Lai Jielun had been away for a few days. When he returned, the daytime temperature in City C had already risen to nineteen degrees Celsius.
The college entrance examination countdown by the blackboard had also turned to page 88.
The students in the classroom had changed into long-sleeved hoodies or denim jackets. At a glance, the entire classroom felt much more relaxed than in winter.
This time, Lai Jielun brought back a box of pastries from Shanghai.
Ren Mo took a bite, and the intensely sweet taste made him drink an entire bottle of mineral water to barely suppress it. After drinking the water, he looked at the box of Chinese pastries on the table and complained,
“Wow, this pastry is too sweet! Lai Jielun, you’ve been ripped off! It’s so bad!”
Mi Zhuzhu, whose hand was reaching for a second piece, immediately retorted when she heard Ren Mo’s words:
“Too sweet? It’s just right! I think this pastry is delicious. Don’t you agree, Chenchen?”
Although it wasn't as exaggeratedly sweet as Ren Mo described, Liu Chen, who had only managed to eat half a pastry after a long time, silently finished the remaining half.
“It’s quite delicious, but my teeth have been a bit sore lately, so I don’t really want to eat this. Zhuzhu, you have it. You’ve lost weight recently, so eat some to supplement your brainpower.”
Hearing that she had lost weight, Mi Zhuzhu’s eyes lit up.
“Really? Have I really lost weight?”
As she asked, she fumbled for a small mirror from her backpack with the hand not holding the pastry and held it up in front of her, shaking her head and looking from side to side.
“It seems like I have lost a bit? Hehe, then I’ll finish this one and stop.”
Lai Jielun, who was nearby, heard this and his eyelashes fluttered quickly. Just as he was about to persuade her, he heard Mi Zhuzhu continue,
“Lai Jielun, take the pastries back. Bring me one from the rest every day to school, so I don’t eat too much at once and get fat again.”
“Okay!”
All four of them had no objections to Mi Zhuzhu’s arrangement.
In the evening, as Liu Chen walked to her front door, conversations and her mother’s hearty laughter could be heard from inside the house.
She inserted the key and opened the door. The first thing she saw was a row of beautifully packaged gift boxes placed on the dining table. Following the sound of conversation, Liu Chen walked into the living room and saw that it was packed with people.
Her paternal aunt Hu Min was sitting in the middle of the sofa, and to her right, in order, were her mother, maternal aunt, grandmother, then her maternal uncle-in-law, cousin, and Chen Long.
To the left were Wang Dong’s family and the old lady who had been angered away last time.
Liu Chen recalled that it wasn’t Sunday today. Hadn’t this Wang family old lady said she wanted to find a tea house to chat? Why was she at their house today?
Although she was confused, she showed nothing on her face and sat down in the space between her maternal aunt and her mother.
As soon as she sat down, she heard her mother say,
“From our side, the wedding can be held first. We can get the marriage certificate anytime, and it’s the same if we get it after the wedding.”
Wang Dong held Hu Min’s hand and said sincerely, “Okay, sister. Minmin and I will listen to you.”
These words made the Wang old lady, who had just opened her mouth, close it.
However, the old lady was as sharp as ever. She chuckled and said,
“How can a couple have a wedding without getting their marriage certificate? If they’re not married, how can they have a wedding? How will the wedding expenses be calculated?”
Hu Min, wearing a loose fleece hoodie, leaned back on the sofa. Hearing the Wang old lady’s words, she no longer became angry like last time. Instead, she looked at Wang Dong, who was sitting beside her, and asked,
“Then, Wang Dong, how do you think it should be calculated?”
Wang Dong, who had finally managed to coax Hu Min into agreeing to discuss wedding matters after a month, would naturally not falter. He directly said,
“For the wedding, we’ll follow the customs of City C. The groom’s side will host the banquet, and all the gift money received will be given to Minmin. Grandma, don’t worry, I have enough money to hold the wedding.”
This meant, “Grandma, don’t interfere. I don’t need your money, and you don’t need to dictate.”
The Wang old lady sat beside Wang Dong, and the smile on her face was already a little strained.
She felt that the child she had painstakingly raised was now humiliating herself for a woman she had known for less than a year.
This woman named Hu Min was simply a reincarnated vixen!
She pursed her lips. The Wang old lady still wanted to struggle a bit more. She chuckled and said,
“After getting married, the money will naturally belong to you two. Why distinguish between mine and yours? My Dong Dong has been a boss for over ten years, and he’s good at managing money. If the gift money is in his hands, it can earn an extra twenty percent interest by the end of the year…
Besides, Dong Dong is our family’s only grandson. If Grandma doesn’t contribute money, people will think Grandma is not satisfied with you as a daughter-in-law!”
Liu Chen listened while opening and drinking the milk from the table.
The Wang old lady always spoke in a roundabout way. Her words meant that Wang Dong should manage the money after marriage. This aunt, who was getting married while pregnant, would only have her pre-marital savings. When the child was born, she couldn’t possibly ask Wang Dong for money for everything, could she?
With time, her pre-marital savings would gradually be depleted. Given her aunt’s strong personality, she would probably have to go out to work soon after giving birth, unable to stand constantly asking for money.
While everyone was focused on discussing the wedding, only Liu Chen was making larger movements, which naturally drew the attention of the Wang old lady.
She remembered that last time, this girl had cursed her with illness. She heard she was some kind of good student?
Bah! What’s the point of being good at academics if she doesn’t know how to respect the elderly and love the young? She’ll definitely never get married!
She had been fooled by her last time, looking like she came from a well-off family with her attire.
But today, when she visited, she lived in an old neighborhood, a walk-up building, and the home decoration was also average.
The Wang old lady inwardly scorned, but on the surface, she chuckled and took a ten-yuan bill from her pants pocket, handing it towards Liu Chen and saying, “Heh heh, are you hungry from school? Here, Grandma will give you ten yuan. Go to the supermarket outside and buy some snacks.”
Liu Fang’s face darkened immediately. What did this Wang old lady mean?
Did her child lack ten yuan from her? And she wanted this child, who had just come home and worked hard all day, to go out alone late at night? How dangerous that was!
What was her intention?
Did she think her Chenchen was an eyesore?
Her thoughts churned in her mind, but before Liu Fang could speak,
Liu Chen spoke first.
“Grandma Wang, I’m not a three-year-old child. If I’m hungry, I’ll find something to eat in the kitchen myself. I drank milk just now because my mom insisted I drink some every night. However…”
Liu Chen turned her head and smiled at Wang Dong:
“Uncle Wang Dong, are you going to take the wedding gift money? I’ve never heard of such a custom. Ah, perhaps Grandma Wang is worried that the groom’s side will receive too much gift money, and Auntie isn’t good at managing finances?”
“If Grandma Wang is worried about Auntie’s financial management skills, you could also each receive your own gift money. By the end of the year, Uncle Wang Dong can give the gift money to Auntie with two percent interest. I think that’s also a good idea. What do you think, Uncle Wang Dong?”