Han Tao finished speaking and left. Whether or not he ate this so-called New Year's Eve dinner meant little to him. "Let's go, Mom, we're going out to eat today, and we can wander around a bit. Qiqi mentioned wanting to buy you some new clothes before, but you always refused. Now that we have time, we can all go shopping."

Luo Hongjuan still couldn't quite accept her son and daughter-in-law spending money so freely, but under Wang Damei's influence, she understood one thing: if they wanted to be filial, she should accept it; there was no need to save money on their behalf. Her good intention was to prevent the younger ones from wasting money, but in their eyes, it just looked like an elder being out of touch. So now, Luo Hongjuan took whatever her son and daughter-in-law bought for her, but she never took the money. "Why buy clothes? You spent the whole summer vacation in the States, and Qiqi bought me plenty—enough for all seasons. Don't waste the money." Hmph, wasn't Xue Hong boasting about how wealthy her future daughter-in-law's family was and how filial she was? Luo Hongjuan knew that was Xue Hong showing off in front of her, but the simple Luo Hongjuan never mentioned it, letting Xue Hong continue to believe Wang Qiqi bought her very few clothes. Hmph, Luo Hongjuan felt there was no need to show off, but since they were being so disrespectful to her son and daughter-in-law, Luo Hongjuan felt she owed them no respect either—no, now she didn't even owe them face.

"Mom, a woman's wardrobe is always missing a piece of clothing. Your son, Han Tao, is successful now, earning US dollars. Instead of being so calculative about everything, we might as well eat well, live well, and use well. Otherwise, who knows who benefits?" Wang Qiqi hooked her arm around Luo Hongjuan's, saying in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "Taozi, you must treat us to something nice today. Manman mentioned a steakhouse downtown that was excellent. If we eat well there, we can go to the mall afterward."

When Han Jun heard the name of the Western restaurant Wang Qiqi mentioned, his eyes darted around. He had been there once, and that single visit had cost him a fortune. Even though he had picked the cheapest items on the menu, the two of them still spent several hundred dollars—nearly half a month's salary for him. Yet, Wang Qiqi mentioned it so casually, as if they were just discussing grabbing a bowl of wonton soup. Rich. Rich people. Han Jun's hatred for Han Tao was bottomless, but taking any action against him was impossible. Given Han Tao's demeanor just now and the way he clenched his fist, Han Jun didn't think he could win a fight against him. Moreover, he’d heard Han Tao exercised daily and had even taken up boxing in the US. Han Jun, who had always bullied the weak and feared the strong, certainly wouldn't risk confronting Han Tao. Of course, he also reasoned that he was going to be the groom tomorrow and couldn't possibly get injured on this most important day; otherwise, he would regret it for life, and it would certainly upset his wife. Once his wife was unhappy, Han Jun knew life wouldn't be easy for him.

The neighbors who witnessed Luo Hongjuan and her family leaving dispersed, but their dispersing didn't mean the gossip stopped; they just moved to another location to continue discussing. Some sided with Han Ximing's family, thinking Han Tao, as a junior, was too harsh in criticizing his elders. They said he had become arrogant over minor success and wondered what he would become if he achieved more. While some defended Han Ximing’s side, a considerable number were eager to see the family embarrassed. In their view, Han Tao only stepped up to denounce the injustice because Old Mrs. Han had been too excessive before. "She clearly failed to fulfill her responsibilities as a grandmother and an aunt since childhood, instead seizing the family property that rightfully belonged to Han Tao and his mother. Now that Han Tao is successful, she expects him to remember Han Jun and shamelessly demands that Han Tao take Han Jun out. She should look at whether Han Jun is even capable of standing on his own two feet."

"Exactly. So what if he married the daughter of a rich family? She can curse him or hit him whenever she pleases, acting like a lackey."

"Right. And she even threatened Han Tao, saying if he didn't appease them, he shouldn't expect them to participate in ancestor worship or expect the Han family ancestors to recognize Han Tao's future wife. Oh, and Han Tao's girlfriend is quite something too. For someone who isn't even married into the family yet, her mouth is awfully sharp..." A certain woman shook her head. "Luo Hongjuan has been an honest and good person her whole life. I hope she isn't completely controlled by her daughter-in-law later on."

"Do you think Han Tao is like Han Jun?" someone retorted. "You have to realize that even though this daughter-in-law looks sharp-tongued, didn't you hear what Luo Hongjuan said? Do you think Luo Hongjuan would lie? Besides, her life will definitely be better than Xue Hong's. A capable son can keep his wife in check. If the wife comes from a powerful family, but the son is a weakling, you can imagine how miserable life will be."

Xue Hong never had many friends to begin with, and ever since her son found a wealthy daughter-in-law, her tone of voice and attitude toward others had become significantly more arrogant, carrying an air of condescension as if talking to others was beneath her. This had already annoyed many people. Now, seeing such a major farce unfold, they certainly wouldn't pass up the chance to speak their minds, and soon the criticism directed at Xue Hong and her family gained the upper hand.

