51: Chapter 51 Will the bride price be increased?

As it turned out, she didn't consider her a mother at all.

To kneel on the ground and beg to serve the same husband with her—she was actually capable of saying such things.

Zhao Yaqin put down her knife and fork, picked up her wine glass, and took a sip.

Wang Yang looked at her.

"What's wrong?"

Zhao Yaqin shook her head.

"It's nothing. I just suddenly felt that some things should be let go."

Wang Yang looked at her.

"Liu Qian?"

Zhao Yaqin nodded.

"Over twenty years. I raised her for over twenty years. From today on, she has nothing to do with me anymore."

Wang Yang reached out and took her hand.

"It should have been like this a long time ago."

Zhao Yaqin looked at him, her eyes slightly red, but she nodded with a smile.

"Mm."

After finishing their meal, the two walked out of the restaurant.

The sunlight was just right, shining warmly on them.

Wang Yang lowered his head and asked her.

"Do you want to go anywhere else?"

Zhao Yaqin thought for a moment and shook her head.

"Let's go back. I'm tired today."

Wang Yang nodded.

After what happened just now, it really wouldn't be appropriate to continue strolling around.

He drove Zhao Yaqin home and parked the car downstairs at her building.

The two shared a tender moment in the car, kissing again and again, until Zhao Yaqin finally got out of the car with a blushing face.

She walked two steps, then turned back to look at him.

Wang Yang was sitting in the car, smiling at her.

Zhao Yaqin waved her hand and walked quickly into the unit entrance.

Wang Yang watched her back disappear into the hallway before starting the car.

After leaving Zhao Yaqin's home, Wang Yang didn't go directly to find Su Xincheng.

He drove to a tobacco and liquor store.

The shop was brightly lit, and the shelves were filled with various cigarettes and liquors.

The owner was a middle-aged man who was looking down at his phone, but he looked up when he heard the noise.

"Boss, what would you like?"

Wang Yang glanced at the counter.

"Do you have cigarette brand?"

The owner's eyes lit up.

"Yes, yes, yes! How many cartons do you want?"

Wang Yang thought for a moment.

"I'll take ten cartons first."

The owner was stunned.

"Ten... ten cartons?"

Wang Yang nodded.

"Mm. Also, give me ten cartons of Jiuwu."

The owner's mouth hung open.

These were all high-end cigarettes; one carton cost over a thousand, so ten cartons would be over ten thousand.

He looked at Wang Yang, then at the black X5M outside, and understood the situation.

"Alright, alright! Please wait a moment!"

He nimbly moved the cigarettes out and packed them into bags, one by one.

Wang Yang pointed to the liquor cabinet again.

"Do you have Feitian Moutai?"

The owner nodded repeatedly.

"Yes! How many do you want?"

Wang Yang thought for a moment.

"I'll take two cases first."

The owner's hands were shaking.

Feitian Moutai cost over three thousand per bottle, and there were six bottles in a case.

Two cases meant twelve bottles, nearly forty thousand yuan.

Adding the twenty cartons of cigarettes, this order was nearly sixty thousand.

He quickly moved the liquor, packed it, and tallied the bill.

"Sir, the total is fifty-eight thousand six hundred."

Wang Yang took out his phone and scanned the code to pay.

The owner watched him pay, his eyes fixed in amazement.

This gentleman was truly wealthy.

Wang Yang loaded the cigarettes and liquor into the car, filling the trunk to the brim.

He closed the trunk, sat in the driver's seat, and started the engine.

Next, it was time to go to the hotel.

...

Meanwhile, in Fenghua County.

On the east side of the county, in an old residential complex.

A gray volkswagen bora drove in slowly and stopped in front of an old six-story building.

Wang Xiaohu turned off the engine, sat in the car, and stared at the building in front of him.

The six-story old building had white exterior paint that was mottled and peeling, revealing the dusty gray cement underneath.

Downstairs was packed with electric scooters and bicycles, and wires hung haphazardly on the walls.

Chen Yali's home was in this building, on the fourth floor, the east unit.

He had been here many times.

