C57 She Wanted Her Mother!

"Mom had the foresight to prepare two sets of dowries for us. One is visible, and the other is hidden. The visible dowry includes some of Mom's jewelry and a modest amount of money. To outsiders, it seems just right—not too much, not too little—so it doesn't raise any suspicions," Nianci explained carefully to her sister, her expression serious. "But the real treasure is in this box—it's worth a whopping $350,000."

"$350,000!" Yuvyuv exclaimed, almost shouting in surprise. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Nianci nodded. "Our mom was not only beautiful but also sharp. She knew that in this family, aside from Dad, no one else truly cared for us. Grandma and the second wife would never accept us."

"Big Sis," Yuvyuv whispered, her earlier attempt at being strong crumbling under her sister's warm gaze. Her eyes welled up with tears. "I miss Mom."

Tears fell onto Yuvyuv's small hands as she took a shaky breath, feeling the chill. She truly missed her mother, who was so beautiful and gentle. Every time her mother called her name with that gentle voice, Yuvyuv felt incredibly happy. But now, her beautiful mother was gone. She missed her terribly.

"Yuvyuv," Nianci couldn't help but pull her teary-eyed sister into a hug. At that moment, Nianci felt like her sweet, soft sister, who always acted playfully around her, had returned. Gone was the maturity that didn't suit her young age; she was back to being her gentle little sister.

Nianci knew she shouldn't spoil her sister like this, treating her like a child. But she couldn't bear the thought of her sister, who had grown up so tenderly, facing the harshness of the world. If possible, she hoped her sister could grow up carefree and innocent.

In the future, I hope my sister marries a man who cherishes her as much as our parents do, so she can live a carefree life. Ye Nianci's wish was sincere, but she forgot that life, both inside and outside the home, is full of uncertainties, and the world is far more chaotic than she imagined.

"Big Sis, does Dad know how much money Mom has?" Ye Yuvyuv asked, her big eyes still glistening with tears. She looked up with a bright, childlike gaze, smiling at her sister.

Ye Nianci couldn't help but tap her sister's nose lightly. "You're already eighteen, and in three years, you'll be a young woman. Yet, you still act like a child, crying one moment and laughing the next—just like the weather in June, changing at a whim."

"Big Sis, you're teasing me." Ye Yuvyuv pouted, glancing at her sister with feigned annoyance before quickly shaking her sister's arm with a smile. "I bet Dad doesn't know Mom has so much money, right?"

Ye Nianci nodded with a smile. "No, Dad has no idea about this money."

"Wow, Mom is amazing," Ye Yuvyuv said, her face lighting up with admiration. She thought about how her father, who loved to show off his beautiful wife, would never guess that she was so wealthy.

Suddenly, a thought struck Ye Yuvyuv, and she pressed her hand to her chest, muttering to herself, "Thank goodness Mom had the foresight. If Dad knew about this money, it might not be ours anymore."

Ye Nianci gently tapped the back of her sister's hand. "What are you saying? Dad isn't the type to take Mom's dowry, especially when it's meant for his daughters' future. You silly girl, Dad loves you so much, yet you call him ungrateful."

Nianci was amused by her sister's pettiness.

"Hmph, that's not it. I'm just not afraid of Dad taking Mom's dowry. But, big sis, you know how stingy Dad can be. Once the money is in his hands, there's no way we'll see it again until we're married off."

Yuvyuv shook her head dramatically. "Thank goodness Mom was wise enough to keep it from him. If that money had ended up with Dad, I wouldn't be able to ask you for some like I did today."

Nianci couldn't help but laugh at her sister's cleverness in describing their father.

"You little rascal, are you really going to badmouth Dad like that? If he heard you, he'd give you a good scolding."

"He wouldn't dare," Yuvyuv giggled like a mischievous fox. "I'm only saying this because he's not around, so I can joke with you a bit."

Her amber eyes sparkled as she eyed the red wooden box on the table, her small hands itching to grab it.

"Hold on, Yuvyuv, you don't plan on taking all that money, do you?" Nianci snapped back to reality, almost getting swept up in her sister's charm.

Watching Yuvyuv's eyes light up at the sight of the box filled with cash, Nianci felt a twinge of concern. She knew all too well how her sister loved to spend.

Even though their dad was notoriously tight-fisted with everyone else, he had always been generous with his daughters.

It's just that my sister spends money so extravagantly, which is why she thinks our dad is stingy. Reflecting on this, Nianci regretted taking out the large sum of money their mom left for her and her sister as a safety net. She realized she should have only given her sister the visible portion of her dowry when she first asked for money. Sigh, it was her fault for not wanting her sister to feel even a little wronged.

In that moment of realization, Nianci decided she couldn't spoil her sister too much. She reached out to take the box, which held a substantial amount of money, intending to hide it away.

"Wait, wait, big sis, just lend me a hundred thousand... uh, eighty thousand... or maybe fifty thousand, just fifty thousand."

"Big sis, I don't need much, just lend me fifty thousand for now, please, my dear big sis."

As soon as Yuvyuv saw her sister about to leave with the money box, she quickly jumped up, her small hands pressing down on the lid before her sister could take it away. Her big, watery eyes looked up pleadingly, like a little puppy, as she tried to charm her sister, one hand firmly on the money box while she begged.

"No, Yuvyuv, even though Mom left us a good amount of money, you can't just spend it so freely. What if something urgent comes up in the future and we need money? We can't just be left empty-handed."

Nianci thought for a moment, then, with a serious expression, shook her head, refusing her sister for the first time.

"Big sis!"

Yuvyuv was on the verge of tears, knowing that once her sister showed that very serious expression, there was no room for negotiation.