At Wang Cuifen's suggestion, Lin Xiaoman finally spoke, but her words shocked her. "Dad, my parents-in-law are sensible people. They are willing to let me return to my parents' home and remarry. But, Brother Chuan is gone now. You have seen the situation at home. My father-in-law went out to find someone and spent hundreds of dollars outside. He borrowed all that money from every family..."
After starting to cry, Lin Xiaoman stopped talking and began to sob.
The next words naturally came from the hostess. Jiang Fengzhen began to haggle with a calculating and mercenary look.
"When our eldest son married Xiaoxiao, we gave her 800 yuan as a betrothal gift, while yours only gave her 58 yuan as a dowry. Xiaoxiao's dowry included a TV, a refrigerator, a sewing machine, a tape recorder, and an electric fan. We bought all of them and gave them to you before she married. So, yours only gave her a toilet, two wooden basins, a foot warmer... and two quilts.
We emptied our family savings to marry our son off, and now that my son is dead, Xiaoxiao wants to return to her parents' home. As a woman, I understand that, but the things my family bought must stay in my family, and the betrothal gift should also be returned to us."
Jiang Fengzhen blah blah.
As a grown man, Mu Weimin couldn't do anything to quarrel with her, so he could only wink at Wang Cuifen. However, Wang Cuifen was already stunned by the development of "daughter coming back". She was so anxious that her mind was confused.
Furious that Wang Cuifen failed to deliver at the critical moment, Mu Weimin could only hold back his anger and argue on his own, "Mother-in-law, your request is too much. We're already married, so how can you return the betrothal gift? You can't treat my daughter as someone who has never been married just because her son-in-law died. Although we've only been married for less than half a year, my daughter is now a second-marriage! How can she be treated the same as a virgin? After getting married, there's no such thing as returning the betrothal gift! And the dowry, although it was bought by your family, was bought by you willingly for my daughter. Which parent-in-law would seize the daughter-in-law's dowry? That doesn't make sense!"
"Then I have to say, whose son-in-law just died and the father-in-law came to take him? Is that reasonable? My son's body is still warm, and the daughter-in-law wants to go back to her parents' home and take away all the dowry bought by her husband? Go out and let everyone judge, is there anyone like you who does this?"
"Dad, we can't be so heartless. Brother Chuan just left. You can't do this. If I go back now, people will definitely point fingers at me. You also want to take the dowry back. Do I still want to live? I won't go back with you!" Lin Xiaoman cried, but her attitude was firm.
Wang Cuifen: Yes, yes, don’t come back!
Jiang Fengzhen continued, "I don't care. The dowry must be kept and the betrothal gift must be returned. Otherwise, Xiaoxiao is part of our Lin family. We spent a lot of money to marry her. Why should you take her away just like that? There's no such thing as that!"
Mu Weimin was furious and glared at Lin Xiaoman who was leaning against his elbow. If it were at home, he would have slapped him.
However, this was Lin Dahai's home, Xiaolin Village, and Mu Weimin didn't have the courage to take action. He could only suppress his anger and continue to argue with Jiang Fengzhen, "My son-in-law is dead, and everyone is very sad, but you can't be so unreasonable, mother-in-law. You want all the dowry and money back. Then my daughter will become a widow for nothing. Who can I ask for compensation?"
Jiang Fengzhen: "Compensation? It's you who want to take Xiaoxiao back, not my Lin family who doesn't want a daughter-in-law. If you feel you're losing out, just go back on your own."
Mu Weimin: "My daughter will be a widow if she stays in your house. As a father, I can't bear to see her suffer so much!"
Jiang Fengzhen: "If my son dies, my life won't be miserable?"
…
After some debate, Mu Weimin finally agreed to return the 400 yuan and keep all the electrical appliances bought by the Lin family as dowry.
Although he was heartbroken, Mu Weimin was not stupid. Whether his daughter stayed in the Lin family as a widow or remarried, the dowry could not be moved back to his home.
And money...
Forget it, after returning the 400, he will immediately receive the 1,000 yuan betrothal gift.
Although Wang Cuifen was anxious, she did not dare to openly confront Mu Weimin. The overall situation had been decided, and she could only worry.
Because he didn't bring any money today, Lin Xiaoman didn't go back for the time being. Both parties agreed on the next day to visit.
Originally, Mu Weimin wanted to have a free lunch, but Jiang Fengzhen and Lin Xiaoman were sitting there with no intention of cooking. Mu Weimin finally couldn't sit still anymore and had to take Wang Cuifen back first.
"Xiaoxiao, your father won't really marry you to that Liu Mazi, right?" After sending the two away, Jiang Fengzhen looked nervous and asked Lin Xiaoman with uneasiness in her heart.
If she harms her daughter-in-law because of this, she will feel guilty for the rest of her life.
"No, as long as I absolutely refuse to agree, he can still force me to marry him with a knife?" Lin Xiaoman said with a relaxed expression, not worried at all, but in his heart he sneered: Humph, he dares? Break his dog legs!
"but……"
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll take good care of myself," Lin Xiaoman consoled her, speaking with sincerity. "On the contrary, it's you who will be the ones to take care of me. Xiaoyue and the others are still young, so the whole family will depend on you. Mom, you must cheer up. You and Dad have to shoulder the responsibility of this family. I'm afraid the days ahead will be tough. Although I'm going back, if anything happens, just send someone to let me know and I'll do my best. My dad said before, our two families will always be relatives, so come to us if you encounter any problems. And I'll help you get the remaining 400 yuan back as soon as possible..."
"Xiaoxiao..." Jiang Fengzhen was so moved that she couldn't stop crying. "You have to be good too. You absolutely can't marry someone like Liu Mazi. If your father forces you to, just tell us and we'll help you. If someone introduces you to a potential partner in the future, just tell me and I'll help you find someone. If you meet the right one, live a good life..."
Just like a daughter getting married, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a long conversation.
In the afternoon, Jiang Fengzhen specially killed a chicken, and in the evening, the family had a good meal.
In a blink of an eye, three days passed and the agreed day arrived.
The night before leaving, Jiang Fengzhen killed another chicken, bought some meat, and cooked several dishes. It was as rich as Chinese New Year. The whole family had a good meal together as a farewell banquet.
Because she felt upset, Jiang Fengzhen's eyes were still red that morning.
After feeding the silkworms early in the morning, Jiang Fengzhen took Lin Yue and Lin Xi to help Lin Xiaoman pack her luggage. Actually, there was nothing to pack, and Lin Xiaoman didn't have much stuff, so she packed it up quickly.
Then there was a woman in the room. Parting always makes people sad.
Lin Xiaoman, this black-hearted person, showed off her acting skills. "I can't bear to leave you, but for your own good, I have to go..."
The three of them were so moved that one of them had tears in his eyes.
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