Chapter 16

At noon, the people sipping tea in the small teahouse gradually started eating their meals. After finishing, some went into private rooms to play mahjong, while those playing poker stayed outside, everything orderly and leisurely.

At a table near the back sat four women, still charming in their middle age, clearly the type who lived a life of ease and comfort.

“Yu-jie, are you sure you don’t want me to order one for you? The fried rice here is really good,” one of them said.

Shen Ruyu glanced anxiously at the door, shaking her head. “No need, my son-in-law will bring me food soon.”

“Ah, the son-in-law, the one you said works at Xinhui Real Estate. What exactly is his position there?”

“How would I know? I don’t pry into young people’s affairs.”

“Hehe, when my son buys a house, I’ll go to him and see if there’s a discount.”

“Yan-jie, you bought this bracelet too, right? I told you it’s trendy now.”

“My daughter insisted on buying it for me. At our age, wearing something so fashionable is a bit embarrassing, but it’d be a waste not to wear it!”

Shen Ruyu sat to the side, silently watching them exchange flattery with a mix of speechlessness and envy. This bracelet, costing a few thousand yuan, was now on almost every one of their wrists. With it being so trendy, not wearing one seemed almost shameful.

Shen Ruyu thought to herself that she should buy one too and just say her eldest son-in-law gave it to her later.

“Yo, Yu-jie, I’d say you’re still the simple one.”

“Yeah, Yu-jie said wearing it might trigger an addiction, though she did wear some kind of jewelry last time.”

The group of gossiping women chattered away, their words tinged with a hint of mockery. But that was just the atmosphere here—even for a card game, they’d dress up meticulously,恨不得 to put on every valuable piece of jewelry they owned.

At least when Xu Bin arrived and saw these women, he was speechless. They were decked out in gold and silver, hanging with ornaments like Christmas trees.

“Mom, hello, aunties!”

Xu Bin approached their table, calling out obediently as he placed the food he’d brought onto the table.

“Yo, it’s the live-in son-in-law. What kind of meal did you buy for your mom? Such a big bag.”

One of them, a young woman named Yanzi, was an old card-playing buddy. Xu Bin couldn’t name the others, but this one’s sharp-tongued, sarcastic remarks were on par with his mother-in-law’s.

Xu Bin pulled out a chair and sat down, directly placing the gift bag in front of his mother-in-law. With utmost sincerity, he said, “Mom, take a look and see if you like this.”

“What is it?”

Shen Ruyu was utterly confused, but the others gathered around, spotting the logo on the bag.

When the jewelry box was opened, revealing the bracelet she’d been dreaming of, Shen Ruyu gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Yanzi leaned in, her tone a bit sour. “No way, this is the most expensive one. Hey, live-in son-in-law, you didn’t buy a knockoff, did you?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like pure gold!” the others chimed in.

Xu Bin pretended not to hear. As he took his mother-in-law’s hand to put the bracelet on her, he said, “Mom, I’ve always wanted to buy this for you but never had the time. Today, I finally went to check it out. You know I’m clueless about picking things, so I just asked them for the latest model.”

Shen Ruyu looked at the heavy bracelet on her wrist, her eyes wide with astonishment. But women are the best actresses, and she didn’t let it show.

Xu Bin deliberately let the receipt slip out of the bag along with everything else. Yanzi snatched it up quickly, and the others crowded around. Seeing it was the most expensive genuine piece, they all turned a bit sour.

Shen Ruyu caught sight of it too, and her eyes immediately softened. She scolded playfully, “You silly child, didn’t Mom say I have a bit of a metal allergy? Why did you buy this?”

Acting was something everyone could do. Xu Bin immediately smiled and said, “Mom, you don’t have that anymore. Those imported vitamins you took last time cleared it up. Stop being so paranoid, okay?”

“Then I’ll wear it and see if I have an allergic reaction,” Shen Ruyu said with a charming smile, one that even made Xu Bin a little dazed.

But she quickly shifted her tone, adopting the air of an elder as she said earnestly, “You, last time Mom told you not to buy it. Why are you so disobedient, child?”

