The Absurd Mother-in-Law

Yue Xiaodan had just finished peeing and gotten dressed when she suddenly felt like taking a shower. After their recent passion, and with the weather so hot, her body was bound to feel uncomfortable. Seeing that the water heater in the bathroom was ready to use, she took off her clothes and started showering. They had been close friends since childhood anyway, so there was no need to be shy around each other!

Li Yang had drunk three or four cans of Tsingtao Beer and was genuinely sleepy, so he did not think much of Jingjing taking his hand. He was a grown man, after all—even the girl herself did not mind!

Wang Jingjing's bedroom was decorated in shades of pink, with the faint scent of air freshener lingering in the air.

The wardrobe, large bed, computer desk, and vanity were all fully furnished, while the wide windows made the room bright with natural light.

Li Yang sat on the bed and was just about to lie down when Wang Jingjing reached into his pants pocket, took out his phone, and called her own number. She hung up after it rang once, acting as though there were no awkwardness between them at all.

"Remember my number. Call me if anything comes up."

When Wang Jingjing was alone with Li Yang, her cute, playful girlish nature came fully out. She was not afraid that Li Yang might reject her. If she did not take a chance, how would she know what might happen?

"Don't forget, okay?"

Smiling, Wang Jingjing bent over and handed Li Yang his phone. The neckline of her dress revealed a swath of snowy white skin, making Li Yang smile as well.

"You pervert, no peeking!"

Jingjing's pretty face flushed as she coquettishly scolded him, yet her body remained completely still in the same pose!

"I'm going to sleep. Aren't you leaving yet?"

Worried that it would be awkward if Yue Xiaodan came in, Li Yang cautiously reminded her.

"Hehe, if you want to sleep, then sleep. It's not like I'm going to eat you!" Wang Jingjing teased with a bright smile.

Li Yang did not stand on ceremony after hearing that. He took off his shoes, lay down on the bed, and stretched lazily in comfort.

Jingjing thoughtfully turned on the air conditioner for him, told Li Yang to call her if he needed anything, then finally left, looking back every few steps.

When she reached the living room, Yue Xiaodan still had not come out of the bathroom. Jingjing cautiously went to the door and listened. Hearing the sound of running water inside, she realized Xiaodan was showering. She became even more unwilling to waste this brief, wonderful opportunity and quickly went straight back into her bedroom.

Li Yang had already fallen asleep, his breathing faintly audible. Jingjing quietly sat at his bedside and began carefully studying every part of him.

Only at this moment did Li Yang seem as though he belonged to me.

In the end, feeling that enough time had passed and that it would not look good if Xiaodan came in and saw her, she prepared to get up and leave. After taking two steps, she suddenly seemed to make some kind of decision. Her heart racing, she hurried back to Li Yang's side, lowered her head without hesitation, and kissed his lips. After about several dozen seconds, regardless of whether Li Yang had noticed, she whispered into his ear, "I like you, Li Yang."

Then she kissed him once more before quickly running away. Li Yang remained motionless, asleep there as though he had never felt a thing...

As if she had a guilty conscience, Jingjing was actually sweating. She calmed herself down, walked to the bathroom door, and asked, "Are you showering in there, Xiaodan? I'm coming in to wash up too. You can scrub my back while you're at it."

Then she opened the door and went in without ceremony. Before long, the cheerful shrieks of two beautiful women playing around came from inside...

Both of them were twenty-one, at the age when women blossomed like flowers. Their youthful vitality was as dazzling and fragrant as roses!

Who knew how long it had been before the two emerged with dripping wet hair, already dressed.

After drying each other's hair, they let it fall loosely over their shoulders, giving them a different kind of charm!

"So you're planning to get engaged this time?" Wang Jingjing and Xiaodan both lounged comfortably on the sofa, their smooth, fair legs casually resting on the coffee table as though they were showing off their beauty to each other...

"Yeah. I want to marry myself off early. I don't want to stay in this place for even one more moment."

With a blissful expression, Xiaodan voiced the thoughts in her heart.

"Yeah, in this dump of a place, I doubt any normal girl would be willing to stay."

Jingjing echoed her sentiment.

"What about you, Jingjing? Haven't you thought about leaving?" Xiaodan became interested and turned to look at her friend, though there was a trace of smugness in her eyes. Girls were like that—they always wanted to seem a little better than others. What ordinary person could escape such petty vanity?

"As for me, we'll see. My parents still want me to find a live-in son-in-law, but how could that happen? I don't want to stay here my whole life. Otherwise, my future children will end up just like me."

Jingjing spoke frankly of her worries as well.

"Then I hope you achieve your dream soon. When that day comes, we'll raise our glasses and celebrate together."

