Shocking! A three-year-old brings his aloof mother to their door.

Mo Ye subconsciously glanced at Tongtong, who was sleeping soundly beside him.

Hmm... When the time comes, let Tongtong "influence" the old man.

Grandpa may be stern, but he probably... still likes children, right?

"I understand, Dad," Mo Ye replied.

"Hmm." Mo Chashan took another puff of his cigarette and then said, "I'll transfer you a thousand yuan later."

Mo Ye was taken aback: "Dad, no need..."

"Enough talk, I'm hanging up." Mo Chashan ended the call crisply and decisively.

Mo Ye held his phone, looking at the disconnected screen, feeling both amused and exasperated.

My dad's style has remained unchanged for decades.

Soon, a WeChat notification sound rang.

Mo Chashan indeed transferred the money.

The amount, however, is not one thousand, but 963.53 yuan.

He Wanqing also came over to take a look, and when she saw the number with both zeros and whole numbers, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were full of doubt.

Could it be... that my father-in-law is henpecked and can't even scrape together a thousand yuan?

Mo Ye noticed her confusion and explained with a smile:

"My mom used to want my dad to manage the money, because she felt that a man shouldn't be without money."

But my dad wouldn't have it; he insisted on hiding his own money...

He paused, recalling the "funny stories" between his parents, a smile playing on his lips:

"Later, my mother made a three-point agreement with him: he could hide his secret stash of money, but if she found it out, he would be punished by kneeling on durians."

He Wanqing: "…………"

She imagined the scene and couldn't help but chuckle.

Who would have thought that my seemingly composed and serious in-laws would have such an interesting way of getting along in private?

"Then this money..." He Wanqing pointed to the 963.53.

"This is probably the last bit of my dad's 'survival' stash of money."

Mo Ye guessed, "They might even be factoring in the cost of cigarettes; are they trying to make ends meet?"

Just then, another message came from Mo Cha Shan:

[Your mom gave her some, so it's unreasonable for grandma to give her some but grandpa doesn't. Buy the little girl some food. It's not much... you know this is all your dad has. [smoking.jpg]]

Mo Ye felt a warm feeling in his heart, mixed with a touch of bittersweetness, as he read the message.

This sum of over nine hundred yuan might really be his "family savings" that he had been saving for a long time, a savings that he couldn't even afford to buy better cigarettes for.

He replied: "Dad, I still have money. Shall I transfer some to you?"

Soon, Mo Chashan's reply popped up, as if he had been choked by smoke:

Get lost! Your dad doesn't need your money! If I don't have money, your mom will support me!

Between the lines, there is a sense of embarrassment and anger at being looked down upon by his son, and a subtle sense of pride in having a wife who supports him.

Mo Ye felt like he'd been force-fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), and smiled helplessly, as if it were an excuse for everyone to be single.

He stopped being coy, clicked to receive the payment, and replied: 【Then I'll thank Grandpa for the red envelope on Tongtong's behalf~ [Tongtong blowing a kiss.jpg]】

Mo Chashan replied with an old man waving his hand emoji, meaning "It's nothing, you're welcome."

Mo Ye put away his phone and looked at He Wanqing: "See, that's just how my dad is. He doesn't talk much, but he remembers everything."

He Wanqing witnessed the entire conversation between the father and son, which gave her a more vivid impression of her parents-in-law, whom she had never met.

The mother-in-law is energetic and dotes on her granddaughter, while the father-in-law appears serious but is actually warm-hearted and a little adorably "afraid of his wife."

They don't seem to be difficult people to get along with.

The tension that had been taut in her heart quietly eased a little.

---

Outside the courtyard gate, Mo Chashan put away his phone, touched his tobacco pouch, and found it was empty.

He habitually thought of going to the village store to buy some more tobacco, but as soon as his hand touched his empty pocket, his face froze.

Ah... all my secret stash of money was given away via Fetion.

He stood there for a few seconds, then cleared his throat and turned to go home as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Hui was still packing her luggage when she saw him return. She looked up and asked:

"Brother Shan, what do you think about us going to the supermarket and getting Tongtong a pink dress? The little girl will definitely love it!"

Mo Chashan walked over and held her hand: "Xiao Hui, stop packing. We're not going tomorrow."

"Huh?" Jiang Hui was stunned, looking at the suitcase she had just packed. "Why aren't you going? I just finished packing!"

Mo Chashan sat down next to his wife and explained:

"I just called Mo Ye. I guess his daughter-in-law isn't mentally prepared to see us yet."

Xiao Mo said they would be back for the Dragon Boat Festival.

"But..." Jiang Hui wanted to say something more; she really wanted to see her granddaughter right away.

"There's no rush these next few days," Mo Chashan patted her hand and said gently.

"If we suddenly go over there, it might scare the girl, which would be bad."

Give the children some time and space. Wouldn't it be better if they came back for the Dragon Boat Festival, so the whole family could be together?

After listening to her husband's words and thinking about them carefully, Jiang Hui felt that they made sense.

I can't be the kind of unreasonable, unannounced "evil mother-in-law".

Although I was itching to do it, I managed to hold back.

"Okay..." she nodded somewhat reluctantly, "Then let's wait until the Dragon Boat Festival."

Mo Chashan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she had been persuaded.

Immediately, a fawning smile appeared on his face. He rubbed his hands together and looked at his wife:

"Um... Xiaohui, could you give me some money?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hui crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow: "Hmm? Where's your secret stash of money?"

Without even thinking, Mo Chashan blurted out, "Give it to Tongtong."

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized he was in trouble.

Sure enough, Jiang Hui uttered an "Hmm?", the last syllable rising in pitch, carrying a dangerous undertone:

"You actually have some secret stash of money?"

Mo Chashan's face stiffened, and he wished he could bite off his own tongue.

How could you have let it slip!

Seeing his guilty look, Jiang Hui suddenly hummed twice. Far from being angry, she smiled and said:

"This time... since you spent the money on Tongtong, I won't punish you by making you kneel on durians."

Mo Chashan's eyes lit up: "Really?"

Is there such a good thing?

"Not only will I not be punished," Jiang Hui leaned closer, her smile becoming even more "kind," "I can even give you money."

Mo Chashan: "...?"

Why does he feel a chill down his back?

"How much you can take," Jiang Hui held up her index finger and waved it in front of him, "depends on how many minutes you can last."

Mo Chashan: "...??"

"One minute, one dollar." Jiang Hui's smile widened, a sly glint in her eyes. "The timer starts now."

Mo Chashan: "...???"

He instinctively touched his waist, a look of horror on his face:

"Xiaohui... I... I don't want to anymore, okay? I think... smoking is bad for your health, I... I'll quit!"

.............