Her fiancé, Qin Zhenghua, who had a rather handsome face, became flustered at Bei Qinghuan’s greeting and even dropped the watermelon he was holding.
He hastily replied, “Ah, yes, I’m home. You’re here, Qinghuan. I—I’ll go change my clothes.”
And then he ran off.
Bei Qinghuan raised an eyebrow.
Since Mei Suqin had come to her house yesterday to discuss the marriage, she must have discussed it with Qin Zhenghua, and he must have agreed.
So now, upon seeing his fiancée, Qin Zhenghua’s reaction should have been happiness and welcome, or perhaps displeasure and a lack of welcome.
But why was he so flustered?
Even she wasn’t flustered, so what was he panicking about?
Meanwhile, Qin Zhenghong had already started shouting into the house, “Mom! Mom! A pest is here!”
Bei Qinghuan was speechless.
Heh, right, this was the Qin family’s true attitude.
They wanted her to marry into their family, yet they looked down on her.
Hence, a pest.
Mei Suqin hurried out from the inner room. Seeing it was Bei Qinghuan, she lightly tapped Qin Zhenghong, “What nonsense are you spouting,” and then came forward to greet her. “Aiya, Huanhuan, you’re here! Why didn’t you come earlier? You could have joined us for a meal. Sit, sit, have some watermelon!”
Her face was the picture of enthusiasm, but what Bei Qinghuan heard in her mind was:
【Heh, look how desperate she is. We just talked about marriage yesterday, and today she’s already rushing over! So shameless! If I’d known it would be like this, I shouldn’t have offered the bicycle. A sewing machine would have been enough. No, I could have just given her the old one from our house. The money saved could buy so many new clothes for Zhenghong!】
By now, Bei Qinghuan was quite composed when it came to these inner thoughts.
She maintained her smile, sat down on the sofa, and accepted a slice of watermelon.
It would be a waste not to eat it.
And after she ate…
Mei Suqin’s inner thoughts multiplied.
【I told you to eat, and you’re actually eating… What a glutton! Like you’ve never had it before! I’ll tolerate you for now. Once the date is set, I’ll find an excuse to make you buy me several new outfits!】
Bei Qinghuan was speechless.
Could you please complain about something useful?
Bei Qinghuan just leisurely ate two slices of watermelon.
All the while, she listened to Mei Suqin’s inner voice ramble on, cursing her for those two slices.
This was such a waste of time.
Bei Qinghuan had no choice but to bring up a topic she was interested in herself:
“Auntie Mei, I came today to talk to you about the wedding. This is what my mother and I are thinking. It hasn’t been easy for my mom since my dad passed away, and I don’t have a job right now.
“So, I was thinking, we should add a little more to the bride price. That way, I can leave some money for my mom, and I’ll feel more at ease when I marry into your family.”
“Add more?” Mei Suqin frowned. “How much more do you want?”
Bei Qinghuan was perfectly composed. “Aren’t the Three Rotations and One Sound all the rage now? Uncle Qin is a deputy factory director. It wouldn’t look good if the factory director’s family can’t even produce the Three Rotations and One Sound for a new bride. But I also know you’ve set the date in a hurry. If you can’t gather all the items in time, you can just give us another five hundred yuan instead. That’ll work too!”
Hmm, I was planning to say three hundred yuan when I came, but seeing Mei Suqin’s two-faced, sweet-on-the-outside-bitter-on-the-inside act, I might as well ask for more and get this wretched marriage called off quickly.
Mei Suqin stared at Bei Qinghuan, her chest heaving.
Her inner voice roared:
【Aiya, has this pauper gone mad from poverty? You think you deserve the Three Rotations and One Sound? And five hundred yuan? You’re insane!】
【In our last life, I didn’t give you a single thing, and you still married him, didn’t you? Now you have the nerve to come here and haggle? How shameless!】
【If you hadn’t raised two children and died from complications after donating a kidney to me in our last life, do you think I would even offer you a sewing machine and a bicycle in this one? So ungrateful!】
【But I have to stay calm for now. If this damn girl doesn’t marry in, those things in her possession won’t be ours. After all, Zhenghong is counting on those things to make money to study abroad!】
Bei Qinghuan’s mind was buzzing.
I really want to tell you to slow down your thoughts and let me digest all this.
This woman had mentioned a “last life” several times. How incredible!
A person could actually live two lives.
How magical!
So in the last life, this family gave no bride price at all, and I still married him? Why on earth would I do that?
Ha, I even had two children and died from donating a kidney? How could I have been so stupid?
Oh, and someone like Qin Zhenghong can go abroad?
What does she mean by “study abroad at her own expense”? Does that mean it will be possible to study abroad on one’s own dime in the future?
If that’s the case, I have even less reason to marry into your family. Wouldn’t it be better to use my own money to go abroad myself?
Bei Qinghuan’s thoughts raced along with Mei Suqin’s inner monologue.
Meanwhile, Mei Suqin struggled to keep from blurting out her inner curses, forcing a smile as she tried to coax her.
“Huanhuan, are you being silly? A married daughter is like spilled water. Your mother is even a little younger than me, not even forty yet. She gets thirty yuan a month from the Quality Inspection Workshop, which is enough for her to live on.
“But on our side, Zhenghua is our only son. Forget five hundred yuan, everything in this house, down to every bowl and every brick, will be yours in the future! Listen to Auntie, don’t be like those shameless people who demand a bride price. Just marry in early and enjoy a comfortable life at home!”
But the inner thought that accompanied this sentence was: 【If you dare to ask for more, I’ll make what happened in our last life happen sooner and kill you! Let’s see if you still dare to be so cocky!】
The overlap of Mei Suqin’s spoken words and her inner thoughts made Bei Qinghuan’s head spin.
But when she heard that last sentence, her heart skipped a beat: make what happened in our last life happen sooner…
What was that?
It sounded quite serious.
Therefore, she needed to provoke Mei Suqin further to make her reveal everything in her mind.
Bei Qinghuan lowered her head, fiddling with the corner of her shirt, feigning an unyielding attitude.
“Auntie Mei, what you said makes sense. If you’re not willing to add the five hundred yuan, that’s fine. It’s just that my family will only provide two quilts and, at most, a Five-Drawer Cabinet. Nothing else.
“What can I do, my mom’s health is poor. She already sold some of the old medicine formulas my grandpa gave her to buy medicine. Our family has nothing left to offer. I was asking for five hundred yuan because I wanted to add more to my dowry, so we could all save face…”
“What did you say? The old medicine formulas have all been sold? Who did she sell them to?”
Before Bei Qinghuan could finish her fabrication, Mei Suqin leaped to her feet.
She looked completely undone.
Her eyes were wide, her mouth was agape, and her neck was craned, as if she wanted to eat someone.
Her inner voice blared like an alarm: 【This is a disaster! If those medicine formulas are really gone, how will Zhenghong go abroad? I have to find out who she sold them to! I have to buy them back!】
Heh!
Getting anxious now, are we?
Seeing Mei Suqin in a panic was quite satisfying for Bei Qinghuan.
She lowered her head and began to think about how to control the pace, to draw out all of Mei Suqin’s inner thoughts, bit by bit.
“I don’t know. It was over a year ago, how would I know? Besides, they were just a few old medicine formulas, not worth much. The main thing is that none of our relatives or friends were willing to lend my mother money, so she had no choice but to sell the formulas.”
This was an indirect jab at the Qin family for not helping.
Mei Suqin was momentarily at a loss for words.