The atmosphere in the room turned instantly awkward as his mother-in-law's words fell.
The father-in-law, who had been sitting on the sofa, had left the living room at some point. He still maintained his original attitude towards Lin Yu, not even bothering to offer a greeting.
Seeing her mother's somber expression, Song Qiao coughed awkwardly and said in a deep voice, "Mom, please rest assured. I, Song Qiao, swear on my life that I will redeem the house within a month and give them a stable home."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was filled with strong determination and confidence.
"A guarantee? For someone as rotten as you, how much is your guarantee worth?" Xia Xueqing, overhearing this, couldn't help but interrupt impatiently.
"We don't even know what you've been doing these past two days. You reek! Don't tell me you've been digging latrines?"
"Speaking of which, with your capabilities, you lack both education and brains. Even digging latrines is probably giving you too much credit."
"With you, you probably couldn't even redeem your house by digging latrines your entire life!"
Every word Xia Xueqing spoke revealed her genuine disgust and contempt for Song Qiao.
When her elder sister married this man, she had strongly opposed the union, believing that this penniless man with no prospects was not worthy of her talented and beautiful sister.
However, her sister had been completely infatuated with this scoundrel, marrying him decisively against the wishes of her and her family.
Song Qiao gritted his teeth, unwilling to argue with the sharp-tongued woman. He looked at his wife and explained, "The smell is because I've been selling stinky tofu at my shop for the past two days."
"My stinky tofu shop is doing very well. Many people love it, and I've earned quite a bit of money these past few days."
"I even brought a portion from the shop today for you all to try. It's really delicious."
As he spoke, he took out a box of stinky tofu from the bag he was carrying.
Instantly, a strong, pungent odor spread through the living room.
Everyone couldn't help but frown.
"Song Qiao, are you out of your mind? Bringing something so foul-smelling into the house!" Xia Xueqing shrieked, covering her nose.
"Instead of working diligently, you're always thinking of these crooked ways. Don't you know yourself? If you don't have a mirror, don't you have urine?"
"Look at your whole Song family, do any of you have the fortune to get rich?"
As she spoke, she forcefully pushed Song Qiao, trying to drive him out of the house.
Xia Yuqing, who had been standing silently in the corner, also felt that Song Qiao was living in a pipe dream of overnight riches, and a wave of disappointment washed over her.
This man never knew what it meant to be grounded.
His ambitions were sky-high, but his fate was as thin as paper. He always yearned for sudden wealth, which led him to his addiction to gambling.
She blamed herself for being blind back then.
A wave of sadness welled up in her heart. Her nose stung, and she stifled her tears, rushing into the house to escape the man who had disappointed her time and again.
Song Qian, who had been standing by her father's side, afraid to move, seized an opportunity when her mother wasn't looking and darted to Song Qiao's side. She picked up a piece of stinky tofu with her fingers, frowned, and popped it into her mouth.
The moment the stinky tofu entered her mouth, the pungent smell seemed to vanish instantly, replaced by a rich bean aroma. The skin was slightly crisp, and as her teeth chewed, it made a satisfying crunching sound. The soft tofu inside, with its mildly spicy juice, spread through her mouth.
The little girl, who was usually picky about food, her eyes suddenly lit up.
"It's so delicious."
She exclaimed in her mouth, disregarding her aunt's questioning gaze. She took another piece from the box and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing heartily.
In the blink of an eye, more than half of the stinky tofu in the box was gone.
"Qianqian, stop eating. Don't ruin your health just to save face for your father," Xia Xueqing said, seeing Song Qian eating with such gusto, and quickly tried to stop her.
"No, I made it myself. How could I give my daughter something unclean?"
Song Qiao was about to explain.
Xia Xueqing immediately closed the box of stinky tofu and then led her niece inside.
This left Song Qiao alone in the living room, sitting awkwardly with his mother-in-law.
Song Qiao, with a thick skin, stayed to try and have a few words with his mother-in-law, but he was repeatedly rebuffed by her indifferent tone.
"Xiao Song, if there's nothing else, you can leave. We're tired today and need to rest early."
His mother-in-law looked at the clock and coldly asked Song Qiao to leave.
It was clear they didn't want him there. Even with Song Qiao's thick skin, his face turned red with embarrassment. He forced a laugh and got up to bid his mother-in-law farewell.
At this moment, Xia Yuqing, who had been hiding in the room, rushed out. Her eyes red, she said to Song Qiao, "Tomorrow is the last day for Qianqian's tuition fees. Handle it yourself if you can pay it."
As soon as she spoke, Xia Yuqing regretted it.
In her eyes, Song Qiao was currently penniless, and talking to him was useless, only adding to his worries.
Thinking this, she felt an immense wave of disappointment in this man once again.
Song Qiao looked at Xia Yuqing's red eyes and imagined she must have been crying for days. His guilt intensified.
He took a deep breath, looked directly into his wife's eyes, and said word for word, "Okay, I'll go to the school and pay our daughter's tuition tomorrow!"
"Forget it. You don't need to worry about this. We old folks can still pay our granddaughter's tuition. You should focus on how to redeem your house."
His mother-in-law scoffed beside him, scolding Song Qiao.
She added to him at the end:
"If you don't redeem the house within a month as you said, you'll have to fend for yourself."
Song Qiao didn't argue or defend himself. He gave his wife a deep look and turned to leave the Xia family's home.
Before he had enough strength, anything he said now would be considered like farts.
Even worse than farts, because at least farts had a smell.
Constant justifications would only make him appear weaker, as only cowards constantly found excuses for their failures.
Song Qiao walked alone on the road. The night was dark. He looked up at the twinkling stars and the moon, his fists unconsciously clenching until they turned white.
"Since I've been given another chance, I will cherish it doubly this life and provide them with a home that can shield them from the wind and rain."
Now that his stinky tofu shop was stable, the thirty thousand yuan, which had once seemed like an astronomical sum, was now just a matter of time.