B5SB -Chapter 235 Dowry

When Gu Yihan returned to the living room, Grandma Gu was sitting on a mat, watching Haohao and Zhou Ni.

Hearing the door open, she lifted her head and gave her granddaughter a meaningful look.

Su Nian was sitting on the sofa, wiping her tears and crying.

Gu Yihan smiled faintly at Grandma Gu, then walked straight over and sat beside Su Nian. Tilting her head, she looked at her in confusion.

“I remember you weren’t this weak when you were in school.”

“Xiao Han, watch what you say,” Grandma Gu scolded her, cutting her off.

Su Nian glanced at her son, who was sitting on a stool sulking, and said softly: “Xiao Han, you don’t understand. Once a girl marries out, she’s like water that’s been spilled.”

“Your natal family is far away, no one stands up for you. And your in-laws won’t respect you either.”

Gu Yihan looked at Su Nian in surprise.

With so much dowry, she was still looked down on? Could the Zhou family really be some wealthy local clan?

Thinking so, she asked directly.

Grandma Gu glanced at her granddaughter, stifled a laugh, and said:

“The Zhou family? Wealthy? They’re the poorest family in the village.”

“If it weren’t for Captain Zhou sending money and ration coupons home every year, they’d be owing grain to the production team year after year.”

She often chatted with Zhou Yan and Su Nian, so she knew more than her granddaughter.

The Zhou family had been poor farmers for generations. After finally producing someone capable like Zhou Jun, the whole family clung to him like leeches, sucking him dry.

Gu Yihan was stunned.

She stared at Su Nian in disbelief and exclaimed:

“Then where does Zhou Yan’s sense of superiority come from?”

“And your in-laws are so poor—after marrying such a rich daughter-in-law, shouldn’t they be treating you like a treasure?”

She really couldn’t understand how Su Nian had ended up living like this.

Grandma Gu shook her head. Her granddaughter was still too young.

Most mothers-in-law disliked daughters-in-law who were richer than their sons.

On one hand, they felt inferior to the in-laws and would find ways to bully the daughter-in-law.

On the other hand, they thought that since the daughter-in-law brought so much dowry, she was basically throwing herself at their family.

So even the dowry she brought would be treated as their own property.

After crying herself out, Su Nian forced a weak smile at Gu Yihan.

“When I married Zhou Jun, it was during bad times.”

“Back then, whether in the countryside or the city, people believed that the poorer you were, the more glorious it was. Poverty was their pride.”

“What?” Gu Yihan thought she’d misheard. “The poorer, the more glorious?”

Su Nian nodded. “Yes.”

Gu Yihan turned to look at Grandma Gu in disbelief.

She had memories from childhood—how come she’d never heard of such a saying?

Grandma Gu smiled awkwardly.

“Our Gu family village never had that idea.”

Gu Yihan looked back at Su Nian.

A delicate young lady from a wealthy family, bullied like this after marriage…

She didn’t know how to comfort her, so she could only sit quietly beside her.

“Mom, Aunt has worked so hard serving our whole family. Why can’t you give her some slack?”

Zhou Jianghe’s childish, dissatisfied voice suddenly rang out in the quiet living room.

Su Nian froze.

She looked at her son in disbelief. “You think Mom is wrong?”

Five-year-old Zhou Jianghe couldn’t empathize with her at all. He rolled his eyes.

“It is your fault!”

He held out his small hand and counted on his fingers.

“After I was born, Aunt took care of me. She washed my clothes and cooked my meals.”

“And you only know how to fight with Aunt every day. You can’t do anything.”

Then he stood up, ran over, grabbed Su Nian’s hand, and said:

“Mom, go apologize to Aunt. I want to go home and watch TV.”

Su Nian’s face turned pale. Her whole body went cold.

She never imagined that the son she’d carried for ten months would side with Zhou Yan—the one who had beaten her.

Instead of her.

Gu Yihan and Grandma Gu exchanged glances, both seeing disbelief in each other’s eyes.

“Mom, let’s go. I want to go home. This place isn’t fun at all—there’s not even a TV,” Zhou Jianghe complained.

Each word pierced Su Nian’s heart.

“Mom, Aunt—”

Before he could finish, Su Nian shook off his hand.

Her eyes were empty, her voice cold.

“Go back by yourself.”

Zhou Jianghe’s eyes lit up.

“Okay, Mom, I’m going!”

Without waiting for her reply, he ran out.

“Those things—TV, washing machine—were all part of your dowry?” Gu Yihan asked suspiciously.

“A captain’s salary alone couldn’t afford those. The coupons are hard to get, and money too.”

Su Nian lowered her head and nodded softly.

Thinking of her son’s behavior, her heart chilled.

She covered her face with both hands, tears slipping through her fingers.

Gu Yihan frowned.

She also thought about Zhou Jianghe’s attitude.

Was it really true that girls had stronger empathy than boys?

Why wasn’t he close to his mother at all?

Ten minutes later, Su Nian finally calmed down and looked up.

She said softly:

“Every time I argue with Zhou Yan, it’s because she secretly chews food and feeds it to Zhou Ni.”

“I’ve told her countless times, but she never changes.”

“As for washing clothes, we have a washing machine. She helps look after the child, and I give her twenty yuan every month.”

“Twenty yuan, and she’s still not satisfied?” Grandma Gu exclaimed.

That was almost as much as a regular job, plus free food and lodging.

“Satisfied?” Su Nian sneered bitterly. “If she doesn’t marry an officer, she’ll never be satisfied.”

She had seen through it now.

Zhou Yan had grown ambitious and looked down on ordinary soldiers.

Gu Yihan glanced at Su Nian and said:

“Sister Su, you could ask nearby military dependents to help you take care of the child.”

She really didn’t understand—if they couldn’t get along, why keep Zhou Yan in the house?

Hiring a stranger would be better. At least they wouldn’t dare interfere.

Su Nian smiled faintly but didn’t explain.

If Zhou Yan were sent back, within days her mother-in-law would bring the whole family to the compound.

They’d accuse her and Zhou Jun of being unfilial, just to force Zhou Yan back in.

Because they couldn’t bear to lose those twenty yuan.

“I heard from your sister-in-law that half of Captain Zhou’s salary is sent back home. Is the rest enough for your family?” Grandma Gu asked curiously.

Su Nian spent quite a lot—meat, expensive grain—so it puzzled her.

“It’s enough,” Su Nian said, forcing a smile.

Zhou Jun earned about 140 yuan a month.

After sending half home, about seventy remained.

Twenty went to Zhou Yan, and the rest barely covered monthly expenses.

Whenever it wasn’t enough, she filled the gap with her dowry.