193: It corrupts social morals.

Chen Qiu had returned to the village today for serious business.

The blind date introduced by the matchmaker a few days ago—a girl working as a livestream salesperson in Shenzhen—had returned last night.

The time for their meeting was set for today.

That was why Chen Qiu had returned to the village early in the morning.

However, before he could even meet his blind date, he heard the unexpected news at home that Lin Shanshan and Chen Yujie were breaking up.

In the living room, Luo Jinglan looked at the slightly aged woman in front of her with a face full of curiosity and gossip.

This was Yang Li, the wife of Village Secretary Chen Hai.

Their son, Chen Lei, was a high school teacher in the city, and his wife was also a teacher. The couple had a decent income and had bought a new house in the Xingzhou Bay Residential Area.

Yang Li often went there to help her son and daughter-in-law with the kids, occasionally staying over at Xingzhou Bay.

Ever since Huang Hui's family also bought a house in Xingzhou Bay, there was a fellow villager in the neighborhood. Yang Li would often take the children over to visit and chat to pass the time.

Last night, while chatting at Huang Hui's new home, Yang Li had personally witnessed a massive battle between a mother-in-law and her future daughter-in-law!

"Oh, wait, they might not even be mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the future!"

"Sister Yang, aren't Lin Shanshan and Chen Yujie engaged? Can they still break up?"

"Jinglan, look at what you're saying. People get divorced even after they're married, let alone this young couple who aren't even married yet!"

Luo Jinglan thought about it and realized she was right.

However, she asked curiously again.

"Then what's this about Huang Hui wanting to sue Lin Shanshan?"

Yang Li's face immediately became mysterious. Even though they were in their own living room, she looked around as if the walls had ears before lowering her voice.

"What else could it be? She wants the bride price and the red envelopes back!"

Then, Yang Li vividly described the thrilling drama she had witnessed with her own eyes last night!

"I was watching TV at her house with the kids."

"With a loud bang, the young couple came back."

"Lin Shanshan had a long face and went straight to the room to start packing her luggage."

"Huang Hui was puzzled and went to ask Chen Yujie if he had made Lin Shanshan angry again."

"Chen Yujie is an honest lad; he just kept apologizing over and over."

"Huang Hui went in to talk to Lin Shanshan."

"Tsk tsk, it started off polite enough, but they were shouting within two sentences."

"Huang Hui felt Lin Shanshan was too overbearing. She hadn't even married into the family yet, but she was bullying her son every day and throwing a tantrum at the slightest disagreement."

"Lin Shanshan called Huang Hui hypocritical and malicious, saying she was constantly picking on her and had made her a laughingstock..."

"Good heavens, the argument just got more and more intense!"

"Lin Shanshan pulled her suitcase and said she wasn't marrying into their family anymore."

"Huang Hui then told her to return the red envelopes, the bride price, and to remove her name from the house deed..."

Hearing this, Chen Qiu asked curiously.

"Has the bride price been paid? How much was it in total?"

Facing this billionaire from the village, a young man whom even her husband had to treat with great respect, Yang Li's animated expression quickly became serious.

"The bride price was 388,000. Then there were the red envelopes for the first meeting, meeting gifts, engagement gifts—a whole series of miscellaneous expenses. Oh right, and the red envelopes collected at the housewarming banquet are supposedly with Lin Shanshan too. All that adds up to another hundred thousand or so!"

"And then there's the house. Although it's on a mortgage, the down payment alone cost over 600,000..."

Yang Li pieced together the information she had heard.

Without calculating, one wouldn't know, but once calculated, it was shocking!

For Chen Yujie to marry a wife, even before getting the marriage certificate or officially entering the family, he had already spent nearly a million!

If you added the upcoming banquet, the wedding, the Three Golds, the red envelopes for the bride's relatives, and other expenses, it would definitely exceed a million!

"Huang Hui's family has certainly saved up a lot of money over the years."

Luo Jinglan clicked her tongue in amazement.

That was a million in cash!

If her own son hadn't been successful and able to earn money himself...

The savings of her and her husband would barely have covered the bride price!

"Exactly! How long would it take an ordinary family to save that much!"

"Huang Hui told Lin Shanshan to return the money, but Lin Shanshan just ran off without a word. How could Huang Hui not be anxious!"

"That's why Huang Hui was chasing after her, shouting that she was going to sue Lin Shanshan!"

"And then? Did she just let Lin Shanshan run away like that?"

"I don't know about that. My son and daughter-in-law came home and needed me to watch the kids, so I took the little one back."

As Yang Li spoke, her face still held a look of lingering excitement.

With the New Year approaching, she had actually witnessed such a grand drama firsthand.

This year, the mess in Huang Hui's family would likely be gossiped about by everyone in the village.

Luo Jinglan also let out a sigh of emotion.

This sister-in-law of hers had been sharp-tongued and mean her whole life, never expecting to find an even more formidable daughter-in-law.

"I always said that Lin Shanshan was no pushover. Good thing I didn't let her get too close to my Chen Qiu back then."

Luo Jinglan said with a sense of relief.

If Chen Qiu had found a wife like that, she probably wouldn't live past sixty.

But she trusted her son's taste; he definitely wouldn't be interested in someone like that!

Hearing this, Yang Li keenly sensed there might be some juicy gossip involved.

However, since it involved Chen Qiu, she didn't dare ask for details.

She had heard from her husband two days ago that Chen Qiu was putting up the money to properly renovate and expand the village's ancestral hall!

Apparently, it wasn't a small amount!

Moreover, because of Chen Qiu, the town was going to allocate funds to repair and renovate various roads and plaza facilities in the village!

With Chen Qiu's current contributions, Yang Li wouldn't dare spread any unfavorable gossip about him.

Otherwise, her husband would be the first one to give her trouble!

"So, this woman Lin Shanshan really isn't going to return the money?"

Luo Jinglan asked, somewhat incredulous.

"Looking at her, she definitely won't!"

"This... this is just breaking all the rules!"

Luo Jinglan shook her head repeatedly.

"Isn't it though!"

"If they had actually married and truly couldn't get along, or if the man had done something wrong to cause the separation, then returning a bit less of the bride price might be justifiable."

"But they haven't even married, and she's not returning a single cent!"

"Isn't that just a scam!"

"In the old days, she would have been beaten!"

"The social morals nowadays are just too corrupt!"

Yang Li said with a sigh of lament.

Seeing his mother and Yang Li, two middle-aged women, sighing with indignation, Chen Qiu also felt some emotion.

In the end, they were of the older generation; their outlook couldn't keep up with the times!

This was only the beginning.

"Son, do you think if Huang Hui really sues Lin Shanshan, she'll be able to win?"

Hearing his mother's question, Chen Qiu pondered for a moment.

If they didn't run into a judge of the 'kindly older sister' type, the possibility of winning was actually quite high.

But given the current gender ratio in the courts, it was almost impossible not to run into a 'kindly older sister'!

"This... can only depend on Chen Yujie's luck..."

At that moment, Yang Li suddenly received a message. Her eyes widened instantly, and she let out an incredulous cry.

"Lin Shanshan has sued Chen Yujie for ra..."

...