Chapter 520 Her Dowry

Chapter 520: Her Bridal Trove

"The gold bars and money are all here."

Lai Liuzi plopped everything onto the table. The gold bars came from scamming Wei Nan.

With him around, no one else in the black market dared offer Wei Nan a higher price for those gold bars.

He’d openly screwed Wei Nan over like this.

"And this thousand yuan was prepared by Wei Nan for Zhong Yue."

They had agreed to meet at their usual spot to exchange the money, but how could such a place slip past Xiaoqi?

Coincidentally, the location was in Daxin Alley, so Jiang Yu had Lai Liuzi swing by and scoop it up.

There were eight gold bars in total. Jiang Yu took out two and slid them over.

"Your cut."

"Tsk, sister-in-law, you dissin’ me here? How could I take money for doing something for you?"

Jiang Yu stuffed the gold bars into his hand. "Whoever works for me gets paid. That’s the rule."

Of the remaining six, she gave two more to Xiaoqi and his group.

As for the thousand yuan, she kept it without a second thought.

After all, this money was originally hers.

Lai Liuzi tucked away the gold bars but didn’t leave in a hurry.

He sat across from Jiang Yu, leaning back in the chair.

Jiang Yu could tell at a glance he was brooding.

"Xiaole on your mind?"

Lai Liuzi scratched his head. "Would I look pathetic if I tried to make up with her?"

"So you’re over being mad at her?"

Lai Liuzi fell silent.

When he first saw Cai Xiaole sneaking off to meet other guys behind his back, of course he was pissed.

But once he cooled off and his rationality returned, he thought it through carefully.

Turns out it was all her mom’s doing.

"And after you make up with her? If you’re unwilling to compromise and her mother won’t give you her blessing, nothing will change."

Lai Liuzi was at his wit’s end. When he first got together with Cai Xiaole, he was just in it for the good times.

He never imagined it would get so complicated.

"Sister-in-law, do you think I was wrong?"

Jiang Yu stroked her chin. "With this whole thing, it’s hard to say who’s right or wrong. But if you two only care about the process and not the outcome, you might as well get back together."

But no one knows what the future holds—so as long as we part on good terms when the time comes, that’s enough.

Lai Liuzi looked dejected, drained his teacup, and let out a long sigh.

“I get it. Thank you, sis-in-law.”

Jiang Yu gave a lazy yawn and glanced at the sunlight outside.

June was approaching, and the days were growing warmer.

He Tingyue came home and spotted a few gold bars lying on the table.

“Where’d these come from?”

Jiang Yu explained how she’d had Lai Liuzi swindle Wei Nan into handing them over.

“Check out the engravings on these,” she said.

He Tingyue picked one up and squinted. “‘Wei’?”

“I think they belonged to your mom originally,” Jiang Yu added. She’d noticed the engraving by chance.

She knew how the Wei family had struggled—there was no way they could have afforded gold bars back then.

These must’ve come from Wei Xiuru.

But how'd Wei Xiuru gotten her hands on them?

“Did Mom leave anything behind in the He household?”

He Tingyue nodded. “Probably. Her wedding dowry.”

His mother's family had been in the jewelry business, and her dowry procession had stretched for miles.

Later, some of it was surrendered, and some was kept.

What remained was meant to help He Tingyue and his sister He Feiyan live better lives.

She probably never dreamed any of it would end up in Wei Xiuru’s possession.

Jiang Yu rapped the gold bar with her knuckle and scoffed.

“Then it wasn’t even a trick—I mean, it was Mom’s stuff to begin with.”

He Tingyue mussed her hair. “Even if it wasn’t ours, I’d back you scamming him anyway.”

Wei Nan was out of his league—served him right.

Jiang Yu licked her lips and swung her bare feet lazily.

“Let’s braise a pork hock tomorrow.”

Her stomach was growling.

He Tingyue marveled at her mood swings.

“Yesterday you said the heat killed your appetite.”

He’d barely bought any meat lately, opting for light bites instead.

It hasn’t been long, and you’re already craving pork hock.

"I didn't feel like eating it yesterday, but I want it today. What am I supposed to do?" Jiang Yu said with a pout.

