Chapter 197: Chapter 126: Romance May Not Be All About Money, But It Is Absolutely Impossible Without It.

A day after Li Jinshu returned home, her grandmother passed away in the hospital.

The family began preparing for the funeral.

This involved funeral costs and a host of other expenses.

Her grandmother had four children in total: three daughters and one son.

The three aunts argued that since they were married, their brother’s family should cover the costs. They also wouldn’t take any of the condolence money.

Li Jinshu’s father, Li Huaiming, agreed, but his response was simple: he had no money.

So the whole family started pressuring Li Jinshu to pay for everything.

Li Jinshu had some money, and she couldn’t bear the thought of her grandmother not being laid to rest properly. So, she reluctantly agreed and put up 100,000 yuan.

The plan was to use 30,000 for the funeral banquet, 20,000 for the funeral home’s cremation and services, and the remaining 50,000 to buy a nice burial plot in a public cemetery.

But the very next day, she discovered that her parents had simply pocketed the 100,000 yuan and done nothing.

Her grandmother’s body was still in cold storage at the funeral home.

No announcement about the memorial service had been sent to friends and family.

They weren’t even planning to bury her grandmother in a proper cemetery. Instead, they intended to just put her in the ground on a small hill near their old family home.

This sent Li Jinshu into a rage.

When she confronted them at the funeral home, her mother, Gong Meiping, was completely unfazed.

She said, "She’s already dead. Why bother with all this?

If we save the money for her favorite grandson to get married, she’d be happy with that."

"Mom, how can you do this? Aren’t you afraid of retribution?"

Li Jinshu turned angrily to her father and said, "Dad, that’s your mother we’re talking about! You’re just going to let Gong Meiping do this?!"

"Your mother has a point. She’s dead. All this is unnecessary. It’s a waste."

The middle-aged man, Li Huaiming, said impatiently, "If you’re so filial, and you think your grandmother’s plot is subpar, then you can just use your own money to buy her a new one in the cemetery."

"But you took my money to begin with!"

Li Jinshu fumed, "Give me back the money I gave you. I’ll arrange Grandma’s funeral myself."

"The money’s gone. Your brother used it for a down payment on a car."

Li Huaiming stated bluntly, "In any case, we’re not giving the money back. You can figure it out yourself."

"A car?"

"That’s right. With a car, your brother can finally have some face in front of his girlfriend’s family."

"You took the money I gave you for Grandma’s funeral and burial plot, and used it to buy my brother a car!"

Li Jinshu turned to the others and asked, "Aunts, aren’t you going to say anything?"

"This is your family’s business. It’s not our place to say anything."

One of them tried to placate her, "Jinshu, we know you’ve been making good money in the big city all these years. Don’t be so stingy. Just take out a few tens of thousands more, and it’ll all be settled."

"I’ve paid for all the family’s expenses for years! I’m the only one working, supporting this entire family," Li Jinshu said, her voice trembling with emotion. "All the money I’ve earned over the years was taken by my parents and given to my brother."

"You’re their daughter. Isn’t it your duty to earn money and support your parents?"

"I treat them like my parents, but do they treat me like their daughter?"

Li Jinshu shot back, "They only have eyes for my brother. To them, I’m just a tool for making money."

"Making money? You’re killing me."

Gong Meiping immediately shot back, "Go on, tell your aunts. Did you really ’earn’ that money?"

"Sister-in-law, what do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean?"

Gong Meiping sneered. "I’m not afraid to air our dirty laundry. You all have no idea. The last time her brother and I went to the city to see her, we found out her whole glamorous life is a lie.

The truth is, she owes over 200,000 to loan sharks. We were lucky to get away when we did, or they would’ve held us captive."

As soon as she said this, the aunts immediately began making snide remarks, and they all subconsciously took a step away from her.

"Loan sharks? I hear that kind of debt just snowballs. You can never pay it off."

"Exactly. And if you can’t pay, don’t they chop off your hands and feet or something?"

"That’s what happens to men. For women... I saw on TV that they get forced to take naked pictures."

"What? Jinshu, that hasn’t happened to you, has it?"

Li Jinshu finally snapped, shouting back, "You’re the one who’s had pictures taken! Your whole family’s had pictures taken!"

"Jinshu, what kind of tone is that to take with me?"

The woman’s face fell at her words. "I was just showing concern for you. No wonder your parents don’t like you. You mistake kindness for malice."

"I don’t need your ’concern.’ Your own rotten hearts have been eaten by dogs."

Li Jinshu looked at this family, then at her grandmother’s altar. Her heart turned to ice.

But no matter how angry she got, it was useless.

She could live with a cheaper banquet and fewer funeral services, but the burial plot was non-negotiable.

Her grandmother had toiled her entire life for her children. Jinshu couldn’t bear to see her treated this way in death.

’I’m out of cash, but... don’t I still have the house?’

She said, "Mom, Dad, fine. If you won’t give back the money, then I’ll sell my house to buy Grandma a burial plot.

And I’ll let you and my brother sleep on the streets."

"Your house?"

Gong Meiping laughed. "That’s your brother’s house. What right do you have to kick us out?!"

"The deed is in my name, and I’m the one paying the mortgage every month."

Li Jinshu threatened, "Believe me, I will take you to court."

"Go on, then. Sue us."

Gong Meiping wasn’t scared in the slightest. "As if any court would let a daughter sue her own parents."

"My dear sister, if you really do that, I’ll go to the media and expose you."

Just then, Li Jinshu’s brother arrived, driving a brand-new car that didn’t even have its plates yet.

He got out of the car and sauntered over smugly. "I’ll make sure everyone knows what an unfilial daughter you are, kicking your own parents out of their home to live on the streets."