Chapter 1015

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Wang Erhai going to see Zhang Yueran's parents could be described as extremely smooth.

Zhang Yueran's parents didn't make things difficult for Wang Erhai in the slightest.

Whether it was the matter of holding the wedding ceremony or the matter of the bride price and three golds, they let Wang Erhai and Zhang Yueran make the decisions themselves; the two elders merely offered some suggestions at most, they wouldn't forcefully intervene, and they certainly wouldn't demand that Wang Erhai and Zhang Yueran do things according to their own ideas.

Wang Erhai stayed one night at Zhang Yueran's home, and the next morning he returned alone to Shanggou Village.

Zhang Yueran didn't go back with him again.

Because they weren't married yet, according to custom, Zhang Yueran still had to stay at her own home for the Spring Festival.

Wang Erhai had just returned to Shanggou Village when, passing by Liang Xinghua's house, he saw only Liang Xinghua sitting alone desolately at the doorway smoking, his expression dejected, sighing with melancholy.

"Xiong Hua Shu, Happy New Year!"

Wang Erhai took the initiative to greet him.

Liang Xinghua hurriedly put on a smiling face in response:

"General Manager Wang, Happy New Year!"

Wang Erhai smiled and said:

"Just call me Erhai; calling me General Manager Wang is too polite! By the way, are you the only one who came back for the New Year?"

Wang Erhai hadn't asked, and it would have been fine; once he asked, Liang Xinghua became even more downcast.

"Yeah, no choice. My daughter went back to her maternal home with her ex-wife for the New Year, so I could only come back alone. My parents are both gone, coming back is really meaningless; I feel like my days have no prospect at all."

Seeing Liang Xinghua like this, Wang Erhai couldn't help but feel puzzled:

"Didn't you find a girlfriend? Logically speaking, your days should be getting more and more promising!"

At the mention of his new girlfriend, Liang Xinghua sighed again:

"Sigh, don't mention it. My girlfriend, she's good, she really is, but her family's demands on me are very high!"

As it turned out, yesterday Liang Xinghua had also gone with his girlfriend Zhong Liying to meet her parents.

Zhong Liying's family situation was much more complicated than Zhang Yueran's.

Zhong Liying's family was also rural; her parents' health wasn't too good, and the money for medicine every month cost quite a lot. What was fatal was that her parents hadn't bought medical insurance or social security.

Additionally she had a younger brother; although her brother was promising and had tested into South China University of Technology, he was still in school — not earning money was one thing, but he still needed tuition and living expenses paid.

And all these expenses fell on Zhong Liying's head.

If it were only these expenses, Liang Xinghua's current salary level could still barely help support them.

But the problem was, Zhong Liying's parents treated Zhong Liying as a money tree; the moment they opened their mouths they demanded 288,000 yuan bride price from Liang Xinghua, and it had to be given before June this year, and the marriage had to be concluded. If they still couldn't get married before June this year, then they would not agree to Liang Xinghua and their daughter continuing to see each other.

This put Liang Xinghua in a difficult spot.

With his current salary level, earning 288,000 was a matter of time, but it was already the end of January, and from now until June this year there were only five months left.

He had bought a car not long ago, and had also given his ex-wife 20,000 yuan in child support in advance; he had no savings left at all. In this situation, asking him to earn 288,000 in five months was a bit difficult for him!

What made Liang Xinghua most heartbroken was that faced with her parents' lion's-big-mouth demands, Zhong Liying's attitude was ambiguous; she didn't clearly stand on his side.

So right now Liang Xinghua was extremely depressed.

Zhong Liying — he didn't want to give her up. After all, this girl was not only beautiful, not only gentle and virtuous, but she could also accept his daughter!

Liang Xinghua poured out his grievances to Wang Erhai, telling him everything he had encountered at Zhong Liying's home.

Then he asked Wang Erhai:

"Erhai, your mind is more agile than mine. You tell me, encountering this kind of situation, what should I do? Could it be I really have to take out a loan to pay the bride price?"

Wang Erhai was extremely surprised:

"That shouldn't be right. I remember you said your girlfriend is also from this county. According to this county's customs, the bride price generally wouldn't exceed 100,000; most are just 10,000 or 20,000, some even only a few thousand. For example, my partner — her parents just said the bride price can be given casually as a token gesture."

Liang Xinghua smiled bitterly:

"I also feel the bride price amount her parents proposed is a bit excessive, but I can't very well refute them. My girlfriend told her parents I'm the company's top boss; they probably think I'm very rich, that's why they demanded 288,000!"

Wang Erhai fell into thought, feeling this matter was a bit off:

"The main thing is what attitude your girlfriend has. Is she on your side, or on her family's side?"

Liang Xinghua said:

"She's stuck in the middle right now, in a dilemma, and hasn't expressed a clear stance."

Wang Erhai sighed:

"In this kind of matter, silence is actually agreement. Doesn't she know your current economic situation?"

Liang Xinghua said:

"She knows, but she can't bring herself to refute her parents. Her parents raised her with difficulty, and she still has a younger brother in university. Her parents probably want such a high bride price for her brother's future as well."

Wang Erhai was speechless:

"Xiong Hua Shu, you previously said your girlfriend treats you very well, that she truly loves you. Now hearing you say this, it seems she doesn't love you that much either? How could someone who loves you possibly, while clearly knowing your economic conditions, do things that put you in a difficult spot?"

Hearing this, Liang Xinghua couldn't help but freeze.

He had to admit, what Wang Erhai said made some sense.

But recalling the bits and pieces of his interactions with Zhong Liying.

Zhong Liying's care for him was truly meticulous in every way, gentle, considerate, and tolerant.

She could even accept his daughter, clearly stating that when conditions allowed in the future, she would take his daughter to live with them and wouldn't object!

Zhong Liying's image in his heart was too perfect!

Not even the slightest flaw could be found!

Perhaps this is what they call "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"!

Of course, one cannot exclude another minuscule possibility: that Zhong Liying is faking it!

When Yao Xueqin was pursuing Wang Erhai before, she also acted perfectly.

So Wang Erhai's first reaction now was:

"Xiong Hua Shu, you wouldn't have run into a gold digger, would you? You'd better keep your wits about you! Just afraid she'll eat you clean and then dump you!"

Liang Xinghua, however, said very firmly:

"How could that be? I don't have any money, how could a gold digger possibly target me?"

Wang Erhai chuckled:

"But you just got promoted to head of our Liguo Mountain subsidiary, didn't you? Being short on cash is only temporary; you'll definitely get well-off in the future."

Liang Xinghua smoked a cigarette with his head down:

"What makes me very uncomfortable now is, why do her parents insist on stipulating that I must give the bride price before June this year? The wedding could actually be delayed a bit, but they didn't give me any room to negotiate, and my partner isn't helping me fight for it either."

The more Wang Erhai listened to these words, the more wrong it felt.

"Xiong Hua Shu, putting it that way, you really should be more careful."