CHAPTER 405: CHAPTER 400: SNATCHING MONEY

Zhou Yunmei’s eyes went wide at the sight of that roll of cash, and she immediately took it.

Aside from Zhou Yunmei, Luo Zhiming and Xu He standing nearby also flashed a gleam in their eyes, a trace of joy crossing their faces.

Fang Ping’an took Fang Xiu away.

Holding the money, Zhou Yunmei gleefully entered the yard, thinking of counting it because she could tell at a glance there was more than US$ 500. She thought about keeping some for herself and giving the rest to Luo Zhiming and Xu He.

In reality, Luo Dashan was not sick at all. The reason Zhou Yunmei went to deceive Luo Zhiyong out of money was for Luo Zhiming.

After Zhou Yunmei and Luo Zhiming returned to Luojia Village, they went straight to Xu He’s house and grabbed Xu He.

Xu He and her mother, Duan Fenghua, had been discussing at home for several days. They thought it wasn’t good for Xu He to keep hiding, and she would have to face Zhou Yunmei sooner or later.

Zhou Yunmei was not someone to be trifled with. If they refused to pay, Zhou Yunmei would surely spread the news of Xu He and Luo Zhiming being together throughout the village, irreparably damaging Xu He’s reputation. Perhaps in the end, she wouldn’t even be able to marry someone as good as Luo Zhiming.

After all, Luo Zhiming was young and good-looking. Although he was divorced, he had no children, making the divorce seem inconsequential.

Besides, their family really couldn’t afford to pay so much, and more importantly, they didn’t dare to let Xu He’s father find out about all this.

Xu He’s father was quite upright and cared about reputation in the village. If he found out about what was going on between Xu He and Luo Zhiming, who knows, he might just kill Xu He.

So, after a long discussion, Xu He and Duan Fenghua decided that Xu He might as well just be with Luo Zhiming.

But if they were to marry Xu He to Luo Zhiming just like that, Duan Fenghua and Xu He felt unwilling.

How wonderful Xu He was—beautiful and educated, she had no trouble marrying even in the city, and now, she would marry Luo Zhiming, who not only had no abilities but was also a divorcee.

Thus, Xu He’s family asked for a big sum in bride price.

Apart from the rural saying "three furnishing and a dowry", the Luo Family also had to provide a bride price of US$ 500 to the Xu family, otherwise, even at the expense of Xu He’s reputation, she would not marry.

After Zhou Yunmei learned of this, naturally, she would not agree. Even in the city, let alone the countryside, there are few people who could afford such a large bride price.

US$ 500 in the countryside could build a small red-brick house.

But Luo Zhiming wouldn’t relent; he declared to Zhou Yunmei that no matter what, as long as he could marry Xu He, he would agree.

So, he began to pester Zhou Yunmei for the money; of course, in his heart, he knew that someone in their family could afford such an amount, as long as they put in some effort, they would definitely get the money.

Initially, Zhou Yunmei paid no attention to Luo Zhiming, but in the end, Luo Zhiming threatened her with suicide.

Left with no other choice, Zhou Yunmei had to discuss with Luo Zhiming about deceiving Luo Zhiyong to get some money.

Five hundred dollars was not a small sum; Zhou Yunmei still dared not ask directly, so she planned to only ask Luo Zhiyong for the betrothal gift, and for the rest of the expenses for the three rounds and one sound, she would pool the money from the family savings.

Over the years, she had managed to save some money, enough to cobble together an amount.

And all of these plans were made by Zhou Yunmei, Luo Zhiming, and Xu He; Luo Dashan was completely unaware of them.

Because Luo Dashan heard Luo Zhiyong’s warning in the provincial city claiming Xu He was no good, he wasn’t particularly fond of Xu He. However, seeing that Luo Zhiming’s condition was really different from that of normal people, Luo Dashan just let it be and did not oppose it; if Luo Zhiming wanted to get married, he would just let him do so.

He also discussed with Zhou Yunmei that if Luo Zhiming wanted to marry Xu He, they would just give him the money they had saved over the years for his marriage. They could live a bit harder in the future and slowly save up more money, but under no circumstances should they ask Luo Zhiyong and his wife for money.

Just as Zhou Yunmei was about to bring the money inside, Xu He had already seen through Zhou Yunmei’s intentions and, in her urgency, pushed Luo Zhiming hard and gestured with her mouth towards the money in Zhou Yunmei’s hand.

Understanding, Luo Zhiming immediately stepped forward and pulled at Zhou Yunmei, cheerfully trying to take the money from her hands, "Mom, has Big Brother’s money come yet? If it has, give it to me."

Zhou Yunmei hid the money behind her back and said, "I’ll give you the money, I just need to count it first. After all, the betrothal gift has to be given properly, right?"

Xu He hearing this, also crowded over, "There’s no need, Mom. We are all one family now, what’s the use in paying attention to those empty formalities? It’s the thought that counts."

Witnessing this, Luo Zhiming surrounded Zhou Yunmei from the other side, trapping her in a circle. Luo Zhiming was also trying to pry the tightly clenched money from Zhou Yunmei’s hands, "Yes, Mom, just give me the money. You had already said that once Big Brother’s money was here, it would all be used for my wedding."

Zhou Yunmei was pressured by the two so much that it seemed she could no longer keep hold of the money; she simply spoke up about what she was planning, "I promised to give you five hundred dollars; I’ve paid for the rest of the things as well. Any extra money, I plan to save."

Upon hearing this, Luo Zhiming’s face darkened, and his hand kept on prying Zhou Yunmei’s hand, "Mom, you can’t go back on your word, you promised me this money."

But Zhou Yunmei also valued the money highly and clutched it firmly, not allowing Luo Zhiming to take it away.

"Yes, Mom, just give us all the money. And about the wedding arrangements, you don’t need to worry about it. We will handle the expenses ourselves, it will definitely be a glorious affair that will make the whole village jealous." Seeing Zhou Yunmei’s reaction, Xu He also started to intercept Zhou Yunmei’s hand, preventing her from moving, "You and Dad have worked hard recently, you should just take a break. If we need anything done, we’ll inform you."

"No," Zhou Yunmei insisted, and while there was an opening, she tucked the money into her clothing pocket, clutching tightly onto it.

However, Xu He’s temperament differed from that of Fang Xiu and Fang Pingying; she wouldn’t act according to Zhou Yunmei’s emotions like Fang Xiu might occasionally do, nor would she avoid petty calculations like Fang Pingying.

Xu He directly asked Luo Zhiming to pry open Zhou Yunmei’s hand; she reached out to snatch the money and even whispered a threat, "Mom, don’t make too much noise. If Dad finds out we asked for money from Big Brother, who knows how much of a ruckus it would cause."

Luo Zhiming already regarded Xu He’s words as a sacred edict, he forcefully pried open Zhou Yunmei’s hands while saying, "Yes, Mom, stop fussing, this money is meant for us."

Zhou Yunmei really feared that Luo Dashan would find out about this and did not dare to compete with Xu He for it. Moreover, her hand was tightly held by Luo Zhiming, leaving her unable to move and only able to watch as Xu He snatched the money away.

Zhou Yunmei glared at Luo Zhiming and Xu He with such fury in her eyes, almost spitting fire.

But after Xu He and Luo Zhiming got their hands on the money, they were ecstatic and laughing as they headed into the house. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)