Marrying My Bestie's Ferocious Brother - He Calls Me His Baby!

Chapter 337 - 335: Borrow Money? I Take Out Pen and Paper, and the Shameless Relatives Throw a Tantrum Right on the Spot!

As Qin Jianjun’s words "stand by and do nothing" fell, even the bubbling sound of the stewing meat in the kitchen ceased.

The atmosphere at the dining table, which had been somewhat harmonious, suddenly turned cold as if sliced open by a sharp blade.

Aunt-in-law Wang Guixiang immediately put down her chopsticks and used her rough hands to wipe away nonexistent tears as she took over the conversation: "Exactly! Our Jianjun is such a good kid, but just because the family is poor, he’s facing a broken engagement. If this gets out, where would the Old Qin Family’s face go? Wanyi, Yanshen, you’re now big figures in the country. Just a little slip of the finger from you could last our family a lifetime!"

Beside her, Qin Jianjun, a young man in his early 20s, stuffed the last piece of meat from his bowl into his mouth and blurted out, "Mom, tell them clearly, I want a Butterfly brand sewing machine! The latest model! My fiancée said she wouldn’t marry without it!"

The family of three worked together, seamlessly coordinated.

Gu Yanshen hadn’t spoken the entire time.

He picked up a clean white towel from the table and slowly wiped his fingers, one by one, with the focus of someone tending to a precision instrument. After finishing, he folded the towel neatly into a square and gently placed it on the table corner.

Then he picked up the enamel mug in front of him, took a sip of water, and put the cup back on the table.

With a "thud," he set down the cup.

The bottom of the cup hitting the wooden table made an exceptionally crisp sound.

In the tense silence, the noise was akin to a bolt from the blue.

Qin Jianjun, who was still chattering away, was abruptly silenced, instinctively glancing at Gu Yanshen and involuntarily shrinking back. His eyes were icy, like two unfathomable cold pools, sending a chill up Qin Jianjun’s spine.

Lin Wan Yi appeared unaware of the underlying tension.

She looked calm, picking up the thermos on the table to refill Qin Jian Country’s emptied enamel cup with boiling water. The steam blurred the striking green on her fair wrist.

"Uncle," her voice was gentle and soft, like a spring breeze brushing over the lake, "Five hundred yuan in cash, plus a brand new Butterfly sewing machine, I’ve calculated, it’s roughly the ten years’ salary of an eighth-level worker in the city without eating or drinking. The amount is indeed not small."

Hearing her soften her tone, Qin Jian Country’s face immediately filled with a smile: "Yes, yes, that’s why we need your help!"

"You just mentioned ’loaning’." Lin Wan Yi emphasized that word, setting down the thermos and looking directly at him, "Since it’s a loan, have you prepared the IOU? Does it clearly state the loan amount and repayment date? We’re not people who rush things, but it’s unclear whether you plan to repay over five years or ten. There must be some plan; otherwise, even close siblings must settle accounts clearly, and it would be bad for harmony in the future."

She turned the "loaning" from the vague "family support" into a straightforward contractual relationship.

"Repay... repay?" Wang Guixiang repeated in a daze.

Aunt-in-law Wang Guixiang seemed like she’d heard the greatest joke in the world, raising her voice by eight octaves, her sharp face filled with disbelief.

Stunned by Lin Wan Yi’s words, she was speechless for a while, her face turning red as she hit the table with her chopsticks, coming clean.

"Repay what! We’re relatives! We’re family! Have you ever seen relatives who ask for an IOU to lend money? Who do you look down on?"

She slapped her thigh in frustration, going all in: "Let me tell you the truth, we didn’t plan to leave this time! Housing in the city is so tight, and food and accommodation are expensive as hell! Our Jianjun is getting married; there has to be a decent place, right? I see your house is big enough; we’ll just squeeze in here for now, and we’ll talk after Jianjun’s wedding is over!"

This statement even put a layer of frost over Gu Yanshen’s usually expressionless face.

"Outrageous!"

Gu Zhen Guo, who had been silent, finally exploded.

He slammed the table hard, causing the solid redwood dining table to issue a loud bang, and all the bowls and dishes on it to jolt violently.

"This is a military compound! It’s a place assigned by the state for me, Gu Zhen Guo, to live and work! It’s not some market for you to act unruly and make unreasonable demands!" He stood up abruptly, his long-held authority imposing an oppressive presence that enveloped the entire dining room, "Are you here to ask for help or to commit robbery?"

The commander’s anger was no small matter.

Qin Jian Country was sober from half of his drink, instinctively wanting to stand up.

But Wang Guixiang beside him was as tough as nails, unafraid of Gu Zhen Guo’s shouts. Instead of being frightened, she seemed to find a release, ready to perform her specialty. She gathered her strength, brewing emotions, looking as if she’d sit down on the floor and start wailing.

Just then, Lin Wan Yi spoke up.

Her voice wasn’t loud, even carrying a hint of a smile, but it clearly overshadowed all other sounds.

"Aunt-in-law, it seems you’ve made two mistakes."

Wang Guixiang’s cries got stuck in her throat, and she looked at Lin Wan Yi in shock.

Lin Wan Yi raised a fair finger, its round tip reminiscent of top-quality lamb-fat jade.

"First, the fact that our family can have this meal today and live in this house is not because of some windfall or ancestral blessings. It’s due to my father-in-law’s life of toil and his achievements earned amid the barrage of bullets; it’s due to my husband’s years of border stationing, his blood and sweat earned stipends exchanged from danger. Every penny here, every ticket here, is clean and soaked in the honor of safeguarding our nation. It’s not ’unjust wealth’ anyone can take for granted and squander."

Her gaze swept calmly across the varied faces of the Qin family, then she raised a second finger.

"Second, among relatives, mutual support is a favor. But the premise of favor is respect. You came in without asking about our difficulties, without considering our hardships, and demanded ten years’ salary and to monopolize our living space. This isn’t seeking help; it’s extortion."

The smile on Lin Wan Yi’s face finally completely faded at this moment.

She looked at Wang Guixiang, who was dumbfounded, and clearly gave a conclusion, word by word:

"And our Gu Family never discusses favors with people who extort."

As soon as her voice fell.

Wang Guixiang looked as if she’d been drained of all strength, her mouth opened in a silent gasp, and her eyes rolled up as she slumped straight down to the cold cement floor.

"Oh no! There’s no justice! Rich relatives bullying us to death!"

Wang Guixiang lay rigidly on the ground, her eyes clenched shut, with a hint of twitching at the corner of her mouth.

No one moved inside the room.

Gu Zhen Guo’s face was livid, and his years of authoritative demeanor made him disdain to entertain such petty tactics. Qin Jian Country and Qin Jianjun, the father-son duo, one rubbing his hands in futile anxiety, the other pouting in indifference, neither made a move to assist her.

The cold cement floor chilled her bones through thin clothing.

"Ahem."