Chapter 129: 90: A Family by the Spring Chapter 129 Bride Price, Eighty-Eight Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty-Eight

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"Figure it out yourself."

Lin Xiyu sighed helplessly: "I'm at my wit's end. My mom looks gentle and virtuous on the surface, but deep down she's just as stubborn as Aunt Da. Once she gets it into her head, no one can talk her out of it."

"Sigh."

Guben rubbed his brow with a headache: "Wanting to marry a wife, why is it so hard?"

"I feel exhausted too."

Lin Xiyu looked at them with envy: "Look at how smoothly Wu Meng and Li Liang are doing. They said they'd get engaged and they did, and they've even held the Engagement Banquet. Our horoscopes haven't even matched yet."

"Has your mom already made up her mind?"

Guben's thoughts raced: "She's dead set on divorcing?"

"She's figured it out."

Lin Xiyu smiled bitterly: "But with the current situation, the household registration can't be moved out, there are too many obstacles. I can't blame my mom for being in a bad mood; anyone in this situation would be irritable and uneasy."

"Hmph."

Guben laughed and huffed: "Looks like I still have to thank Xu Weiguo and his daughter. If it weren't for those two stirring up trouble and forcing your mom to divorce, I wouldn't be confident I could persuade her."

"What do you want to do?"

Lin Xiyu was completely baffled, not understanding why he would suddenly say such a thing.

"Your mom wants a divorce, and the obstacle is the house."

Guben said meaningfully: "I'll give her money to buy a house, won't that solve it?"

"Don't even think about it..."

Lin Xiyu decisively rejected: "My mom won't take your money. Her self-respect won't allow it. She won't want outsiders to think she's selling her daughter."

"If you give her money directly, she definitely won't take it."

Guben smiled with deep meaning: "But if it's a bride price, she might just be tempted."

"Bride price?"

Lin Xiyu's heartbeat skipped.

Although she had long known that unmarried couples exchange bride prices upon engagement, hearing those two words still stirred an irrepressible excitement in her.

"That's right, bride price."

Guben looked spirited: "This still has to rely on me. Only my smart and wise brain could come up with an idea so suited to your mother-in-law's wishes."

"Isn't the bride price always the Three Golds?"

Lin Xiyu was a bit puzzled: "I heard Wu Meng say that Li Liang's family also gave the Three Golds. The gold chain around her neck was given to her by Li Liang's grandmother when she came to propose."

"The Three Golds are a local custom."

Guben smiled teasingly: "It's not that it has to be the Three Golds. Although I've always disdained using money to smash things, I have to admit that old saying is still right: money can make ghosts turn millstones. No woman is unmoved by money, and your mother-in-law is no exception."

"Use money to smash?"

Lin Xiyu heard him speak in the tone of a second-generation rich heir for the first time, and couldn't help but laugh in anger: "I'm really curious. How much bride price would be enough to deserve that one 'smash' character?"

"Eighty-eight thousand eight hundred?"

Guben raised an eyebrow: "How about it? Is this number sincere enough? Can it move your mother-in-law's heart?"

"Where did you get so much money?"

Lin Xiyu's pupils shrank, shocked to the extreme.

"Earned from doing business."

Guben's eyes flickered slightly, not making it clear that the source of this money was related to her.

The antique bed sold by Lin Xiyu's maternal grandmother's family—he had the intermediary create a stir in the name of the Dragon Bed, and it sold for a sky-high price of 150,000 at the auction.

Zhang Xiaoqian's father developed greedy thoughts, took the Dragon Bed for himself, and directly led to his removal from office due to bribery.

Guben gave the intermediary 50,000 as hush money, and the rest of the money was in his own hands.

There were too many insider details to this matter. He didn't want to drag Lin Xiyu's family into it, so he had kept it hidden and never told them the truth.

Now that the three of them—mother and daughters—were facing difficulties again and needed money, it also gave him a suitable opportunity to use this money to help them get through the crisis.

"Doing renovations really makes that much money?"

Lin Xiyu didn't know the inside story and had wildly misunderstood.

Guben laughed and asked back: "You made over a thousand yuan in commissions in just one afternoon. You tell me, is it profitable or not?"

"No wonder my female cousin was so confident."

Lin Xiyu sighed faintly: "She slapped the table and guaranteed she could solve the housing problem."

"Your female cousin?"

Guben sensitively sensed something was off: "She said she could solve it? That boast is a bit too much, isn't it? Even if her business skills are strong and her commissions are high, coming up with enough money for a whole house in a short time isn't that easy."

"She said she'd borrow it from the Boss."

