won’t sign! Don’t think you can pay off my kindness with just this amount of money! You’ll have to support me for the rest of your life!"

Little Yuan had clearly anticipated her aunt’s reaction. After more than ten years together, she knew her aunt’s character too well.

She opened her mouth calmly: "Since that’s the case, let’s proceed with legal action."

The aunt watched as Little Yuan pulled out a recording pen from somewhere.

Little Yuan pressed a button, and their voices began playing from it: "Little Yuan, auntie gave you this time..."

Upon hearing her own voice, the aunt immediately lunged at Little Yuan, trying to grab the recording pen, but how could Little Yuan let her succeed?

Little Yuan dodged, and the aunt fell onto the sofa.

Little Yuan thought to herself: It seems that auntie’s body is in good shape, moving so agilely.

Now, she no longer felt sad because of her aunt’s actions and could view the aunt’s family like a stranger.

"You really are well-prepared! Did you plan to sever ties with me long ago?!"

"If you didn’t call me home today to try to sell me for that two hundred thousand, I wouldn’t have brought these things out. You haven’t paid attention to me all these years, but I know you very well. If Xiao Ning hadn’t told me in advance about your plan to sell me, maybe I would never have used these things in my lifetime."

"What?! Xiao Ning?" The aunt couldn’t believe it; in the end, her own daughter had betrayed her.

"Yes, maybe Xiao Ning couldn’t stand your actions anymore." Little Yuan casually guessed.

"Okay, stop making a fuss. Can’t we just settle this amicably? Once you’ve signed, take this hundred and fifty thousand. Just don’t disturb my life in the future, and I won’t disrupt yours either."

"Why should I! I’ve raised you for thirteen years, and you want to send me off with one hundred and fifty thousand? That’s impossible!"

Little Yuan heard from her aunt’s words that money wasn’t enough? Indeed, her aunt was such a person.

"But you’ve seen it too; the ledger records are less than one hundred thousand. Now I’m giving you fifty percent more; are you still not satisfied?"

The aunt was not willing to give up, wanting to raise the price: "No way! The prices have changed so much over these years, you have to add five thousand more! Twenty thousand in total! Once I get the money, I’ll sign immediately!"

Little Yuan quietly stared at her aunt for a moment, then suddenly, a radiant smile appeared on her slightly chubby face.

Only to hear Little Yuan reply with a smile:

"Okay."