Actually, compared to the fleet of limousine bridal cars that attracted the attention of young ladies, she was more interested to know what the dishes would be for the wedding banquet that was held in the capital. She wondered whether it would be especially delicious. She must eat to her heart’s content.
No matter what, the Qiao family of three was the parental family of Qiao Nan. Therefore, someone would send them to the venue of the wedding banquet. Ding Jiayi was in awe as she sat in the car. She kept looking around and touched different parts of the car. Qiao Dongliang had taken rides in the Chen family’s car and the Shi family’s car. Ding Jiayi did not have any experience of riding in a car. This was her first-time experience.
“Mom.” Qiao Zijin felt that Ding Jiayi was too embarrassing. She pulled at her hand. “There will be many chances in the future. We might have a car, and by then, you can look around in whatever way that you want.”
“It is impossible that we will have a car at home.” Ding Jiayi rebutted matter-of-factly. “It is already good enough if we have a motorcycle at home.” She could not imagine having a car at home. Moreover, if they had a car, who would drive it? Who would be able to afford it?
They were not well-to-do. They should not be thinking about cars. It was better to have the money with them. This was more practical.
The Qiao family of three only needed to pay for their train tickets to the capital and back home. The Zhai family had taken care of all other expenses. However, to Ding Jiayi, it was not enough.
Qiao Zijin would graduate in half a year. When she graduated, she would need some money in order to join a better company. Moreover, after she graduated, she should find a boyfriend and get married. Ding Jiayi could not afford to provide an expensive dowry for her, but at the very least, she still needed to prepare some dowry for her.
Ding Jiayi had no wish to fork out a single cent to prepare a dowry for Qiao Zijin. She would not pay for it while Qiao Dongliang did not have any money. The only way was for Ding Jiayi to get the money from Qiao Nan.
If she was able to get a large sum of money from Qiao Nan, perhaps she would have some money for herself after she prepared a dowry for Qiao Zijin.
“Zijin, you will graduate in half a year. One must be practical. It is no use to make a good impression but lead a hard life.” Ding Jiayi could tell that Qiao Zijin was envious that Zhai Hua had a grand wedding, and she hoped that she would have a grand wedding as well.
If their family was well-to-do, Ding Jiayi was willing to go along with her daughter. But if they did not have the ability, Ding Jiayi was not willing to puff herself up at her own cost. “Zijin, remember my words. No matter how grand the wedding is, it is useless. They are just for appearances’ sake. Nothing is better than keeping the money in your pocket.”
Qiao Zijin pursed her lips. She might be unhappy but she did not rebut her mother. “Mom, I understand. I am merely watching the fun. Back then, during Nan Nan’s wedding, she had a grander wedding. She has such a good life.” Qiao Nan had a grand wedding, while she did not have the right to have a grand wedding. Instead, she was told that she must be practical.
The Qiao family of three had no idea of the family background of the Tian family and Tian Dong. Given the Zhai family’s status, it was already a surprise for them to accept Qiao Nan as their daughter-in-law. Now that it was Zhai Hua’s turn to get married, their guess was that the groom would have a similar family background.
If the Zhai family could accept a son-in-law who was not as well-to-do as them, Zhai Hua could have married the man by the name of Wei De, and Tian Dong would not be the groom today.
But when Qiao Zijin reached the venue, she finally realized how well-to-do Zhai Hua’s husband was. When people held the wedding ceremony in the countryside, they were used to setting up tents outdoors and hiring a few chefs who had good culinary skills to prepare the wedding dinner. Qiao Zijin was used to attending wedding banquets in such an environment.
However, Zhai Hua’s and Tian Dong’s wedding banquet was totally different. It was held in a grand wedding hall. The floor was tiled, and one could see one’s reflection clearly from the clean and sparkling tiles. The chandeliers were mounted on the ceilings. They were beautiful and sophisticated, sparkling and glittering brightly. Colorful ribbons were tied around it, and the balloons that were floating in the air made the atmosphere romantic and blissful.
Apart from the fascinating floor tiles, Qiao Zijin was further impressed by the thick carpet that covered the dining hall. It was soft to the touch and there was a huge wedding photo of Zhai Hua and the groom at the entrance to the wedding hall.
Qiao Zijin had seen Zhai Hua before. But this was the first time that she had a chance to scrutinize the groom from up close. Zhai Hua, who wore a wedding gown, looked more feminine and less like a soldier. She was beautiful and stunning. As for the groom, he was tall and well-built and had the perfect body proportions of a model. He had the looks and the built.
Ding Jiayi, who was already in her forties, could not help but sigh in awe at the groom. “One really cannot tell that the man that married Zhai Hua today is so good-looking. He is just as handsome as Zhai Sheng.” Such a good-looking fellow ended up marrying a tomboy like Zhai Hua. The situation was similar to a beautiful woman marrying an ugly man.
“Old Qiao, how much do you think all these will cost? They are beautiful indeed, but they are useless. Everything will be thrown away after the wedding.” Ding Jiayi looked at the ribbons and the colorful balloons curiously. She loved the special decorations, but at the same time, her heart pained at the amount of money that was wasted on these decorations.
“If all the money was put aside and…” become theirs, how much would it amount to? “Old Qiao, who do you think paid for this? The Zhai family or the groom’s family?”
Qiao Dongliang could not be bothered with Ding Jiayi. But Ding Jiayi was too embarrassing. “It doesn’t matter who paid for it. It doesn’t concern you.”
Ding Jiayi’s eyes swirled with thoughts. “Qiao Nan is the Zhai family’s daughter-in-law and she gave birth to two grandsons. Everything in the Zhai family will belong to my two maternal grandsons in the future. When they grow up, they will definitely be filial to me. Therefore, all the money belongs to my grandsons. The money that they spent is the money that my grandsons will be using to be filial to me in the future. How can I watch without doing anything?”
Ding Jiayi almost said that the money the Zhai family had actually belonged to her grandsons, while her grandsons’ money belonged to her.
Qiao Zijin’s eyes lit up, but she calmed down very quickly. Her mother painted a beautiful picture, and it worked to her advantage.
The problem was that Qiao Nan, who was brought up and bullied by her mother, refused to listen to her mother anymore.