Lin Xiyu didn't think much of it and simply repeated her female cousin's exact words.

"That much money, Liu Ye can't make the decision."

Guben's wise brain worked at high speed, and a figure suddenly flashed through his mind: "Where is your family's rental contract? Let me take a look..."

"It's not with me."

Lin Xiyu shook her head: "It's with my female cousin. She signed the contract with the agent."

「The day your female cousin rented the house, she went with Wang Fan...... 」

Guben recalled the scene of that day, and secretly formed a guess: 「She dares to be so confident, the key lies in the source of the house; the owner of that house is probably suspicious...... 」

「What's suspicious? 」

Lin Xiyu's gaze paused slightly, unable to keep up with his rhythm.

「This kid, still unfathomable...... 」

Guben guessed the truth, feeling both annoyed and amused.

He really hadn't expected that Wang Fan, that callous and ungrateful scumbag, would actually care so much about a woman sometimes.

And this woman happens to be his girlfriend.

「What are you talking about? 」

Lin Xiyu was a bit dazed, unable to grasp his deeper meaning for a moment.

「Your female cousin is so confident, there must be inside information. 」

Guben didn't spell it out: 「Specifically what's going on, you'd better ask her yourself; I'll go to your house tomorrow evening and talk to your mom face to face. 」

「How do you want to talk? 」

Lin Xiyu's heart trembled, immediately putting the matter of renting the house behind her.

「Confidential. 」

Guben smiled teasingly, deliberately keeping her in suspense.

「You wouldn't really throw money at her, would you? 」

Lin Xiyu looked worried: 「I'm afraid if my mom gets angry, she'll use a rolling pin to chase you out. 」

「You still don't understand your mom...... 」

Guben patted her shoulder and smiled leisurely: 「Want to make a bet with me? Your mom won't only not chase me away, she'll be very happy. 」

「Really? 」

Lin Xiyu obviously didn't believe it: 「My mom isn't such a money-grubbing person; she's a teacher, very proud. 」

「It has nothing to do with being proud or not. 」

Guben seriously hoodwinked: 「The more the betrothal gifts are given, the more it shows the man values his daughter; there is no mother who doesn't hope her daughter is happy; the man's valuing of his daughter is the minimum standard for a happy marriage. 」

「You're right, you make sense. 」

Lin Xiyu truly didn't believe from the bottom of her heart that her mother would change her mind because of money; hearing the four words 'happy marriage' still touched her heart.

She wasn't stupid, how could she not understand the huge gap in their backgrounds.

Since making their relationship public, all the way to now, they had also experienced many ups and downs.

From the initial anxiety, to now being full of longing.

She really wanted to give herself a chance, to try to seize that rare happiness.

——

「I'm gone for just one afternoon, and you've signed this many orders? 」

The female cousin finally rushed back from outside, dusty and travel-worn, before dark.

A stack of orders on the office desk truly made her eyes widen.

Looking at the two orders she had finally signed after wearing out her lips, her small heart felt chilly, needless to say how sour and refreshing it was.

「Today is a special situation. 」

Lin Xiyu explained with an embarrassed smile: 「It's not that my ability is so outstanding, but rather Liu Ye's operations are really shady; if not for the fact that he is our boss, I really wouldn't want to deal with those second-generation rich ones. 」

「I'll accompany you to the dinner party tonight. 」

The female cousin was very satisfied: 「If you don't cherish it, I do; those rich people, even a little bit that leaks from between their fingers is more than what we earn by working ourselves to death; only by making connections with them can we really make money. 」

「Sister, is it necessary to work so hard? 」

Lin Xiyu looked worried: 「You've already earned quite a lot; your monthly salary is more than the whole family combined....... 」

「How is this little money enough? 」

The female cousin didn't hide her ambition at all: 「I want to earn more money, start my own company, be the boss. 」

「Let your female cousin go. 」

Guben had a plan: 「With her there, I can also rest assured. 」

「You're not going? 」

Lin Xiyu looked surprised.

「Tsk...... 」

Guben snorted, disdainful: 「Those fox friends and dog companions of Liu Ye's, do they deserve me accompanying them to eat? It's giving them too much face. 」

「You're not going...... 」

Lin Xiyu was a bit conflicted: 「Otherwise, I won't go either. 」

「Go. 」

Guben rarely didn't oppose, looking at her meaningfully: 「Some things, if not experienced personally, no matter how much outsiders say, it's useless; just like I don't want you to enter the Entertainment Circle, don't want you to earn money by eating youth rice, missing the opportunity to become famous; maybe one day in the future, you will resent me. 」

「I don't want you to think I delayed you, and even more don't want you to think I'm too selfish, broke your wings, made you give up your future, and just rely on me. 」

——

「It's just treating them to a meal. 」

Lin Xiyu was baffled: 「How could you have such emotion? When did I resent you? If not acting, then not acting; I just thought Sister Yan and them were joking, never took it to heart. 」

「The Entertainment Circle has many temptations, not just acting. 」

Guben looked deeply at her, complex and indiscernible emotions flashing in his eyes.

