World 2. Chapter 5
“Dali, what are you doing? Is that any way to talk to your sister-in-law?” Lin Yanan’s anger was growing by the second. Standing nearby, Zhang Dabao stepped in first—he had something to ask her today, and if she got upset and left, where would he go to talk to her?
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Look at yourself—and you’re trying to tell me what to do! “If you could just…” Zhang Dali was in the heat of the moment; she wouldn’t hold back against anyone who crossed her path. But she felt He Bin give her a sharp tug from behind. Instantly, she recalled the cold look on his face when he was angry, and a shiver ran down her spine. She stopped herself from saying anything more.
“Dali, come help Mom serve the food. Your older brother and his wife don’t come by often—let’s all enjoy a proper family meal together.” Zhang’s mother had overheard some of the earlier argument from the kitchen and thought her daughter was being a handful. If one were to scrutinize the past, who in this family could honestly claim to have been entirely selfless? It would only serve to provoke more anger. Instead of wasting time on this, it would be better to placate her eldest son and encourage them to bring back more money and gifts—that would be far more practical.
“Xiao Yang, have a chicken drumstick; the other one is for your uncle.” Mrs. Zhang was in a good mood after receiving the gifts, and thanks to that, Zhang Dachun also got to eat a drumstick. After all, drumsticks used to be almost exclusively for Zhang Dabao and Zhang Dali. It seemed that only the children who knew how to cry and make a fuss got the treats.
“Mom, this chicken is really good. Could you bring us a couple when we leave? I saw some freshly picked vegetables in the living room, along with eggs, chestnuts, peanuts, and other things—please share some of those with us too.” After tasting it, Lin Yanan spoke up. Even if they didn’t ask for it, who knows who would end up benefiting in the end.
However, the moment Lin Yanan spoke, everyone’s attention turned to her. It was surprising to see someone who had previously remained silent now taking the initiative to ask for things.
“Ah… oh… I’ll get you some later.” Although Mrs. Zhang didn’t react immediately, she eventually agreed, considering the holiday gifts and red envelopes they’d given. It wasn’t just Mrs. Zhang; even the rest of the family was taken aback!
After the meal, Mrs. Zhang first gave Lin Yanan some items from the house. Seeing that the couple was about to leave, she quickly signaled to Zhang Dali, telling them to go ahead. Although Zhang Dali was reluctant, seeing the stern look in her mother’s eyes, she knew that if she stayed any longer, she might end up on the receiving end of another scolding next time. Besides, Mrs. Zhang favored sons over daughters. She claimed to value Zhang Dali, but in reality, she valued Zhang Dabao more. Ever since Zhang Dali got married, Mrs. Zhang had often said that a daughter is like water poured out—she wouldn’t have gotten any real benefits if she hadn’t known how to cry and make a scene herself. But all of that had to be done with Mrs. Zhang’s permission.
Once Zhang Dali reluctantly followed He Bin out, Lin Yanan knew the real show was about to begin.
“Dachun, you know Xiaoyang is getting engaged. The bride’s family isn’t asking for anything modest—besides the dowry and jewelry, they want a house. They’ve made it clear: no house, no marriage. You know both Dabao and Xiaoyang work as laborers; they don’t have much money. It’s not as easy for them as it is for you running your shop.
Xiao Yang’s mom can only do housework, so the family can scrape together the money for the dowry and jewelry if we grit our teeth, but that house—you know Dabao and the others just don’t have the means. Plus, the bride is pregnant and pressing us hard. Why don’t you give Xiao Yang a hand?”
Realizing that Lin Yanan wasn’t as easy to push around as she used to be, Mrs. Zhang shifted the conversation directly to Zhang Dachun; she was confident in her son.
“Mom, how much are the dowry and jewelry totaling? And what size house does Xiaoyang plan to buy?” Before coming over, Lin Yanan had made a clear agreement with Zhang Dachun: if money came up, she would be the one to speak.
“The dowry and jewelry come to a total of 60,000 yuan. As for the house, I’ve found a few options—take a look.” Hearing that Lin Yanan hadn’t outright refused, Zhang Yang felt there might still be a chance. Before Mrs. Zhang could speak, he sat down right next to Lin Yanan and pulled out his phone to show her the photos and videos he’d taken.
This wasn’t the future; housing prices weren’t yet that outrageous. In their small, obscure town, the average price per square meter was around 3,500 yuan, with better properties going for about 4,500 yuan, while the total cost of the dowry and jewelry rarely exceeded 40,000 yuan.
