"After all, where we come from, when the man gives betrothal gifts, the woman's dowry is double that amount. Even that is considered selling a daughter. Aren't you people blatantly selling your son by getting something for nothing?"
"You... You're talking nonsense! This is just a normal exchange of courtesies. Do you think genuinely wealthy people are like you villagers, giving only a few hundred yuan as gifts?"
Su Qiao could only go, "Heh."
Rich people weren't stupid. Why would they give you such expensive gifts for no reason?
"Exactly. What do you mean, selling a son? They're just being polite, sensible, and filial. What would a bumpkin like you know? If you don't understand, don't spout off."
Wang Lingxi spoke with righteous conviction, not the least bit embarrassed.
"And what do you mean, living off a woman? My brother has charm and ability."
Su Qiao nodded sincerely. "Right, charm. He's especially attractive to older women around forty who've been divorced and have children."
"You...?"
Wang Lingxi sneered. "When two people are dating, does the man have to be older than the woman? These days, there are plenty of women older than their men. Older-woman-younger-man relationships are in fashion now. Got it, bumpkin?"
Su Qiao had no objections to older-woman-younger-man relationships. She didn't even object to a divorced woman with children finding a partner ten or so years younger when she started dating again.
What she objected to was the way they were clearly planning to have her younger brother cling to a rich woman, yet insisting on wrapping that motive in a layer of hypocritical packaging in public.
"Heh, if tens of thousands of yuan worth of goods count as a normal exchange of courtesies, then I'll reluctantly accept that it's a normal exchange of courtesies. But did you