With this back-and-forth, Shen Ruyu was absolutely delighted. She hadn’t expected Xu Bin to play along with her act, nor had she imagined the seemingly dull second son-in-law could be so quick-witted.

Of course, what surprised her most was that Xu Bin had the money to buy her this gold bracelet, and the priciest one at that. But for now, she couldn’t ask about it.

Yanzi’s expression soured, and she said sarcastically, “Yu-jie, that bracelet’s a bit heavy. Won’t your hand ache later during the card game?”

“Yeah, son-in-law, why did you buy such a heavy one? It’ll be inconvenient for playing cards later.”

Shen Ruyu ignored this, continuing to show off in her own way.

Before, she’d always called him “Hey,” “That one,” “Xu Bin,” “Poor boy”… This seemed to be the first time she’d addressed him so warmly as “son-in-law.”

Sure enough, money, combined with catering to her tastes, was something no vain woman could resist.

“I’m no good at picking, so I just asked them for the most expensive one!” Xu Bin said with a smile. “Mom, if you think it’s too heavy, I’ll buy you a lighter one later.”

“Don’t waste money. If I have an allergic reaction, Mom will just put it aside and not wear it.”

“Putting it aside is fine—gold appreciates in value anyway. Mom, just remember to take those imported vitamins, and don’t make us keep nagging you.”

“Alright, alright, I got it.”

This back-and-forth gave Shen Ruyu’s vanity unprecedented satisfaction. The flimsy excuse of an allergy now seemed rock-solid under Xu Bin’s smooth cover-up.

Just then, the fried rice Yanzi had ordered arrived. She said impatiently, “Alright, alright, hurry up and eat so we can play cards. If you two, son-in-law and mother-in-law, have things to talk about, go home and chat. Don’t waste our time.”

Her tone was a bit harsh, but it only made Shen Ruyu feel more triumphant and delighted.

Xu Bin tucked the receipt into the gift box and reminded her, “Mom, keep the receipt safe. If it gets stolen, you can report it to the police.”

“Got it. Son-in-law, you head back now. Oh, and tell Nannan not to buy groceries tonight—Mom will do the shopping.”

“Okay, aunties, I’ll be off now!”

As soon as Xu Bin left, Shen Ruyu chuckled as she admired her gold bracelet. It was noticeably thicker than the ones the other gossiping women wore, likely the thickest one available, so she was immensely pleased, practically looking down her nose at everyone.

She could clearly feel the jealousy radiating from the others, and Shen Ruyu was thoroughly enjoying herself, even getting so excited that her underwear felt a little damp.

Looking at the large bag in front of her, Shen Ruyu opened it and said, “Oh, a bag from Ocean Hotel.”

The bag itself was already exquisite, with the logo printed large on the outside for all to see. In this city, who didn’t know Ocean Hotel? But seeing Shen Ruyu’s smug, triumphant demeanor, no one wanted to say a word.

Shen Ruyu placed the elegant boxes one by one on the table, a stark contrast to the plain boxes of the fried rice Yanzi and the others had ordered.

Even if the others didn’t want to engage, their attention was irresistibly drawn when the boxes were opened.

A serving of Thai fragrant rice, plain, cost 12 yuan alone. There was braised sea cucumber with scallions, a high-end custom platter of roasted meats, and a bowl of shark fin soup.

Shen Ruyu held the takeout receipt, muttering with feigned displeasure, “This rascal just knows how to waste money. Over 500 yuan for this little bit—I’ll have to give him a good talking-to when we get home.”

“Hurry up and eat, then we’ll play cards!” Yanzi urged impatiently, suddenly finding the fried rice in her mouth utterly tasteless.

Shen Ruyu verbally agreed, then leisurely began eating, warmly and insistently inviting them:

“Yanzi, try this braised sea cucumber with scallions—it’s really delicious.”

“Axia-jie, try the skin of this roast suckling pig—it’s truly worthy of being Ocean Hotel’s signature dish.”

“Ah, I really need to have a word with this son-in-law of mine. His own clothes are all tattered and he won’t buy new ones, yet he spends money so recklessly!”