Understanding parents’ love after having children?

Xia Xiaolan secretly sneered. It was exactly because of their excessive indulgence that Zhou Yi dared to make so much trouble for her family.

Zhou Wenbang’s choice to let Zhou Yi return to Beijing was already a concession.

Xia Xiaolan thought it would be difficult for Zhou Yi to become sensible.

She probably didn’t even realize how many times she had embarrassed the Yuan family today.

Whether she liked it or not, she had to hold it in. If Zhou Wenbang and Jiang Hong had no objections, Zhou Yi’s opinions… didn’t count anyway.

“The Yuan family doesn’t even know how they’ll gather enough money yet. I think Uncle means not to give Zhou Yi any dowry. Will Yuan Han have to borrow money for the wedding, expecting Zhou Yi to repay it later?”

Guan Huie asked in return, “Do you think Zhou Yi could come up with that kind of money?”

Xia Xiaolan thought for a moment and shook her head:

“Probably not. Sister Zhou Yi doesn’t seem like someone who can save money.”

Ten thousand yuan wasn’t much to Xia Xiaolan, but it would be a life-changing amount for Zhou Yi. Xia Xiaolan could guess with her toes that despite working for so many years, Zhou Yi hadn’t saved much.

Looking at her lifestyle, she probably needed family subsidies regularly.

Just like Shao Guangrong before – how grand he appeared among his friends, but did he have any money? He even had to borrow from Kang Wei to renovate his house!

Zhou Yi was the female version of Shao Guangrong.

While Shao Guangrong couldn’t keep money in his hands, at least he was serious about work, and his current social circles might become useful connections in the future. Zhou Yi had just wasted her time until her twenties, with pockets emptier than her face, no achievements at work, spending her salary as soon as she got it, never thinking about the future.

“If Sister Zhou Yi can’t repay the money, and looking at Uncle’s attitude, he won’t help Yuan Han either… won’t their life be quite miserable?”

Guan Huie smiled: “That’s exactly the point – to make their life difficult. Once Yuan Han realizes he’s invested so much without getting any benefits, he’ll either have to keep enduring it, continuing to treat Zhou Yi well in exchange for occasional favors from your uncle and aunt, or he’ll turn cold and leave Zhou Yi.”

Either choice would be good for Zhou Yi.

Xia Xiaolan suddenly understood.

Her suggestion had been refined by Zhou Wenbang.

How could a seasoned cadre not know how to handle a young man from a small town like Yuan Han?

Yuan Han might have a hold on the confused Zhou Yi, but he was no match for Zhou Wenbang – the old ginger is truly spicier!

“It’s good that Sister Zhou Yi is going back to work. She has nothing to do all day except think about love. It’s best to let work occupy her time.”

Guan Huie nodded with a smile.

Isn’t that exactly the point?

With nothing to do, she spent all day wrapped up in endless love.

She had no other focus besides romance.

If Zhou Yi stayed idle at home, she would gradually become useless, with Yuan Han filling her every thought, even his farts smelling sweet to her.

“That’s why she not only needs to work but needs to do more work than before.”

Previously, Zhou Yi lacked ambition, and Zhou Wenbang and Jiang Hong hadn’t pushed her.

Now they didn’t need to push her themselves. They just needed to speak with her work unit to assign her more tasks. Zhou Yi would have no choice but to work hard, especially since she needed Zhou Wenbang and Jiang Hong to accept Yuan Han. She would naturally have to perform well to please her parents.

This wasn’t just one heavy blow, but a combination punch.

Parents’ hearts are full of love – if Zhou Yi had been more promising, why would Zhou Wenbang need to scheme against his daughter like this?

At the school gate, Xia Xiaolan suddenly realized:

“Aunt Guan, if you and Uncle Zhou hadn’t approved of me back then, would you have treated Zhou Cheng the same way?”

Guan Huie pretended to look stern: “What do you think?”

“I think you would have. If Zhou Cheng and I hadn’t broken up, you couldn’t have beaten me, and at least I hadn’t eloped with him – not as detestable as Yuan Han. Since you couldn’t control Zhou Cheng, Uncle Zhou might have transferred him to some extremely remote classified facility where he couldn’t return or communicate for two or three years, and naturally, we would have gradually drifted apart, right?”

Even if Zhou Cheng still liked her, given their relationship at the time, Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t have waited.

Xia Xiaolan had been very open-minded then – if one door closes, another opens. She just liked young handsome men, not necessarily having to die for Zhou Cheng.

Dating someone you can’t see or contact for two or three years?

That would hardly be a real relationship – what would be the point?

Guan Huie naturally wouldn’t admit it now: “If your Uncle Zhou heard you say that, he’d be so hurt. He has always liked you very much.”

As for herself.

Originally, she hadn’t liked Xia Xiaolan, but after inexplicably standing up for her that time, she couldn’t stop herself – this little devil was simply addictive!

Xia Xiaolan didn’t argue with Guan Huie. What’s past is past, and she was just joking. Why fight with Guan Huie over something that never happened?

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t that stubborn.

After watching her enter the school gates, Guan Huie couldn’t help asking the driver after a while:

“Do you think she’s really angry?”

The driver naturally dared not express an opinion. Guan Huie had meant to tease Xia Xiaolan, but ended up feeling increasingly anxious herself – this was what it meant to be overly concerned. Xia Xiaolan had conquered Guan Huie with her behavior, and now it was Guan Huie who feared losing her.

Xia Xiaolan had gradually permeated the Zhou family; Guan Huie would feel uncomfortable if she suddenly disappeared.

All parents want to find the best partner for their children – if not Xia Xiaolan for Zhou Cheng, then who?

Those with better family backgrounds, the so-called suitable matches, might not be as clever and beautiful as Xia Xiaolan.

Some might only have looks, with heads full of straw.

Thinking it through, Xia Xiaolan was still the most suitable.

…

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t angry at all. The next day, she went home and told her family about Zhou Yi’s marriage.

Grandmother Yu nodded, “Then your mother should prepare a wedding gift. We can’t be discourteous.”

Liu Fen hadn’t met other members of the Zhou family yet. Technically, since Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng weren’t married yet, Liu Fen could choose whether to attend Zhou Cheng’s uncle’s family celebration. But as a mother wanting to maintain face for her daughter, Liu Fen felt she should go.

“What should I prepare?”

In rural weddings, a gift of two or three yuan would be fine, but for a family like the Zhous, Liu Fen wasn’t sure what was appropriate.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford it – she could even give a red envelope with ten thousand yuan now.

But could she give such a large gift?

That wouldn’t be maintaining face for Xia Xiaolan; it would be showing off like nouveau riche and inviting ridicule.

“Zhou Yi’s marriage is a bit complicated. It’s not a happy occasion for Uncle Zhou’s family. We should keep our gift modest and not rub salt in their wounds.”

Xia Xiaolan had mentioned it briefly at home before.

After seeing the Yuan family yesterday, she described it more clearly now.

Hearing about how Zhou Yi had eloped, returned pregnant, and knelt at her grandparents’ door, Grandmother Yu’s eyebrows twitched: “The Zhou family is truly generous to still acknowledge such a daughter.”

Let her suffer a few years of hardship outside, then she’d learn to behave.

— It’s true that too good a life can confuse people!