Lu Jinyun never expected Lu Jinhuan to embarrass her so openly. She was just about to say something else when Jiang Yun cut her off.
“Second Daughter-in-law, if you want to eat, then eat. If you don’t, go back to your room. When you were pregnant, you acted like that baby was the most precious thing in the world. Now you’ve only had the child for two days and you’ve already lost interest?”
He Siyue sneered.
“You thought giving birth to a son would let you rule the household, but instead you had a little girl. There goes your dream! Hahaha…”
Old Master He took a sip of his wine without saying a word.
Old Madam He glanced at Lu Jinyun, anger flickering in her eyes.
Seeing that his grandparents were displeased, He Xiangbei hurriedly stood up, grabbed Lu Jinyun by the arm, and hissed through gritted teeth,
“If you don’t want to eat, then get out. Say one more word to upset our elders, and you’ll regret it.”
Lowering her head, Lu Jinyun dared not speak again. She simply stared at Lu Jinhuan with eyes full of hatred.
I’ve really shot myself in the foot.
I was the one who brought that little bitch into the He family!
Originally, she’d thought that since she’d offended both her mother-in-law and sister-in-law so badly, marrying Lu Jinhuan into the family would give her an ally.
Who would have thought that instead of gaining an ally, she’d gained another rival?
When did Lu Jinhuan change?
Wasn’t she supposed to be the most timid and easiest person to bully?
Now she’s even learned to threaten me with my own past mistakes!
As Lu Jinhuan ate, she secretly observed everyone’s reactions in the He family.
She was dying of curiosity.
Just what on earth had Lu Jinyun done?
How could she make every single member of the He family dislike her so much? That takes real talent.
After dinner, the newlyweds wished all the elders good night and returned to their bridal room together.
The moment they stepped inside, He Congnan suddenly swept his little wife into his arms, carrying her like a child as he strode toward the bed.
Perched on his arm, Lu Jinhuan’s cheeks and neck flushed a soft pink. Without realizing it, she wrapped her arms around his neck and struggled slightly.
“Brother Congnan, y-you can put me down. I can walk by myself.”
He Congnan had no intention of letting go.
He wished he could tuck her into his pocket and carry her everywhere.
After all, he’d finally brought her home today.
Of course he was going to hold her.
“Where are you planning to go? A spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Let’s get to bed early.”
As he spoke, he buried his face against her neck and took a deep, contented breath.
Just imagining that from now on he could hold this little girl who smelled faintly of orchids every day filled his heart with warmth and desire.
“Brother Congnan, I have something to ask you!”
Blushing, Lu Jinhuan pushed his head away.
Helplessly, He Congnan carried her over to the desk instead and sat down with her on his lap.
“What is it?”
Lu Jinhuan instantly became serious, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“What’s the story with Lu Jinyun? Why are Grandma, Mom, and your younger sister all unhappy with her?”
He Congnan: “…”
It’s our wedding night.
Is this really what we’re talking about?
But looking into her bright, eager eyes, he couldn’t bear to disappoint her.
“Ever since Lu Jinyun got pregnant, she acted as though she was carrying the He family’s only heir. During her pregnancy she became incredibly arrogant.
“She’d often knock on Mom and Dad’s bedroom door in the middle of the night, demanding that Mom get up and cook her midnight snacks. She even stole Grandpa and Grandma’s health supplements for herself. She wanted the entire He family to revolve around her.”
Lu Jinhuan stared at him in shock.
“Has she gone crazy? Didn’t He Xiangbei stop her?”
He Congnan let out a disdainful laugh.
“During her pregnancy, my second brother was even worse than she was. Every day he counted down the days, eagerly waiting for his son to be born. When the baby turned out to be a girl, he was so disappointed he nearly cried.”
Lu Jinhuan had heard her father talk about the He family before, so she understood why Old Master He longed for a great-grandson.
Still…
He Xiangbei wasn’t even in the military.
