1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 129 Dowry, 88,800
"You'll have to figure it out yourself."

Lin Xiyu sighed helplessly: "I'm at my wit's end. My mother may seem gentle and virtuous on the surface, but she's just as stubborn as my aunt at heart. Once she gets stubborn, she won't listen to anyone's advice."

"Ugh."

Gu Bin rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on: "Why is it so hard to find a wife?"

"I also feel mentally exhausted."

Lin Xiyu looked on with envy: "Look how smoothly Wu Meng and Li Liang got engaged. They've already held their engagement banquet. Our relationship isn't even close to happening yet."

"Has your mother made up her mind?"

Gu Bin's mind raced: "Are you absolutely determined to get a divorce?"

"She's figured it out."

Lin Xiyu smiled bitterly: "But given the current situation, the household registration can't be transferred out, there are too many obstacles. No wonder my mother is in a bad mood. Anyone would be anxious and restless in this situation."

"Ah."

Gu Bin chuckled and said, "It seems I have to thank Xu Weiguo and his daughter. If it weren't for their meddling and forcing your mother to divorce, I wouldn't have been confident I could persuade her."

"What do you want to do?"

Lin Xiyu was completely confused, not understanding why he would suddenly say such a thing.

"Your mother wants a divorce, but the house is the obstacle."

Gu Bin said meaningfully, "I'll just give her the money so she can buy a house."

Don't even think about it.

Lin Xiyu firmly rejected the offer: "My mother won't take your money. Her pride won't allow it. She doesn't want outsiders to think that she's selling her daughter."

"She definitely won't take the money if you just offer it to her."

Gu Bin smiled meaningfully: "But if it's a bride price, maybe she'll be tempted."

"bride price?"

Lin Xiyu's heart skipped a beat.

Although she already knew that unmarried men and women would exchange betrothal gifts when they got engaged, hearing those two words still filled her with an overwhelming excitement.

"That's right, the bride price."

Gu Bin beamed: "This matter still depends on me. Only a smart and wise mind like mine could come up with such an idea that pleases my mother-in-law."

"Isn't the bride price usually three gold pieces?"

Lin Xiyu was a little puzzled: "I heard from Wu Meng that Li Liang's family also gave her three gold pieces. The gold chain she was wearing around her neck was given to her by Li Liang's grandmother when she came to propose marriage."

"The Three Golds is a local custom."

Gu Bin smiled jokingly: "It's not that you have to have the three gold pieces. Although I've always disdained using money to buy women, I have to admit that the old saying is still very true: money makes the world go round. No woman can resist money, and my mother-in-law is no exception."

"Use money to throw it at us?"

Lin Xiyu was amused and annoyed to hear him speak in such a spoiled, arrogant tone for the first time: "I'm really curious, how much dowry would be worthy of your 'smashing' character?"

Eighty-eight thousand eight?

Gu Bin raised an eyebrow slightly: "How about it? Is this amount sincere enough? Will it win over my mother-in-law?"

"Where did you get so much money?"

Lin Xiyu's pupils contracted, utterly shocked.

"Earned from doing business."

Gu Bin's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't explicitly say that the money's origin was related to her.

The antique bed that Lin Xiyu's maternal grandmother's family sold was hyped up by a middleman under the name of a dragon bed, and it fetched a sky-high price of 150,000 at the auction.

Zhang Xiaoqian's father became greedy and seized the imperial bed for himself, which directly led to his downfall due to bribery.

Gu Bin gave the middleman 5 yuan as hush money, and kept the rest of the money for himself.

There were too many inside stories about this matter, and he didn't want to involve Lin Xiyu's family, so he kept it a secret and didn't tell them the truth.

Now, the mother and her two children are facing difficulties again and need money, which has given him a suitable opportunity to use this money to help them get through the crisis.

"Is the renovation business really that profitable?"

Lin Xiyu was unaware of the details and completely misunderstood the situation.

Gu Bin chuckled and countered, "You made over a thousand yuan in commissions this afternoon alone. Do you think that's profitable or not?"

"No wonder my cousin is so confident."

Lin Xiyu sighed softly, "She slammed her hand on the table and assured me that she could resolve the housing issue."

"Your cousin?"

Gu Bin sensed something was wrong: "She said she could solve it herself? That's a bit of an overstatement. Even if she's highly capable and has a high commission, it's not easy for her to raise enough money for a house in a short time."

She said she would borrow it from the boss.

Without thinking much, Lin Xiyu simply repeated her cousin's words.

