Lin Jiajun ran to Chen Hui's door, only to find a padlock on it.
No wonder they hadn't seen Chen Hui since they came in; she had been locked in her room by Tang Guixiang.
He called out to her through the door:
"Huihui, are you alright?"
Chen Hui felt like crying, but she stubbornly held it back:
"I'm fine. You guys should leave, and take all those things with you.
"Since my mom isn't satisfied, and my brother isn't satisfied either, then I'm just not getting married."
She paused for a moment before continuing:
"Mom, are you happy now? Are you satisfied?
"I'll become an old maid just like you wanted. Are you happy?"
Tang Guixiang pushed Lin Jiajun aside and scolded Chen Hui through the door:
"Are you out of your mind? Did I say I wouldn't let you get married?
"Aren't I negotiating right now?"
"Negotiating what?" Chen Hui shouted loudly. "Is this your attitude for negotiating?
"They've already brought so many things, and you've gotten all the face you deserve.
"Go out and ask around. Whose family marries off their daughter and demands the son-in-law buy a gold bracelet for the mother-in-law and a house for the brother-in-law?
"Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?"
"What laughingstock?" Tang Guixiang didn't feel embarrassed in the slightest.
"Having no money is the real laughingstock. Let me tell you, Chen Hui, I want these things, and I absolutely must have them.
"Otherwise, I'll marry you off to an old widower.
"He would definitely give me these things."
"Are you sick?"
Lin Jiajun finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"She is your daughter, not your bargaining chip.
"Auntie, I stand by what I said. There is no house. I will give the bride price to Huihui, and how she wants to handle it is her business. I will absolutely not interfere."
Tang Guixiang pointed at the front door:
"In that case, get out.
"This marriage is off."
Lin Jiajun wanted to say more, but Li Suhua spoke up first:
"Let's let the child out first. She's a grown woman, keeping her locked up like this is outrageous."
Tang Guixiang twitched her lips:
"Hmph, I won't. So I can wait for her to run off and marry someone on her own like your daughter did?
"Li Suhua, my daughter isn't that cheap.
"Don't even think about marrying my daughter off so casually."
"Mom!"
Chen Hui shouted from inside the room. "What nonsense are you spouting?
"What does my business have to do with his older sister?"
"What older sister?"
Tang Guixiang retorted mercilessly:
"Chen Hui, use your brain, will you?
"I haven't even agreed to let you marry into their family. How is she your older sister?
"Let me tell you, as Tang Guixiang's daughter, you cannot belittle yourself.
"You can't end up being sent back in disgrace like Lin Wanyi."
"So demanding a car and a house means you're not cheap? Mom, you're cheaper than I am."
"Chen Hui!"
Tang Guixiang finally unlocked the door and slapped Chen Hui hard across the face:
"I am your mother! How dare you curse at me?
"Who gave you the nerve?"
The slap was so forceful that a red mark quickly swelled on Chen Hui's face.
Tears welled up in her eyes, making Lin Jiajun's heart ache terribly.
He pulled Chen Hui into his arms and glared furiously at Tang Guixiang:
"Auntie, you're going too far.
"Huihui is your daughter. How could you hit her like that?"
"Exactly because she is my daughter, I have the right to hit her.
"Lin Jiajun, I'm laying it on the line today.
"If you don't give us a house, don't even think about getting married."
"Then we won't. I said I'm not getting married."
Chen Hui covered her face:
"I'll stay in the Chen family as an old maid for the rest of my life.
"I'll be the kind of annoying spinster sister-in-law you hate the most.
"Whenever Chen Daqiang brings a girlfriend home, I'll tell her that apart from a 380,000 yuan bride price and 150,000 yuan worth of gold, you also demand a house.
"Otherwise, it means you don't value her and think she's cheap.
"I'd like to see if you can cough up that much then. I want to see if Chen Daqiang can even get a wife."
"Are you crazy?"
Tang Guixiang stared at Chen Hui in fury:
"What good does it do you to harm your brother like this?
"You're the older sister. You should be thinking about your brother all the time. How could you do this?"
Chen Hui stared back at her dead on:
"You're my biological mother, but when have I ever seen you treat me well?
"Mom, I'm just applying everything you've done to me onto Chen Daqiang. Why can't you handle it?"
Tang Guixiang clutched her chest, gasping for breath.
But Chen Hui called out to Lin Jiajun:
"Take all these things back. They don't deserve these good things."
Li Suhua still wanted to persuade them, but Chen Hui had already grabbed the Moutai liquor and walked out the door.
Seeing the good liquor being taken away, Chen Daqiang hurriedly chased after her:
"Put it down! Chen Hui, put it down right now. These are my things.
"You're not allowed to take them."
Chen Hui didn't stop at all.
She even walked faster.
It wasn't until they reached downstairs that Chen Daqiang caught up to her.
He grabbed Chen Hui's clothes:
"Put it down, put my liquor down."
Chen Hui still refused to let go:
"How is this yours? Did you buy it? Did you pay for it?
"Chen Daqiang, do you have no shame?"
Chen Daqiang's face flushed red, but he still argued:
"Lin Jiajun brought this as a gift. Since when do people take back gifts they've given?"
"Hmph!"
Chen Hui sneered:
"Didn't you guys refuse to accept them? Didn't Mom look down on these things?
"Chen Daqiang, since you despise them, I'm taking them away. What's the problem?"
Chen Daqiang was left speechless by Chen Hui's retort.
But he still held onto Chen Hui, refusing to let her go.
Lin Jiajun quickly took the liquor from Chen Hui's hands and put it in the car.
He pried Chen Daqiang's hands off:
"Let go."
Chen Daqiang was pushed so hard he almost fell over.
Once Chen Hui was free, she went back upstairs to move the rest of the things, only to find that everything on the floor was gone.
She looked at the once-again locked room and held her hand out to Tang Guixiang:
"Open the door. These things aren't yours."
Tang Guixiang covered the keys and refused to hand them over:
"These are proposal gifts, all meant for the mother-in-law. Why should I give them back to you?"
Chen Hui repeated her earlier words:
"You didn't agree, and I'm not marrying him anymore.
"Are you still going to take people's things when there's no marriage?
"Mom, which one of us is really shameless here?"
Tang Guixiang was so furious she raised her hand again.
Lin Jiajun quickly stepped in front of Chen Hui to shield her, but Chen Hui calmly unlocked her phone:
"Hello, 110? Someone here is committing assault and robbery. Please send officers over."
Tang Guixiang never in her wildest dreams imagined that Chen Hui would call the police, let alone call them on her own mother.
She simply plumped down onto the sofa:
"Fine, you've got guts. I want to ask the police officers today if it's wrong for me to ask for a bride price and gifts when marrying off my daughter."
Li Suhua felt there was really no need to let things go this far.
She tried to advise Chen Hui:
"Let's talk this out slowly. Don't rush, let's just talk."
But the police had already arrived.
Seeing the police, Tang Guixiang immediately played the victim.
She cried out loud:
"Officers, you have to help me!
"Today was supposed to be the day we discussed my daughter's marriage, but her future in-laws looked down on me.
"She treated my daughter like she was cheap. When I refused to let my daughter marry into their family, she started robbing my house.
"You must get my things back for me."
The police officers were stunned, but they quickly asked:
"Who called the police?"
Chen Hui raised her hand:
"Officer, I called the police, but the truth is completely different from what she said."
