Lu Jinwen is getting married today. No matter how big their conflicts are, they shouldn't make such a scene in front of so many people.
Zhuo Linmei felt extremely wronged, her head bowed low. It wasn't that she didn't want to give Wei Mingyuan face; she just couldn't swallow this insult. Wei Mingyuan had always acted so well, giving her whatever she wanted when he was pursuing her.
Once he's been tricked into bed, he no longer respects Zhuo Linmei.
Zhuo Linmei felt incredibly stupid! She shouldn't have given herself away so early; men don't cherish what they have.
Wei Mingyuan slept with her twice and felt that she had to marry him. He didn't want to give her a dowry, buy her clothes, or even buy her gold.
Zhuo Linmei felt that there was no man in the world more wicked or disgusting than Wei Mingyuan!
The men were all drinking, while a few women went inside to chat. Qiao Ru felt that she had done something wrong in the past and was afraid that Chu Yu would hold a grudge against her, so she was especially attentive to Chu Yu, giving her peach shortbread and candy to eat, afraid that Chu Yu would be neglected.
Zhuo Linmei lowered her head, looked around Qiao Ru's bridal chamber, and couldn't help but ask:
"When you got married, how much dowry did Lu Jinwen give you? Did he buy you clothes or gold jewelry?"
Qiao Ru smiled somewhat awkwardly. She hadn't wanted to answer, but Zhuo Linmei kept pressing her, so she replied:
“He gave me his savings book and told me to go out and buy it myself. I felt that I couldn’t live without money, so I didn’t buy any gold jewelry.”
Zhuo Linmei felt a little better. Wei Mingyuan had been in the army for so many years, and he didn't have much money in his savings account. Lu Jinwen said he was giving the savings account to Qiao Ru, so he probably didn't have much property either.
She took a sip of tea, then suddenly her eyes lit up when she noticed something glittering in Qiao Ru's dressing case. She pulled it out, looked inside, and questioned Qiao Ru:
"Isn't this gold jewelry?"
Qiao Ru had no choice but to explain:
“Lu Jinwen gave me money, but I couldn’t bear to buy it myself. When his mother heard that I didn’t want gold jewelry, she sent me a few items from home. These two bracelets were old things from Lu Jinwen’s mother. She said I should pawn them and get new ones. The earrings and gold necklace were new ones that his mother bought. I went outside to inquire and found out that gold is quite expensive now. It’s not very cost-effective to exchange old for new, as the weight will decrease, so I didn’t exchange them for new ones.”
After Qiao Ru finished explaining, fearing that Zhuo Linmei might overthink things, she tried to reconcile them:
"Don't take it too seriously. Captain Wei is a really good person. He's so young but has already accomplished a lot. He'll definitely make sure you have a good life in the future. Temporary gains and losses don't matter. Not having gold jewelry or a dowry doesn't mean you're not doing well."
Zhuo Linmei shook her head, tears welling in her eyes, and said aggrievedly:
“What I care about is not just the dowry and jewelry, but that he doesn’t keep his word. He promised so readily, but after the marriage application was approved, he went back on his word and didn’t want to give it. He even said I was materialistic. Doesn’t he realize that he sends money home every month and has no money in his own hands? My family is not well-off. If I don’t send the dowry home, my parents will also have a hard time.”
Chu Yu frowned. Attending someone else's wedding is a happy occasion, but Zhuo Linmei's constant complaining and crying was quite annoying.
However, Wei Mingyuan was indeed wrong. If he didn't have money and they couldn't agree on the marriage terms, he could have postponed the wedding for a year or two.
It would be perfect if Wei Mingyuan could marry Zhuo Linmei after he has made enough money.
But Wei Mingyuan got something for nothing. He had no money, yet he agreed to all of Zhuo Linmei's demands. The marriage application was even approved before he unilaterally went back on his word. It was obvious that he wanted to trick her into marriage and make her agree to the marriage with tears in her eyes. After all, the marriage was public knowledge, and everyone knew that they were getting married. How could Zhuo Linmei have the nerve to back out?
Wei Mingyuan's actions were indeed a bit off-putting.
However, Chu Yu wouldn't say such things out loud. She wasn't stupid; she didn't want to get involved in other people's affairs, lest she end up making a mess of things.
Zhuo Linmei and Wei Mingyuan had been in a cold war for several months and had not officially reconciled. They would argue every time they met. This time, Wei Mingyuan invited Zhuo Linmei over on the occasion of Lu Jinwen's wedding, hoping to use the opportunity to get Zhuo Linmei to give him a way out.
Wei Mingyuan originally wanted to play hard to get. Zhuo Linmei was already his woman, so why would he let the duck that was already in his mouth fly away?
If he doesn't agree to marry Zhuo Linmei, no one will marry her. It's Zhuo Linmei who should be anxious!
He, Wei Mingyuan, is a fine young man with a position, a salary, and a stable job. Where could he not find a wife? Why did he have to beg for her forgiveness and agree to her demands?
When Wei Mingyuan called home, his mother said, "That wretched girl, she's a used woman. She's given herself to you, how could she marry someone else? Son, we need to keep her in check. Don't give in now. If you give in now, she'll have you under her thumb for life. The men of the Wei family aren't cowards. Listen to your mother, don't give in to her. Leave her alone for a few months, and she'll come begging to you!"
Wei Mingyuan thought his mother made sense, so he took her words to heart.
But Zhuo Linmei never came to see him.
Wei Mingyuan had tried to contact her several times, but she always spoke indifferently and didn't even look at him. Wei Mingyuan then regretted it a little. He shouldn't have argued with Zhuo Linmei over this dowry. Five hundred yuan wasn't much, and he should have just given it. Zhuo Linmei was so beautiful; spending five hundred yuan to marry such a lovely girl was a bargain for him, Wei Mingyuan!
But he was a man, and he couldn't bring himself to do that.
Besides, what his mother said makes sense. Zhuo Linmei had slept with him and he had defiled her body. She could not possibly marry someone else. If other men knew about this, how could they possibly treat her well?
Zhuo Linmei walked ahead in her high heels, and Wei Mingyuan jogged to catch up. "Linmei, why are you still angry?"
Zhuo Linmei stopped and looked at Wei Mingyuan seriously. "Shouldn't I be angry? The matter of you lying to me hasn't been resolved yet, so why can't I be angry?"
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