CHAPTER 1420: CHAPTER 1420: GREAT HUMILIATION

Mother Wang walked out the front door, always feeling like someone was watching her.

But right now, she didn’t have time to dwell on it. She quickly walked to the alley entrance and spotted her husband riding up on his bike from afar.

She stepped forward to meet him.

Father Wang saw his wife approaching and immediately got off the bike. "Why did you come out?"

At hearing her husband’s words, Mother Wang’s eyes reddened. She glanced at the people on the street and pointed ahead. "Let’s talk over there."

As Father Wang began walking forward, he kept glancing at his wife. "Alright, there’s no one here. What happened?"

Mother Wang choked up suddenly. "Hai Lan’s past affair has been found out by the Ning Family. And Wei Liling has returned to Capital City."

Father Wang swayed a bit upon hearing this. "What’s bound to happen will happen. I told you all back then, but none of you listened."

Mother Wang, frightened, reached out to steady him. "Old Wang, should we notify the kids to come back?"

Father Wang waved dismissively. "Come back for what? Isn’t it embarrassing enough already?"

Mother Wang fretted. "But the Ning Family is still at our house. They won’t leave until they get what they want."

Father Wang sighed heavily. "Back then we were wronging the Ning Family, after all. Them causing a scene now is only to be expected."

The two spoke as they walked back home. Mother Wang warned, "No matter what demands they make, you mustn’t agree to anything on your own. You know the Ning Family’s temperament well. Now that they’ve got this big handle on us, they won’t let us off easily."

Father Wang nodded. "Let’s hear them out first. If their demands are too excessive, we can’t afford it anyway."

Still talking, the two entered their home together.

Mother Wang turned and went straight to the kitchen. To her surprise, Ning Ziping hadn’t neglected himself; he had taken the remaining half pound of meat from the cabinet, cooked it into broth, and the water in the pot was almost boiling.

The flour in the basin was nearly kneaded, pure white wheat flour, with not even a trace of cornmeal mixed in—a real extravagance.

This family had clearly planned things out beforehand, calculating that she wouldn’t dare drive them away. They were utterly treating her home like their own.

Looking at the half-empty bag of flour, her heart ached, but now wasn’t the time to feel bad over the flour and meat.

So, she simply decided to stop worrying about it.

Turning around, she entered the room, just in time to hear her husband say, "Dear in-laws, this really is our fault. Tell us what it’ll take to resolve your anger, as long as it’s within our ability."

Mother Wang sat down beside her husband and tugged on the back of his shirt to remind him not to be reckless.

After taking a deep breath, Old Lady Ning said, "Ten thousand yuan. Not a penny less."

Mother Wang almost cursed aloud when she heard "ten thousand yuan."

But Father Wang held her back. Now it was her turn to panic. Forget ten thousand yuan—they couldn’t even scrape together five thousand. Although her husband had been rehired at the factory after retiring, his salary was fixed. After covering daily expenses and social obligations, there was hardly anything left. The Ning Family truly was demanding an outrageous sum.

Father Wang exhaled a deep breath and said, "Dear in-law, I believe Ziping knows our situation. Hai Lan’s mother hasn’t worked for years, and I’ve been the only one supporting the entire household. It’s only in the last couple years, since being rehired at the factory, that things have gotten a bit easier. But ten thousand yuan is simply impossible for us to come up with, no matter what."

Old Lady Ning glanced at her eldest son, Ning Zijun, who shook his head. She then replied, "Ten thousand yuan. Not a penny less. After all, this is your Wang Family’s wrongdoing. Not only did you trick my son, but you ruined his happiness for life.

If it weren’t for your daughter’s scheming, forcing my son to take responsibility, he wouldn’t have divorced his first wife. And if it weren’t for your daughter’s refusal to let my grandson come live with her, my grandson wouldn’t have had to stay in the countryside. Your Wang Family has done something utterly shameless—destroying my son’s life and ruining his perfectly good family."

These words filled Father Wang with deep guilt. Back then, his wife had indulged their daughter’s disgraceful actions, and to protect the Wang Family’s reputation, he had no choice but to go along with it. But all these years, their family had been living in constant fear. In the end, paper couldn’t wrap fire.

Father Wang remained silent, saying nothing more.

It was at this moment that Ning Ziping entered, carrying several bowls of noodles. "Let’s eat first," he said.

Observing Ning Ziping, anyone else at this point would have been furious, flipping the table and making a huge scene. Shouldn’t he, like most people, vent out years of pent-up anger?

But here he was, calmly leaving everything to his mother and brother, as though he were just a bystander. Had he suddenly seen things clearly these last few days—or was he forcing himself to maintain control? Perhaps his scheming ran far deeper than anyone realized.

This unnerving tranquility left Father Wang feeling uneasy. The behavior of this son-in-law was far too composed; it didn’t seem normal.

He wasn’t wrong at all. Ning Ziping couldn’t possibly have been unruffled. He was furious, but his current goal was to secure compensation first. As for the Wang Family and Wang Hailan, they’d better wait—he wouldn’t let them off easily.

Years ago, though he had been momentarily infatuated with Wang Hailan’s beauty, he had no idea from the start that he’d been set up. He fell into their trap, stupidly believing he had struck gold. It was nothing short of a humiliating disgrace.