Chapter 46
Xu Zeli stood in front of his parents and said, "Okay, Auntie. Our family can afford it."
Xu Zeli stood in front of his parents and said, "Okay, Auntie. Our family can cover half of the wedding. Let's follow the first version of the wedding plan."
Liu Hezhen slowly blew out a smoke ring, shook his head, and said with a half-smile, "That won't work. With this plan, I'm afraid I'll be wronging my Linlin."
Xu Zeli was stunned for a moment. He asked with dissatisfaction, "Auntie, what do you mean?"
Liu Hezhen pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray and extinguished the spark fiercely.
She clapped her hands gently and said slowly, "After marriage, Linlin can't possibly not live in your house, right? Given your family's financial situation, there's no way you can afford our Linlin's current standard of living. It's certain that our Linlin will suffer in the future, so shouldn't you make some compensation?"
After a pause, she continued forcefully, "I'm not satisfied with the current plan again. I need to revise it and improve the quality of the important parts."
Xu Zhengqing and Xu Huiqiu suppressed their anger. If they hadn't had a bit of rationality left, they would have started arguing with Liu Hezhen.
Humiliation, this is naked humiliation! One day he will throw these words back! Throw them in Liu Hezhen's face!
Xu Zeli swore secretly in his heart, and said with gritted teeth: "Auntie, since you know my family is poor, please don't make things difficult for us. I really love Linlin. Considering my sincerity towards Linlin, please forgive my previous concealment. Or, if you have anything to say, you can come to me and let my parents go."
At the end, Xu Zeli couldn't help but have a hint of humble pleading in his words.
Liu Hezhen didn't respond immediately. She picked up the brightly colored European-style teacup, took a sip with enjoyment, and then said, "Yes, even if you're poor, you shouldn't be discouraged. It's not good for you to go and borrow money in a big way. But as a family, it doesn't matter. If you don't have money, I can lend it to you. Just write an IOU and it'll be fine."
The entire living room fell into a huge silence.
Liu Hezhen wore a half-smile, his eyes slowly sweeping over the faces of Xu Zeli and the other two, and asked, "Do you want to accept? If you do, then we can continue the conversation. Otherwise, let's stop here."
At the end, there was a hint of threat in his words.
After a long moment, Xu Huiqiu's expression faded. She asked in a low voice, "Mother Linlin, how do you want to change this wedding?"
This meant agreement, but neither Xu's father nor his son objected, and both tacitly agreed with Xu Huiqiu's opinion.
Liu Hezhen clapped his hands and said happily, "That's easy! I only want to change two things. One is Linlin's wedding photos. I didn't expect things to change so quickly in China. There's a modern bridal shop on Nanjing Road owned by a Hong Konger. They use a Western photographer, and the wedding dresses are shipped from Hong Kong. I think this one is great, and it suits Linlin's style very well."
Xu Huiqiu's face was numb. She nodded heavily and said, "Okay! Mother Linlin, I'll listen to you."
Xu Zeli and Xu Zhengqing continued to remain silent.
Liu Hezhen further said: "The venue for the banquet also needs to be changed. Peace Hotel..."
Xu Huiqiu and the others all changed their expressions. Liu Hezhen looked at them and found it funny, and didn't want to tease them anymore.
She said quickly, "I'm open to the Peace Hotel, but for your family's sake, we don't have to go to the Peace Hotel. Otherwise, Linlin will have to pay off your debts together. I think we should go to a lower-end restaurant. The Shanghai Old Restaurant over in Yu Garden has hosted many foreign celebrities and politicians. Let's choose it. 66 yuan a table, it's not bad."
Xu Huiqiu only needed to nod, and the others had nothing to say. It had come to this point, so what was there that could not be tolerated?
Liu Hezhen was satisfied. She picked up the black leather notebook on the coffee table, wrote an IOU and handed it to Xu Zeli.
Xu Huiqiu hurriedly said, "Mother Linlin, I'll sign this IOU."
