Reborn in the 70s: Pampered by Regiment Commander
Chapter 184 - 144 Changing Minds / Bluffing (Two-in-One)

Chapter 184: Chapter 144 Changing Minds / Bluffing (Two-in-One)

Chapter 144

"Is that how you talk about your own daughter? The Zhou family may be a hundred times better off than us, but that doesn’t mean Chuxia should be a meek and submissive daughter-in-law because of this!"

"You are Chuxia’s own father. If even you think we’ve gotten a huge bargain and should always give in to the Zhou family, then others will think even less of Chuxia!"

Lin Baohe’s guidance to his daughter had sparked Zhao Yulan’s anger. As soon as Lin Baohe finished speaking, Zhao Yulan gave him a fierce scolding.

"Look how anxious you are. I didn’t say that Chuxia should be meek and submissive. What I said is that she should temper her temper a bit. You’ve seen it too, Chuxia almost never has a kind word to say when she talks to Regimental Commander Zhou. If she really marries into the Zhou family with this attitude, how will that work?"

"That’s true..." Feeling that her husband’s analysis made sense, Zhao Yulan immediately changed her stance. "Chuxia, your father is right. Men like to save face, and it’s okay to make a fuss at home, but you must never let him lose face in front of outsiders. This includes me and your father, and even his father and mother. Whether you can understand it now or not, listening to your parents is never wrong."

"Okay, I’ll listen to my parents." In fact, Chuxia had also realized that her attitude towards Zhou Mikang was problematic, and she obediently agreed.

Although there were reluctant elements to this arranged marriage, it had to be said that Zhou Mikang treated her family with great respect. The fact that he took the initiative to give his passbook to her parents fully demonstrated this point!

At this thought, she suddenly realized that she still didn’t know how much money was in the passbook Old Master Zhou had given her. "Mother, how much was the gift money given by the Zhou family’s grandfather?"

Speaking of this matter, Zhao Yulan’s expression immediately became serious, "Chuxia, on the passbook given by Old Master Zhou, there are three thousand yuan. Your father and I have discussed it, and no matter what, we cannot accept this money. Our family may be poor, but we can’t be short of ambition and become a laughing stock to your husband’s family.

"Besides, your father and I just want you to have a better life; we never intended to benefit from your situation. If we were to take this money, you wouldn’t be able to hold your head up in the Zhou family.

"So, no matter what they say, we can’t take this money. Where we come from, when marrying off daughters, well-off families might give a gift money of six hundred yuan, plus a bicycle, a watch, a sewing machine, with everything all together costing at most one thousand yuan.

"Your mother and I think that if we were to follow this standard, the Zhou family would definitely think we are petty. If it really comes down to it, we’ll just accept the two thousand yuan from Regimental Commander Xiao Zhou and spend it on a future grandchild, so no one can say anything about it."

Thinking long term indeed, the ink barely dry on the agreement, and already thinking about grandchildren, Chuxia stared at her mother with a black line on her forehead, not knowing what to say.

Chuxia was not surprised by the amount of money the Zhou family had given because Old Master Zhou had previously suggested that her parents go back to their hometown and build a decent house. With the current prices, building four rooms in the countryside, with lower quality materials, would cost around two thousand yuan, or just over three thousand for better quality.

As for the additional two thousand-plus that Zhou Mikang had given, in the eyes of the Zhou family members, that was the son-in-law’s way of showing filial respect to his in-laws and had nothing to do with the gift money. So, the amount given by Old Master Zhou was just right for building a good house.

However, even if the Zhou family members insisted on Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe accepting the money, the couple was unlikely to actually go about building a house. It was just not in their nature to do such a thing.

In fact, the amount of gift money provided by the Zhou family wasn’t excessive. With the Zhou family’s circumstances, giving any less would have made them feel embarrassed. If not for fear of attracting too much attention, the gift money from the Zhou family would have probably been even more. After all, marrying her into the family but letting her parents live hardship wouldn’t look good for the Zhou family either.

The more prestigious families cared greatly about face and reputation. Of course, this wasn’t absolute, but based on her observation of Old Master Zhou and Father Zhou, they were definitely the type who cared.

She had agreed to marry Zhou Mikang to ensure her parents had an easier life ahead of time. With that in mind, Chuxia said, "Mother, with the Zhou family’s circumstances, giving this money won’t affect their life, nor will they look down on me for you and father accepting it. They are not that kind of people."

Lin Baohe became serious. "Chuxia, it’s true they can afford it, but your mother and I cannot really regard ourselves as pushovers. You are still young and don’t understand these things. Nevermind, don’t worry about it, your mother and I know what to do."