Jiang Xiaoxiao was caught completely off guard by his unexpected move.
"You..." Jiang Xiaoxiao thought, it's over!
Once her relatives found out about his identity, she wouldn't have a peaceful day ever again!
To her surprise, they just chuckled awkwardly, as if they didn't take Su Chen's words seriously?
Especially Jiang's parents, their faces clearly showed a hint of disdain after hearing Su Chen's words.
Jiang Xiaoxiao: ...
What kind of reverse psychology is this?
But since he was here and all the relatives were present, Jiang's parents didn't chase him away and instead had a lively casual meal. After the meal, they gathered in the living room to chat. Jiang's parents exchanged a look and shamelessly brought up the topic of betrothal gifts.
Su Chen was quite sincere, directly taking out a stack of money from his bag and placing it in front of the couple.
Jiang's parents calculated in their minds and found it to be one hundred thousand.
Although this amount was still far from their expectations, it was better than nothing. Moreover, judging by Jiang Xiaoxiao's demeanor, she was determined to be with this man. If the marriage fell through, wouldn't it be an even bigger loss if she never met anyone willing to give a betrothal gift again?
So, after some deliberation, they readily agreed to the engagement.
However, in addition to the betrothal gifts, they made new demands. "According to our local customs, you must visit each and every relative's house. For each visit, a 'celebration money' of five hundred yuan is required."
"We don't have too many relatives, about fifty households in total, which comes to twenty-five thousand," Jiang's parents calculated with clacking abacus beads.
Jiang Xiaoxiao was about to retort when Su Chen stopped her.
He smiled and nodded. "Of course, everything will be done according to the local customs."
"Also, the money for the banquet must be paid by the groom's side."
"In addition, you also need to prepare cigarettes, alcohol, and candies in advance."
"As for the wedding cars, you'll have to figure that out yourselves; we can't help much with that!"
Seeing them becoming more and more unreasonable, Jiang Xiaoxiao almost laughed in anger. "So, you mean, during the wedding, you'll just have two people attend?"
Jiang's mother said shamelessly, "As a young lady, what do you know about these things! These are the customs here!"
Jiang Xiaoxiao was furious, but Su Chen smiled and agreed. "There are no problems with any of these!"
Seeing his cooperation, Jiang's mother couldn't help but secretly regret stating the amount so low earlier. She should have asked for a thousand yuan for each relative's visit! According to local customs, if they gave a thousand, they would receive a thousand back when other families had children getting married. This money would all be collected by the elder couple, not given to Jiang Xiaoxiao, so why not take it?
But with so many people watching, changing the price now seemed a bit unreasonable.
In the end, Jiang Xiaoxiao successfully obtained her household registration book and got married to Su Chen at the local civil affairs bureau.
Looking at the freshly printed marriage certificate, Jiang Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief. But the thought of what he had agreed to with her cheap parents made her feel uneasy. "Didn't we agree? Why did you suddenly change your mind? Just you wait, they'll definitely come knocking looking for trouble! You caused this, you deal with it all from now on; I can't be bothered with them."
"Don't worry, I have it under control," Su Chen said with a smile, patiently coaxing her.
The two did not spend the night at home but booked a four-star hotel in the county town.
Just as Jiang Xiaoxiao was about to lie down to rest, her phone vibrated. She glanced at the familiar number, her brow furrowing slightly.
"What's wrong?" Su Chen noticed her unease and came over to embrace her.
"My brother," Jiang Xiaoxiao said reluctantly.
"Take it," Su Chen said, rubbing the top of her head, offering silent support.
After much thought, Jiang Xiaoxiao answered the call after her brother persistently dialed.
"Sister, why didn't you notify me when you came back to our hometown?" As soon as the call connected, his gravelly voice came through the receiver.
He was the youngest child in the family, named Jiang Zhiqiang. He was seven or eight years younger than Jiang Xiaoxiao and they weren't very close. Jiang Xiaoxiao rarely returned home after going to college, so their sibling bond wasn't deep.
During lunch, her younger brothers and sisters were still out and hadn't returned. Jiang Zhiqiang calling now must mean he had heard something.
"What do you want?" Jiang Xiaoxiao asked indifferently.
"I heard you found me a brother-in-law, and a rich one at that?" Jiang Zhiqiang said in a teasing tone.
"What's it to you!" Jiang Xiaoxiao snorted.
"Why isn't it my business? Coincidentally, I'm tired of staying in our hometown and want to go to B City to find a job. Since brother-in-law owns a company, can he help me get in? My demands aren't high, just an easy job, no overtime, and a salary of around ten thousand a month..."
Jiang Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes.
And this is considered not high demands? A monthly income of ten thousand was something many white-collar workers wouldn't dare to dream of, yet he asked for it so readily! Him? He didn't even finish high school! This was too far-fetched!
"It's not impossible!" Su Chen, who had been listening to the siblings' conversation, suddenly spoke.
Jiang Zhiqiang excitedly called out, "Brother-in-law," so naturally. "Brother-in-law is the best!"
Jiang Xiaoxiao shot Su Chen a displeased look. Just as she was about to refuse, she heard Su Chen continue, "We actually have such a position in our company, but... the work location is a bit far."
"Really? That's great!" Jiang Zhiqiang, unaware that he was stepping into a trap, was so excited he almost jumped out of his chair.
A salary of ten thousand yuan was several times higher than in their county town!
His friends worked their fingers to the bone for only four or five thousand a month. If he could work in his brother-in-law's company, wouldn't he instantly surpass them?
"Where is the workplace? I can do it anywhere!"
Su Chen curled his lips and switched to speakerphone. "Africa, a small country. I've just opened an office there and I need someone who can endure hardship!"
"It doesn't require a high level of education, just being able to understand the local language. Oh, and the work is quite easy, just going to construction sites occasionally, and accompanying clients for meals..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Zhiqiang's face darkened.
He was a bit clever and could tell that Su Chen was playing him. "If you don't agree, fine. Don't try to fool me with this!"
He snorted and angrily hung up the phone.
Jiang Xiaoxiao thought it would take some effort to send him away.
She chuckled and planted a kiss on Su Chen's cheek. "As expected of Boss Su, you're indeed skilled!"
"Hiding it all the time will only make them more covetous. How long can my identity be kept secret? They'll recognize me sooner or later. It's better to cooperate with them from the start and let them think I'm putting on a show. This way, they'll taste some sweetness, lose their desire for comparison, and naturally won't pester you anymore!"
"I suppose by now, the whole village is spreading the word that I'm pretending to be rich and have scammed the daughter of the Jiang family!"
"After the wedding, I'm afraid there will be no further contact!"
Jiang Xiaoxiao gave him a thumbs-up.