Chapter 451 Proof of a Partner is Necessary
Bai Chufan first took Luo Xueli to the guesthouse, letting his younger brothers take their grandparents directly to the villa.
Luo Xueli was in a daze, not hearing anything Bai Chufan said to her. Bai Chufan felt helpless seeing her like this. If she was so easily scared now, what would happen in the future?
But Bai Chufan didn't bother to comfort Luo Xueli; he was eager to see his sister and nephew. After all, she would understand eventually.
Luo Xueli sat in the room, looking at the money and coupons in her hand, tears involuntarily falling. It wasn't about the amount of money, but the immense difficulty of Bai Chufan accepting her.
After crying and laughing for a while, Luo Xueli put the money in her pocket, wiped away her tears, and rushed out.
She ran all the way to the post office, picked up the phone, and dialed her father's workplace.
"Dad, it's Xueli."
"Ah, daughter, why does your voice sound off?"
"Dad, Bai Chufan and I are dating, and we'll be getting married soon."
"Really! He's finally willing?"
"Yes, he is, and he even gave me a lot of money and coupons to spend as I please."
"Hahaha, good, I said my daughter is so good, how could he not be interested. Daughter, don't worry, your mother and I have prepared your dowry and will send it to you soon. Your father will have to meet that young man personally."
Luo Xueli smiled sweetly, making the female clerk beside her extremely envious. She just started dating and he's giving her money to spend freely. Where did she find such a perfect partner?
Seeing the clerk staring at her with unblinking eyes, Luo Xueli didn't dare say any more.
"Dad, I'll send you a letter later to tell you the detailed situation here. By the way, what's happening with the Wu family now?"
The voice on the other end of the phone became noticeably quieter.
"Daughter, the Wu family disappeared overnight. It's said that even those connected to the Wu family have been arrested. I was afraid they would investigate me because you were close to Wu Jing, but it's been so long and there's been no movement."
Luo Xueli finally felt relieved. She had been worried that the Wu family's relatives would retaliate against her family, but thankfully, it was all over.
Happily, Luo Xueli returned to the guesthouse and counted the money in her pocket. It totaled three hundred and seventy-eight yuan, along with over twenty coupons. However, Luo Xueli decided not to spend them; she wanted to save this money until after she was legitimately married.
Ye Shengge was having her stomach massaged by Aunt Zhen, who claimed to have learned the technique from Zi Yisheng's mother when she gave birth, saying it was very effective in restoring her pre-pregnancy condition.
"I heard from Elder Fan that he's prepared some medicinal cuisine for you to help you lose weight without affecting breastfeeding."
"That's great! I'm so worried about the fat on my body right now."
Aunt Zhen's eyes crinkled into a smile. In these difficult times, it was rare to see someone as plump as Shengge.
In fact, Ye Shengge hadn't gained much weight. Her weight on the hospital scale was only 108 catties (approximately 54 kg), which wasn't considered fat for someone 1.71 meters tall.
However, most women at that time weighed only seventy to eighty catties (35-40 kg) and didn't eat much nutritious food during pregnancy, so they remained at that weight after giving birth, appearing very thin.
"With the baby breastfeeding, you don't need to worry about not losing weight."
"Ah, I hope so."
Just then, Ye Shengge heard noisy voices downstairs, followed by a knock on the door.
"Shengge, your grandparents are here to see you and the baby."
"Oh, okay, just a moment, I'll get ready."
Aunt Zhen quickly grabbed a hot towel and wiped off the massage oil from Ye Shengge's stomach.
When Aunt Zhen opened the door, a large group of people rushed in, and Ye Shengge didn't have time to greet everyone individually.
"Nannan, how are you feeling?"
Ye Shengge quickly reached out to hold her grandmother's hand and helped her to sit on the bed.
"Grandma, I'm fine. Look how plump I've become."
"Not plump, not plump. My Nannan is always beautiful."
Grandpa Bai and a group of uncles were already gathered around the baby crib, silent, just gazing intently.
Seeing this, Ye Shengge suddenly felt that her family was severely lacking in children.
"Go ahead and hold him if you want. Little Youyou is very well-behaved; he lets anyone hold him, whether he's awake or asleep."
"Oh my, you all move aside, I want to hold him first."
At this moment, Zi Yisheng also entered the room. He had gone out to take care of something and heard upon his return that his maternal grandparents had arrived.
"Why did you both travel so far? Are you feeling alright?"
Grandma Bai had just picked up Little Youyou and was showering him with kisses, too preoccupied to pay attention to her grandson-in-law.
Zi Yisheng didn't mind. He sat next to his wife, holding her hand, and quietly observed everything.
"Look, look, our Little Youyou is so handsome. He's as fair as his mother. He'll surely captivate many young girls when he grows up."
"I think Little Youyou looks a lot like me."
The third son, Bai Chumo, started to boast, which was met with a chorus of criticism.
"Pah! You're the ugliest one in our family, how dare you say Little Youyou resembles you."
"Exactly! I think he looks like me. I'm the most handsome one in our family."
