MTLNOVEL Chapter 7: Ten Thousand!!
Chapter 7: Ten Thousand!!
“Oh my goodness!” Liu Sufang exclaimed the moment she entered the door.
Wang Xu responded by literally rolling on the ground. Being Saturday, everyone in the compound was home, and the commotion quickly drew a crowd.
“Everyone, please give your opinions!” Wang Xu wailed. “How can this be possible?! She was obviously meant to be my daughter-in-law—we had agreed on everything! How does she become someone else’s? What kind of matchmaker are you? Do you have any professional credibility?!”
She clung desperately to Liu Sufang’s legs, sobbing dramatically. Wang Xu had always been the compound’s most aggressive resident; few dared cross her. But matchmaker Liu Sufang made her living with her sharp tongue and wasn’t easily intimidated.
“How did she become your daughter-in-law?” Liu Sufang fired back. “This is matchmaking, not the vegetable market where you pay and claim ownership! She fell in love with someone else—what could I possibly do? Besides, you haven’t paid me anything yet. Why are you shouting? Everyone here can confirm these facts!”
Liu Sufang carefully avoided mentioning that Su Liyan’s new husband lived next door to Wang Xu. In the current volatile situation, revealing this detail might prevent her from leaving safely.
The onlookers remained silent, thinking only that Wang Xu had experienced extraordinary bad luck. Just yesterday, she had returned home jubilant and proud, praising her soon-to-be daughter-in-law’s virtues. Now this morning, her prospective bride had vanished.
Someone called for the compound’s dean to intervene. The dean was among the most respected elders and one of the original five families in the compound. These original households included Lu Yuan’s family (now with only Lu Yuan remaining), an elderly woman without children, and the three dean families who typically mediated disputes.
After arriving and assessing the situation, the three deans reluctantly explained to Wang Xu that the matchmaker bore no blame. She had clearly stated that the couple fell in love instantly and obtained their marriage certificate early that morning. Moreover, Liu Sufang had neither taken money from Wang Xu’s family nor enjoyed the meal they’d offered. This unfortunate outcome could only be attributed to Wang Xu’s own circumstances.
With the deans’ intervention, Liu Sufang finally escaped Wang Xu’s home. Outside, she muttered a few curses about her bad luck before hurrying away, fearing the woman would pursue her again.
Before leaving, Liu Sufang glanced at the red brick house opposite Wang Xu’s—young Lu Yuan’s home. What a contrast! A proper public building with indoor plumbing! Nothing like Wang Xu’s cramped quarters that barely offered room to turn around.
While Liu Sufang had indeed accepted ten yuan from Lu Yuan, she reflected that even without payment, she would have chosen his household over Wang Xu’s for Su Liyan. Given Wang Xu’s aggressive personality, Su Liyan’s life there would have been miserable. And what about Wang Xiaofei? The young man had remained utterly silent throughout the confrontation—not a single word even as chaos erupted around him. How could that compare to Lu Yuan’s articulate confidence?
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan and Su Liyan had spent the entire morning shopping at the department store, accumulating numerous purchases. Now they sat in an elegantly decorated restaurant where Lu Yuan had generously ordered a feast and two bottles of iced orange soda.
Before their food arrived, Lu Yuan opened the sodas and placed one before Su Liyan, who sat across from him, timidly surveying their surroundings. She had visited such an establishment only once, at age five or six, with her father—before his troubles began. That memory had nearly faded entirely.
“Brother… you don’t need to order so much… it’s such a waste of money…” Su Liyan murmured, watching Lu Yuan gulp his soda.
She had repeated this sentiment countless times throughout the day, primarily because Lu Yuan had purchased so many items for her: two dresses, a floral shirt, fashionable cropped jeans, small high heels costing six yuan alone, and silk sleepwear. These luxuries totaled around twenty or thirty yuan—an extravagant sum. Now he had ordered this lavish meal of fish and meat, which would cost several yuan more.
Lu Yuan finished half his orange soda, the coldness creating a momentary headache. Setting down the bottle, he leaned forward with a mysterious expression.
“There’s something I haven’t told you before. Actually, my family is very wealthy.”
He had carefully considered whether to reveal his financial situation to Su Liyan and concluded there was no reason to hide it. While system-granted wealth might warrant secrecy from the general public to avoid jealousy or theft, why conceal it from his wife?
Although Lu Yuan had married Su Liyan because of the [Supreme Level Great Bargain] reward, this didn’t mean he hadn’t wanted a wife or that his feelings weren’t genuine. Su Liyan was now his only family in this world. Maintaining secrets would only create distance between them. Moreover, if he enjoyed luxury while forcing her to live frugally, what kind of relationship would that be?
Lu Yuan faced Su Liyan’s questioning gaze and whispered, “My parents left me a substantial inheritance. You won’t experience hardship with me—eat and drink without worry.”
Su Liyan blinked, not fully grasping the magnitude of what “substantial inheritance” meant. Still, she felt uncomfortable with such profligate spending. From the moment they’d married that morning, Su Liyan had considered herself the Lu family’s daughter-in-law—such extravagance seemed inappropriate.
Noticing her hesitation, Lu Yuan extended a single finger with a mysterious grin. “We have this much at home.”
Su Liyan examined his gesture uncertainly. “One… one thousand?”
Lu Yuan immediately corrected her, his eyes gleaming:
“Ten thousand!!”