My Youth Began With Him

Qin Chu opened the front door and walked in. “Mom… you’re here.”

“Mhm.” Yang Meirong nodded with a smile.

“Chu’s back, let’s have lunch. Come on, Meirong,” Mrs. Qin said as she led Yang Meirong into the kitchen, and the five of them sat down.

There were 18 dishes on the table, everything looking as delicious as could be.

“Wow… there’s so much food!” Huo Mian licked her lips.

“Mian, eat as much as you can. You’ve been overtiring yourself recently, you need nutrients,” Mrs. Qin reminded her, and Huo Mian nodded. “I will, Mom.”

“Come on, let’s eat. Don’t be shy, Meirong, dig in.”

“Okay.”

As they ate, Mrs. Qin thought that the time was right so she said, “Meirong, our children are holding a wedding soon, we should talk about the reverse dowry.”

“Reverse dowry? No, it’s okay, their ceremony is just a formality, we don’t need money and presents. Plus, Qin Chu’s been great to Mian, buying her a house and car. He even bought me an expensive townhouse. I’m very happy about everything, so we really don’t need anything else.” Yang Meirong wasn’t greedy when it came to money, as long as Huo Mian had enough to spend. Therefore, she would never make her daughter’s life hard by listing out unrealistic expectations.

Although she wasn’t as rich as the Qins, her dignity would never allow her to do anything that might embarrass herself in front of her in-laws.

“Meirong, this is a Northern Chinese tradition, we can’t skip over it. Let’s go by the ancestor’s rules…”

“No, really, it’s okay,” Yang Meirong insisted.

Qin Yumin slowly said, “Meirong, please don’t misunderstand us… we have to give our daughter-in-law a reverse dowry. You’ve worked hard to raise two kids on your own, and we are so grateful that you raised a daughter like Huo Mian. You have no idea how proud we are that she’s our daughter-in-law… therefore, stop refusing the reverse dowry, it’s necessary.”

Yang Meirong was just about to say something when Qin Chu interjected, “Mom, if they want to give you money, just accept it. They’re filthy rich.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Mian couldn’t help but laugh as she nudged Qin Chu.

Mrs. Qin, on the other hand, glared at her son. “You little brat, sucking up to your mother-in-law already!”

Then, the five of them burst out in laughter.

Mrs. Qin took a delicate box out from her bag and handed it to Huo Mian. “Mian… Qin Chu’s paternal grandmother gave this to me, it’s a bracelet made with high-quality jade. I’m going to give it to you now and hopefully, you’ll be able to pass it down for generations to come.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Huo Mian smiled and carefully took the jade bracelet from her mother-in-law.

Qin Chu laughed, “Mom, you might as well have told Mian to have a son, so she can give this bracelet to her daughter-in-law in the future.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t care about gender. If you guys have a girl, Mian can just give this bracelet to my granddaughter.” Mrs. Qin smiled.

Qin Yumin placed his wineglass down and said slowly, “Meirong, why don’t we tell you our plans for the reverse dowry? It’s a formality.”

“Sure.” Yang Meirong nodded; she really didn’t have it in her to ask them for money. Therefore, she was happy that Qin Yumin offered to tell her their plans.

“Dad… we don’t need a reverse dowry, Qin Chu and I have been married for over a year, and this time around we’re just holding a ceremony… you don’t have to take it so seriously.” Huo Mian tried to persuade her father-in-law.