When Luo Hongjuan left the Han family home, she was quite furious. If her daughter-in-law hadn't been present, Luo Hongjuan felt she truly might have broken down in tears; having certain things said to one's face was deeply unsettling.

Han Tao pulled his mother into an embrace. "Mom, don't be upset. Dad's passing wasn't your fault. Before he passed, Dad was so grateful for your care. And Dad said he would always protect us from now on. I always felt our lives would get better and better because Dad was watching over us from above..."

Wang Qiqi, standing nearby, desperately wanted to interject that she was the real reason for things improving, but then she considered that in her past life, without her involvement, Han Tao had still managed quite well. Perhaps it really was Han Tao's father watching over them. Fine, Wang Qiqi admitted she was being quite superstitious, but what could she do? People who had been reborn tended to lean that way.

Luo Hongjuan certainly knew all that. She patted Han Tao's hand. "I know, I know. I just feel a bit unwell."

Because Luo Hongjuan was unhappy, both Wang Qiqi and Han Tao made an immense effort to cheer her up. Wang Qiqi decided the surest way to lift a woman's spirits was to take her on a serious shopping spree, letting her truly experience the thrill of buying—a female's ultimate pleasure. Slowly, Luo Hongjuan's mood began to lift.

Han Tao watched the two women flitting between counters, while the bags in his hands multiplied, and the balance on his card dwindled. These weren't the main issues; the main issue was that Han Tao desperately wanted to sit down and rest. Shopping, after all, was incredibly taxing.

Luo Hongjuan called out to Wang Qiqi, who was still eager to continue. She held her lower back. "Qiqi, let's go back." Luo Hongjuan was only just beginning to recover from her initial excitement. She glanced apologetically at the bags in her son's hands, realizing then that all those bags held things for her. Qiqi had steered her only to counters selling clothes appropriate for her age. "Qiqi, you haven't bought anything yet. I'll find a place to rest. You and Tao Tao can look for something suitable for you. Tomorrow is Han Jun's wedding; you need a new outfit too." It was unthinkable that she, the mother, would wear new clothes while Han Tao and Wang Qiqi wore old ones.

"Auntie, no need. I already have something prepared for tomorrow," Wang Qiqi thought to herself that the clothes here were expensive and the quality lacking anyway. She had brought a red knit dress from the US; pairing it with a down jacket would be sufficient. "I bought everything from the States."

Seeing that Wang Qiqi firmly refused to buy anything, Luo Hongjuan stopped insisting. She suspected perhaps Qiqi didn't care for the local selection. "Then let's go home. We have to work tomorrow too."

The three of them, laden with bags, were happily chatting about joyful things. However, even the best mood evaporated upon seeing a certain figure standing in the doorway.

Xue Hong stood in the drafty, echoing hallway, regretting it, yet unable to just turn and leave. The thought of the banquet fees for the next day kept her rooted. "I didn't expect her to be freezing out here while the family of three enjoyed themselves so much. 'Sister-in-law, where have you been?'"

Luo Hongjuan snapped back, "Do we need to report our whereabouts to you?" Hmph, she really did think highly of herself. "Isn't tomorrow Han Jun's wedding? As the mother-in-law, shouldn't you be at home preparing things? Why are you showing up at this hour?" Seeing Xue Hong arrive so late, Luo Hongjuan suspected her son might have been right: perhaps Han Ximing and his family were out of money and intended to ask her for a loan.

"Um, may I come in?" Xue Hong's voice trembled slightly. Of course, she reassured herself; asking for a loan was hardly glorious, and it should be discussed at home, not outside.

Luo Hongjuan shot Xue Hong a disdainful look, snorted, and opened the door. "Qiqi, Tao Tao's aunt probably has something important to discuss. You might as well listen."

Xue Hong had expected it to be just her and Luo Hongjuan, not Qiqi joining them. "Sister-in-law, this..."

"Qiqi is Tao Tao's girlfriend, and his future wife. Since we are family now, there's no need to hide things." Humph, even now, she was worried about appearances.

Upon entering the house, Xue Hong surveyed the room and noted how very plain it was. "Sister-in-law, now that Tao Tao is successful, why haven't you renovated the place?" She thought, rich people are so stingy. If it were her, she would certainly give the place a proper overhaul.

Wang Qiqi was surprised by Xue Hong’s immediate critical assessment of the house and the look of disdain she wore. In fact, Han Tao had argued with her about renovating, but Luo Hongjuan was adamant that it wasn't necessary. In her view, she lived there alone most of the time, and she would be leaving eventually, so why waste the money? But in Xue Hong's eyes, it just meant they were poorly off.

Luo Hongjuan glanced at Xue Hong, wondering if everyone else acted like her, flaunting every little bit of money they earned. "Does renovation come free? We just earned a little, and Tao Tao bought an apartment in the city. We put every penny we had toward the down payment and even took out a loan. Where would the money for renovation come from?"

