Chapter 774: Isn't an IOU Money?

‘Kindness?’ Li Axiu scoffed internally.

Chen Xiuhua took a deep breath. Li Axiu had almost succeeded in driving a wedge between them.

In the kitchen, Li Chunlan patted Chen Xiuhua on the shoulder. “Li Axiu is no saint,” she reminded her. “Don’t let her sow discord. Eldest Sister-in-law is family.”

“But her family and Eldest Sister-in-law’s are joined by their children’s marriage,” Chen Xiuhua said resentfully.

“Second Sister-in-law, don’t forget, Jing Er isn’t Eldest Sister-in-law’s biological son. Eldest Brother is the one who’s related to them by marriage, not her,” Li Chunlan said.

Chen Xiuhua couldn’t refute her, so she complained, “When is Eldest Sister-in-law getting here?”

“Even when she gets here, she won’t come into the kitchen to help,” Li Chunlan said with a smile.

Chen Xiuhua fell silent. Resigned to her fate, she went back to chopping vegetables. Suddenly, she found herself missing Zhang Hongyan, their former eldest sister-in-law. Zhang Hongyan may have been poor, but her home had always been neat and tidy. Whenever there was a family event, she was the one busy in the kitchen. If the other sisters-in-law were in a good mood, they would lend her a hand; if not, they wouldn’t even set foot in the kitchen.

Qiao Yanqiu, on the other hand, was rich and would throw money at them at the drop of a hat. Every time she visited, she expected a ready-made meal and was always in a rush to leave.

Jie Jinghun was driving, with Jie Jingchen in the front passenger seat. In the back row, Mrs. Xie sat in the middle, flanked by Mr. Xie and Qin Mei.

Mr. Xie was in a foul mood, having been scammed out of a thousand yuan by Jie Jingchen. That was the money he had set aside for his mother’s birthday, and Jie Jingchen had conned him out of it. When he asked Yan Qiu for the money, she didn’t give him the full thousand, only five hundred.

She gave him five hundred, but it was in the form of an IOU—an IOU for five hundred yuan written by his own parents.

He tried to borrow from Jing San, but Jing San refused. He had the money but wouldn’t lend it. ‘How infuriating!’

“Jing San, pull over up ahead,” Mrs. Xie said. “We’ll walk from here. You go pick up your wife and child.”

“Alright.” Jie Jinghun assumed they wanted to buy something at the local shop, so he pulled over ahead. Once they had all gotten out, he made a U-turn and headed back to pick up Shen Qing and Xiao Duo.

As they passed the local shop, Mr. Xie stopped. “Yan Qiu, aren’t we buying anything?”

“No need. We’re giving cash,” Mrs. Xie said.

The corner of Mr. Xie’s mouth twitched. ‘Is this really “giving cash”? It’s an IOU.’

As they made their way back to the factory complex, Mr. Xie trailed behind, while Mrs. Xie walked ahead with Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei.

“Director Jie, back to see your parents with the family?” someone greeted him.

“That’s right,” Mr. Xie replied with a smile.

“Director Jie…”

Watching Mr. Xie’s forced smile, Qin Mei couldn’t help but find it amusing.

“Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law.” Jie Jianjun had come out to do some shopping and ran into them.

“Second Brother, thanks for all your hard work,” Mrs. Xie said.

Jie Jianjun paused, taken aback, then chuckled. “It’s no trouble at all, Eldest Sister-in-law.”

“Second Uncle,” Jie Jingchen called out.

“Second Uncle,” Qin Mei echoed.

Jie Jianjun grunted in acknowledgment before saying pointedly to Mr. Xie, “Eldest Brother, Jing Er and his in-laws got here before you.”

“Lin Zhuzi and Li Axiu are here too?” Mr. Xie asked, surprised.

“Mhm,” Jie Jianjun nodded.

“So what if they’re here? What are you so worked up about?” Mrs. Xie shot her husband a look.

“You go on, Second Brother. Get back to what you were doing.” Mr. Xie dismissed him. Jie Jianjun took the hint. He was sensible enough not to get involved in his eldest brother’s family drama.

Only after Jie Jianjun was out of earshot did Mr. Xie speak, his low voice thick with suppressed anger. “What is Jing Er thinking? Why would he bring his in-laws here?”

“To wish your mother a happy birthday,” Mrs. Xie replied, an elegant smile playing on her lips that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Mr. Xie was rendered speechless. He silently cursed Jing Er for his thoughtlessness. ‘Why bring his in-laws? To have someone in his corner? Jing Ling is a source of guilt, Jing Er gives me a splitting headache, and Jing San…’

‘Sigh. None of them let me have a moment’s peace.’

In contrast to Mr. Xie’s scowl, Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen remained perfectly composed. Jie Jingwei was married to Lin Yaru. While they could normally avoid each other, large family events like this were inescapable.

“Are you coming or not?” Mrs. Xie demanded.

Mr. Xie ran a hand through his hair, thoroughly exasperated. “Fine, let’s go.”

‘We aren’t the ones who should be turning back and going home; it’s Lin Zhuzi and Li Axiu,’ he thought. ‘Jing Er is so clueless, and his in-laws are just adding to the chaos. It’s like they’re afraid the world isn’t messy enough.’

“Jing Si,” Mr. Xie warned Jie Jingchen, “when you see your second sister-in-law, you’d better keep your distance.”

Lin Yaru’s affection for Jie Jingchen had become a crazed obsession. He felt mortified just listening to the gossip spreading among the neighbors around the Lin Family’s home.

Jing Er and Lin Yaru fought constantly over Jing Si. And Lin Yaru could be vicious, always using Jing Si to provoke her husband, saying whatever would cut him the deepest.

Unable to bear it, Jing Er started venting his frustrations to his ex-wife. One thing led to another, and they rekindled their old flame. If anyone found out and reported him, Jing Er would be done for.

And it wouldn’t just be Jing Er. As his father, Mr. Xie would be unable to shirk responsibility and would undoubtedly face disciplinary action himself.