Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Gu Yunzhi and I registered our marriage, and he officially became our family’s son-in-law.

Because he looked so obedient and well-behaved, my parents adored him. They treated him even better than they treated me.

Since everyone in our family was busy, we planned to take our time arranging the wedding.

We would hold it whenever everyone happened to be free.

Unexpectedly, before New Year’s the following year, my grandparents called from the countryside.

They said we had been engaged for a year already. If we still didn’t hold the wedding, people would laugh at us.

Gu Yunzhi’s father was so rich. We absolutely couldn’t let his family slip away.

And so, the grand, century-level wealthy-family wedding my mother had been dreaming about could only be held back in our rural hometown.

My mother was a hundred times unwilling.

On my mother’s side, there were many elders and few children. My maternal grandparents had been hoping my wedding would be held at their place.

When they heard the news, they wanted to fly over that very night.

In the end, my father said we would hold one wedding back home and another at my mother’s maiden home. Only then did my mother cheer up.

At the wedding, aside from the outfits, which we prepared ourselves, everything else was arranged by my grandparents, along with my uncles.

My father was deeply moved. In private, he said to me,

“Daughter, do you think Dad shouldn’t have kept this from them? Should I tell them the truth?”

Unexpectedly, the moment he turned around, my eldest aunt called him over.

She told him, “This time, for your daughter’s wedding, our family paid quite a bit in advance. This money should have come from you in the first place, but since your family wasn’t around, your brother and I covered it first.”

The implication was that she wanted my father to pay up.

My father was a little stunned. “Sister-in-law, how much did you spend?”

My eldest aunt opened her mouth and demanded, “Two hundred thousand!”

The warmth that had just risen in my father’s heart instantly chilled all the way through.

With the banquet my eldest aunt had prepared, even including cigarettes and alcohol, it wouldn’t cost a thousand yuan per table.

Altogether, there weren’t even thirty tables.

No matter how you calculated it, there was no way it added up to two hundred thousand!

Besides, the words “two hundred thousand” were a sore spot in my father’s heart. He couldn’t bear to hear them.

Seeing my father’s troubled expression, my eldest aunt shot him a look.

“Old Third, what do you mean by this?”

My father said, “Xiufen and I already gave all our money to our daughter as her dowry.”

My eldest aunt rolled her eyes. “Your in-laws are that rich. Is two hundred thousand a lot?”

“If you don’t have it, ask your co-father-in-law for it!”

Gu Yunzhi’s father really was being dragged into this role rather unfairly.

Don’t think I didn’t know what was going on. The moment I entered the village, I had put on my big padded coat and gone to ask the aunties at the village entrance for gossip.

My male cousin had gotten some girl pregnant outside. The girl’s family demanded a bride price of two hundred thousand. If they didn’t pay, she would abort the baby and break up with him.

My eldest aunt had taken that girl in to look after her, saying the baby was a boy.

Her precious chubby grandson. She couldn’t possibly give him up.

But if she wanted a grandson, why was she bullying my father? Not that my father would ever actually let himself be bullied.

I went over and said, “Eldest Aunt is right. Of course we’ll pay for the banquet. Bring me the invoice, the kind with the official stamp, and I’ll have my father-in-law reimburse you!”

The moment my eldest aunt heard I wanted an invoice, and one with an official stamp at that, she immediately became unhappy.

“The adults are talking. Why is a child butting in?”

I smiled. “Grandpa and Grandma said my wedding was something Eldest Uncle and you insisted on arranging.”

“If this is a child’s wedding, why are you, an elder, butting in?”

“My dad is marrying me off and even giving out a dowry. Why are you still trying to claw money back?”

When my eldest aunt heard that, she instantly lost her temper.

“You child, why are you siding with outsiders? Your eldest uncle and I did all this because your parents are useless. We were afraid you’d lose face and the Gu Family would look down on you!”

“Now that you’ve married into a rich family, your wings have hardened and you want to fly off, is that it?”

Now I really had to laugh. “Oh, come on. Let’s not put people down just to make yourselves look good, all right?”

“Whether my parents are useless or not, whether I have face or not, what does any of that have to do with you?”

“Even if my family were dirt poor, we’ve never borrowed a single cent from yours, and we’ve never eaten a single bowl of rice from your house, have we?”

“If you want money, bring the invoice!”

Then I grabbed my father and left.

Seeing how absolutely I had spoken, my father hesitated.

“Are we really not paying for the banquet?”

I said, “Do you believe me when I say they never paid that money at all, and they got it from Grandpa and Grandma?”

The last trace of guilt in my father’s heart vanished instantly. He said to me, “Come on, girl! Let’s go collect the red envelopes!”

“We can’t let that money end up in your eldest uncle’s hands!”