"Liu Ye can't make the decision about so much money."

Gu Bin's sharp mind raced, and suddenly a figure flashed through his mind: "Where is your rental agreement? Let me see it."

"It's not with me."

Lin Xiyu shook her head: "My cousin has the contract she signed with the agency."

"The day your cousin rented the apartment, she went with Wang Fan."

Gu Bin recalled the events of that day and secretly made a guess: "The key to her confidence lies in the origin of the house. The owner of that house is probably suspicious."

"Is something amiss?"

Lin Xiyu's gaze faltered slightly, unable to keep up with his pace.

"This kid is still a mystery to me."

Gu Bin guessed the truth, and felt both angry and amused.

He truly hadn't expected that Wang Fan, that heartless and ungrateful scumbag, would ever be so attentive to a woman.

Unfortunately, this woman was his girlfriend.

"what are you saying?"

Lin Xiyu was a little confused and couldn't grasp his deeper meaning for a moment.

"Your cousin is so confident, there must be something going on."

Gu Bin didn't say it explicitly: "You should ask her yourself what happened. I'll go to your house tomorrow night and talk to your mother in person."

"How do you want to talk?"

Lin Xiyu's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly forgot about renting a room.

"Secret."

Gu Bin smiled jokingly, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense.

"Don't actually throw money at me, okay?"

Lin Xiyu looked worried: "I'm afraid my mom will get angry and kick you out with a rolling pin."

You still don't understand your mother.

Gu Bin patted her shoulder and smiled leisurely: "Want to make a bet with me? Your mom won't kick me out; she'll be very happy."

"can you?"

Lin Xiyu clearly didn't believe it: "My mother isn't that kind of money-grubbing person. She's a teacher, very aloof."

"This has nothing to do with whether you're aloof or not."

Gu Bin earnestly swindled, "A large dowry shows that the man values ​​his daughter. No mother doesn't want her daughter to be happy. The man's emphasis on his daughter is the minimum standard for a happy marriage."

"You're right, you're justified."

Lin Xiyu didn't believe in her heart that her mother would change her mind for money, but hearing the words "happy marriage" still touched her heart.

She wasn't stupid; she knew perfectly well the huge difference in their backgrounds.

Since going public with their relationship, they have come a long way and experienced many ups and downs.

From initial anxiety to current anticipation, she truly wants to give herself a chance to try and grasp that rare happiness.

-

"Wow, I was only gone for an afternoon and you signed so many orders?"

My cousin finally made it back from outside before dark, looking travel-worn.

A stack of orders on her desk really startled her.

Looking at the two orders I had painstakingly negotiated and finally managed to secure, my heart sank to the ground; I felt incredibly bitter.

"Today is a special case."

Lin Xiyu chuckled and explained, "It's not that my abilities are outstanding, but Liu Ye's actions are really outrageous. If it weren't for the fact that he's our boss, I really wouldn't want to deal with those spoiled brats."

"I'll go with you to the drinking party tonight."

My cousin was very excited: "You may not care, but I do. Those rich people, even if they just peek out a little bit from between their fingers, they earn more than we do working ourselves to the bone. Only by getting in touch with them can we really make money."

"Sis, is it really necessary to push yourself so hard?"

Lin Xiyu looked worried: "You've already earned quite a bit; your monthly salary is more than the whole family combined."

"This little bit of money isn't enough!"

My cousin makes no secret of her ambition: "I want to earn more money, start my own company, and be my own boss."

"Let your cousin go."

Gu Bin had a plan in mind: "With her here, I can rest assured."

"Aren't you going?"

Lin Xiyu looked surprised.

"cut"

Gu Bin scoffed, dismissing it with disdain: "Liu Ye's bunch of cronies, do they think they deserve for me to have dinner with them? That's giving them too much face."

"Aren't you going?"

Lin Xiyu hesitated for a moment: "Otherwise, I won't go."

"Go."

Gu Bin, unusually, did not object, and looked at her meaningfully: "Some things are useless if outsiders say anything unless you experience them yourself. For example, I don't want you to enter the entertainment industry, I don't want you to make money by relying on your youth and miss the opportunity to become famous. Maybe one day in the future, you will resent me."

"I don't want you to feel that I've held you back, and I don't want you to think that I'm too selfish, that I've broken your wings, and that you have no choice but to give up your future and rely on me all the time."

-

"It's just treating them to a meal."

