Chapter 42: 042: Grandma Hialun''s 83rd Birthday (8)

    Little Taiyang approached her with the two things she had requested: a black briefcase with the Autumn Field Bank logo and a large jewelry box from a reputable retailer. The black briefcase is obviously filled with cash. Yue Xuexia took the jewelry box first, placing it carefully on her grandmother''s lap. The package weighed a moderate amount, so Grandma could easily carry it with her current strength.

    Grandma Hialun asked, "What is this, Xue''er?"

    "Try touching it, granny," said Yue Xuexia.

    The old woman did as she was told and placed her palm on the jewelry box. All of a sudden, Yue Xuexia''s voice could be heard speaking from the box.

    [Fingerprint recognition successful! Ownership transfer approved. Congratulations, Granny! Everything inside the box is yours~ Jewelry box is now opening~]

    The jewelry box on Grandma Hialun''s lap opened to reveal a few sets worth of jewels, ranging in color from white to gold, with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, amethysts, and other valuable and colorful gemstones used to create a variety of accessories. Everything is arranged inside in sections. Each gem was different in form and had a very high degree of purity, which amazed Su Surui in particular.

    Rather, Mama Yue started helping her mother put on a few matching accessories. She knows that only the owner can open this jewelry box because she has several of them at home, and each piece of jewelry is unique and has a tracker attached so that whoever dares to take it would be apprehended.

    "Mom, wear this diamond set for today as it fits your attire the most," Yue Suli said.

    Grandma Hialun urged her eldest daughter to accompany her back to her room and she answered, "No. I want to wear red ones. I want to change clothing so I can wear this ruby set." The men had, after all, placed the remainder of her gifts inside.

    "Ma, I also got some clothes. Why don''t you assist Aunt Surui in finding the ideal attire for Granny''s birthday?" Yue Xuexia said.

    Yue Suli glanced at the Qu Family and at her husband, who should have shook his head and waved her away, but instead, Grandma Hialun opted to turn a blind eye to their plight and gave Yue Xuexia command of the issue.

    Mama Yue followed her mother and sister back into the house and said, "Okay."

    After receiving the suitcase, Papa Yue cautioned his daughter, "Do not overdo it. She is still your mother''s sister." Yue Xuexia offered the briefcase to her father and asked him to accompany her mother and give it to her grandma as well.

    The Yue Family collapsed, making matters worse. The pandemic at the time spent most of their savings. Her father lost his job as a result of the recession, and they are now jobless. Yue Xuexia can only work from home because she was sick and weak at birth, and her pay is barely enough to pay for all of the household expenses, her two sisters'' tuition, and her daily medication. Once her paycheck arrived, it was completely gone.

    Papa Yue and Mama Yue thought about taking out a loan in an attempt to get things back under control at home. While some people helped their Yue Family in their hour of need, the Qu Family saw them as paupers. Mama Yue was so humiliated the one time she went to Aunt Qu to borrow money that she never asked Qu Susu for help again.

    Qu Susu and her husband were despised by Yue Xuexia, although she did not really hate her cousins; she did not seek retribution when the Yue Family became prosperous once again, even wealthier than any Xia Clan household. Her parents always told them sisters to ignore the Qu Family. They would change because they would become rich. However, she could not resist thinking back on how much her family had done to assist the Qu Family back when they were still struggling. She was surprised by how shameless the family was to treat her Yue Family in that way given that their family had always provided for their needs.

    However, Yue Xuexia''s tolerance for the Qu Family has a limit. She knew that every time the Xia Clan held an event like this, Qu Susu would try to make her family look bad. Her family would usually avoid an event like this within the clan, but on Grandma Hialun''s birthday, you have to show your respect for the elders by being present.

    Though Yue Xuexia was not surprised by Qu Susu''s outburst, she was not prepared for her to treat her mother and siblings like that. She is very conceited and smug, and she does not seem to care about anything. Yue Xuexia took immediate offense because she could not take it any longer.

    "Aunt Qu. What makes you so proud? The little mansion where your family lives. The 2 cars your family owns. Or the 3 million annual salary of your eldest daughter?" Yue Xuexia questioned.

    "Maybe you had forgotten the poor Qu Family version of yourself. At that time, Uncle Su only had a minimum salary of a monthly wage. You live in a slum in your small house that only has a living room, two small rooms, and a bathroom. You even have to cook in the living room as the house had no kitchen at all."

    "You don''t have enough money for food and the tuition fee of your three children. Would monthly come over to my Yue Family family to borrow money from my mother and granny. At that time, did I say anything? Did I stop them from giving you money? Have you ever repaid those debts of yours? Or maybe you even have forgotten that the one who helped your husband find work abroad was also my father?"

    "So let me formally ask you, Aunt Qu. Are you a leech that sucked the wealth of my Yue Family shamelessly but still had the face to look down on the Yue family?!"

    "Let me tell you something. The only reason why your Qu Family still exists is that I don''t hate your children. Because half of your blood is the same as my mother and granny. Because you used to be surnamed Xia! That is all."

    Yue Xuexia glared at her Aunt Qu as if she wanted her to end horribly then and there. "But tell me, what did you just do to my mother? Why did you yell at my sisters? How did you embarrass my grandmother? Why do you look down on my Yue family? I want to ask you something. Qu Susu, do you want to return to the slums?"

    Yue Xuexia''s rage overcame Qu Susu, leaving her speechless and unable to stay upright as she sank to the ground and trembled.

    "N-No... No... no, I don''t... I don''t want... Don''t want to be poor... Please... I beg you..." said Qu Susu while trying to beg Yue Xuexia.