Chapter 42: Seeing Through the Essence

Qin’s mother immediately exploded, shouting at Uncle Qin, “I knew you weren’t so kind-hearted! You just want to ruin my daughter—don’t even think about it!”

Uncle Qin looked embarrassed, telling himself to stay calm and not stoop to arguing with such a shrew. “Qin Fei, what do you think?” he asked.

Qin Fei seemed a little lost. What she was thinking was: Am I really worth that much? Could I really be exchanged for a hundred and fifty thousand?

Qin Hongfei was no longer a real child, and after a few interactions with Aunt Qin, she didn’t believe her to be so generous. A hundred and fifty thousand was no small sum in the ‘90s. She cut straight to the heart of the matter and asked, “Uncle, is Aunt suggesting that if my sister goes to your house as a maid to serve Wanwan and the others, you’ll give us the hundred and fifty thousand? Does that mean we don’t have to pay the money back?”

Uncle Qin let out a dry laugh. He’d hoped to gloss over the details, but hadn’t expected Qin Hongfei to get straight to the point. He said, “A hundred and fifty thousand isn’t a trivial amount, of course you have to pay it back. But we can let you take your time repaying, settle your other debts first… You should really thank Wanwan. It was Wanwan who persuaded your aunt to help. Your aunt may have a sharp tongue, but she’s soft-hearted…”

“You girls have always been against Wanwan, but she’s never held it against you,” Uncle Qin said, seizing the chance to praise his own daughter’s cleverness at length.

But Qin Hongfei sensed something was off. What was wrong, exactly? She noticed the slight furrow between Grandma Qin’s brows, and realization dawned. She asked, “Grandma, was it you who asked the fifth branch to lend us the hundred and fifty thousand?”

Meeting her granddaughter’s gaze, Grandma Qin felt as if the child had seen right through everything. Was that possible? Could she really be so sharp? “Yes, it was me who asked your uncle and aunt for the money,” she replied.

Finally, Qin Hongfei understood the real issue. So much for their good intentions—this was anything but. It was all a scheme.

How clever. Aunt Qin truly was clever.

She’d lend out a sum of money, get a maid for free, and from then on, the eldest branch—her mother—would never be able to lift her head in Aunt Qin’s presence. As for Qin Fei, the feeling of living under someone else’s roof would hardly be pleasant.

In the end, the eldest branch would provide a maid for the fifth branch, make them look like benefactors, and give them a good reputation, yet Qin Fei would still have to serve as a little maid, and their family would still bear the burden of that debt! In other words, the fifth branch would end up gaining both credit and profit without paying any real price, and the eldest branch would be left humiliated.

Realizing the truth, Qin Hongfei said it outright: “Aunt didn’t want to lend us the money, did she? Grandma, it was you who asked the fifth branch to contribute. I don’t know why Aunt finally agreed, but she must have done so unwillingly—she couldn’t refuse a request from you, so instead she put forward the idea of having my sister work as a maid, isn’t that right?”

Grandma Qin stared at the child in astonishment. Since when had she gotten to be so clear-headed, just like herself?

That was exactly it. She’d used an old debt to pressure the fifth branch into handing over the money. Of course, for Aunt Qin, it was a sum she ought to pay, and it wouldn’t trouble her at all.

So the fifth branch was made to provide for the eldest branch, but by adding the condition of Qin Fei coming to work as a maid—a seemingly helpful gesture that was actually humiliating—it was all just a petty way to vent resentment from old slights. After all, how much did a maid earn per month? If the fifth branch really wanted to help, why make their own niece act as a maid? It was nothing but a mean-spirited little dig.

Grandma Qin was well aware, but after all, the fifth branch was providing the money! So she chose to turn a blind eye. As for Uncle Qin’s boasting about Wanwan’s cleverness and Aunt Qin’s supposed kindness, she found it laughable, but since a hundred and fifty thousand was no small thing, she let it go.

Who could have guessed that Qin Hongfei would see right through to the heart of it all?