Quick Transmigration: Drama Queen's Daily Life Chapter 1144 - 1133: Favoring Daughters Over Sons

"Living expenses?" Ye Qing shrieked, her piercing voice startling even her infant son. The baby, mere months old, erupted into cries, yet his biological parents remained unmoved. It was Han Hui who, suppressing her own irritation, reached out to comfort the child.

"Mom, you want Wentao and me to contribute to living expenses?" Ye Qing pressed, her tone demanding, "Are you tired of us? We're family!"

While tending to the wailing infant, Han Hui explained with forced patience, "Mommy has no other choice right now. We still owe your second uncle's family 300,000 yuan. I haven't reached the age for my retirement pay yet, and our entire household relies on your dad's meager salary. When will we ever be able to clear this debt?"

"Why don't you just ask Ye Qiu to help?" Ye Qing muttered petulantly.

"That debt was incurred by you!" Han Hui's expression soured.

"We had no choice; did we want to face bankruptcy?" Ye Qing griped. "Besides, we're all relatives. Second Uncle's family is quite affluent; surely they wouldn't pressure us for immediate repayment, would they?"

"Are you suggesting we shirk our responsibility?" Han Hui stared at her daughter, stunned, unable to comprehend this drastic change in her. Yet, she maintained her composure, explaining, "This money isn't solely for your second uncle. What about your second aunt and cousin? We can't afford to let this 300,000 yuan create a lasting rift."

"I believe Second Aunt is just being meddlesome. It’s only 300,000, and they aren't in dire need of it, so why the rush to repay? I'll speak with Second Uncle tomorrow," Ye Qing declared dismissively.

"Just because they haven't been aggressive about it doesn't mean we don't need to repay. What exactly do you plan to tell your second uncle? Do you want to instigate an argument between your second uncle and aunt?" Han Hui was genuinely angered. She had never imagined her once perceptive and reasonable daughter would utter such words.

"Why are you raising your voice at me?" Ye Qing snapped back, mostly irritated by the unfamiliar treatment. She regarded Han Hui with a wounded expression, "Mom, you've changed. You never spoke to me like this before. Are you disgusted with me now? Am I no longer your daughter? You always said daughters are meant to be spoiled. Is it because you see how successful Ye Qiu has become that you regret indulging me?"

Han Hui regarded her daughter, aghast, utterly unprepared for such venom. However, her daughter's words struck a chord – she did, in fact, regret it. She profoundly regretted indulging her daughter into becoming such a self-centered individual!

"Dad, please tell me, are you also tired of me like Mom is? Have you stopped caring about me?" Tears welled in Ye Qing's eyes. Ye Peilin found himself unable to voice the words on the tip of his tongue; after all, she was the daughter he had doted on for thirty years!

"Your mother didn't intend it that way. She's simply feeling the strain of household expenses and our ongoing debt to your second uncle's family. Your mother has also been quite weary lately, helping with the children and managing household chores. Can you please not argue with her? Furthermore, your combined salaries are quite substantial; surely, you can afford to contribute a bit towards household expenses?" Ye Peilin implored gently, yet earnestly.

Ye Qing remained discontent, pouting, "With such modest salaries, I can barely afford a new handbag; what good is it?"

"You already possess an abundance of handbags. Consider how many you've purchased and how infrequently you utilize them. The money spent on those bags alone could settle your second uncle's debt," Han Hui stated icily.

"New styles emerge every season; everyone else acquires them, and I'm expected to forgo them? Is that considered excessive? Have you seen the number of bags He Xixian owns?" Ye Qing retorted, her face alight with jealousy.

"She has the financial capacity; do you?" Han Hui shot back furiously.

"We're family, aren't we? Why can she indulge in whatever she desires while I'm expected to pay for living expenses?"

"Your brother earns the income; what do you and your husband bring in? This debt is yours to bear, not your father's or mine. You reside and dine here, but your brother and sister-in-law do not!"

"So Mom, you do look down on Wentao and me. You used to stand up for me. Are you planning to disown us if we don't contribute to living expenses?"

"Yes," Han Hui declared, her resolve hardening. She felt continuing to coddle her daughter would only lead to ruin. She had to steel her heart and voice this decision.

"Mom!" Ye Qing's tears began to flow, and she turned to Ye Peilin, "Dad, do you feel the same? Are you going to abandon me too?"

Ye Peilin gazed at her, his heart aching, and averted his eyes. "Your mother and I don't mean it that way. You understand that your brother doesn't maintain close ties with the family. While he is capable of earning, that's his concern. We, however, must repay our own debts. My monthly salary barely covers the household's regular expenditures. Requesting a contribution for living expenses is simply to accelerate debt repayment, not to force you out."

"But when will Wentao and I be able to save up 300,000 with our salaries? I refuse to live a life of frugality; who knows what others will say and mock me if I do. Dad, please, talk to my brother. 300,000 is a small sum for him." Ye Qing pleaded.

Ye Peilin’s expression faltered: "Your brother won’t give it to us, and I find it difficult to ask him myself."

"You can’t bring yourself to ask, yet you’re alright with me suffering? It’s your favoritism that has made Ye Qiu so merciless now. You made mistakes in the past, so you must fix them now!" Ye Qing stated bluntly.

Ye Peilin stared at his daughter in disbelief, utterly astonished that she was pinning all the blame on him. Hadn’t he shown favoritism all these years? For whom? And now, she was turning it back on him?

It felt as though Ye Peilin was seeing his daughter for the very first time, his mouth agape, rendered speechless.

"Our mistakes?" Han Hui, who had grasped her daughter’s true nature a little earlier, reacted more swiftly. "Yes, your father and I did indeed err back then. We shouldn’t have neglected your brother’s needs in favor of yours. But while we made mistakes, didn’t you? Don’t you think your brother is fully aware of your actions? Why else do you imagine he consistently ignores you whenever you approach him? Isn’t it because you’ve been bullying him since childhood?"

"Wasn’t that something you tacitly approved of?" Ye Qing retorted with clear discontent. "You were the ones who often said he was only born because of me. As a boy, he should naturally yield to my wishes. I was too young to know better back then, but didn’t you understand what you were doing either?"

"You…" Han Hui acknowledged her daughter’s culpability but found herself utterly speechless nonetheless. It was true; had it not been for her and her husband’s ingrained bias since childhood, their son would not have grown so distant, and their daughter would not have become who she is today.

They were wrong, both she and her husband. Their approach to nurturing their children had been fundamentally flawed. A daughter is not inherently wiser, nor should a son be consistently overlooked. Otherwise, their family would never have reached this unfortunate state.

Their son remained absent from home, while their daughter simply expected to live off them as a matter of course. She and her husband had toiled their entire lives, only to face concerns about their livelihood in their twilight years. She had lectured countless students throughout her career, yet ironically, she had failed to properly guide her own daughter. The situation was truly absurd.