After Han Tao's group left, Xue Hong opened her mouth, ready to weep about how wronged she had been, but Han Ximing glared at her before she could start. "Cut that act. Look at your age; you're not some twenty-year-old girl anymore. An old woman pretending to be cute—hmpf. If you hadn't caused this mess, you'd be better off worrying about tomorrow's banquet." Han Ximing pulled a cigarette from his pocket, ready to light it, but upon seeing it was a Zhongnanhai brand, he quickly tucked it away, retrieving a pack of three-yuan cigarettes instead. In short, every penny counted now.

After Han Ximing's words, Xue Hong lost the will to cry. Looking at the expression Luo Hongjuan gave her before leaving, Xue Hong knew the red envelope Luo Hongjuan gave her wouldn't be large. The gap in the banquet expenses was too wide for her to dwell on her grievances. She had already lost all her face earlier, so she didn't care much now. After all, her daughter-in-law had brought a whole apartment as a dowry, which she had seen and knew was quite large. Xue Hong had already decided that when the time came, she would move over to take care of her daughter-in-law, so she wouldn't have to look at the faces of the poor neighbors here. As for the old woman (Old Mrs. Han), she would just be left behind; she wouldn't take her along. But the problem was that tomorrow wasn't just for the groom's relatives and friends; crucially, the bride's relatives and friends would also be there. The moment she thought about not being able to pay for the banquet tomorrow and letting the bride's family see it, wondering how they would view her son, Xue Hong felt all her strength drain away.

At this moment, Xue Hong regretted arguing with that brat Han Tao over a matter of pride. "Should I go beg them? No matter what, tomorrow is Junjun's big day. They are Junjun's uncle and cousin. They won't just stand by and watch us die, will they?" Xue Hong pondered for a long time before finally uttering a scenario she had never imagined before. To suggest this meant admitting defeat to Luo Hongjuan. Throughout the years, no matter how hard life was, Luo Hongjuan had never stooped to ask for favors.

Xue Hong’s suggestion was unbelievable, not just to Old Mrs. Han and Han Ximing's family, but even to Han Jun, who always thought his mother was omnipotent. He wondered if she had lost her senses from being yelled at today. "Mom, even if you kneel there until morning, they won't give you any money. If they say they don't have any, what can you do?" Considering the unpleasant scene just now, combined with the long-standing grudges, Han Jun knew borrowing money was out of the question. However, something else puzzled him: "Didn't you guys say you had enough money before? Why is it not enough now?" Han Jun's suspicious gaze shifted between his parents. He knew they felt Ding Meina's family had high standards, but he agreed with Meina; the money his parents gave them would eventually be for him and his wife anyway. "I know you think the Ding family has high standards, but they are in business, dealing with high-end people; it's normal for their demands to be high. Besides, didn't Meina bring an apartment as part of the dowry?"

Xue Hong and the others knew about the apartment, of course. "We know about the house, but the problem is that Meina and her family demand the wedding venue be decorated in a specific way, and all of that costs money. Plus, the standard of the wedding cars has been upgraded..." Xue Hong listed the increasingly strict requirements from the Ding family over the past few weeks. "When you add all that up, of course, the money isn't enough. The banquet price per table also jumped by over five hundred dollars just for appearances, as they added two more seafood dishes." While having seafood at the banquet looked upscale, the pressure instantly increased.

"And the Ding family insists that we pay for ten tables of the wedding banquet," Xue Hong concluded. "When you calculate it all, the money is definitely short. Mom, I haven't been sleeping well lately because of money worries, and I didn't want you to worry if you found out, so I said some things I shouldn't have when I called Han Tao yesterday."

Old Mrs. Han had initially assumed her grandson's wedding would proceed smoothly, and all she had to do was wait to drink the tea of her new granddaughter-in-law. She hadn't expected that with the banquet tomorrow, her son and daughter-in-law would suddenly say they were short on funds—how could this not worry her? She understood that Xue Hong said this hoping she would contribute some money. Honestly, the old woman still had about twenty thousand, but she had no intention of using it. Her previous hospitalization taught her one thing: she couldn't rely on Xue Hong for care. If she fell seriously ill again in the future, it would be fine if Luo Hongjuan was willing to step in, but if Luo Hongjuan also refused, she would simply be left to die. "I don't have any money left either. For Junjun's past troubles, I used up all my savings. The ten thousand I contributed for Junjun's wedding this time is my final sum for my coffin. You figure it out yourselves," she stated. Whether they begged Luo Hongjuan or someone else was their business. "In any case, you handle Junjun's wedding tomorrow. I'm old now; I shouldn't have to worry about the wedding money for my grandson after worrying about the weddings of my two sons."

Xue Hong was stunned that the old woman had so completely washed her hands of the matter. Did she really have to go beg Luo Hongjuan? (To be continued)