Chapter 11 Attitudes of Each Family1

"That's not acceptable."

"No way."

Mei Yifan and Mei Yongfu almost shouted out, but Mei Yinan simply ignored them, "Go withdraw the money now and give it to the kids, or I'll tear up this agreement right here and now."

Mei Yinan was regretting now; she should have insisted on getting the money before signing the agreement.

It wasn't that she hadn't foreseen this situation; she just didn't want to make things too ugly. But her siblings had managed to make the situation very ugly on their own. Why should she care about saving face anymore?

"Big sister, don't…."

"Big sister, how can you be like this."

"How can I be like this, is cheating the kids something admirable? Have you all no shame?" Mei Yinan could not sit still any longer, now truly enraged, she stood up and pointed her finger at them, scolding each one fiercely.

But who cared, it was just a scolding, and they would be saving two thousand yuan a year.

One by one, they sat there like dead men on chairs. After Mei Yinan finished scolding, no one cared, and they just swaggered out as if nothing happened.

Watching her siblings' departing backs, Mei Yinan was extremely frustrated, "You tell me, how can you be so stubborn? Isn't it nice living at our place? Why insist on living with your brother alone? Now that the house has been split, don't you feel heartache?"

Of course, she was among those who benefited from the house, and she wasn't really one to talk. But seeing the kids without support and homeless, she couldn't help but feel distressed.

Mei Mengzhen was very candid in her response, "Auntie, even if I lived at your place, it wouldn't change the situation. When the house is demolished, I still wouldn't be able to protect the money. If it's not split today, it will be deducted from me little by little in the future. Why not just split it evenly now?"

Mei Yinan was at a loss for words to Mei Mengzhen's retort, because these people were indeed capable of doing such things. She sighed deeply, "We should have insisted they bring the living expenses before signing. Once we go back, forget about the money. What will you do about your future life?"

Mei Mengzhen smiled understandingly, "Auntie, even if we signed and received the money simultaneously, they would find other excuses. There would just be more bickering, so why bother? I have some money on hand, don't worry."

"Where did you get the money?" Mei Yinan asked wearily.

"It's what grandpa left me. It's not much, but he was afraid my parents wouldn't let me go to school, so he left it for my tuition. These years, indeed, my parents didn't bother with my tuition fees. Some of it went to tuition, textbooks, and materials. I still have over ten thousand yuan, plus what my parents left, I have enough."

In her previous life, she didn't trust anyone, so she had always kept the money. Even when many things happened later on, she never disclosed the money. It was a support for when she had nowhere else to turn.

Hearing that Mei Mengzhen still had a backup, Mei Yinan completely relaxed, "Fine, it's good as long as you have money. If they ask, just say the money was from me."

Mei Mengzhen nodded in agreement, "Mhm, thanks so much, Auntie."

Mei Mengchen had been sticking close by his sister's side, and seeing everyone had left, he was unwilling to part from Mei Mengzhen. Hearing his sister thank their aunt, he also quickly joined in, "Thank you, Auntie."

Mei Yinan laughed at his childlike exuberance, "What do you understand that you're thanking your aunt for?"

"If sister thanks her, I want to thank her too."

Not only Mei Yinan but Mei Mengzhen too couldn't help but laugh at this.

"Alright, school starts in half a month. I'll come to pick up Chenchen when school begins. Just focus on getting through your senior year; don't let these things put too much pressure on you or affect your studies. You have no one to rely on now; education is your only way out. Get into a good university so life won't be so hard later on."

"I understand, Auntie."

"Lock the door and come over to my place for dinner."

Mei Mengzhen quickly refused, "No need, Auntie, I'm going to cook by myself later. I have to learn these things during the holidays."

Mei Yinan didn't insist, knowing what Mei Mengzhen said made sense. It was not just for now; these skills were necessary for the future, "We live close by. If you need anything, just tell me, and I'll definitely help if I can."

"Mhm, you should go back now, Auntie. Don't let it upset you. Go home and rest well. Bye, Auntie."

Mei Mengchen glanced at his sister and echoed, "Bye, Auntie."

Mei Yinan nodded and headed home.

After sending Mei Yinan off, it was just the two siblings in their home.

They looked at each other and smiled, feeling very pleased.

…

At the big uncle's house.

After Mei Yongan got home, his wife Hu Chunyu and his older son Mei Mengcheng couldn't contain their excitement. Hearing the sound of keys turning, they welcomed him immediately at the door.

Mei Yongan was startled by their eager faces as he entered, closing the door behind him, then remarked, "What's with both of you? You nearly scared me to death."

Hu Chunyu said, "I'm just concerned about the situation. You wouldn't let me go with you, so how could I not be worried?"

Mei Mengcheng chimed in, "Exactly, Dad. So what's the outcome? Did we get the money?"

Mei Yongan settled down on the couch in the living room before he slowly began, "It wouldn't be proper to bring people. Money has been divided, the six siblings have split it evenly."

Hu Chunyu quickly questioned, "What about those two kids? Listen, Yongan, I'm telling you, don't bring those kids home. You know how much more food an extra person eats, I won't agree to it."

"You don't want to take them in? They don't want to come anyway. The siblings are staying in that house for now, looking after themselves, no need to bother us. Big sister will help take care of Chenchen when the time comes; we don't need to do anything."

But Hu Chunyu immediately realized what she had overlooked earlier, "Wait, why was the money divided among six siblings? It should be five parts; the fourth child is dead, why are they still getting money?"

Mei Mengcheng readily agreed, "Yeah, why include that share?"

Mei Yongan snorted coldly, "My fourth brother might have been useless, but he sold his house, leaving a mere 3,200 yuan to those two kids. Orphaned, homeless, penniless... do you really have the nerve to snatch that share, too? You wouldn't want people to say that we drove someone's children to death." He was greedy for the share, but he wasn't that ruthless—it was, after all, his late younger brother's children.

Hu Chunyu was skeptical, "How can there be such a small amount of money? They must have stashed more somewhere else."

Mei Mengcheng firmly believed his mother's suspicions, "Right, did you even ask them properly?"

"I did ask. It would be good if my brother's wife and sister didn't run out of money themselves. I've seen the bank statements, living paycheck to paycheck. It's just this month…" He died early; his last salary had been received only a few days ago, and they hadn't spent it all yet. If he had died a bit later, they probably wouldn't have had even 3,200 yuan.

Mei Yongan didn't articulate the whole truth, but the implication was clear to everyone.

Everyone wanted the money but didn't need to go to such extremes. Dividing it into six parts seemed fair. Hu Chunyu pursed her lips, "But how will the children manage in the future?"

"Big sister proposed that each household would give two hundred yuan to the kids for living expenses. Later, my younger brother and sister disagreed, then said one hundred, and in the end, we got nothing and came back here. But don't worry, three thousand plus is enough for a while, and besides, the big sister won't ignore the two kids."