After saying that, Xiaodan seemed to see her happiness arriving any moment now. She leaned back comfortably, swung her little feet, and looked thoroughly pleased with herself.

Watching her reaction, Wang Jingjing could do nothing but feel envious. Who could blame her for not being so lucky? She had never met someone like Li Yang who loved her!

In truth, aside from her face not being quite as beautiful as Yue Xiaodan's, her figure and every other advantage could easily leave Yue Xiaodan far behind. Sadly, she simply did not have Xiaodan's good fortune!

Before they realized it, the two gradually fell asleep in the pleasantly cool room.

Yue Xiaodan had a strange dream. She went to attend Jingjing's wedding, only to find that the groom was Li Yang. In a panic, she shouted desperately at the two of them, but not a sound came out. In the end, she could only watch as they kissed each other passionately, surrounded by relatives and friends enthusiastically offering their blessings...

After a while, Li Yang woke up first. Looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, he remembered that he was in Small Mountain Village in Luoning County.

He slowly got up, put on his shoes, left the bedroom, and went straight to the bathroom. He had no time to admire the pleasant sight on the sofa outside; he stood there comfortably and relieved himself. Beer really made a person desperate to pee!

While he was completely absorbed, Jingjing entered at some point. The instant she saw Li Yang, she froze, her gaze fixed without moving on the place she had been thinking about...

Only after Li Yang had pulled up his pants did he turn and see Jingjing staring blankly in fascination. He was so annoyed that he laughed. Girls these days really had things backwards—they were even more open and progressive than boys, and cases of women pursuing men were everywhere.

Li Yang did not make a fuss, since Yue Xiaodan was still outside. He calmly walked over to Jingjing's side and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Had enough?"

Li Yang asked with a mischievous grin.

"Ah, sorry! I didn't know you were in here. Why didn't you close the door? Get out already, I need to use the bathroom. You're not allowed to peek!"

Like a thief crying thief, Jingjing lightly pushed Li Yang toward the door. In truth, she could not bear to use any force at all. Her flushed face only made her more beautiful and captivating. Well, that settled it—everything about Li Yang was now completely exposed before her. It was all imprinted in her mind, and she certainly would not forget it.

In the end, a girl's modesty made Jing Jing push Li Yang out. After closing the door, she did not lock it and simply sat on the toilet to pee, a smile spreading so wide across her lips that she could barely close her mouth...

When Xiaodan finally woke up, Li Yang was sitting beside her watching TV, while Jing Jing lay quietly at the other end, lost in thought. Recalling the scene from her dream, Xiaodan realized it had only been a false alarm...

Before long, Old Dad called and told the two of them to come back for dinner. Xiaodan was still wondering how she would get back that evening! She definitely could not stay overnight at home, and Li Yang probably would not be willing to stay either.

After Jing Jing found out, she reluctantly walked them to the entrance. She had originally planned to prepare a lavish dinner for Li Yang, but who would have thought it would fall through again!

Watching the two figures walk away, Jing Jing suddenly remembered that she had made quite a good haul today, so her efforts had not gone to waste. Humming a tune, she headed home. Since Li Yang had not left anyway, she could rest easy staying at home for the night and decide tomorrow whether to return to her rented place in Xigong District.

Actually, Jing Jing did not work because she needed money. Her family truly was not short on cash; she merely wanted something to do. She could not just sit around doing nothing every day!

Xiaodan's Dad made a simple Luoyang-style dinner of steamed buns and vegetable soup. Even more amusingly, it was just the leftovers from noon reheated. Who knew where Little Brother had run off to play? Only the family of three and Li Yang sat down for a simple meal.

Fortunately, Li Yang had not grown up in a wealthy family, so he did not find anything improper about the meal. However, Old Mom began entering Wife's Mother's crucial phase at that moment.

"Li Yang, right? As for you and my daughter's marriage, I will not meddle so long as you both are willing. But there is one thing I need to make clear: not a cent less than one hundred thousand yuan in Bride Price Money. Any other expenses are separate and not included. I'll waive the engagement money for you. I can tell my girl is quite willing to be with you, so I'll be soft-hearted this once. How you two live after that is none of our business, and don't come asking us for help either. A married daughter is like water that has been poured out. That is not just how it is here—I imagine it is the same across the whole country!"

As someone with experience, Li Yang did not panic just because Xiao Dan's Mom had casually drawn a line in the sand. He put down his bowl, intending to reason things out properly with this Old Woman.

"Mom, we truly love each other, and Li Yang treats me very well. Even if we do not ask for Bride Price Money, I still want to marry him!"

Yue Xiaodan was, after all, a girl. She could not remain so calm and indifferent when someone was destroying her dream.

It was as if, if she did not speak up now, Li Yang would disappear forever.

