Ma Yuanyuan knew that if she were to stay in the capital alone, not only would she have to wash her own clothes, but even having a meal would be a problem when she returned home from school during her holidays.
“Don’t you know your grandparents well? They are inseparable from their son. You’re nowhere near as important as your dad is in their eyes. Your solution isn’t feasible.”
The Ma family had never despised her for giving birth to a daughter. In fact, her parents-in-law had always treated their granddaughter, Yuanyuan, quite well. But Qiu Chenxi was always clear that in her parents-in-law’s hearts, Ma Ji would always take top priority. Even after her daughter was born, her parents-in-law’s hearts had always been set on Ma Ji alone.
Her daughter would only lose tragically if she were to try to fight for her grandparents’ affection with her own father. “So? Have you decided? If you’re going to leave with me, I’ll get the transfer procedures done. But if you’ve decided to stay, you’ll have to wash your own clothes and learn to cook from now on.”
The Ma family was not particularly well off. While they did not have to worry about affording necessities, they definitely could not afford to hire two housekeepers.
Her parents-in-law were already advanced in age. Being a filial son, Ma Ji had hired a housekeeper, hoping to lighten the burden on the elder couple. But that was the most that Ma Ji could afford. It was impossible for the Ma family to spend as much as they earned given their family situation. With Ma Yuanyuan in high school now, her tuition fees had increased by several times.
Once Ma Yuanyuan entered university, they would have to fork out even more money. All this money would have to come from Ma Ji’s and Qiu Chenxi’s savings. There was no way the couple could afford to pay for it with their salaries alone. Thus, if Ma Yuanyuan wanted to stay behind in the capital, she would have no choice but to learn to take care of herself. Hiring a nanny was simply out of the question.
Ma Yuanyuan pulled a long face. “Is there really no way? Can’t you or Dad do something about it?” Her parents had already been working in the capital for so many years. Was there really not a single person who could help them?
Qiu Chenxi’s expression changed and she lowered her voice. “Do you now understand why I didn’t allow you to date other boys and wanted you to wait until you got the chance to get together with Zhai Yi? Zhai Sheng is a chief, a prominent figure whose smallest actions have a great impact. What do you think would happen if such an important figure became your father-in-law? Think about it. What would your identity be in twenty or thirty years when your husband takes over that position? What I want to give isn’t just any random title. This is truly infinite glory and prestige. Do you understand?”
All she had wanted was to give Yuanyuan the best.
Qiu Chenxi regretted, not for the first time, not having kept a closer eye on Zhai Sheng while she was younger. That was why Qiao Nan had managed to snatch Zhai Sheng away from her. The most exasperating thing was that Qiao Nan had not only snatched her husband away but had also snatched her master away!
She knew that Old Lin had left a huge inheritance to Qiao Nan when he passed away. In the capital alone, he had left three or four houses to her, and they were all within the Third Ring neighborhood. Amongst them, one was a villa, and another was in the military courtyard.
Thinking about the property prices in the capital, Qiu Chenxi felt the pinch. Qiao Nan had too many houses to live in. On the other hand, she could not even afford to buy a medium-sized apartment in a better neighborhood within the capital for her daughter as her dowry.
If she had managed to become Old Lin’s disciple at that time, even without a husband like Zhai Sheng, she would have gotten a huge inheritance anyway. Then, she would have nothing to worry about.
“…” Every time her mom mentioned Zhai Yi’s name in the past, Ma Yuanyuan always felt repulsed. Otherwise, she would not have rebelled against her mom and started dating Gao Feng behind her mom’s back. At Ma Yuanyuan’s age, it was only natural that she was slightly rebellious.
But at this moment, when her mom mentioned Zhai Yi, Ma Yuanyuan’s attitude was completely different. The name ‘Zhai Yi’ was no longer just a fictitious thing but a reality. “Mom, is it really true that our family will not need to leave the capital for such a remote place if Zhai Yi was my boyfriend now?”
Was the Zhai family really that powerful?
“Hehehe…” Qiu Chenxi laughed while helping her daughter clear the things in her bedroom and pack them into suitcases so that it would be easier to bring them home later. “I’ll put it in this way. Whatever power Zhai Yi’s dad has now, Zhai Yi is bound to have eventually. Zhai Yi’s mom… Don’t underestimate that woman. Although she was not born into a powerful family, her tactics are brilliant. She’s extremely wealthy and has a huge villa in the capital. If you get to live there in the future, you’ll have a good life.”
“A huge villa? Don’t fool me, Mom. What kind of place is the capital? Purchasing just an average-sized apartment takes so much time to save up for it. How much would a huge villa cost?” Would she not know about how much a cadre in the capital’s central government earned? She did believe that the Zhai family was powerful.
It was almost for sure that her life would not be tough because the Zhai family was powerful. But the Zhai family was also rich? That had to be a joke!
“Well, she had a rich master. When you get together with Zhai Yi in the future, remember to get in her good books. Of course, you won’t have to worry about this mother-in-law as long as you stand united with Zhai Yi and get him to listen to you.” There were only sons who neglected their mothers after getting married. No mothers would ever abandon their own sons.
If Zhai Yi’s heart was completely for Yuanyuan, Qiao Nan would have no choice but to treat Yuanyuan well as her eldest daughter-in-law, and she would have to give Yuanyuan some benefits in order to maintain a good relationship with Zhai Yi.
“But the men of the Zhai family… I’ve told you before that Zhai Yi is almost definitely a filial child. In short, as long as you have a good relationship with Qiao Nan, you’ll be able to lead a better-than-average life even if you were just to stay at home without working for the rest of your life. You’ll be able to buy whatever you want. Your future mother-in-law is richer than you can ever imagine. The most reassuring thing is that your future mother-in-law’s money has all come from legal sources.”
They would not have to worry about the anti-corruption bureau coming to confiscate Qiao Nan’s money one day.
“Are they really that wealthy?” Ma Yuanyuan was taken aback. In that instant, Zhai Yi’s name suddenly became much more real in her eyes. If she were to get together with Zhai Yi, not only would she gain power, but she would also have money on hand. “Didn’t you say that the Zhai family members are cadres in the central government and are all righteous? How did they get so rich?” And it had not been through illegal means.
“I can’t say for sure since I’m not part of the Zhai family. How would I know all about your future mother-in-law? Once you marry into the family, you’ll have loads of time to figure out why she has so much money. She has three children in total, so you should know that you’ll stand to gain more if you perform well and gain her favor.”
