CHAPTER 311: CHAPTER 306: PHOENIX MAN

Liu Er Ying was fuming inside. Her younger sister had always been prettier than her and more favored by their parents. After all these years of having a better life than her sister, her sister went on to marry a billionaire’s son-in-law? How could she swallow this grievance?

What’s so good about Ye Qiu? Isn’t she just a bookworm with a prettier face? How is she any better than our Gangzi?

So Liu Er Ying looked at Zhang Meng and said, "Your parents agreed to you coming to the man’s house before getting married? Do they know how much money you’re spending? A girl shouldn’t be so casual." She put on an appearance as if she were considering Zhang Meng’s well-being.

What did she mean by that? Liu Sanying was about to explode with anger. She was doing it on purpose, no wonder Ye Qiu said that her second sister has always been jealous of her own well-being. It turns out to be true.

"Auntie, I have already met Mengmeng’s father, and bringing Mengmeng home for New Year’s was also with the permission of Uncle," Ye Qiu said righteously, "So please be careful with your words. Mengmeng is a top student, not the casual type of person you’re suggesting. Although we are boyfriend and girlfriend now, our relationship is pure and innocent."

"Exactly, you’d think that someone’s daughter-in-law is like yours, getting pregnant before entering the house!" Liu Sanying interjected coldly.

"Sister, what do you mean by that?" Liu Sanying said furiously.

"What do I mean? I’m just telling the truth. And I’m just wondering, weren’t you the one who loved beauty the most before? How come now that you control the family’s finances you don’t even buy new clothes to wear? Could it be that you’ve been deceiving me all along, and it’s actually Xiao Fen who’s in charge?"

"You’re talking nonsense." Liu Er Ying stiffened her neck.

"Am I talking nonsense? Isn’t the gold necklace that Xiao Fen wears around her neck real? Isn’t it what you said yourself, that a daughter-in-law should be kept under tight control after she enters the house, would you be willing to buy that for her?"

"I was rewarding her for having a child," Liu Er Ying’s eyes flickered.

"Fine then, I will go tomorrow and tell her how well her mother-in-law treats her, and by the way, let Mengmeng and Ye Mei go learn from her, how Xiao Fen is so capable and obedient."

"She and Brother Gangzi went back to her mother’s house. She’s not here."

"No problem, the day after tomorrow works just as well."

"She’s not there the day after tomorrow either."

"Ah, sister, how could you let Xiao Fen go back to her mother’s house for so long? Didn’t you say it yourself, a married woman follows her husband, once back at her mother’s house, she is a guest, staying for one or two days is enough. Otherwise, just make a call and have them come back, she will definitely listen to you," Granny Liu was relentless.

In the past, she didn’t like to scrutinize her own family members with the worst intentions, but that didn’t mean she was foolish. Her daughter Ye Mei was like this, and her sister Liu Er Ying was like this, one by one, none of them wanted to see her and her son Ye Qiu do well, right?

Liu Sanying got angry, and the consequences of her anger were grave, leaving her own sister unable to step down gracefully.

"I... Liu Sanying, is this how you talk to your own sister? Why should my family’s matters follow your commands?" Liu Er Ying stubbornly retorted.

Liu Sanying scoffed disdainfully: "Then you shouldn’t stick your nose into my family’s business either."

"I’m doing this as an aunt for their own good."

"Then as a younger aunt, am I not looking out for your child’s benefit? Some day when there’s a chance, I’ll also visit your home to talk about Xiao Fen, how she can be so ignorant? Even if she doesn’t have money at hand, she should at least persuade you, the mother-in-law, to buy a few new clothes, or else she might as well give the gold necklace to you, that’s what a good daughter-in-law would do."

"You... forget it, you can’t recognize a good heart. I won’t meddle with your family matters from now on, I can discipline my own daughter-in-law, no need for you to interfere." Liu Er Ying, fearing that Granny Liu would do as she said, and that would cause a huge scene in their own home, hastily left after saying those words, just like that day, as if there was a wolf chasing her.

"Pfft." Ye Mei burst into laughter, her voice a bit loud, instantly startling her son Zhao Zihao.

Granny Liu gave her a glare: "What’s so funny? Have you not gotten your son ready for bed yet?"

Ye Mei hit a wall today at Granny Liu’s place, feeling as if she had regressed back to the days of being commanded by her own mother, totally afraid to utter another word.

After washing up, Ye Mei headed straight for her old room.

"Where are you going?" Granny Liu questioned her.

"To my room to sleep, of course!" Ye Mei was utterly confused.

"You’ve been married off for five or six years now, and you haven’t come to stay here during that time. There’s no longer a room for you here, it’s Mengmeng’s room now."

"Then I can sleep with Mengmeng. Us young folks are easy to talk to." Ye Mei’s eyes flickered, this arrangement suited her just fine. Without her mother and Sister Ye Qiu interrupting at night, she could take the opportunity to build a good rapport with Mengmeng, maybe even get her to agree to some things?

"No way. Mengmeng is accustomed to the big city life, she’s not used to sharing a bed with someone, especially not with you bringing a kid along. You’ll stay in my room; Zhao Yang and Ye Qiu will sleep here. That’s settled." Granny Liu was particularly stern today; when she made a decision, it was final. Ye Mei looked towards Zhang Meng, hoping she would say a few words on her behalf, but Zhang Meng pretended not to see.

The day had been chaotic in this household, beginning with Sister Ye Qiu and her husband causing a ruckus earlier, and now, Auntie Ye Mei babbling nonsensically.

Thankfully, Ye Qiu and her aunt had always been on her side, and Ye Qiu had even forewarned her about the possibility of some odd relatives in the family, so even though her ears were buzzing with noise all day, Zhang Meng wasn’t too bothered because she was prepared for it.

It’s not surprising everyone has their own little schemes; she just needed to keep her distance in the future.

After all, she would be living her life with Ye Qiu, not with Ye Qiu’s relatives, and these matters never required her intervention since Ye Qiu handled them quite well.

And her aunt, she was quite adorable when confuting others. All Zhang Meng needed to do was to coddle her aunt, and once her aunt was happy, she could be even more formidable than Ye Qiu!

The next day, Ye Qiu and his family went to visit relatives in the village and to pay a New Year’s visit to Auntie Er Ying, predictably Gangzi’s family of three was nowhere to be seen, and Granny Liu didn’t harp on about yesterday’s matters, simply had a cup of tea and left.

On the fourth day of the new year, Ye Qiu and Zhang Meng set off back to the city, and considering Zhao Yang’s enthusiasm, they didn’t refuse his offer to drive them to the city.

School wouldn’t start until after the fifteenth, so they still had almost ten days left to spend time with Zhang Meng’s father, Zhang Changfeng.

The Zhang family lived in F city by the sea, in a province with a more developed economy, two provinces away from Ye Qiu’s hometown of D city. However, it was just a two-hour flight away.

Zhang Changfeng had been waiting outside the airport for a while, and the joy on his face upon seeing his daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, couldn’t be contained.

"Dad." Zhang Meng went forward to hug him. It had been so many years, and this was the first time she hadn’t spent the New Year with her father!

"It’s good to have you back."

The warm intimacy between father and daughter made Ye Qiu feel a twinge of jealousy.