Chapter 2288: Move Out
Editor: Atlas Studios
“What happened before is in the past. Let’s get down to business now. How do you plan to marry my mother? What about the house and betrothal gifts?” Qiao Mei asked.
“I plan to…” Before Xu Ba could finish speaking, Qiao Mei interrupted him.
“We’ll talk about your issue in detail later. Right now, I just want to hear your family’s opinion. Please don’t speak for the time being,” Qiao Mei said as she raised her hand.
This was the first time Xu Ba had seen Qiao Mei so serious. It was not for nothing that Qiao Mei could run such a big business.
“Yes! Our Xu Ba has a house. The betrothal gifts will be based on your hometown’s customs!” Old Madam Xu said enthusiastically.
Qiao Mei massaged her temples and said, “I’m not sure what our hometown’s customs are now. Let’s use my wedding as a reference point. My betrothal gift is 2,000 dollars plus the Four Big Things.”
“2,000! That’s so much…” Xu Cai said as she looked at Qiao Mei in shock.
Although Xu Ba had a high salary, he also had to support two children and his elderly mother. He probably did not have much savings and 2,000 dollars was probably all he had.
“Our family is not an unknown family. This sum of money is considered reasonable,” Xia He said earnestly.
It was not going to be that easy to be related to the Xia family by marriage. Many people would never have such an opportunity even in their dreams! These people only needed to fork out 2,000 dollars, but the benefits they would get in return would be far more than 2,000 dollars.
“Sure! We’ll do as you say! We’ll get everything ready as soon as possible,” Old Madam Xu said.
“There’s no hurry. There’s still something else. I hear that you plan to move to Mr. Xu Tian’s house after my mother marries into the family. Is that true?” Qiao Mei asked.
“It’s true!” Old Madam Xu said.
“When are you moving?” Qiao Mei asked.
“Anytime. I don’t have many things. I can even move out today!” Old Madam Xu said anxiously.
Ever since Xu Tian told her about the benefits of Li Gui marrying into the Xu family, Old Madam Xu had dreamed of asking Li Gui to marry over as soon as possible so that she could enjoy endless wealth!
“Then how long will you be away? When are you coming back?” Qiao Mei asked with a smile.
Old Madam Xu did not notice anything amiss and blurted out, “Probably for a few months.”
There was silence all around. Qiao Mei looked at Xu Ba in satisfaction. This was the truth behind what he had promised Li Gui, about how Old Madam Xu would not disturb the two of them in the future.
“No, no, no! I’m mistaken! I’ll be staying at my older son’s house from now on! I won’t move back!” Old Madam Xu said quickly.
Xu Tian and Liu Xiao looked less than pleased now. This little girl was really not easy to deal with. Old Madam Xu was willing to say anything to get through today. After Li Gui married into the family, Old Madam Xu would still be the one with the final say!
She was Xu Ba’s mother. In the future, it was up to her to decide where she wanted to stay. Xu Ba was very filial, so how could he go against his elders?
“Alright, let’s sign a contract then,” Qiao Mei said as she took out a document. She had prepared this document a long while back and was just waiting for today.
“Contract! There’s no need for that…” Old Madam Xu said sheepishly.
“Of course it’s necessary. Don’t all those families with many children do this when their elders are old?” Qiao Mei asked.
“Yes, they do. My grandfather did up a contract after he retired and his was much thicker than this. It took him more than three months,” Xia He said.
Xia Wen nodded in agreement. The Xu family was caught between a rock and a hard place now and could only agree to Qiao Mei’s request. Otherwise, all their beautiful fantasies would be shattered!
“You even want to stick your nose into the matter about where my grandma stays! Who do you think you are! Why are you so bossy! Why do you have to know so much about our family elder’s future plans!” Xu Cai said furiously.
Qiao Mei capped her pen and stood up, saying, “Since this is your family issue, then we won’t stay here any longer. This meal is on me. Please enjoy yourselves.”
“No, no, no! The child is talking nonsense! You can get involved! Of course you can get involved!” Old Madam Xu said nervously.
Xu Hang grabbed on to Xu Cai. It was a big day for the Xu family today. He could see from Xu Ba’s expression that if Xu Cai said another word, Xu Cai would be grounded at home for a while.
Although Xu Ba had been kind and indulgent towards them since they were young, he still had limits. As long as it was not something that crossed his baseline, he would accept it. Clearly, his baseline was now Li Gui.