Feeling embarrassed by her grandmother's scheming, Wang Dong quickly nodded upon hearing Chen Chen's words:
"Yes, I think Chen Chen's suggestion is feasible. Let's do it this way?"
Seeing her eldest grandson siding with this little vixen in everything, Old Mrs. Wang could only chuckle and take back the ten yuan note she had offered and no one accepted. She smiled and pretended to joke:
"So, Dong Dong, you've discussed everything with my granddaughter-in-law. What am I and your mother here for then?"
Having his good mood repeatedly ruined by his grandmother's petty actions, Wang Dong suppressed his temper and turned to remind her:
"Grandma, didn't I tell you before we left? You just need to be happy and watch me marry my granddaughter-in-law."
Being spoken to like this in front of the bride's family, Old Mrs. Wang felt her face was losing some prestige. She thought, "Once this vixen is married and has had children, I'll properly discipline her."
Wang Dong's mother, once such a proud young woman in the village, had eventually been willing to serve her wholeheartedly for so many years.
With this thought, she responded perfunctorily:
"Got it, got it. We'll do as you say then."
Finally, as Liu Fang suggested, the wedding would cost one hundred thousand yuan, and the betrothal gifts would be kept separately.
As for the bride price and dowry.
Old Mrs. Wang was about to speak when Wang Dong, catching a glimpse of this from the corner of his eye, quickly interjected:
"Minmin said the bride price is one hundred thousand, so the dowry will be one hundred thousand."
Hearing this, Old Mrs. Wang looked at Hu Min, who had been sitting on the sofa and hadn't said much, with some surprise.
She hadn't expected someone who worked for a living to be able to come up with one hundred thousand yuan!
In fact, Liu Chen was also curious. Auntie had told him last time that her savings were tens of thousands, definitely not one hundred thousand.
Unless…
Wang Dong, to shut his grandmother up, had privately added money to his aunt's dowry.
Without Old Mrs. Wang's interjections, the discussion on the wedding and bride price proceeded smoothly.
Liu Fang finally made the decision: "Okay, then we'll help look for a hotel and try to have the wedding on May Day. Any later, and her belly will be showing, which won't look good in a wedding dress."
After seeing off Old Mrs. Wang and her family, Liu Fang sat back on the sofa.
"Minmin, where did you get that hundred thousand yuan? How much more do you need? I'll add some more, let's see if we can make it enough."
Hu Min, leaning back on the sofa, chuckled. Her slightly curly long hair fell loosely over her shoulders.
"Wang Dong paid the hundred thousand yuan himself. He said it was his sincerity. He also said that after the wedding, we'll move into the new house. By then, the house will be aired out enough, and I can tell his grandmother it's my house."
Upon hearing this, a smile finally appeared on Liu Fang's face, which had been strained all evening.
"That's fine. It's good that Wang Dong is protecting you. But you need to be careful not to directly confront the old lady. If anything happens, I'm here. Also, you're pregnant now, and it's not good to live in the company dorm. Why don't you move in here?"
Seeing the dark circles under her aunt's eyes, which were deeper due to fatigue from pregnancy, Liu Chen quickly nodded. "Yes, Auntie, if you live at home, Mom and I will be more at ease." He could secretly let his aunt use some of the system's produced spot-removing cream and moisturizing cream, which might even prevent stretch marks.
Hu Min looked down at her belly, which wasn't very prominent due to her naturally slightly plump figure. She thought about how she had to hide her pregnancy at the company dorm, not daring to let anyone find out.
"Sister-in-law, then I'll be imposing on you."
...
Hu Min moved into Liu Fang's home.
Unbeknownst to them, Hu Xingfa and Hu Jin were booking a banquet for the baby's full moon celebration at the Lily Hall of the Century Grand Hotel using Hu Xingfa's credit card.
"Pay a deposit first, and I'll give you the balance a week before the full moon celebration next month."
"Okay, alright."
After swiping the credit card, Hu Jin walked out of the Century Grand Hotel lobby and got into the Mercedes-Benz car that had been waiting outside.
Closing the car door, Hu Jin looked at a message on his phone and said:
"Pack your luggage. We're leaving on the five AM flight tomorrow morning."
Xu Sheng chuckled, gripping the steering wheel. "Are you paying for the full moon banquet with a credit card too? Can't the account even afford these tens of thousands anymore?"
Hu Jin's expression was calm as he looked out the car window.
"Your resignation has been approved. For now, no one will discover we've left within two weeks."
"Got it, got it, my lady. From today onwards, we're going on the run!"
Hu Jin's gaze shifted back, looking straight ahead.
"You're using the idiom incorrectly. I've told you before, don't misuse idioms if you lack culture."
"Oh."
March 18th.
At 3:40 AM, the plane from City C to New York took off. Hu Min sat on the plane, watching the ground shrink to the size of ants, and smiled.
Back then, when her college entrance exam scores came out, she had knelt at home begging Luo Meirong to let her go to college, promising to work during holidays and repay the tuition with her savings after graduation.
Luo Meihong was almost convinced. It was Hu Xingfa who said she was too naive.
He mentioned he had a benefactor in Guangdong who was in the excavator business and could get her a job at his company.
And she believed him.
She supposed she was too young, always thinking her own brother wouldn't deceive her.
But less than two months later, she was violated by that so-called benefactor.
She told Hu Xingfa she wanted to call the police, but Hu Xingfa locked her in the house, saying she couldn't call the police, or her reputation would be ruined, and she'd never get married. He told her to calm down and said he would resign and accompany her back to City C.
Because of this, she was even more moved. Even when they got home, she never said a bad word about Hu Xingfa; in fact, she became even more reliant on him.
But not long after, Hu Xingfa went to Guangdong again. This time, when he returned, he brought back his first excavator to City C and started an excavator rental business.
She cried all night, her eyes swollen shut. When she opened her eyes in the morning and saw the daylight outside the window, she thought her eyes might be ruined.
"I must survive. One day, I will reclaim what is rightfully mine."
With this thought, Hu Jin looked at the wedding ring still on her hand.
Her so-called husband divorced her in the first year after they had a child. She forced back her tears, not wanting to show her vulnerability, and only asked him why.
"You weren't a virgin. Who knows what you and your brother were doing in Guangdong? Your brother was so poor before, how could he own his first excavator in such a short time in Guangdong? Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Hu Jin leaned back against the seat, closed her eyes, covering her slightly moist eyes.
'America, where no one knows Hu Jin. I've arrived.'