CHAPTER 402: CHAPTER 306: LIN FAMILY AND JIANG JIANGYU

On the third day of the first lunar month, Lin Aidang, the second son of the Lin Family, arrived in Beijing with his wife, Jiang Jiangyu, and their two sons from the Northwest. At this time, the atmosphere in the Lin Family underwent a subtle change again.

The moment Mrs. Lin had been eagerly awaiting - a family reunion - finally arrived, but she felt no joy or excitement. Many things had gone beyond her expectations.

With the breakdown of relations among her maternal Gu Family brothers and her elder brother Gu Changqing’s imprisonment awaiting judgment, after all the family assets had been confiscated, the marital arrangements she had valued had fallen through.

The attitudes of her old friends were subtly different. Just when she was furious, her younger daughter-in-law had caused a stir.

In the bedroom, Mrs. Lin remained expressionless, her eyes fixed on her younger daughter-in-law, Jiang Jiangyu.

Avoiding Mrs. Lin’s gaze, Jiang Jiangyu smiled and explained, "Mom, seeing Victory and his brother are about to start their own families, I was left with no choice. My sister-in-law mentioned the house in her letter and there aren’t many yards suitable like this one, so I didn’t have time to discuss with you before letting her buy it. Please don’t be angry."

Mrs. Lin never expected that her younger daughter-in-law, while being away, would dare to make decisions on her own and let her sister-in-law buy the house without consulting her.

Two thousand and eight hundred, she might not have blinked at it before. But now she planned to fill the gap left by her eldest child’s shortage, how could she care about buying a yard? Since the decision was made without consulting her, what else was there to say?

After a moment, Mrs. Lin shifted her gaze and asked, "So whose money did you borrow? How will you repay such a large sum? What did the second son say?"

"My siblings helped me gather a thousand, saying they’d be repaid when I returned for the New Year. The remaining eighteen hundred was borrowed from friends for two months. The children’s father doesn’t know about this, I’m counting on your help, Mom." After speaking, Jiang Jiangyu lowered her head, her toes sliding across the floor.

Mrs. Lin laughed angrily, "Then tell me, how should I help you? Just look at how much this old pile of bones is worth?"

"Mom, can you ask the eldest brother and sister for help? I’m just waiting for eighteen hundred to save my life. The thousand from my siblings can be repaid slowly," she pleaded.

Mrs. Lin listened and understood everything clearly. The daughter-in-law claimed the family gathered a thousand, but this was probably her own private stash.

Her family, the Old Jiang Family, can hardly support relatives back home, they themselves barely manage a fish and a chicken for their family of ten on New Year’s Eve, where would they find a thousand? This young one is cunning!

Mrs. Lin didn’t want to bring up this matter. Since the money was spent, it was pointless to discuss further. After all, the house would eventually belong to her grandson. She was willing but powerless.

Looking helpless, Mrs. Lin sighed and began explaining the source of financial aid she gave her family over the years. She skipped the details, briefly mentioning how much she moved from her eldest son-in-law Zhou Xiaozheng’s funds, compensating with the eldest’s salary, and how much she still owed to the eldest son-in-law.

After speaking, she spread her hands towards Jiang Jiangyu, shaking her head. She no longer intended to keep things from the second couple. Now everyone in the family knew, except the old man, who might also be aware.

Jiang Jiangyu, after listening, froze there, her face turning pale.

After a while, she calmed down, cautiously observing Mrs. Lin’s expression, "What did brother-in-law say? Mom, what should we do now?"

"Hmph... cold shoulder!" Mrs. Lin snorted coldly, her face serious. As for Zhou Xiaozheng, he has treated the matter with cold indifference, doesn’t even want to see her, let alone speak to her.

Whenever she thought of that brat with a serious face, ignoring her completely, Mrs. Lin felt her anger boil. Don’t think she couldn’t see the disdain in his eyes. A few measly dollars and he’s acting like the king of the world?

Seeing things were not going right, Jiang Jiangyu dared not bring it up again. She had just returned to Beijing and still needed to figure out the situation, otherwise she’d have to confess the truth to the children’s father.

She smiled sweetly, tucking in the quilt for Mrs. Lin, speaking softly, "Mom, please don’t be angry, although I don’t know what brother-in-law thinks. But isn’t a son-in-law’s duty to honor his mother-in-law? With elder sister around, he’s your son-in-law. If there’s something wrong, he still has to help."

Mrs. Lin, too lazy to deal with this foolishly hopeful girl, waved her hand to signal her to leave.

Jiang Jiangyu left the main house, glanced at the eldest sister-in-law in the kitchen, hesitated for a moment. After a while, she turned back and picked up her backpack and gifts, heading towards her family’s place.

The Jiang Family was assigned a unit on the ground floor of the three-room complex in the front unit, now surrounded by a small yard. Old Mrs. Jiang, originally a farmer, had been caring for children and farming at home.