"Big sister, please don't lecture me. I regret it so much. Three thousand eight hundred yuan is gone in an instant. That's over two months' salary for your brother-in-law!" Liu Ju said with heartache.
After speaking, she pinned her hopes on Liu Chunsheng: "Chunsheng, can you talk to Yifeng properly? Tell him I've deeply realized my mistake and promise never to do it again. Just ask him to give me my money back! You know your brother-in-law works hard all day. Earning money isn't easy. When he heard about this, he was so angry he couldn't get out of bed."
Although Liu Chunsheng was moved, he also remembered Yifeng's words. He finally said helplessly, "Yifeng is a man of his own mind. No one can change his decisions. What happened today is your own doing, and you deserve a lesson. Otherwise, you won't learn your lesson!"
Knowing that no amount of persuasion would work, Liu Ju sat on the ground, dejected.
"Mom, don't forget to mention it later. We're investing in the vegetable greenhouses!" Zhao Kunming knew the money was definitely not coming back, so he placed all his hopes on investing in the vegetable greenhouses. When they made money, wouldn't the lost money be recouped?
Reminded by her son, Liu Ju finally remembered the important matter. She had originally planned to come and talk about it tomorrow, but since they were here now, she might as well say it.
"I know. I'll mention it after Yifeng finishes installing the parts and comes out," Liu Ju replied softly.
"Daddy, will this Optimus Prime not wobble anymore?" Tong Tong asked, looking at the assembled toy.
Liu Yifeng smiled and nodded, "No. But you have to protect Optimus Prime well from now on, okay? Don't let anyone take its parts apart again!"
"Mission guaranteed!" Tong Tong saluted.
Liu Yifeng looked at his adorable son and rubbed his head. "Then go play by yourself. Daddy has some things to deal with." After speaking, he walked out of the living room. He looked at his second aunt, who hadn't left yet. "Second aunt, I've installed the parts. Please don't have any ideas about it anymore. I can forgive you this first time, but if there's a next time, I won't be so easy to talk to!"
"I know. Who would dare to do something like this again!" Liu Ju had suffered such a big loss today. Even if an opportunity presented itself next time, she wouldn't dare to act rashly.
Seeing that his second aunt had become obedient, Liu Yifeng knew his plan had worked. In fact, he didn't necessarily want the three thousand eight hundred yuan from his second aunt. He just wanted to make her feel the pinch so that she would realize the seriousness of the matter. Otherwise, she would be emboldened to make mistakes again. With this previous lesson, she would have to weigh the costs more carefully before doing something wrong in the future.
"Then let's put this matter behind us. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Second aunt and cousin should head back early. We have a reunion dinner tonight!"
Liu Ju suddenly stood up. She walked up to Liu Yifeng with a smile. "Yifeng, aren't you building vegetable greenhouses? They haven't officially started operating yet. My cousin and I also want to invest in your vegetable greenhouses. How much do you think is an appropriate amount to invest?"
As soon as Liu Yifeng heard this, he immediately refused, "Second aunt, I remember I personally approached you and cousin before to ask if you wanted to invest, and you both refused. I've already allocated shares. It's definitely impossible for you to invest now!"
"It's just that second aunt was angry at the time. Seeing that you weren't even willing to bring me some vegetables and fruits, it wasn't that I really didn't want to invest. You built the vegetable greenhouses, so please be accommodating. They haven't officially started operating yet, so it's just a matter of adding an investor!" Liu Ju said in a relaxed tone.
Zhao Kunming chimed in beside her, "Yifeng, you made my mother pay for it, and we also paid. We've returned the parts to you. Now we just want to invest in your vegetable greenhouses. You shouldn't refuse, should you? Besides, we're investing money, which is a good thing for the greenhouses, isn't it?"
"Cousin Kunming, I really don't lack your investment money. I've already allocated shares to all the shareholders, and they've all received their share contracts. If you were to jump in now, it would mean their shares would have to be reallocated..."
"Reallocated, so what! It's not a big deal!" Liu Ju interrupted Liu Yifeng.
Liu Yifeng frowned unhappily, "Second aunt, do you think a contract is child's play? Can it be changed just like that? What's the point of having a contract then?"
"But aren't you the owner of the vegetable greenhouses? If you want to change it, they won't say anything, right? Can't I, your second aunt, have a little soup if you're making money with them?" Liu Ju said pitifully.
"I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it. You can't blame me for this!" Liu Yifeng knew that to achieve great things, one had to stick to their principles. Today, let alone his second aunt, even if his father wanted to invest on a whim, he wouldn't agree. As the largest shareholder and highest responsible person, he had to protect the rights of other shareholders. Since everyone trusted him and handed their money to him, he had to be responsible to them.
Seeing her nephew, who showed no regard for family ties, Liu Ju was both angry and anxious. She could only look at her second brother: "Old second, quickly help me persuade Yifeng. I'm his second aunt after all. Shouldn't you side with your own family?"
"Yifeng, is there really no room for flexibility in this matter?" Liu Chunsheng asked. He still hoped that Yifeng could lead the whole family to prosperity.
Liu Yifeng shook his head, "Dad, it's not that I don't want to help, but the contract has already been signed and cannot be changed. If the shares hadn't been allocated yet, it would be a different story! Moreover, second aunt herself refused to invest back then and even kicked me out. You can't just have it your way, wanting to invest when you feel like it and not when you don't, right? Does the vegetable greenhouse belong to her?"
"Fine, I see now. Yifeng, you have no regard for family ties at all. My status as your second aunt means nothing to you. If you don't let me invest today, then I'll say it upfront: from now on, our two families will break off relations, and I will no longer be your aunt!"
"Her second aunt, calm down. Aren't you making things difficult for Yifeng?" Liu Mei panicked when she heard that it had escalated to breaking off relations.
Liu Chunsheng also didn't expect things to escalate to this point. He quickly appeased his second sister: "Second sister, calm down. Yifeng is doing this not because he doesn't care about family affection, but because the contract has been signed and cannot be changed. If there's another opportunity like this in the future, he'll contact you first."
But Liu Ju wouldn't listen: "I don't care about the future. I want to invest in the vegetable greenhouses now. If Yifeng doesn't agree, then we won't call ourselves siblings anymore!" She wanted to use this to force Liu Yifeng to agree, but she overestimated her importance in Liu Yifeng's heart.
"Second aunt, you can't threaten me with that. I call you second aunt only out of respect for my father. I don't owe you anything. If you want to break off relations, I won't stop you!" Liu Yifeng said expressionlessly. If he were afraid of Liu Ju's threats, he would have lived in vain.
Liu Ju never expected Liu Yifeng to be so hard-hearted. In fact, she didn't really want to break off relations with Liu Chunsheng's family. She just wanted to use this to coerce him and achieve her goal. But once words were spoken, they couldn't be taken back. This put her in a difficult position. Just as she was thinking of a way to backtrack, Zhao Kunming's voice rang out first: "Liu Yifeng, you said it yourself. Don't regret it!"