I Bacame the Mother of His Child-Chapter 129: Are You Threatening Me?

"Hmph! Such a lousy hand, I don’t want it," the elderly man beside Xu Xiuxiu clearly couldn’t follow the game’s flow and snorted coldly, then turned his gaze towards Xu Xiuxiu, "Listen girl, just do as he says, okay? That family has been going through some troubles recently. Elders are aging, kids are young, and the man isn’t doing any good, heard he got himself into trouble outside, people coming to the door demanding debts and causing problems now and then. Not too long ago, their little girl, still in primary school, was nearly kidnapped and sold by those thugs. They’re fierce, either smashing things or demanding money. Somehow, these past few days have quieted down; they say she made some money and paid off the debts! For that business license, if you go now, be polite, slip her man a red envelope, she won’t bother you anymore," the old man said with an understanding, sympathetic tone.

You know what? During normal days she has a decent relationship with the neighbors, but being a woman, burdened not only with a sick mother-in-law who costs money, but also with a no-good husband! So, the elders weren’t surprised that Yu Rongye would take such desperate measures—it’s all because of money.

"Thank you, elders, for the reminder," Xu Xiuxiu felt enlightened upon hearing this, "These two packs of cigarettes are for you to enjoy, a small token of my appreciation." After speaking, Xu Xiuxiu placed two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes on the card table.

The old men exchanged glances, one of them spoke up and took the two packs of cigarettes, tearing them open to share, "This is the first time someone has come to ask about matters and even brought us two packs of cigarettes; you seem quite sincere." How could she not be? Normally, a few words would suffice, yet here she comes bearing two packs of cigarettes, and in these times, these filter-tipped Daqianmens are considered good smokes.

"Just a small thing," Xu Xiuxiu shrugged in response, "Go ahead and continue with your game, elders! I’ll head back now."

"Alright!" One of them took out a box of matches to light his cigarette, and then a group of elders all used the same match to light theirs, hearing that Xu Xiuxiu was leaving, they quickly and happily agreed.

...

After gathering the necessary information from Yu Rongye’s neighbors, Xu Xiuxiu made a plan. The next day, she got up early and bought two boxes of beautifully packaged nutritional supplement gift boxes and, around the time Yu Rongye was about to finish work in the evening, Xu Xiuxiu carried the items and knocked on Yu Rongye’s door.

It happened to be the weekend, Yu Rongye’s daughter was at home. When Xu Xiuxiu, welcomed by Yu Rongye’s frail mother-in-law, entered the house, the little girl, diligently doing her homework with her hair tied in two braids, also politely greeted her with a "Hello, aunty".

When Yu Rongye came home from work, Xu Xiuxiu was leisurely sitting, sipping a cup of hot tea handed to her by Yu Rongye’s mother-in-law, occasionally engaging in light conversation with the kind elderly woman, asking about trivial matters related to her health.

They’d hardly exchanged a few words when suddenly, the sound of a key turning in the door could be heard, indicating Yu Rongye had arrived.

"Mom, we have a guest," Yu Rongye’s little daughter, hearing the sounds from outside, immediately put down her pencil, got up, ran out of the room to greet her, then cheerfully led Yu Rongye by the hand inside.

"Is that so? Tongtong, do you know the guest?" Despite a long day at work leaving Yu Rongye quite exhausted, hearing from her daughter that there was a visitor had her instantly alert, as she had grown accustomed to always being on guard lately, never allowing herself a moment of slack.

"I don’t know her, just a pretty aunt," Tongtong replied.

"Oh!" Yu Rongye frowned upon hearing this, always fearful of debts and worried about something going wrong at home every day when she returned. Although the situation was mostly resolved now, she still couldn’t completely let go of her concerns about the young and old at home. When she walked into the room and saw Xu Xiuxiu sitting on the chair, she instantly realized what was happening, a flicker of panic crossing her eyes before she swiftly regained her composure.

"Deputy Director Yu, hello, I am Xu Xiuxiu, the owner of Sichuan Pavilion, I’m sure you know of me!" Xu Xiuxiu said with a smile, placing her teacup down and standing up, her gaze towards Yu Rongye not threatening but rather polite.

"Uh, what brings you here? Your Sichuan Pavilion does not meet various safety standards, seeking me out might be futile. Instead of wasting time, why not focus on rectifying Sichuan Pavilion?" Yu Rongye said calmly, a hint of weariness flickering between her brows as she gently patted her daughter’s head, "Go on, Tongtong, continue with your homework, mom has something to discuss with the auntie."

"Okay, mommy," the little girl obediently nodded and went back to her desk to continue writing diligently.

Yu Rongye getting straight to the point, Xu Xiuxiu naturally did not bother beating around the bush either.

"What exactly is going on with Sichuan Pavilion? I presume you, Deputy Director Yu, would be clearer about it than I am. Let’s not waste each other’s time shadowboxing. I know you’ve taken benefits to target me, but I advise you to think thrice, Deputy Director Yu. Avoid making a mess out of everything. My request is simple—may it remain as it was before! Just like those others who came to your house seeking your help." As she spoke, Xu Xiuxiu took out two envelopes, one red, one white, from her purse.

"Would you like to see which one you’d prefer to take?" she asked while gently placing the envelopes on a small table beside her.

"Are you threatening me?" Yu Rongye immediately gritted her teeth and glared at Xu Xiuxiu, incredulous. freeweɓnøvel.com

Clearly, Yu Rongye hadn’t expected Xu Xiuxiu to reveal her cards so swiftly: a red envelope likely filled with money, the other a complaint letter. She didn’t even need to look inside; however, she hadn’t expected Xu Xiuxiu to confront her directly.

"I am threatening you," Xu Xiuxiu admitted, nodding straightforwardly.

"Do you think a complaint letter would make a difference to me? Do you think I would be threatened by you?" Yu Rongye retorted dismissively. From the moment she agreed to target Sichuan Pavilion, she had anticipated Xu Xiuxiu would not sit idly by. She also knew Xu Xiuxiu’s husband held a significant position in the military and protected her well. Before Sichuan Pavilion opened, he had pulled some strings to ease the way for it, hoping to spare her from difficulties, something Yu Rongye sometimes envied.

Had he not been involved, everyone would have treated Sichuan Pavilion courteously, but the person who had spoken this time was no ordinary person. They, who had also accepted bribes, dared not deviate from their duties. Already prepared mentally to pay off her debts, a mere complaint letter truly didn’t concern her.