After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

Tian Xiuhua watched helplessly as her son's 80 yuan was transferred to Lan Yujuan's card, but then couldn't be transferred out. She was so anxious that she jumped up and down.

"What happened?"

"I just transferred it to you last night, why can't I transfer it out today due to the limit?"

Lan Yujuan calmly replied, "How would I know there would be a limit?"

"When Liu Zhiyuan handed it to me last night, he spoke very sincerely, saying it was for my daughter and me to buy a house in the county town. He didn't say we had to hand it over today!"

Tian Xiuhua was furious. She rushed over and grabbed Lan Yujuan's arm, saying:

"You bastard, Lan Yujuan!"

"I knew it! 80! Why did you agree so readily? You were just waiting here!"

"Tell me the truth! Are you planning to pocket the 80 yuan that belonged to my son?"

Lan Yujuan frowned, shoved Tian Xiuhua's arm away, and said coldly:

What does "embezzlement" mean?

"Liu Zhiyuan and I are a legitimate married couple. We had a wedding banquet and have children!"

"Half of the money he earned after we got married was mine!"

Overwhelmed by the huge sum of 80 yuan, Tian Xiuhua began to speak recklessly.

"What kind of respectable couple? Respectable my ass! You cheap out-of-towner who's practically throwing yourself at my husband, Zhiyuan, are at best living together in a relationship!"

"Even that worthless child you gave birth to is an illegitimate child; you need connections to register her birth. You two are hardly a proper couple!"

"The money my son earns must be under my control!"

"Come on, you're coming to the bank with me right now! We have to get this money back today, no matter what, to avoid any unforeseen complications!"

As Tian Xiuhua spoke, she rushed forward again to pull at him.

Lan Yujuan stood there, her neck stiff, staring at her former lover with teary eyes.

"Liu Zhiyuan, is that what you think too?"

Liu Zhiyuan avoided her gaze and stood not far away without saying a word, clearly in cahoots with his mother.

Lan Yujuan immediately wiped away her tears and stubbornly said:

"Okay, let's go to the bank now, adjust the credit limit on our bank card, and transfer the money out today!"

"Since we're not considered husband and wife, and your Liu family doesn't approve of my daughter, then surely it's alright for me to take the child and go back to my parents' home?"

Upon hearing that she wanted to take the child back to her parents' home, Liu Zhiyuan felt a pang of pain in his heart and immediately regretted his decision. He quickly stepped forward to comfort her:

"What nonsense are you talking about? Going back to your parents' home?"

"In my heart, you'll always be my wife, and this is your home!"

Lan Yujuan was his first love, and there were feelings between them; their child was the best proof of that.

Liu Zhiyuan tried to wipe away her tears, but Lan Yujuan turned slightly to the side to avoid him, her lowered eyes full of mockery.

If she didn't know that he had a "baby" outside for more than three years, she might actually fall for his act!

But now that she knows the truth, she feels disgusted by these words.

Tian Xiuhua stood to the side, glaring at her eldest son through gritted teeth, angry at his lack of ambition.

"Liu Zhiyuan! How could I have given birth to such a fool!"

"You can earn a million or two a year, what kind of girl can't you marry?"

"She can't even give birth to a son, yet she treats this money-losing woman like a treasure. Why are you so fixated on this crooked tree?"

"Listen to your mother, wait until she coughs up the money, then let her go!"

"It's good that she goes back to her parents' home. It'll free up space, and Mom will find you a new wife. I guarantee it'll be even more lively than four years ago!"

Liu Xiaoman sat to the side, watching the adults argue, her little face turning pale with fright.

After holding it in for a while, he finally couldn't take it anymore, hugged Lan Yujuan's leg, and burst into tears.

Lan Yujuan felt heartbroken and quickly bent down to pick up the child, then walked to the side and gently comforted him.

Seeing this, Liu Zhiyuan quickly pulled Tian Xiuhua into the kitchen and whispered something to her.

"Mom, are you confused? How could you say those things in front of Yujuan?"

As the impulsiveness subsided, Tian Xiuhua regained some of her composure. Although she felt guilty, she still stubbornly insisted, "I didn't say anything wrong!"

"Now that you're so successful, earning hundreds of thousands a year, what kind of wife can't you find?"

"Mom will find you a matchmaker, someone local, pretty, and preferably a college graduate!"

"I've noticed that you've grown to look down on her a bit these past few years, so what's the point of keeping her at home?"

Liu Zhiyuan stood with one hand on his hip and the other rubbing his temple, looking at his clueless mother with a real headache!

"Mom! Who said I look down on Yujuan and want to change wives? I already said I'm just busy with work!"

"When I married Yujuan, she didn't ask for a house, a car, or a dowry; she didn't even ask for the traditional gold jewelry. She even saved up money to buy me a birthday present!"

"If I break up with Yujuan and marry a local woman, the dowry will be two or three hundred thousand yuan, and the house in the county town will be worth six or seven hundred thousand yuan, not to mention the car, gold jewelry, and the wedding banquet. It will easily cost one or two hundred thousand yuan!"

"Besides, the reason I earned so much last year was purely because I met a benefactor and got lucky! My guaranteed salary is only ten thousand yuan a month! What can that do?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiuhua broke out in a cold sweat. "It really is! Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Liu Zhiyuan retorted irritably, "What high standards do these pretty local college graduates have? Who would willingly marry into a village?"

"Even if we assume the other party is willing to marry him, could you control a local daughter-in-law like that?"

"My job is in Beijing. Which local woman would willingly stay home alone after getting married?"

Tian Xiuhua listened silently, clearly persuaded by her son.

Seeing that he had explained the reasoning to a sufficient extent, Liu Zhiyuan began to offer some emotional support:

"Mom, haven't you always wanted a grandson?"

"Next year I'll try to go home more often and stay longer. I'll work hard so that you and Dad can hold our grandson soon!"

"There are so many infertile couples these days! If Yujuan goes back to her parents' home and marries someone who can't have children, then that would really be..."

Tian Xiuhua immediately became agitated: "Pah! Pah! Pah! You foul-mouthed bastard, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"What a coincidence!"

Liu Zhiyuan winked and smiled, "Yujuan is so good! She has a gentle nature, is always honest and obedient, and has experience in childbirth."

"She's a college graduate, so she'll be more than capable of tutoring your grandson's homework!"

"And, most importantly..."

Tian Xiuhua was listening intently, but her son had piqued her interest, and after a long while, she still hadn't heard anything more. Suppressing a laugh, she urged him on:

"You brat, spit it out!"

Liu Zhiyuan glanced at the kitchen doorway to make sure no one was approaching before lowering his voice and saying:

"Yujuan and I are not legally married because we haven't registered our marriage."

"The money I earn will always belong to the Liu family. The children she gave birth to will also belong to the Liu family! When I'm not home, she can help take care of the children and do some housework."

"If we absolutely have to separate in the future, and she wants to go back to her parents' home, I won't stop her."

"However, let her leave the same way she came. Nothing else, neither money nor her, is permitted to be taken away!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiuhua's eyes lit up instantly. "Oh my! How come I didn't think of that?"

"My eldest son is so smart, no wonder he's a college student!"

The father-in-law carried the crying child to the village store.

Lan Yujuan followed him to the kitchen door alone, her back pressed against the door frame, and heard every word of the conversation between the mother and son inside the kitchen.

Her face turned deathly pale, and unconsciously she strained her hands, her fingernails digging into the wooden door frame.

From that moment on, the last shred of kindness she had for the Liu family vanished completely.

"Liu Zhiyuan! I will make you pay the price for your words and actions today!"