Lu Zhenping shuddered all over and couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. After all these years, only Shen Meng understood him, understood his heart, his needs, his feelings, and understood him as a person.

Perhaps sensing his emotions, someone reached out and held his hand.

"He's relied on himself since he was young. Do you all think the money sent to the countryside was all spent on him? What kind of life is it in the countryside? A little young master like you who was pampered wouldn't understand. And when Miss Bai went to the countryside to fetch him, was it truly impossible to take him away? She merely went because she was about to marry Mr. Yuan, perhaps to ease her guilt. We are people from the countryside, country bumpkins, so what? We rely on ourselves, don't steal or rob, and live just fine, perhaps even better than some flowers in the greenhouse. Hmph, you ask what Zhenping relies on? He relies on nothing; he's just living his own life. As for the compensation mentioned by Mr. Yuan, it's unnecessary. We are doing just fine without your high and mighty charity."

Shen Meng's words were as sharp as knives, causing Yuan Guoming's face to turn red.

Yuan Niannian gritted her teeth, her eyes fixed on the box in Shen Meng's hand. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said, "Sister-in-law, you're going too far. Siping is young and speaks without thinking. Don't take it to heart. Over these years, for Brother Zhenping, our parents have quarreled and fought. We've witnessed it all. We were also unfortunate in our childhood. Even if not all the money was spent on Brother Zhenping, it changed the Lu family's circumstances. Otherwise, how could Brother Zhenping have joined the military back then? And you, you say it's unnecessary. Don't you also have something your grandma left in your hand?"

Shen Meng looked at her sarcastic demeanor and almost laughed in anger.

Bai Shan couldn't stand it anymore and sneered, "Enough, stop bringing up money. Over these years, you've spent even more of the Bai and Yuan families' money. You say you're unfortunate? Go see in the street which unfortunate woman lives as lavishly as you do. A spare change of over ten yuan a month, and everything you eat and use is the best. What right do you have to speak about Shen Meng and Zhenping? Zhenping relied on himself to join the military. None of his foster mothers killed him only by his strong fate. Moreover, I've said it before, in Shangjing, anyone who makes things difficult for Zhenping and Xiao Meng henceforth makes things difficult for me."

"Sister Shan."

"Please, we have no blood relation, don't call me sister. Also, when grandma left, she made it clear that those things were left for Zhenping. My brother Bai Yan and white Yans being actual grandchildren and granddaughters have no say here. What's it to you? Are you meddling too much?"

Commander Bai originally wanted to give his brother-in-law some face, but he refused it, so he had no choice.

"Guoming, you take your kids and leave quickly. Our little temple can't accommodate big Buddhas like you. Haha, Zhenping, Xiao Meng, go with Bai Yan to the guesthouse first. Your eldest uncle's and aunt's homes are always open for you. Your second and third uncles are not in Shangjing; they're out of town. Next time when they're back, if the timing is right, you can see each other. Over the years, they often visited your unit, but they just didn't tell you."

Lu Zhenping smiled at him, pulled Shen Meng along, and walked out without saying a word. Bai Yan quickly followed.

Yuan Guoming felt thoroughly embarrassed, snorted, and turned to leave. Just as he walked out the door, he saw Bai Yan's car spewing exhaust, and the back of the big car seemed to sway as if mocking him.

Yuan Siping didn't leave, stubbornly looking at Commander Bai. Bai Shan didn't tolerate him, pulling his ear towards the door, yet he stood firm without a sound, while Yuan Niannian behind him wailed.

"Pa! Pa!"

"Sister Shan, you hit me and my sister. Why? We grew up together! You always adored me the most, and now you hit me for two countryside people?"

"I'm hitting you. Didn't your grandparents cherish you? Don't you understand that in your heart? When they left, the person they were most worried about was Zhenping. And how did you treat him? He's your brother, your elder brother, and yet you plotted against him in secret. Our Bai family doesn't have such ungrateful people like you. From now on, I have no brother like you. As for you, crying, crying, always crying, are you mourning? Shen Meng and Lu Zhenping showed you enough face. If it weren't for Aunt's sake, your face would be beaten black and blue. At your age, you still wail, intend to ruin people's marriage deliberately, disgrace yourself, sink into degradation, do you live up to the education from the Bai family, to the nurturing from the Yuan family?"

"Sister Shan..."

"Pa!"

"If you call me one more time, I'll hit you once. We Bai family also don't have a defiled woman like you. If I hear you doing anything in the name of the Bai family, I will certainly deal with you. You know my methods. Don't provoke me."

After Bai Shan finished speaking, she glanced at a few cousins from the Yuan family who followed, and after entering the house, she directly locked the door.

"Cousin is right, Siping. If you target Brother Zhenping again, I won't let you off. You only care about yourself. Have you thought about it? If anything happens to Brother Zhenping, what will happen to mom? Do you want to kill her?"

"Yuan Niannian, you have a month to get married, or you have no place in the Yuan family."

"Brother, how can you, how can you treat me like this?"

"What about you? How did you treat Zhenping, Shen Meng, and their kids? You actually spoke ill of those kids, insulted them this way? Hehe, Sister Shan was right; you truly made the Yuan family ashamed with your actions. I said it, whether you do it is up to you."

Yuan Niannian, with tears in her eyes, trembling all over, watched as they took Yuan Siping away, leaving her alone in place. In a fit of despair, she thought to herself, the Yuan family wants to shake her off. Impossible. She won't leave.

Lu Zhenping was worried the whole way, afraid Shen Meng would be sad and cry, cautiously following her into the room.

Nervously, he was about to speak when he saw his wife excitedly hugging the box on the bed. Normally, she would mind not getting onto the bed without getting undressed first, but now she didn't care at all.

"I wasn't able to look clearly at the Bai family just now. Now there are finally just the two of us. Come over, come and see what good stuff the Bai family's old lady left for you—I mean, for me! You, come over!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I worried all the way, but I didn't expect your mind to be full of the box's contents, eh!"

"Worry about what? Why would I be sad? What's there to be sad about? They're not even my family. However, my eldest uncle, aunt, Bai Shan, and Bai Yan are all good. It will be enough to get along well peacefully in the future. I only care about whether you are sad."

Lu Zhenping reached out and pinched her face.

"Little money grubber, open it, open it; see what good stuff is inside, take what you want, and what you don't, pass it to your daughter-in-law and daughter in the future."

What's there to be sad about? He had long passed the age of sadness!!!