CHAPTER 307: CHAPTER 302: PHOENIX MAN

Ye Mei tugged at Zhang Meng’s clothes, looking them over from left to right. The fabric felt comfortable and the style was trendy, clearly pricey. Ye Mei felt uneasy inside and, taking advantage of being the older sister, began to lecture, "You’re classmates with Ye Qiu, right? Still a student and already wearing such expensive clothes? Don’t you feel bad spending your parents’ money like this? Not like our time, when wearing other people’s hand-me-downs was just fine and we still got by, right?"

"Is this really the first thing you say to Mengmeng when she visits for the first time? What’s wrong with a young lady buying a nice piece of clothing?" Before Zhang Meng and Ye Qiu could respond, Granny Liu was already displeased, "Aren’t you yourself dressed to the nines?"

"Oh, mom, are you already taking her side before she’s even become your daughter-in-law?" Ye Mei sneered, "A daughter married off is like water poured away, it seems you’ve already made a distinction between who’s close and who’s not."

Granny Liu, Ye Qiu, and Zhang Meng frowned upon hearing this. It was the New Year, yet she had to be so passive-aggressive, as if someone here owed her something.

"If you can’t speak nicely, then don’t speak at all. No one thinks you’re mute." Granny Liu laughed angrily, glaring at her fiercely.

In the past, it wasn’t easy for Granny Liu to raise two kids on her own, and everyone in the vicinity knew she was feisty. It’s only been in the last two years, as Ye Qiu has become more and more successful in his studies, that she gradually calmed her temper. At her glare, Ye Mei suddenly felt a little afraid, as if she had returned to the time when the bridal price was withheld.

In fact, if it weren’t for Ye Qiu’s stubbornness back then, there was no way Granny Liu would have returned the money. It was only because Ye Mei seized on Ye Qiu’s pride and self-respect that she was able to make a scene in front of him and force Granny Liu to hand over the money.

But now that times have changed, it doesn’t mean Granny Liu is afraid of her daughter. Ye Mei has had it too easy in recent years and might have forgotten the days when she used to be under someone else’s thumb.

Feeling rebuked by Granny Liu, Ye Mei started looking around again, and what she saw was shocking. When did all these things get added to the house?

"Oh my, mom, when did you get this fridge and air conditioning?" Ye Mei recognized the brand, Siemens – a foreign brand known for being expensive but very good to use.

"And it’s a double-door too, mom, do you really need one this big?" Ye Mei felt a pang of jealousy. She really thought her family was out of money, but it turned out they’d been saving for themselves. Was she really not her mother’s daughter after all?

"What’s this? For washing feet?" Ye Mei walked into Granny Liu’s room and discovered several more novel items, "Is this a neck massager?"

"Why did you buy all these? They’re just scams. If you have spare money, you could have given it to me to invest. There’s this place in our town that pays good interest!" Looking at these items made Ye Mei feel pained – it was all money!

"And there are so many new clothes? Mom, did you strike it rich or something? Your daughter here is having trouble turning over business capital lately, how about lending me some?" Ye Mei chattered away non-stop, not giving anyone else a chance to interject.

"This cotton jacket is really nice. Mom, what are you doing wearing royal blue at your age? Let me try it." Saying so, Ye Mei took off her cashmere coat and tried on the royal blue cotton jacket.

This piece of clothing was chosen by Ye Qiu and Zhang Meng together at the mall. Though the color was vivid, the cut was simple and suited both young and old. Ye Mei and Granny Liu were of similar size, and the jacket fit her just right.

She was so delighted as she turned in the mirror that she didn’t plan on taking it off: "Mom, look how well it fits me, I’m going to wear it out right now!"

Granny Liu’s face immediately turned ugly, with Zhang Meng still beside them, what kind of image was her daughter presenting? She quickly said, "Take it off." Knowing her daughter’s character too well, she started to pull at the clothes while speaking.

"Mom, what are you doing? I am your daughter, how can you not spare even one piece of clothing for me during the New Year?" Ye Mei protested, stubbornly clinging to the clothes, refusing to take them off.

"Have you ever bought a single piece of clothing for Mom since you got married?" Ye Qiu stood at the doorway, her face cold as she spoke.

"Little brother, what do you mean by that? Haven’t I brought things for Mom every time I came back?" Ye Mei retorted. In the end, she lacked the strength of Granny Liu and had her clothes pulled off her.

"That annual twenty-something dollar Wangwang gift set of yours? Oh, that’s wrong, in the past two years when your son couldn’t eat snacks, you brought the milk he could drink. Ye Mei, tell me, which time did you buy something that wasn’t eaten by your son?" Ye Qiu said sarcastically, with disdain in her eyes.

Zhang Meng listened on the side and snickered; she didn’t expect Ye Qiu’s sister to be such a miser - truly stingy to the core!

"Ye Qiu, you’ve got some ability now, huh? Daring to slander your sister? If it wasn’t for my dowry, could you have gone to college? I never expected to raise an ungrateful wretch like you. What’s wrong with me wearing my mom’s clothes back at my mother’s house? What’s wrong if Mom wants to give stuff to Zihao to eat? It’s not like it’s your stuff." Ye Mei said defiantly.

Her brother was still studying; these things couldn’t have been bought by him, so it must have been Mom who paid for them. They’re all Mom’s children, why should everything belong to Ye Qiu?

Hearing Ye Mei’s words, Zhang Meng’s face darkened. She hadn’t expected Ye Qiu’s sister to be so nasty towards Ye Qiu. Though she wasn’t clear about the cause and details, she knew Ye Qiu wasn’t the ungrateful wretch his sister claimed.

"Sister, I call you sister because we were born to the same parents. Ask yourself, do I really owe you anything? The dowry money from the Zhao Family that you mentioned, I’ve already paid it back to you. I, Ye Qiu, have a clear conscience."

Ye Qiu spoke with a cold expression and a firm tone. Ye Mei felt a flutter in her heart, but she didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty: "But if it weren’t for my dowry money coming in at the critical moment, you wouldn’t have been able to finish your senior year of high school."

"If Mom hadn’t given me your dowry money at that time, I would have borrowed it from someone else. I was the top student in my grade, there were plenty of people who would lend me money, and I could have still gotten into college. I didn’t lack that bit of money from you. I thought to myself that it wouldn’t matter if I paid you back a year later since you’re my sister, but I never expected to be called an ungrateful wolf because of that. How have I wronged you?" Ye Qiu questioned her earnestly.

"You... I..." Ye Mei, angered, stuttered her words, "Then I’m also Mom’s child, what does it matter to you if I wear her clothes? Mom has always favored you from childhood. Look at the things in this house, did you ever ask me when you bought them?"

"Of course it concerns him, because those clothes and those appliances were bought by Mengmeng, why should we consult you?" Granny Liu roared at her, "Besides, it’s normal for me to be biased. Ye Qiu has always been obedient, sensible, and clever since she was young. What about you? Always avoiding work at every chance. Not to mention the past, these years since you’ve married, you’ve taken sausages and cured meat from me year after year, bag by bag to the Zhao Family. Have you ever given me anything in return?"