"Shut up! You little brat, is this your place to speak? You haven't even married out yet, and you already know how to take the outsider's side! Do you get to decide your marriage, or do I? I raised you all these years, and this is how you repay me?!"

It seemed Li Yang had truly underestimated the Old Woman's savagery. In his family, he had never seen a biological mother so dismissive and cold toward her own daughter. It looked like he had run into a tough one.

"Mom, Li Yang's family has difficulties too. His older brother just got married, and they really cannot come up with that much money. Once we get married, can we send some money home from our earnings every month? Please let us be together. Other than Li Yang, I won't marry anyone!"

Yue Xiaodan's pitiful appearance made Li Yang's disgust for her mother flare up instantly. He stood up, took Xiaodan's hand, and said, "Auntie, this isn't feudal society anymore. The country supports freedom of marriage. It's not like the old days, with arranged marriages. Parents certainly cannot make decisions for or interfere with their children. I don't have that much money, but take this first. Consider it a token of respect from a junior."

As he spoke, Li Yang took out all two thousand yuan he had withdrawn in advance, not leaving a single cent behind, and placed it in front of Xiaodan's mom!

Then he continued, "Auntie, we're still young. As long as you agree to lower the Bride Price Money, then when you're old, I can even bring you to live with my family and take care of you. I'm willing to provide for you in old age and see you through to the end. I definitely won't let Xiaodan suffer by following me. What parent doesn't want their daughter to marry someone she loves?"

Listening to Li Yang's earnest persuasion, anyone reasonable would have relented long ago. But how could Xiao Dan's Mom be an ordinary person?

Without the slightest fluster, she casually pocketed the money Li Yang had put down. Then she calmly looked at him and mocked, "You don't even have money for Bride Price Money, so how are you going to treat my daughter well? I've seen plenty of pretty boys like you. All you have is a decent face, and you only know how to fool silly girls like mine. In the end, maybe you'll even have my daughter supporting you!"

"Mom, Li Yang isn't that kind of person. Our combined salaries are more than ten thousand yuan a month now. We'll be able to pay off the Bride Price Money soon enough. We'll go by the one hundred thousand yuan you named. We mean what we say and will absolutely not go back on it. Just agree, please!"

Yue Xiaodan was truly panicking. If this problem was not resolved now, there would never be another chance in the future. When she had come that morning, she had not seen through her mother at all. She had not expected her to be this stubborn and unreasonable. At this moment, Xiao Dan's Mom seemed like a stranger she no longer recognized!

"Stop with the sweet talk. Anyone can say nice things. Maybe I'll die early someday—I only care about what's in front of me. Bring me one hundred thousand yuan, and tomorrow I'll agree to let you marry. Do whatever you want; I won't interfere. If you can't bring the money, then sorry, my daughter isn't unwanted. She doesn't have to hang herself from your one tree. People come to propose every day, so I'm not afraid to wait."

Seeing Xiao Dan's Mom with that obnoxious, punchable look on her face, Li Yang was so angry that he laughed. It seemed she would not budge without seeing the money. In her eyes, her daughter was no different from a commodity. Being born into a family like this was a tragedy in itself. Looking at Xiaodan made his heart ache even more, but Li Yang was not blinded by love. He would not let his family worry themselves sick just to satisfy his own desires.

Old Dad's health was getting worse by the day. How much longer he could hold on was still unknown. If he had to be hospitalized or needed medical treatment then, what would they do? Li Yang could never bring himself to borrow money everywhere for one hundred thousand yuan and make his family worry along with him. He had witnessed his family's hardships since childhood. They had finally endured until now; Old Dad and Old Mom should be able to enjoy life at last!

One hundred thousand yuan was not an insurmountable mountain. If he truly put his mind to raising the money, it was not impossible. But Li Yang was young and hot-blooded, and he simply could not stand a greedy, snobbish Wife's Mother.

If they became in-laws in the future, how would that be any different from swallowing a fly?

"Auntie, how about this? I'll do my best to get you fifty thousand yuan. After Xiaodan and I get married, I'll bring you money once every New Year. The last ten thousand yuan—if you think it's too little, we can discuss it again. But if you insist on one hundred thousand yuan all at once, then I'm sorry, our family truly can't manage it. If you don't believe me, you can go ask around and see whether I'm lying to you."

Li Yang's patience had already reached the brink of breaking. If he still could not reason with her, he did not know how he would react.

"If you don't have money, what are you marrying a wife for? Leave after dinner, and don't ever come bother my daughter again. Let's part on good terms. I'll pretend none of this ever happened. But if you keep pestering my daughter, don't blame me for turning hostile and showing no mercy!"

After Xiaodan heard those words, she instantly felt as though her sky had collapsed. Then, something she said without thinking completely ignited the root of an even greater conflict, forever costing Li Yang and Xiaodan their chance at future happiness...