Lin Xiyu was baffled: "Why would you have such strong feelings? When did I resent you? If you're not filming, you're not filming. I just took it as a joke from Sister Yan and the others, and I never took it to heart."

"There are many temptations in the entertainment industry, not just in filming."

Gu Bin looked at her intently, a complex and unreadable emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Whatever the temptation, as long as we don't fall for it, that's fine."

My cousin didn't take it seriously and casually put her arm around Lin Xiyu's shoulder: "Xiaobin, don't worry. With me here, no one will dare to bully Xiyu. I promise I'll bring her back safe and sound, not a single hair will be missing."

"With Sister Lei's words, I feel relieved."

Gu Bin raised his eyebrows, agreeing in a very accommodating manner.

"Are you really not going?"

For some reason, Lin Xiyu felt uneasy after hearing what he said, and had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.

"I need to go to Xinhua Bookstore."

Gu Bin's eyes flickered slightly, and he used the opportunity to change the subject: "Buy some textbooks on computer applications."

Didn't you apply for law school?

Lin Xiyu's thoughts were instantly diverted by him: "Why study computers?"

"I want to pursue a double degree."

Gu Bin was beaming with pride.

"Brilliant."

My cousin gave me a thumbs up to express her admiration: "The provincial top scorer is amazing, no wonder he's a genius."

"No wonder you can fix computers."

Lin Xiyu suddenly realized: "So you've been teaching yourself computers all along."

"Those are just the surface."

Gu Bin smiled modestly: "Only by going to university can I study systematically. I also want to read some books in advance so that I won't fall behind when I'm pursuing a double degree."

"You can't keep up?"

His cousin patted him hard on the shoulder, expressing her utter shock: "Dude, you're too modest."

"Look how you've upset your cousin!"

Lin Xiyu covered her mouth and laughed: "All the guys are out."

"My cousin thinks too highly of me."

Gu Bin smiled and said, "The top scorer in the province is still a human being, not a god. I also studied hard from a young age. It's just that outsiders only see the glamorous exterior and don't see my efforts."

"Tsk."

My cousin was envious, her sour feelings overflowing: "Hearing you say that makes it even more discouraging. You academic geniuses have to work so hard, how are we, the academic underachievers, supposed to survive?"

"Everyone has his own ambition."

Out of respect for Lin Xiyu, Gu Bin smiled and flattered his future sister-in-law: "Sister Lei is clearly cut out for business. She'll achieve great things in the future. It's not impossible for her to become the chairman of a listed company, let alone a small decoration company."

"I like to hear that."

My cousin's eyes lit up, and she perked up immediately: "Xiao Bin has good taste. Just because you think so highly of me, I have no choice but to strive to become the chairman of a listed company."

"Sister, come on!"

Lin Xiyu chimed in enthusiastically, "I also think highly of you."

"Haha, my dear sister, I knew you understood me best."

My cousin burst into triumphant laughter, then suddenly stopped, and asked awkwardly, "But before that, Xiaobin, could you explain to me what a listed company is? I've never heard of it."

Gu Bin: "."

-

The dinner was scheduled for that evening at Zuixiangju*Old Jinan Lu Cuisine Restaurant on Furong Street.

Liu Ye specially booked a large private room, which could accommodate more than twenty people.

His cronies were all there, a complete group.

My cousin was in high spirits, toasting them one by one and drinking heartily, which drew cheers from the group of spoiled rich kids.

"Sister Lei is so kind, I'll be your friend."

Several people who were closest to Liu Ye also perked up and took the initiative to toast his cousin, one glass after another, as if they wouldn't stop until they got her drunk.

After a few rounds of drinks, my cousin got a little tipsy, so Lin Xiyu helped her out of the private room to sober up in the corridor.

A cool breeze made my cousin feel nauseous, and she rushed to the bathroom and vomited violently.

"Sis, please don't drink anymore."

Lin Xiyu was alarmed and reached out to help him up, saying, "Drinking like this is bad for your stomach."

"fine."

My cousin didn't seem to care. After spitting it out, she rinsed her mouth and wanted to continue drinking.

"sister"

Lin Xiyu grabbed her, preventing her from going back to the private room: "Stop drinking, let's go home."

"No."

My cousin has her own plans: "One of Liu Ye's friends, the one with the big gold chain around his neck, named Li Zhi, his dad is a construction contractor. He's really rich, even richer than Wang Fan's family. He said he wants me to work for him and introduce me to the jobs his dad does. I can't miss such a good opportunity."