"What kind of attitude is this?" Jiang Yueping was so angry he wanted to hit someone. After looking around and not finding a suitable tool, he simply unbuckled his belt.
He raised the belt, threatening, "Keep yelling, and see what happens? It seems in twenty years no one's taught you what filial piety is. Did your mother bear you for ten months only to give birth to such a thing?"
"There's an old saying: 'To bear a child without raising is repaid by cutting off a finger.' In other words, you gave birth to me, but didn't raise me, so chopping off one of my fingers would repay our debt." Jiang Man's face was expressionless, her brows exuding a murderous aura.
She strode to the dining table in three large steps, grabbed the fruit knife from the fruit plate, and said, "Just a finger. After that, our debts will be settled!"
"Oh no!" Hu Fangqin was terrified when she saw this.
Though she hadn't spent much time with her biological daughter, Hu Fangqin was very clear about her temperament.
Her own daughter was tough enough to actually cut off a finger if she said she would.
But that would be useless for them!
A living person in their hands had value only if they could make use of her.
They had finally found their daughter after so much effort; if they were to sever ties now, wouldn't their previous pretentious acts in front of the cameras have been a waste?
Besides, they had sought to find their biological daughter to solve their problems, not to create new ones.
"Stop, stop, stop, Manman, calm down!" Hu Fangqin quickly tried to smooth things over, glaring at her husband, "Why must you push Manman to this? Can't we talk things out nicely? Manman is the child I carried for ten months, the bond is unbreakable even if bones are. Blood is thicker than water, how could you be so heartless?"
"Manman, let's put down the fruit knife first and talk properly," urged Hu Fangqin as she walked over to Jiang Man in a gentle and persuasive tone, "Your dad is just anxious. Look, listen to your mom's solution, okay?"
Jiang Man was truly daring enough to cut off a finger. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked furiously determined.
Seeing this, Jiang Yueping finally calmed down his foul temper, "Your mom's right; we're family by blood. Is there anything we can't discuss properly?"
Only then did Jiang Man put down the fruit knife, her demeanor icy, "Speak then, what's your solution?"
"How about this: You have your husband pay a dowry of 1.76 million yuan, and we'll return Yang Ge's 880,000 yuan dowry. What do you say?"
"1.76 million?" Jiang Man was shocked at the figure.
Hu Fangqin quickly offered a placating smile, "Yes, 1.76 million. After we return Yang Ge's 880,000, we're still left with 880,000. It's a fair deal."
Jiang Man laughed when she heard this. She really thought her birth mother was mindful of their blood bond, but it turned out there were still calculations being made.
To her, 1.76 million was peanuts, but she had come back to her home country to recognize her family without her adoptive father knowing.
If she were to use the black card her adoptive father had given her, he would inevitably find out the whole situation.
Her adoptive father had been as kind to her as a rebirth. She didn't want to trouble him with repaying her birth parents. She wanted to rely on herself.
"1.76 million is impossible. 880,000, I'll give you that as repayment for giving birth to me. From then on, I'll no longer be called Jiang Man!"
Her adoptive father was named Jin Lisite, and she was originally named Man Lisite.
This Jiang surname had only been adopted recently, and it wouldn't hurt to discard it.
"Manman, what do you mean? Why do you keep talking about severing ties?" Hu Fangqin feigned ignorance.
Jiang Man, tired of pretending, put her hands in her pockets, "One minute for you to decide. If you disagree, then don't even think about getting the 880,000 yuan!"
"You..." Jiang Yueping was furious, clutching his belt, ready to take a swing, "It looks like today I really have to fulfil my duty as a father and teach you how to behave!"
He lifted the belt and lashed out fiercely towards Jiang Man.
Jiang Man stood her ground, yet her reactions were quick, grabbing the belt with her bare hands and yanking it violently.
Jiang Yueping lost his grip due to the shock, and the belt flew straight from Jiang Rou, hitting him in the process—a case of killing two birds with one stone.
"Ah..." Jiang Rou screamed in pain.
Jiang Yueping hadn't recovered from the surprise when he felt the sting of the belt.
Jiang Man tossed the belt onto the coffee table, causing the glass to shatter into pieces.
"3..."
"2..."
She counted down the time.
Hu Fangqin saw this and hurriedly responded, "We agree! We agree!"
"Good!" Jiang Man said coldly, throwing the whip harshly onto the ground, "Within one week, I'll transfer the money into your account!"
Having said that, she turned around and walked away.
As the door slammed shut with a 'bang,' Jiang Yueping began to curse while holding his arm which had been struck painfully, "Shouldn't have brought her back! Bad luck!"
"A-Ping, you shouldn't speak like that. Now that she's back, after all, she has helped us solve a big problem. The 880,000 you have already invested, there's no way to spit it out anyway. Now Rourou doesn't have to marry that old geezer; isn't that a good thing?" Hu Fangqin argued earnestly.
It took a deep breath for Jiang Yueping to exhale heavily and grunt, "I'm only putting up with that unfilial daughter for your sake!"
...
After leaving her home, Jiang Man immediately sent a message to a subordinate.
[Three days later, transfer 880,000 to my biological father. Consider it a loan from me. Use your private account and don't let my 'old man' find out. Also, draft a severance agreement for me—I want to break off relations with my biological parents.]
After sending the message, she thought of something else and added:
[I'll be back in at most two months. Keep it from my 'old dad' a bit on your end.]
The response from the other end of the phone was almost instant, concise and to the point: [Understood! Young Miss!]
Having read the message, Jiang Man lifted her head and looked at the sky.
Her inner strength was more than enough.
So even if her biological parents had ugly countenances, she wasn't bothered in the slightest.
For now, it was better to quickly deal with all the messes she had on her hands, then return to her 'old man' with peace of mind to help manage his business, dedicating her filial piety solely to him from thereafter.
With this in mind, Jiang Man decided to explain the situation to her flash-marriage husband.
But upon opening her contact list, she realized that neither of them had bothered to exchange contact information after getting their marriage certificate.
It seemed that she wasn't the only one treating this marriage casually; her flash-marriage husband was too.
Forget it, she might as well go to their marital home first.
...
Elsewhere.
Lu Xingzhou had just arrived at the airport and was about to board the plane through the VIP channel.
Just then, an urgent call came in.
The caller ID showed 'Grandma,' so he didn't hesitate to answer the phone.
"Hello?" His voice was much softer than the usual cold tone.
"Zhou'er, Manman has changed her mind. After thinking it over, I gave her twenty million as a reward. She's taking the money to study abroad. The two of you should call off the wedding," said Grandma.
"What?" Lu Xingzhou's brow furrowed deeply, his voice involuntarily rising.
"Manman is the one who saved my life, and I think she's a kind and good girl. Since you are not young anymore, I thought it would be a good match. But since the young lady is unwilling, we can't force it," said Grandma.
"Wait." Lu Xingzhou cut off Grandma, "But not long ago, I had already registered the marriage with that Manman!"