1053 I Just Want Her Things
Xia Wen did not speak in the car on the way home. He stood calmly outside his house and stared at the very familiar door. This should be a place that made him feel warm inside, but instead, it had become the most unfamiliar place in the world. It was not the physical location that felt unfamiliar, but the person who lived with him.
As soon as he pushed open the door and entered the house, Xia Wen saw clothes and bags strewn all over the living room. There was even a 40-inch color television. All these things were new. Tan Jing had bought them after he left. There was no need for Xia Wen to ask her about the whereabouts of the money. The answer was very obvious.
Tan Jing stood in front of the mirror to admire her new clothes. This was the first time Xia Wen had seen Tan Jing so happy. He realized that Tan Jing had not smiled brightly ever since they got married.
“What… are you doing?” Xia Wen asked.
Tan Jing said happily, “These are my new clothes! Aren’t they nice! I think this color is quite nice and makes me look quite good. And look at this television set. They say that the images are very sharp. Your eyes won’t get tired when you watch the news at home!”
Back when she was working in the school, she could not wear brightly colored clothes or dresses. She was only allowed to wear very plain clothes and the colors could only be black, brown or dark blue. Wearing overly bright colors meant not conforming to the school rules, so she did not even own a single beautiful dress.
Now that she no longer worked in the school, no one could stop her from wearing whatever she wanted. She could choose her clothes freely and wear things that she liked.
“Where do you get the money to buy these things? Haven’t you stopped working since last month? Your mother has already taken all our money. How are you able to afford these things?” Xia Wen said.
“I… I have money… Don’t ask me about such things anymore! Come and see if you like it!” Tan Jing avoided the topic and ignored what Xia Wen said. She ran over happily and pulled Xia Wen over to sit on the sofa, proudly showing off the newly bought color television.
Xia Wen’s attention was not on the television at all and he just stared fixedly at Tan Jing. He even felt that Tan Jing was behaving very abnormally now. It was a side of her that he had never seen before.
“Did you take the money from the bag I received this morning?” Xia Wen asked directly.
Tan Jing’s smile gradually froze on her face. After thinking for a long time, she suddenly stood up and said, “About that! That is clearly money that Qiao Mei needs to give you for your hard work! Don’t you think that the money I took is what you deserve to get?”
“What do you mean by what I deserve to get? What have I done to deserve it?” Xia Wen looked at Tan Jing in disbelief.
“Why not! Ever since Qiao Mei married into the family, you’ve helped her so much! She should give you some benefits! What’s wrong with me taking some of her money! This is what she should give us!”
“You’re worked so hard, but what has she ever given you? Has she ever given you anything? How is it enough just to say a word of thanks! No! Absolutely not! Anyway, she doesn’t care about this bit of money, so what’s the big deal if I take it! This is what she should give us!”
“And the pork which she brought with her! Couldn’t she have gone to buy some fresh pork! She insisted on sending us the meat from the pigs she reared in the countryside. Those pigs all have tumors! The pigs have diseases! She definitely has a motive! She just wants to poison me!”
“…”
Xia Wen looked at Tan Jing in shock as she stood in the living room and listed down everything he had done for Qiao Mei. She did not seem to remember anything about the nice things Qiao Mei did for him and his family.
Even if Qiao Mei was an unruly and willful or arrogant and despotic person, Xia Wen still had to treat Qiao Mei well. One reason was because Qiao Mei was Xia Zhe’s wife. As the eldest brother, he must bear the responsibility of taking care of his younger siblings and their families. The other reason was that if Qiao Qiang had not saved Xia Jun, the Xia family would not have existed. No matter what Qiao Mei did, the Xia family had to treat her well.
“But these cannot be the reasons for you to commit theft. If you want to buy these things, you can tell me. Why do you have to steal Qiao Mei’s money?” Xia Wen asked.
“But those things don’t belong to you to begin with! What’s the use of having them! While you are criticizing others, have you ever thought about your own behavior!” Xia Wen roared.