Even if he had a son, the boy wouldn’t become the head of the family.
“Whether it’s a boy or a girl, he’s still the child’s father. What’s there to be disappointed about?”
He Congnan shook his head.
“It’s different.
“Do you know how much wealth Grandma has?
“She owns five or six traditional courtyard houses, two entire streets of shopfronts, and enough cash to be considered a fortune.
“If my second brother had a son this time, whatever Grandma gave him would have been enough for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life.”
(Little Huan’er, you’ve hit the jackpot! With that kind of family fortune, you’d better have as many babies as you can, understand?)
Blinking, Lu Jinhuan asked,
“So you’re saying I don’t need to work? I can just stay home and make money by having children?
“Wouldn’t that make me a sow?”
(Are you silly? Working because you have to earn a living and working because you enjoy it are two completely different things!)
“That’s true!”
“Then I’ll have babies! Ten… no, eight or ten! I’ll save up a fortune first!”
Seeing his little wife suddenly grinning foolishly to herself again, He Congnan couldn’t help laughing.
“What are you daydreaming about now?”
Without thinking, Lu Jinhuan blurted out,
“I’m imagining how much money I’ll make”
The smile on He Congnan’s face froze instantly.
A wave of bitterness welled up inside him.
Because he was infertile.
He could never give her a child.
“Huan’er… you…”
Realizing she’d said the wrong thing, Lu Jinhuan hurriedly changed the subject.
“Brother Congnan, would it be okay if I stayed home for a while before looking for a job?”
He Congnan sighed inwardly.
“Of course.
“You don’t have to work at all if you don’t want to. My military allowance is more than enough to support us.”
As he spoke, he opened the desk drawer and took out a metal box, handing it to the little woman sitting on his lap.
Curiously, Lu Jinhuan opened it.
Inside was a thick stack of cash, several ration coupons, and a savings passbook.
The moment she opened the passbook and saw the balance, she was completely stunned.
“Ones… tens… hundreds… thousands… ten-thousands…
“More than twenty thousand yuan?!”
Looking rather proud, He Congnan smiled.
“I enlisted when I was eighteen. Every allowance I’ve received over the past nine years is in there.
“Plus the money Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, and Dad have given me over the holidays over the years.
“I’ve saved it little by little until it reached this amount.
“From now on, it’s all yours to manage.”
Lu Jinhuan was so startled she nearly threw the box away.
“I-I can’t accept this!
“It’s far too much!
“If I lose it, even selling myself wouldn’t be enough to pay it back!”
He Congnan frowned.
“I don’t like hearing that.
“Money is just an external possession.
“My Huan’er is priceless.
“You’re the mistress of our little family now.
“If I’m giving it to you, then you should take it.”
Jumping off his lap, Lu Jinhuan ran to her dowry bundle and took out a small box of her own.
“This is my dowry.
“Before I left for Beijing, Dad gave me seven hundred yuan and some grain coupons.
“I’ve also saved eighty-five yuan over the years.
“Let’s put all of our money together and keep it in the drawer.
“If either of us needs money in the future, we’ll take it from here. Okay?”
The truth was, Lu Jinhuan didn’t want to be solely responsible for the household finances.
She was afraid she’d end up spending too much and be unable to keep proper accounts.
He Congnan didn’t care about such things.
“Whatever you say.
“Buy anything you want.”
The little girl owned very few belongings, especially clothes.
With the weather growing warmer every day, he’d have to buy her plenty of summer outfits.
Lu Jinhuan combined their money, placed everything back into the metal box, returned it to the drawer, then took a small lock from her bundle and locked the drawer securely.
“There!
“Now nothing will get lost”
He Congnan lovingly kissed her cheek.
Then he bent down, wrapped an arm behind her knees, and in one swift motion hoisted the petite girl onto his shoulder.
“Now that your questions are answered…”
“Isn’t it time we got down to the important business?”