Chapter 38 Don't be shy, your husband will love you.
"Say that again!" Jiang Wanxia's eyes were red as if they were about to bleed, and her voice was hoarse. "What money did I spend from your Wang family? The new clothes your brother is wearing cost 320 yuan and 100 jin of cloth coupons, and I paid for them! The polyester shirt you're wearing is also new material that I gave you! Now you're turning around and accusing me of spending your family's money? Your Wang family has no shame at all!"
Wang Fang's scalp ached from being pulled so hard, and she screamed as she tried to pry her hands off: "You're crazy, let go of me! You're a destitute woman whose home has been ransacked, and you're only able to marry into our cadre family because your ancestors burned incense so kindly! What's wrong with you contributing a little money? It's your duty to show respect! You expect us to buy you this tattered wedding dress? Wishful thinking!"
The Wang family came today and ordered three new outfits for their son, Wang Jianjun, but made Jiang Wanxia pay for her own dress.
Not only that, Wang's mother also implied that Jiang Wanxia should "show her appreciation" for Wang Jianjun's most expensive suit, since the Wang family had gone to great lengths to ensure that she, someone with a "bad class background," could stay in Shanghai.
These past few days, Jiang Wanxia had been enduring so much in order to smoothly become Mrs. Wang. But today, even for such a momentous occasion as marriage, the Wang family wasn't willing to give her any semblance of dignity.
They keep using the same old excuses.
She completely snapped.
In the chaos of the fight, no one noticed how the wedding dress, the store's prized possession, was torn to shreds.
Zhou Ling looked at the mess in front of her, her face turning ashen.
"Stop it, all of you!" she shouted sternly.
The two women, who were wrestling, paused and instinctively let go of each other.
Zhou Ling ignored who was right and who was wrong, and walked straight to the ruined wedding dress, bending down to pick up a corner.
The expensive lace was torn open with a huge rip, and there was a dark shoe print on the hem of the skirt.
She stood up, her cold gaze sweeping over every member of the Wang family, before finally speaking in a businesslike tone: "This wedding dress is made of imported French fabric, the only one of its kind in Shanghai. The original price was 2,300 yuan, plus 500 jin of nationally valid cloth coupons. Today, if we don't pay a single penny less, none of us will leave this house."
"Two...two thousand three?!"
The man who had been hiding to the side without daring to utter a sound finally spoke up upon hearing this, his voice trembling with shock.
The mother's eyes widened, and she screamed, "Are you robbing me?! Besides, it's not like we broke it!"
She pointed her finger sharply at Jiang Wanxia: "It was her! This jinx started it! She should pay for it! It has nothing to do with the Wang family!"
After saying that, she grabbed her son Wang Jianjun's arm, her face full of disgust: "Jianjun, let's go! This marriage is off! Our Wang family can't afford this troublemaker and spendthrift woman!"
Jiang Wanxia's face suddenly changed.
Are you kidding me?! Where would she get so much money?!
She panicked, disregarding all pride, and clung tightly to Wang Jianjun's clothes, her voice trembling with tears: "Jianjun, don't go! You can't abandon me! Jianjun!"
Wang Jianjun was initially hesitant, but after being pushed and shoved by his mother, he lost face.
He looked at Jiang Wanxia's disheveled appearance and a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.
"Let go." He coldly shook off Jiang Wanxia's hand, the force so great that she stumbled.
“You’re completely different from when I first met you,” the man said, pursing his lips. “You’ve changed now.”
After saying that, he turned and left with his parents without looking back.
Jiang Wanxia collapsed to the ground.
Zhou Ling looked down at her and said, "The Wang family is gone, so you'll have to pay this debt. Either you pay me 2,300 yuan now, or I'll call the police right now. It's your choice."
If she were arrested and taken to the police station, her only fate as someone with a "bad class background" would be to be immediately sent back to the countryside, and she could never return to the city for the rest of her life.
"No...no..." Jiang Wanxia was terrified. She hurriedly crawled to Zhou Ling's feet, crying and saying, "Boss, please, please give me a few more days! I'll pay, I promise I will! I...I still have some old jewelry left by my mother, I'll use it to pay off the debt, okay? Please!"
Zhou Ling watched her cry miserably, her eyes not even blinking.
She gestured with her chin toward a terrified shop assistant next to her and instructed, "You, go with her. Get the things back, keep an eye on her, and don't let her get away."
The farce upstairs could be heard clearly downstairs.
But Jiang Wanqiu didn't pay attention to who the troublemakers were. She wasn't particularly interested in other people's family affairs.
"Let's go check out the men's clothing section over there."
She pulled the man over, looked him over from left to right, and finally picked out a well-tailored dark gray suit for him. The fabric was crisp and the style was the most fashionable at the moment.
She shoved the clothes into Zhao Wenchang's arms, and seeing the man's expression as if he wanted to refuse, she deliberately made her tone a little firmer: "Go on, put these on and let me see. Tomorrow is my sister's big day, and I don't want my husband to be outshone by her husband."
Zhao Wenchang looked at her, didn't ask any more questions, just smiled with narrowed eyes, responded, took the clothes and turned to go into the fitting room.
A few minutes later, when the curtain of the fitting room was pulled open and the man stepped out, Jiang Wanqiu's eyes lit up.
Zhao Wenchang was already tall and straight, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long, straight legs. The suit seemed tailor-made for him, perfectly outlining the powerful muscle lines beneath the clothes.
Coupled with his sharply defined, cold and imposing face, he looked like a foreign model who had stepped out of a magazine.
The salesperson who had been so difficult to them was now standing not far away, mouth agape, eyes wide, oblivious to the feather duster that had fallen to the ground.
Jiang Wanqiu looked at the man in front of her with satisfaction; this suit seemed tailor-made for him.
She couldn't hide her pride; she took a few steps forward and naturally reached out to straighten his neat collar.
"This is it." She made her decision and turned to reach into her pocket for money and cloth coupons.
But before he could reach in, he was stopped by a smiling voice.
"No need, comrade."
Zhou Ling came downstairs at some point, her face bearing a warm smile that was completely different from before.
She walked up to the two men and said politely, "Our staff said Mr. Zhao has already paid. You are my valued customer, so all your purchases today will be discounted by half."
Jiang Wanqiu was taken aback and turned to look at Zhao Wenchang in surprise. When did he pay?
The man's tall figure loomed over her, a smug, wicked smile playing on his lips.
He stretched out his large, well-defined hand and gently pinched her smooth cheek with his calloused fingertips.
This gesture was intimate and bold in front of outsiders, and Jiang Wanqiu's face immediately flushed.
Zhao Wenchang leaned down and whispered in her ear, his voice low and deep, "If I don't cherish my own wife, who will? I still have this much money."
The warm breath sprayed onto her earlobe, making her feel numb and itchy. Jiang Wanqiu felt her entire body, from her earlobe to her neck, turn completely red.
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