The sixth son, Bai Yuanhan, had always been praised as the most handsome boy in the Bai family, yet he had never been boastful.
Grandma Bai looked at her grandsons around her, then down at her great-grandson in her arms. Suddenly, she thought of her youngest son, who was far away abroad.
"I wonder how your uncle is doing? He's abroad, I wonder if he'll marry a foreign wife. He's thirty-one and still doesn't have a wife."
Ye Shengge had never actually met this uncle, but she imagined it must be lonely for him to be alone in a foreign country.
"Grandma, as things gradually loosen up, your uncle will return sooner or later. Perhaps he'll bring his wife and children to visit you then."
"Exactly, that boy was smart since he was little. You worry about him for nothing."
Grandpa Bai was happily stroking Little Youyou's hand. Hearing his wife's words, he quickly tried to comfort her, lest she start complaining endlessly.
"Here, here, Old Ancestor is giving Little Youyou a big red envelope. Save it for when he grows up and needs pocket money."
"Third Uncle has contributed all the money he's saved in his life to Little Youyou."
"And Sixth Uncle's too."
"..."
Ye Shengge watched with amusement. Her son seemed destined to become the pampered darling of the family, and her own status might be in jeopardy.
"Little Youyou is amazing. As soon as he was born, he made your uncles bankrupt."
Grandpa Bai watched happily. His grandsons used to spend money lavishly. Only the eldest son knew how to manage his finances; the others, even if they saved, didn't accumulate much.
In the countryside, they only received twenty yuan in pocket money each month, so none of them had substantial savings. However, each of them had a sum of money saved by the family since childhood for marriage or business.
This sum of money was treated equally for everyone, and it was considered a contribution from their grandparents. They could claim it at any time upon reaching adulthood, but currently, no one was married, nor had the opportunity to start a business.
Just then, Bai Chufan walked up to Ye Shengge and whispered a few words. Ye Shengge nodded in surprise.
"Just bring her over directly. Do you need to be so formal with me? As long as it's someone my elder cousin approves of, I respect them."
"Well, I was afraid you wouldn't like strangers coming to your new home, and besides, she's the one who insisted."
Ye Shengge carefully observed her elder cousin's expression. There was seriousness, but also too much calmness, not the excitement one would expect from someone about to get a partner.
"Elder cousin, do you not like Luo Xueli that much?"
"What is liking? I don't understand. In my opinion, if I don't dislike someone and am comfortable with them, then they are suitable."
Ye Shengge suddenly remembered that her elder cousin had a similar attitude when mentioning Ling Qiong before. This was someone who didn't understand love or was unwilling to love deeply, always maintaining a state of not getting lost in emotions.
"Then congratulations, elder cousin. You're setting an example for all the bachelors in the family, especially my eldest brother. Let him learn from you."
"Hahaha, our eldest brother has no hope; his heart isn't in that area."
"Sigh... I've gained another old bachelor."
That day, Grandpa and Grandma Bai decided to stay in Spring City. The Bai brothers also planned to stay for a few days, intending to go to the small courtyard that Zi Yisheng had rented that evening.
After arranging everything, Bai Chufan went to the guesthouse to pick up Luo Xueli. Luo Xueli had not only bought many gifts but also bought herself a beautiful dress, a way to celebrate today's happy occasion.
Seeing Luo Xueli looking refreshed, Bai Chufan raised an eyebrow.
"Very nice. Are you ready?"
Luo Xueli was content with even the slightest praise from Bai Chufan, simply following him blankly.
Seeing her like this, Bai Chufan turned around helplessly and tapped Luo Xueli's forehead.
"Wake up. Are you going to be dazed like this every day? What will you do after marriage?"
"Marriage! Bai Chufan, am I officially your girlfriend now?"
Bai Chufan nodded without hesitation. Luo Xueli immediately burst into tears. The feeling of her own assumption was different from hearing his verbal confirmation.
Bai Chufan sighed. He had found not only a silly girl but also a crybaby. It seemed like their home would be lively from now on.
"Comrade Luo, to prove you are officially my girlfriend, Bai Chufan's, I'll take you to a department store first. We must have proof of our relationship."
Luo Xueli wiped away her tears and followed him dazedly.
It wasn't until they reached the watch counter at the department store that Luo Xueli understood Bai Chufan's intention. Her eyes were filled with excitement and happiness.
"Take out this Rolex for her to try on."
Upon hearing this, Luo Xueli quickly grabbed Bai Chufan's arm.
"Rolex is too expensive. Didn't you say you were out of money?"
"Heh, you're only worried about saving me money now? Don't worry, your boyfriend is very rich."
Bai Chufan whispered in Luo Xueli's ear.
Luo Xueli's face instantly flushed. Her earlier display of courage and shamelessness crumbled in that moment, revealing a different side of her to Bai Chufan.
The sales assistant had seen Bai Chufan before, as she had seen a group of handsome young men accompanying an extremely beautiful girl out shopping several times, always drawing the attention of everyone in the store.
"Your girlfriend has good taste. The girls you usually accompany are also very tasteful."