After He Tingyue’s remark, she couldn’t even wait a day—she wanted it right now.

He gave her a light tap on the head. "I’ll go check at the meat processing plant. If there’s any left, I’ll buy two for you."

"One is enough. Two would be too much. It’s hot now, and the meat won’t stay fresh."

"Alright."

After He Tingyue left, Xu Lihua came in.

"Jiang Yu, where’s Little He off to?"

Jiang Yu said, "I wanted pork hock, so he went to buy it for me."

Xu Lihua: "..."

She often wondered how Jiang Yu could ask for snacks with such nerve.

Thinking back to when Jiang Yu first married He Tingyue, she was notorious around the housing complex for being both lazy and gluttonous.

If not for his rapid advancement and earning power, she would have been the daily subject of gossip.

"Little He really dotes on you," Xu Lihua said dryly.

Jiang Yu didn’t pretend to be modest—instead, she nodded.

"Yes, he’s always been good to me."

Xu Lihua was momentarily speechless, nearly forgetting why she had come.

"By the way, Fu Xiangyang is getting married. Did you know?"

"Oh? Someone’s actually willing to marry him?"

Jiang Yu found it genuinely surprising. Among the matchmakers around here, few were unaware of Fu Xiangyang’s reputation.

What kind of cruel person would introduce their daughter to him?

"She’s a widow with two kids. They’re just partnering up to get by."

The widow’s two children were still young. If raised well, they could take care of Fu Xiangyang when he’s old and call him "Dad."

"You should hurry up too. Little He isn’t exactly young anymore."

Jiang Yu answered distractedly.

"Where’s the widow from?"

"I’m not sure about that. Her deceased husband also worked at Factory No. 2. After he died, she inherited his position. Now she’s a workshop laborer there."

With a proper job, even with two kids, she’d still have suitors.

That she was willing to marry Fu Xiangyang was, in outsiders’ eyes, his lucky break.

At first, Jiang Yu wondered who it could be—someone with such poor judgment, choosing Fu Xiangyang.

They finally saw her that afternoon.

The Fu family had no intention of holding another wedding celebration—they simply let Fu Xiangyang get the marriage license and allowed the bride to move right in.

Dressed in red, the bride walked in leading her two children.

She looked delicate and charming—nothing like what you'd expect from a widow.

Yet there was something oddly familiar about her face.

Jiang Yu stared at her for a while until it suddenly clicked in her mind. She remembered now.

Back then, she had once seen this very woman carrying on with Wei Nan at the factory!

Talk about fate.

"Aunt Xu, what's her name again?"

"Xu Zhenzhen."

After Xu Zhenzhen’s late husband died, her in-laws put up a huge fight when she tried to take over his job.

But after she got the job, she had her kids take her last name—Xu Wenguo and Xu Wenying.

Her ex-in-laws were livid.

Jiang Yu said in surprise, "You know about that too?"

Xu Lihua said flatly, "It's not a secret. A lot of people know."

She liked picking up gossip, so naturally she knew more than most.

Xu Zhenzhen entered the Fu household with her two children, appearing genuinely pleased—as Jiang Yu thought.

And in truth, she actually was pretty satisfied.

Fu Xiangyang wasn’t a domineering type, and since he couldn’t father children, there wouldn’t be any biological siblings to compete for his affection.

Without his own children, he would naturally treat hers as his own.

The only downside was that he couldn't perform in bed, which left her unsatisfied.

And Wei Nan, the man she had recently started seeing, was just as bad—so she had to start hunting again.

Lin Hongxia watched smugly as she entered.

"Now, you and Xiangyang should make a good life together."

Xu Zhenzhen lowered her eyes and nodded demurely.

"And also, I run this household. Since you young people are working anyway, life will be easier for you. You’ll hand your pay over to me, and I'll save it for you."

Xu Zhenzhen’s smile faded slightly. "Mom, there's no need. I'll manage my own pay."

Coming for her money already? Dream on.

Not wanting to cause trouble on such a happy day, Fu Xiangyang jumped in. "Mom, let Zhenzhen hold onto it."

But seeing him defend her so soon after walking through the door rubbed Lin Hongxia the wrong way.