Switched Marriage: The Coddled Little Wife-Chapter 481: Is She Worthy?

Li Dongmei’s small face blushed furiously as she hung her head low. "Granny, I... I must go back now."

Mrs. Zhang grunted, and Li Dongmei hurriedly ran out with quick steps.

Zhang Wenbin came out of the house slowly, casually buttoning up his shirt.

Mrs. Zhang spat disdainfully, "Slut," then looked up at her son, "When are you going to marry her? Don’t just indulge yourself. I’m already old, and I still have to wash clothes and cook for you every day. My old back is about to break."

Zhang Wenbin thought for a moment, "Mom, how much money do we have left?"

Mrs. Zhang immediately raised her voice, "What do you need money for? Do you think there’s any left? All the money has been taken by that little bitch, and you know it. We don’t have any money now, not a single penny."

Zhang Wenbin slightly frowned. It was true that Li Wenhong had taken their money, but she only took the cash from his room.

He knew that although his mother’s room had been searched, the money she hid would not have been taken by Li Hongwen.

Before he got fired from his job, he had given most of his salary to his mother every month.

"You’re always telling me to get married, but when has getting a wife ever been free of cost? I’ve heard that marrying a wife in the city now requires a grand betrothal gift."

As soon as Mrs. Zhang heard this, her eyes widened, "What? You want a grand betrothal gift to marry that little slut? Is she, a muddy-legged country girl, worth such a thing? Does she deserve it?"

Although Zhang Wenbin also felt she wasn’t worthy, the thought of the neighbor village’s bride who had received a grand betrothal gift weighed on his mind. This wasn’t just about whether Li Dongmei was worthy or not; it affected his own pride.

"Even if we can’t afford a grand betrothal gift, we should at least have a decent one, right? Mom, think about it, this is my second marriage. If it’s too poor, and word gets out to the Qin Family, I don’t want them laughing at us."

Mrs. Zhang also feared losing face but was even more reluctant to spend money.

"Don’t rush this matter. Let’s see how they react first. Although it’s your second marriage, we’re city folks. Marrying Li Dongmei is a favor to her. We can’t appear too eager and lower ourselves," she dismissed the idea of a grand betrothal gift.

"If they appreciate our status, we’ll happily settle this matter. If they try to take advantage of us, we won’t be bullied. Their daughter is already with you; what’s there to fear? Once she becomes pregnant, they’ll have to beg you to marry her. By then, forget about a grand betrothal gift, we won’t marry her unless they provide a substantial dowry."

At these words, a glint of anticipation flashed in Zhang Wenbin’s eyes.

He was well aware of Elder Mrs. Li’s attitude. If Li Dongmei indeed became pregnant, he expected Elder Mrs. Li would actually come begging.

Meanwhile, Li Dongmei had just returned home and was called into the house by Mrs. Li.

With drooping eyelids and a heavy voice, she asked, "Where have you been?"

Feeling somewhat guilty, Li Dongmei spoke up, "Where else could I go, but to sell vegetables with my brother?"

With a slap, Mrs. Li hit the edge of the bed, "You say you went to sell vegetables with your brother again? Your brother has been back for a while; where did you go to sell vegetables with him?"

Li Dongmei shivered with fear, then stepped forward to hug Old Mrs. Li’s arm, grinning slyly as she spoke, "Mom, at first I went to sell vegetables with my brother, but later on Wenbin called me over to discuss the marriage."

Upon hearing that she was indeed with Zhang Wenbin, Old Mrs. Li’s face darkened even more—she hadn’t agreed to this marriage yet.

As Li Dongmei spoke, she watched Old Mrs. Li’s expression closely. Seeing her dismay, she quickly added, "Wenbin, knowing that you cherish me, didn’t want me to marry a divorced man, so he called me over to discuss it first. He doesn’t want me to feel wronged either. When the time comes, he’ll give me a generous bride price, a complete set of furniture and electrical appliances. Mom, Wenbin is not what you say; he treats me pretty well."

Mrs. Li’s face softened a little upon hearing this.

Even though she looked down on Zhang Wenbin being a divorced man, if the other side was indeed offering a substantial bride price of a complete set of appliances, it showed they were serious about her daughter, and she might not refuse.

"Let’s wait for him to formally propose then," Old Mrs. Li remarked, glancing sideways at Li Dongmei, "Keep yourself in check these days, and don’t go running to men’s houses for no good reason."

Li Dongmei muttered to herself, wasn’t it you who told me to seize the opportunity in the first place? Now you’re telling me not to visit men’s homes.

If she hadn’t been as diligent, given Zhang Wenbin’s personality, he might not have been interested in her.

Li Dongmei believed happiness was something she had fought for herself, even the substantial bride price from Zhang Wenbin was something she slowly negotiated for, wasn’t it?

Regarding whether to continue visiting his place, of course she would; what if Zhang Wenbin caught the eye of another woman if she truly stopped?

...

Huamei Mall was grandly celebrating its opening with all clothing at a 10% discount for the first three days.

During these three days, the mall was unprecedentedly busy, with daily sales approaching five figures.

Not just Wang Tianxue, even Lin Chuxia hadn’t expected business to be so good.

Originally, they thought that after the three-day discount period, the mall would quiet down for a few days, but sales only dipped slightly, with foot traffic still far surpassing Department Store and People’s Mall’s usual numbers.

On the third day after the mall’s opening, Wang Tianxue had already phoned her aunt in Rong City to restock.

Although this batch of goods was significant, compared to their first trip to Rong City, it was much less and could be easily transported by train.

Lin Chuxia was extremely busy these past few days; with the business booming, everyone was rallied, and as the owner, she still had to coordinate many of the new operations.

Wang Tianxue managed the inside while she took charge of the outside. The two cooperated well in sync.

That day, as she just returned from outside and entered the mall, she felt something was off and heard a commotion.

She saw not far away someone was pointing at one of their employees, speaking accusatorily. The criticized employee was none other than Qin Jianjun.

Lin Chuxia went straight over, and at the same time, Wang Tianxue, who had been called by the staff, also just came downstairs from upstairs.

And the lead woman on the other side continued to rant disdainfully, "I know that in these recent years of reform and opening up, you country folks are allowed to come to the city for work, but don’t think having a job makes you equal to city people. Having a job doesn’t mean you are entitled to rationed grain. Aspiring for social class transition isn’t as simple as just coming to the city. Turn around and look, what’s a rural family like, and what’s a city family like? There’s a chasm between the two. Lele is young and doesn’t understand these things, but we parents won’t be fooled by you. I advise you to give up. Our daughter will only look for a match with equal social standing, and she definitely won’t choose a bumpkin like you from the countryside..."

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