Perhaps thinking they had their parents’ backing, Zhang Yang had chosen a house that was not only in a prime location but also quite spacious, ranging from 120 to 150 square meters. A 30% down payment would still amount to over 100,000 yuan. It sounded reasonable enough, but the average annual salary this year was only a little over 2,000 yuan. Zhang Dabao and Zhang Yang’s combined income was barely 9,000 yuan. After covering daily living expenses, how much could they possibly save? Given the other party’s demands, just being able to come up with the dowry and jewelry would already be quite an achievement.
“The house you picked is nice, but it’s quite expensive, isn’t it?” Lin Yanan flipped through the photos; it did look quite nice. He’d visited quite a few neighborhoods—he’d certainly put in the effort.
“It is quite expensive, but doesn’t the boy have his uncle and aunt? As for your money…” They earn quite a bit, and it’s just sitting there unused anyway—might as well put it toward Zhang Yang’s expenses and pay it back later. That’s what Zhang’s mother was thinking, but unfortunately, Lin Yanan cut her off.
“Our money is still our money, and it’s in a fixed-term deposit at the bank—we won’t withdraw it lightly. “By the way, my son Zhang Mingxuan has found a girlfriend. We’ll need to use the family money to buy him a house. I hadn’t even thought of that until I saw the photos Xiao Yang took—it just hit me all at once. Our son is growing up; we really should buy him a place early on, so he’ll have a home when he marries.” Seeing the bewildered look on the other person’s face, Lin Yanan felt a sense of satisfaction. There was no way she was going to hand over the money now.
“By the way, you said you couldn’t come up with that much money for a house, right? Then just pick a place that’s a bit out of the way and smaller. If you had that much money right from the start, how would you ever strive to improve yourself? I heard they’ve developed a new neighborhood on the south side of the city. Prices there are still pretty reasonable—around 2,800 per square meter. Isn’t that much more manageable?” “Lin Yanan really didn’t mean to take advantage of them on this matter. Although the area is still a bit desolate now, once Zhang Yang’s child grows up, it will have everything it needs.
“If you still can’t come up with the down payment, just talk to the bride’s family directly. Use the dowry and jewelry money to buy the house, put both of your names on the deed, and pay off the mortgage together in the future. Wouldn’t that settle the matter?”
Having said all that, Lin Yanan paid no heed to Zhang’s mother and the others, who stood there dumbfounded. She simply grabbed Zhang Dachun’s hand and left with the items. It wasn’t until quite some time after Lin Yanan and her husband had left that Zhang’s mother and Zhang Dabao finally snapped out of it, stomping their feet in fury at home.
“Mom, what good does it do to curse at them now?” They were long gone—she was just venting to herself. Zhang Dabao’s face darkened. He hadn’t expected this meek, docile man to stand his ground; this would make him much harder to handle in the future.
“Second son, don’t worry. I’ll call and give them a piece of my mind. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go cause a scene at their supermarket. We’ll see who dares to shop there after that.” ” Mrs. Zhang felt her pride had been crushed today. They’d eaten and taken things, yet didn’t want to pay a single penny—that had crossed her red line.
“Mom, just calm down for a moment. If it weren’t for that time when my sister-in-law and her family came home, and you insisted on making my eldest brother hand over his bank card for you to keep, would things have gotten so tense? Can’t you see? They’ve been cold toward the family ever since that last time.
You want to go cause a scene? That’s easy enough, but haven’t you thought about it? If we really push them too far, they’ll just sell the supermarket. They’ll still have the money, and they can just start over somewhere else. “But what good would that do for us?” Although for a split second, Zhang Dabao had considered letting his mother cause a scene to vent his own frustration, once he calmed down, he talked her out of it. He was determined not to do anything that would harm others without benefiting himself.
While the group here was fuming with anger, Lin Yanan was in high spirits on the ride back, even humming a tune.
“Are we really not going to help?” Seeing Lin Yanan in such a good mood, Zhang Dachun asked timidly.
“Of course not. Didn’t you hear what he said? He wants us to buy him a house outright. He says he’s borrowing money, but has he ever paid back any of the loans he’s taken before? It’s like throwing money down the drain. On this matter, I’m telling you, there’s no room for discussion. I’m thinking of buying our son a place in the provincial capital—property prices there will at least double. It’s not even certain our savings will be enough.”
Although Zhang Dachun usually listened to her, Lin Yanan still felt the need to lay down the law. Fortunately, after their last argument with the family back home, she had taken all the bank cards into her own possession. Zhang Dachun only had loose change on him, so he couldn’t really cause much of a stir.
Hearing that they were going to buy a house for their son in the provincial capital, Zhang Dachun felt both proud and a sense of urgent pressure. Since that was the case, he couldn’t help anyone else anymore—his son’s house purchase had to be the top priority!
Day by day, the time drew near. Tomorrow was the day Zhang Mingxuan would return home with Yan Xue. The two of them were bustling about the house, doing their best to make a lasting impression!