Xue Hong was stumped by Luo Hongjuan's reply. She couldn't tell if Luo Hongjuan was deliberately claiming poverty to avoid lending money or if she was truly broke. After a moment, she decided Luo Hongjuan was feigning poverty and forced a laugh. "Sister-in-law, you are..."

"Our foundation is weak. We borrowed a lot of money when Tao Tao's father was sick, and we spent years paying it back. Now that things are a bit better, we need to help Tao Tao with a marital home. After all, he’s our son; a wedding home must be prepared." Luo Hongjuan stated calmly. "Even though Tao Tao and Qiqi said they would handle it themselves, as his mother, I couldn't possibly not contribute."

Xue Hong looked at Luo Hongjuan, who kept saying they had no money, and noted the late hour. She gritted her teeth. "Sister-in-law, I know I've done many wrong things before, and I'm not asking for your forgiveness, but this is Junjun's major life event. You wouldn't want a huge embarrassment on that day, would you?"

Luo Hongjuan found the implication deeply offensive. She recalled the time when Han Tao's father was alive. "I came to you for money for Tao Tao's father's medical expenses, didn't I, Xue Hong? I wonder if you've forgotten. You said you had just bought a color TV and had no cash. If you had been willing to lend money then, perhaps Tao Tao’s father wouldn't have passed so soon. At that time, you didn't consider he was your brother-in-law, that it was a matter of life and death." Having dealt with the evening's events, Luo Hongjuan's heart had hardened. "You reap what you sow, Xue Hong. You promised you wouldn't beg me. Today, I return those words to you. You're wasting time here with me; you'd be better off borrowing from your mother's relatives, or other relatives. Didn't you say they were doing quite well? If they each lent a few thousand, surely that would be possible."

Xue Hong never expected Luo Hongjuan to refuse even after her pitiful plea. Truthfully, if she could have borrowed money elsewhere, she wouldn't have come begging Luo Hongjuan. If she could borrow, she would have; if she couldn't, she wouldn't have needed to ask. Defeated, Xue Hong dropped directly to her knees. "Sister-in-law, if you refuse to lend me the money today, I, I, I won't get up."

Wang Qiqi and Han Tao were startled by Xue Hong's action. They hadn't expected this woman to resort to such shameless tactics in the end. "Good heavens, this woman is a talent. Crying one moment, laughing the next, then falling to her knees to beg. I can hardly believe the arrogant woman who called yesterday is the same person." Wang Qiqi said to Han Tao loud enough for Xue Hong to hear.

"Begging me now is useless. There's no reason your son's wedding is a major event while my son buying a house is a minor one. Mortgages accrue interest. Besides, I truly have no money. And another thing—you own a house, don't you? Sell one of them, and that solves the problem." Luo Hongjuan looked at Xue Hong kneeling on the floor. Hmph, if she were truly short of funds, she would have made arrangements earlier instead of waiting until now. It seemed she thought Luo Hongjuan was an easy target whom she could borrow from without any intention of repaying. "Are you assuming I'm easy to talk to and easy to bully, so you can borrow the money and then just disappear?"

Xue Hong paused briefly after hearing Luo Hongjuan's accusation. To be honest, she had entertained that thought. In her mind, if things went south, what could Luo Hongjuan really do to her? In a panic, she denied it vehemently. "No, no, no!"

But the hesitation before her denial was clear to Luo Hongjuan. "You say no, but I won't believe you. Your words have no credibility, and I have no money to lend. If you want to kneel, then kneel. Tomorrow is your son's big day anyway; I wonder what your daughter-in-law will think when she sees the mother-in-law in such a state, looking completely displeased." Luo Hongjuan thought it was nearly ten o'clock. Tomorrow, Xue Hong, as the mother-in-law, would need to manage the ceremony. Luo Hongjuan was genuinely curious how she would handle the situation.

"Exactly, Auntie. Acting like this will make the in-laws look at you sideways. Remember, the other family is wealthy, and they'll be paying extra attention to everything on the wedding day. If..." Han Tao certainly wasn't going to help Xue Hong up. Let her kneel; their floor was cement, and it was cold outside—she deserved to feel that chill for being so arrogant all the time.

Wang Qiqi carried the day's spoils into Luo Hongjuan's room. "Mom, it's late; you have work tomorrow. Go to bed. I'll get Han Tao's laptop; he can stay here and keep watch. He often stays up late anyway." Hah! Trying to force them to stay up late to argue their case. They forget they have an American here; staying up late is a daily occurrence. We'll see if tomorrow's key supporting character is willing to lose sleep.

Xue Hong had initially thought Wang Qiqi was just trying to frighten her, but when Luo Hongjuan actually turned and headed back to her room to sleep, she had no choice but to get up and leave. The hatred she felt for Luo Hongjuan and her son burned intensely. She vowed silently that if she ever found leverage over the mother and son in the future, they would not have an easy time of it.

(To be continued)