Wang Xia briskly walked into the room, and immediately after, her voice carried out, "Old Li, come in here."
"What for?" Li Daming muttered, shuffling inside.
After a short wait, Li Daming came out carrying something. As the item was somewhat large, he placed it on the living room floor.
"Right, just put it there," Wang Xia directed, placing the object carefully and wiping the dust off its surface.
Jiang Mo stood up, walked over, and took a closer look. "Mom, doesn't this look like a safe to me?"
"Hey, you got it right, it is a safe," Wang Xia clapped her hands. "All our important stuff is kept in here."
Jiang Mo chuckled, "What does our family have that needs a safe? Don't tell me there are antiques passed down from our ancestors."
Wang Xia went to enter the combination. Seeing her husband and daughter standing nearby, she even subtly turned her body to block their view.
Seeing this move, Li Daming said self-deprecatingly, "Your mom is treating us like thieves to guard against."
Ignoring him, Wang Xia opened the safe door, carefully retrieved several boxes from inside, and sat down on the sofa.
Jiang Mo also leaned in, curious about what was inside.
Opening a larger box, she pulled out a stack of red booklets, roughly seven or eight by the look of it.
"Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore. This is the family fortune your mom and dad have saved up over the years," Wang Xia began. "These property deeds include both residences and commercial shops."
Jiang Mo turned her head in shock, her eyes wide open. "...Our family has this many properties?"
She had thought there were only the three apartments in this complex.
"Otherwise, what did you think your dad and I were doing all these years?" Wang Xia raised an eyebrow. "Property prices were cheap back then. Most of the houses here were bought when you were little. After all, I've worked for wealthy families; I know a thing or two about investment and finance."
"Although property prices have dropped now, they can still be exchanged for some money."
Then she picked up and opened two boxes beside her. "These big gold bracelets were also bought many years ago. I remember there was a period when gold was cheap. All the sisters around me were going to buy some, so I followed along and bought a few pieces too."
Looking at the scene before her, Jiang Mo felt momentarily stunned, as if hit over the head.
"I always thought our family was just ordinary, I never expected us to be this well-off," Jiang Mo said, casually picking up a property deed to flip through. "Wah... and you guys kept it from me and my brother all along."
Li Daming scratched his head. "I was kept in the dark by your mom too. I thought the family only had four properties."
Wang Xia shot her daughter a look. "Wasn't it because we were afraid you'd know? We didn't want you developing extravagant and dissolute habits, knowing there was some family wealth, and then slacking off or going down the wrong path."
Jiang Mo stared at her. "Besides these, there must be more, right?"
"You're such a clever little thing," Wang Xia pursed her lips. "There's still a bit of money in the bank and stocks."
What to do? Your parents have always pretended to be poor, but when you grow up you discover the family is quite wealthy. How should you handle it?
"Your mom and your dad also grew up in poor conditions. Luckily, your mom has high emotional intelligence and a smart brain. Over the years, I've kept my ears open and managed our finances, earning a bit of family wealth for you and your brother. We originally planned to tell you when you both grew up and started talking about dating and marriage."
"When the time comes, this family wealth will be split evenly between you and your brother."
Jiang Mo gave Wang Xia a big bear hug, shaking her while acting spoiled. "Thank you, mom and dad."
Wang Xia pinched her daughter's cheek. "Look at that smile of yours, you little money-grubber."
"You're dating Gu Ye now. Although our family's conditions are miles behind his, you don't need to feel too burdened. We're not people who need to marry into a wealthy family to live well."
"Although your dad and I work for his family, we have thick skin and won't feel awkward. We're not going to resign; we still need to make money."
Hearing his wife chatter on at length, Li Daming felt he should say something too. "Mm, your mom is right."
Jiang Mo nodded, indicating she was on the same page as her mom on this. "I know."
"You're still young now. Just focus on dating; there's no hurry about marriage or the like. Date for a few years first," Wang Xia rambled. "I got married too early back then."
Jiang Mo said playfully, "What, do you regret marrying dad?"
Wang Xia was only twenty-six when she remarried.
"Sweetie, don't try to drive a wedge between us," Li Daming said. "Your dad is handsome, dashing, and knows how to make money. Your mom and I have a great relationship."
"Oh, come on, you're just blowing your own horn," Wang Xia snorted twice.
With the whole family finally having a chance to rest together, they all went out in the afternoon to shop and eat.
Gu Ye thought Wang Xia wouldn't stop them, but he was still a bit worried and sent a message to ask.
Jiang Mo: "Mom didn't say anything else, just told us to date properly."
Gu Ye then went home and laid his cards on the table with Su Yunjin.
"Mom, from now on, you should be even nicer to my future mother-in-law and father-in-law."