Every time he came, he brought large and small bags—cigarettes, liquor, fruit, and health supplements; he didn't dare to miss a single thing.

This time was the same.

Wang Xiaohu got out of the car and moved the items out of the trunk.

Cigarettes, liquor, fruit, and health supplements piled up on the ground. It had cost him nearly three thousand yuan.

He took a deep breath and carried the items into the hallway.

The hallway was narrow and dimly lit, with the walls covered in flyers.

The cement stairs had been worn smooth and shiny, and the handrail was covered in thick dust.

Wang Xiaohu climbed up floor by floor, and by the time he reached the fourth floor, he was already panting a little.

Standing at the door, he heard voices coming from inside.

The door was ajar.

Wang Xiaohu knocked on the door.

"Is anyone home?"

The door opened.

A middle-aged woman stood at the door, wearing a floral cotton-padded jacket with a round face.

Her eyes were small, and she looked Wang Xiaohu up and down.

It was Mrs. Chen.

Wang Xiaohu quickly greeted her with a smile.

"Hello, Auntie, I've come to visit you and Uncle."

Mrs. Chen's gaze shifted from his face to his hands.

Seeing the large and small bags he was carrying, her expression softened slightly.

"Come in."

Wang Xiaohu walked in and placed the items on the living room table.

The living room was not large, and the decor was very old-fashioned.

The sofa was an old-style leather sofa; the leather surface was cracked and held together with tape.

The coffee table was piled with melon seed shells and orange peels, and there were un-swept cigarette butts on the floor.

Mr. Chen was sitting on the sofa, holding a cigarette in his hand and sitting with his legs crossed.

Seeing him enter, he didn't even lift his eyelids.

Chen Yali was sitting on the other side, also sitting with her legs crossed and cracking melon seeds.

She was wearing a newly bought pink down jacket, and on her feet were newly bought snow boots.

The phone in her hand was also the latest model.

These were all bought by Wang Xiaohu.

When she saw him enter, she just looked up for a moment, then lowered her head to continue cracking melon seeds.

Wang Xiaohu felt a bit cold in his heart.

But he still greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, Uncle."

Mr. Chen grunted, acknowledging him.

Mrs. Chen sat down beside him, crossed her legs, and got straight to the point.

"Xiaohu, how is the preparation for the bride price going?"

Wang Xiaohu said quickly.

"Auntie, I've gathered it all. Three hundred eighty-eight thousand, not a penny less. The three gold items are also bought, worth thirty thousand."

As he spoke, he took out a bank card from his bag and placed it on the coffee table.

"The money is all on the card, and you can withdraw it at any time."

Mrs. Chen glanced at the card, then at Mr. Chen.

Mr. Chen stubbed out his cigarette and finally looked directly at Wang Xiaohu.

"Xiaohu, it's not that we're making things difficult for you. Yali is our only daughter, and it hasn't been easy raising her this big. Look at our family's situation; we're counting on her marrying into a good family so we have someone to rely on when we're old."

Wang Xiaohu nodded.

"Uncle, I know, I understand."

Mr. Chen continued.

"But these past few days, your Auntie and I have discussed it again. Prices are rising sharply now. Three hundred eighty-eight thousand isn't even enough for a down payment on a house in the county later. You can't expect Yali to marry you and still live in an old residential complex like this, can you?"

Wang Xiaohu was stunned.

"Uncle, what do you mean by that?"

Mrs. Chen took over, cracking melon seeds while speaking lightly.

"It means that three hundred eighty-eight thousand is not enough. Now it needs to be four hundred eighty-eight thousand."

Wang Xiaohu's head buzzed.

"Four hundred eighty-eight thousand?"

He widened his eyes and looked at Chen Yali.

Chen Yali kept her head down and cracked melon seeds, not even looking up.

Wang Xiaohu opened his mouth.

"Auntie, this... wasn't it agreed to be three hundred eighty-eight thousand? I've gathered it all, how can you..."

Mrs. Chen's face darkened, and she threw the melon seeds onto the coffee table.

"How can what? We raised our daughter this big, what's wrong with asking for another one hundred thousand? Can't you afford it?"

Wang Xiaohu clenched his fists.