「Whatever the temptations, as long as we don't fall for them, isn't that fine? 」

The female cousin didn't take it to heart, casually slinging her arm around Lin Xiyu's shoulder: "Xiao Bin, put your mind at ease. With me around, no one dares bully Xiyu. I guarantee I'll bring her back safe and sound, not a hair missing."

"With Sister Lei saying that, I'm relieved."

Guben raised his eyebrow, giving face by echoing her.

"You really aren't going?"

Lin Xiyu, for some reason, felt a flutter in her heart after hearing those words, always sensing something bad would happen.

"I need to go to Xinhua Bookstore."

Guben's eyes flickered slightly, using this as a lead to change the topic: "Buy some textbooks on computer applications."

"Aren't you studying law?"

Lin Xiyu's thoughts were indeed immediately led astray by him: "Why study computers?"

"I want to pursue a double degree."

Guben looked spirited.

"Awesome."

The female cousin extended her thumb to express admiration: "Provincial Top Scholar is impressive, no wonder he's a study god."

"No wonder you can fix computers."

Lin Xiyu suddenly understood: "So you've been self-studying computers all along."

"Those are just the basics."

Guben smiled humbly: "Only at university can one study systematically. I just want to read some books in advance so I won't fall behind when pursuing a double degree."

"You could fall behind?"

The female cousin slapped his shoulder hard, expressing extreme shock: "Bro, too humble."

"See how you've stimulated your female cousin?"

Lin Xiyu covered her mouth and laughed: "Bro came out."

"My female cousin thinks too highly of me."

Guben smiled faintly: "Provincial Top Scholars are human too, not real gods. I've studied hard since childhood. It's just that outsiders only see my glamorous appearance, not my efforts......."

"Tsk."

The female cousin was jealous, her stomach full of jealousy spilling out: "Hearing you say that is even more demoralizing. You study gods work so hard, how are we underachievers supposed to live?"

"Everyone has their own aspirations."

Guben, for Lin Xiyu's sake, smiled and flattered his future aunt-in-law: "Sister Lei is clearly business material. Your future achievements won't be small. Not to mention being a small boss at a decoration company, even becoming chairman of a listed company isn't impossible......."

"I love hearing that."

The female cousin's eyes lit up, and she indeed became spirited: "Xiao Bin has vision. Just because you think so highly of me, I must become a chairman of a listed company, or I won't rest."

"Sister, keep it up!"

Lin Xiyu echoed energetically: "I'm also optimistic about you."

"Hahaha, good younger sister, I knew you understand me best."

The female cousin laughed proudly, then her laughter suddenly paused, and she asked awkwardly: "But before that, Xiao Bin, can you explain something to me first? What is a listed company? I've never heard of it......."

Guben: "......."

—

The evening dinner was set at Furong Street, Mouth Xiang Ju* Lao Jinan Lu Cuisine Restaurant.

Liu Ye specially booked a large private room, enough to accommodate twenty-plus people.

His fox friends and dog companions were all present, arriving in full force.

The female cousin was very satisfied, toasting them one by one, drinking cup after cup, drawing loud cheers from a group of second-generation rich kids.

"Sister Lei is generous, I've made this friend."

A few who were closest to Liu Ye also became spirited, actively toasting the female cousin, cup for cup, as if determined not to stop until she was drunk.

After three rounds of drinks, the female cousin was a bit drunk. Lin Xiyu supported her out of the private room to sober up in the corridor.

A cool breeze blew, the female cousin's stomach churned, and she rushed into the restroom to vomit messily.

"Sister, don't drink anymore."

Lin Xiyu watched in alarm, reaching out to support her: "Drinking like this is bad for your stomach."

"It's fine."

The female cousin didn't care, rinsed her mouth after vomiting, and still wanted to keep drinking.

"Sister......"

Lin Xiyu pulled her, not letting her return to the private room: "Stop drinking, let's go home."

"No."

The female cousin had her own plans: "One of Liu Ye's friends, the one with a big gold chain around his neck named Li Zhi, his father is a real estate developer, he's truly rich, richer than Wang Fan's family. He said he'd let me follow him in the future and introduce me to work under his father. Such a good opportunity, can't miss it......."