Liu Hezhen refused and said, "That won't do, relative."
Xu Zeli took it expressionlessly and wrote his name at the end of the IOU with great force.
Liu Hezhen took the notebook back, threw it nonchalantly onto the coffee table, and threw it into the melon seed plate.
This made Xu Zeli and the others angry again.
Liu Hezhen didn't look at their expressions and said to the nanny, "Go wake Linlin up and come down to say hello to everyone."
It was another long wait. Zeng Linlin was not as outrageous as Liu Hezhen. She came downstairs dressed neatly.
Zeng Linlin seemed oblivious to the unpleasant expressions on Xu Zeli and the others' faces. With a gentle smile on her face, she said in a friendly and affectionate manner, "Auntie and Uncle, Zeli, you're here."
The next few people chatted in a chaotic manner, trying to create a peaceful scene that should be a meeting between in-laws.
The intricate and exquisite floor clock made a crisp sound. Liu Hezhen covered her mouth and yawned. It was almost time for her to change her clothes and go out for the dinner.
Liu Hezhen said, "My dear relatives, it's getting late. I have things to do, so I won't entertain you."
Xu Zhengqing couldn't wait to leave the mansion. He said, "Okay, then, Linlin's mother, Linlin, we're leaving first."
Before he finished speaking, he was the first to stand up from the sofa, and Xu Zeli and Xu Huiqiu followed his lead.
Zeng Linlin said with a smile: "Uncle and aunt, I'll see you off."
Liu Hezhen coughed lightly.
Zeng Linlin winked at Liu Hezhen. "At this point, what else do you want, Mom? Don't you want me to get along well with them in the future? Do you want me to live with Xu Zeli forever?"
Liu Hezhen turned his head away, and Zeng Linlin walked forward and affectionately took Xu Zeli's arm.
The four of them walked in silence at first, and slowly, Xu Zhengqing and Xu Huiqiu walked far ahead.
Xu Zhengqing said angrily, "This is really too much! Don't even think about me coming to their house again!"
Xu Huiqiu glanced back at Zeng Linlin with a smile, then turned around and said, "Keep your voice down. Everything will be fine after today. From now on, let Xiaoze handle dealing with them. With Zeng Linlin around, things will be much better."
Xu Zhengqing lowered his voice and said, "Because of Xiaoze, I've lost all my dignity today. If Xiaoze doesn't work hard to climb up in the future, I'll be letting us down!"
Xu Huiqiu said confidently, "Don't worry, Xiaoze is doing this for this. Otherwise, who would want to endure this humiliation? When Xiaoze becomes successful in the future, I will pay you back for what you did today."
Hearing this, Xu Zhengqing's face was also full of longing, and he imagined it.
Later, Xu Zeli asked, "Linlin, what's going on with your mom and dad?"
Zeng Linlin replied nonchalantly, "What else could it be? My father hasn't found another husband in all these years, and my mother hasn't married in her time abroad. They couldn't get over each other, and their divorce was too hasty. They're still in a good relationship now, and although they haven't remarried, they live in the same room. If they hadn't been forbidden, I'm afraid I would have become a big sister."
As he listened, Xu Zeli's heart gradually became gloomy.
He also hoped that Liu Hezhen would return to England as soon as possible. The lethality of a pair of difficult but close-knit father-in-law and mother-in-law would be more than doubled.
Zeng Linlin saw Xu Zeli lost in thought, patted his shoulder, and said considerately: "Zeli, don't you still owe your ex-girlfriend a thousand yuan? Let me pay it off for you first."
Xu Zeli's face turned bad for a moment, and so did Zeng Linlin. She was very angry with Bei Bitang and it had nothing to do with Xu Zeli anymore.
But her mother and father warned her not to do anything that would be beneath her dignity and bring shame to them. She still had to think carefully about how to deal with Bei Bitang.
