She would never hand over her inheritance to her children and grandchildren while she was still alive just because she was afraid of being a “trouble” to them.
Besides, she had money. She could live in a nursing home or hire a nanny or a caregiver to look after her. If she gave all her property away, forget such high-quality treatment—she probably wouldn’t even be able to get a bowl of rice porridge.
Having experienced it once before, Bai Lu wouldn’t even trust her own children one hundred percent.
In the afternoon, Jin Jialiang called again. This time, it was actually Jin Jialiang himself, not Jin Qiu “impersonating” him. Hearing Jin Jialiang’s voice, Bai Lu felt a wave of disgust rise from the soles of her feet.
“Did you mail the bicycle coupon?” Jin Jialiang didn’t even address her by name when he spoke, acting as if she were already his property and had to obey his every word.
“No,” Bai Lu replied concisely, not wanting to argue with him.
“Why haven’t you mailed it yet? I already promised her,” Jin Jialiang’s tone was impatient. “How am I supposed to explain this to her?”
“Don’t you have a salary? Why don’t you just spend three months’ wages to buy her a brand-new bicycle directly? Why do you have to go through the extra trouble of making me mail a bicycle coupon? The town just got some new dresses, and they’re very beautiful. I bought two for myself, so now I only have enough money left for food. I really don’t have the extra money to help her get a bicycle coupon. Besides, those coupons are everywhere; you guys can just trade for one locally. Why insist on me going through all this trouble here? It costs money to mail it, doesn’t it?”
In her past life, the inexperienced Bai Lu hadn’t understood his intentions, but how could she not understand them now?
Jin Jialiang simply wanted to scheme her out of the little money she had. She hadn’t let him have his way in her past life when she lacked experience, and she certainly wouldn’t let him succeed in this life.
“Dresses?” Hearing Bai Lu say she had bought two new dresses, Jin Jialiang was instantly livid. “You’re about to get married! How can you be so reckless with money? Do you ever think about the family? Do you have any self-awareness at all? With your figure and your skin tone, even the most beautiful dress would look terrible on you…”
After marrying him in her previous life, he had constantly belittled her like this, making Bai Lu feel extremely inferior. When Jin Qiu had come to find her for the first time, she had flatly refused him. If she had understood back then that this was Jin Jialiang’s way of intentionally suppressing her, she never would have missed out on those five years with Jin Qiu.
“You marry a man for food and clothes. After we get married, you’ll have to support me and take care of my basic needs, while my own money can be used for beautiful dresses, lipstick, and skincare products,” Bai Lu said, laughing hysterically in her mind.
He must be exploding with rage right now, wasn’t he? If he was that angry, he should just hurry up and suggest “calling off the engagement.” She didn’t want him to turn around later and call her ungrateful; after all, “repaying a kindness” didn’t have to mean marrying the person.
“Bai Lu, don’t forget who brought you out of that place, who arranged a job for you, and who gave you such a stable life,” Jin Jialiang started using the “debt of gratitude” to manipulate her again.
Bai Lu smiled faintly. “Of course, I know it was you and Jin Qiu who brought me out. Since you two brought me here, you have to be responsible for me. You and Jin Qiu are responsible for my life and my safety. If you can’t afford my living expenses alone, I can let Jin Qiu cover half for you.”
He kept using that bit of kindness to coerce her, without looking at how little he actually contributed. In the matter of helping Bai Lu, Jin Qiu had done ninety-nine percent of the work. Jin Jialiang had only spoken up about marrying her; otherwise, bringing her to Heyi County wouldn’t have been seen as “proper.”
However, if Jin Jialiang hadn’t brought it up, Jin Qiu probably would have. After all, if you’re going to help someone, you see it through to the end. Jin Qiu certainly wouldn’t have left her halfway.
Furthermore, it was highly likely that Jin Qiu liked her too and was naturally willing to marry her, but Jin Jialiang had spoken up first. Out of loyalty to his friend, Jin Qiu probably didn’t want to compete with Jin Jialiang.
As expected, Jin Jialiang was about to explode with anger at Bai Lu’s words. He slammed the phone down with a “bang.” The employee at the post office nearby even told him to be more careful—if he broke the phone, could he afford to pay for it?
Jin Jialiang forced a smile, paid the fee, and walked out of the post office.
Seeing that Jin Jialiang had hung up, Bai Lu also put down the receiver and turned back to her work.
In the evening, while they were eating together, Wen Nuan asked curiously, “Bai Lu, you spend so much time every night decorating the wedding room. What does it actually look like now?”
“You’ll find out when Jin Jialiang gets married.” Even if they broke off the engagement, Jin Jialiang would likely proceed with the wedding just for the sake of the house. A man like him cared a lot about his reputation. He had already told everyone back in his hometown about it, so how could he possibly cancel the wedding and let people laugh at him?
“Your Jin Jialiang is so lucky. You’re doing everything yourself, and all he has to do is wait for the wedding day. But a man like that will probably do nothing after marriage, just waiting for you to serve him like some grand lord,” Wen Nuan said sarcastically.
The old Bai Lu might not have understood, but the current one did. Wen Nuan was essentially giving her a roundabout warning. She didn’t need Wen Nuan’s warnings or concerns because she wasn’t going to marry Jin Jialiang in this life.
Bai Lu said with a smile, “You know how busy medical staff are. Do you think I’ll have the time to serve him? Besides, he has hands and feet and is a healthy man. The nerve of him, expecting me to serve him.”
In her previous life, under such high pressure, she had never resigned to become a housewife for Jin Jialiang. Would she do it in this life?
Even if she ended up with the person she had a crush on for years, she wouldn’t be a housewife. A woman must have her own career.
Except for those on duty, the rest of the nurses returned to the dormitory after dinner. Since it was still bright outside, they weren’t in a hurry to wash up. They either chatted or tidied their things. Bai Lu opened her locker, moved the box of pears she had put inside last night, and placed it on the desk in the common area.
She then took the pears out and gave one to each person. “I’ve been coming back very late every night lately. I’m really grateful to everyone for being so understanding.”
“Why be so polite? Everyone has special circumstances once in a while,” Wen Nuan said. She wiped the pear on her clothes a few times and took a direct bite. The skin was thin and the fruit was juicy. Wen Nuan’s eyes widened. “This pear is delicious.”
Seeing this, the others followed Wen Nuan’s lead, wiped their pears, and ate them. Soon, the dormitory was filled with the crisp “crunch-crunch” sound of everyone eating pears.
“Bai Lu, how much is this per pound?” someone asked curiously.
Bai Lu looked at her with an innocent expression. “I don’t know. They were sold by the box—five yuan a box. I thought it was a good deal, so I just bought the whole box.”
(End of Chapter)