Xu Zeli turned his head to look at Zeng Linlin, revealing a gentle smile. He said gently, "Linlin, you are so kind."
Zeng Linlin couldn't wait to say, "Then let's go give her a call, ask her out, and return the money to her."
Xu Zeli asked doubtfully, "Linlin, that's not necessary. It would be better to just wire the money to her directly."
He didn't dare to see Bei Bitang again, for fear that he would lose control and say something he shouldn't say, angering Bei Bitang.
Zeng Linlin pouted, angrily letting go of Xu Zeli's arm, and said dissatisfiedly, "I want the two of us to pay her back in person, take the IOU back and tear it up, so she won't bother you anymore."
After a pause, Zeng Linlin stared straight into Xu Zeli's eyes and said, "Also, I want to see who she is to be so shameless."
Xu Zeli's face grew anxious. He coaxed Zeng Linlin and said, "Linlin, after all, I was the one who wronged her first. Could you please give me some face and not be so rude to her?"
When Bei Bitang and Zeng Linlin have a conflict, there is no need to guess who will suffer in the end, it will definitely be him.
Zeng Linlin covered her mouth and chuckled, looking very amused. She said, "Zeli, I was just kidding! Why are you so vulnerable? I'm the winner, and we're going to get our marriage certificate soon. I won't argue with a loser like her."
Xu Zeli breathed a sigh of relief.
Zeng Linlin took Xu Zeli's arm again and said with a smile, "Zeli, don't worry. When you meet her, I will stand quietly beside you and be your dignified and generous fiancée."
The two of them said something to Xu Huiqiu and the others and walked to a public telephone booth on the corner of the street.
Xu Zeli glanced at Zeng Linlin, who was at ease, and picked up the microphone hesitantly.
The person who answered the phone was an aunt from Bei Bitang Street, who told Xu Zeli that Bei Bitang was not at home and was at work, and asked him to call back after dinner.
Hearing this, Xu Zeli was surprised that Bei Bitang could find a job so quickly.
Zeng Linlin had known this result for a long time. She looked at Xu Zeli without blinking, and was satisfied when she saw that he didn't know much about Bei Bitang.
Zeng Linlin said, "Since she's not here, we won't call anymore. Let the aunt who answered the phone give her a message."
Xu Zeli also didn't want to face Bei Bitang, even if it was on the phone, he wished it were so.
Xu Zeli spoke to the other end of the phone in a businesslike manner, "Auntie, please tell Comrade Bei to wait for two people, Xu Zeli and Zeng Linlin, at People's Square at 7 o'clock this Sunday morning. We want to return her 1,000 yuan."
Xu Ze made the appointment so early because he thought that Zeng Linlin might not be able to get out of bed by then, so he could go and pay the money alone to avoid the situation from getting out of control.
When Bei Bitang came back from work and passed by the telephone room, the aunt who answered the phone called her quietly.
The aunt looked around secretly, and told Bei Bitang in a mosquito-like voice that Xu Zeli was looking for her.
Bei Bitang was grateful. If her aunt was downstairs and shouted these words out, it would cause a big uproar for her.
Bei Bitang thanked her aunt and thought that when she had a day off that day, she would make some braised dried tofu and give it to her aunt to help her pass the time.
Bei Bitang walked home absentmindedly. She didn't rest on Sundays, but she had to have a sunny day. The longer she delayed paying the debt, the more her and Xu Zeli's problems would drag on. And now, with the unreasonable Zeng Linlin involved, she was truly frightened.
The next day at work, Bei Bitang nervously told Jin Jianghai that she had something to do at home that Sunday and needed to take the morning off.
To her surprise, Jin Jianghai, who had been lukewarm towards her recently and refused to talk to her unless necessary, agreed to her request for leave without saying a word.
Bei Bitang was happy in her heart, and thought to herself that after Xu Zeli's problem was resolved, she would properly handle her relationship with Jin Jianghai and make their relationship warmer.
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