Courtyard House: Starting as an engineer, crushing a yard full of poultry

Page 203

"You brat, what kind of attitude is this towards your brother-in-law? Have you forgotten who gave you the dowry?"

"What? You only spent a little money, and you expect me to support you for the rest of my life?"

Because he failed to get money from Xu Damao yesterday, Lou Sheng was extremely rude to both Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e today.

"you!"

Although she wasn't quite pregnant yet, Lou Xiao'e was already acting like a pregnant woman. She stood with one hand on her hip, her face flushed and neck red with anger.

"You brat, what kind of uncle are you? Your sister is pregnant, and you're still upset with her!"

"Come on, come inside with Mom and rest."

"Da Mao, come in too. Your dad knew you were coming, so he brewed tea for you in advance."

Lou's mother came over and pushed Lou Sheng aside, then smiled and helped Lou Xiao'e into the house.

"Hey, Damao's here! Come on, sit down. I heard you're back at the factory after a job transfer. How's it going? Are you adjusting well?"

Upon entering the house, Lou's father was sitting happily drinking tea, probably because he was quite pleased that his son was getting engaged today. He rarely gave Xu Damao a friendly look in the past.

"I've never done factory work before, and I'm learning now. I don't know if I can do it well."

“It’s alright, at least it’s a stable job. It’s better than Lou Sheng just wandering around all day. He even has to ask his brother-in-law to pay for his wedding.”

Judging from the behavior of the elderly Lou couple, Xu Damao could easily tell that they hadn't given up on getting money from him. So, faced with their explanation, he simply smiled and didn't say anything more.

"Old Lou, don't sit inside anymore, our in-laws are here!"

Before Lou's father could even shamelessly bring up the matter of asking for money, Lou's mother started shouting at the door, and Xu Damao went out to greet her as well.

"Xiaoyue, you...you look so beautiful today."

"Look at your pathetic self, when am I not beautiful?"

"Hehe... You'll always be beautiful!"

Lou Sheng, who had just been frowning, immediately scrunched up his face when he saw Xiao Yue, and moved closer to her like a sticky rice dumpling.

Xiaoyue wasn't particularly interested in Lou Sheng. She walked ahead of her parents, barely glancing at him.

Chapter 280 The In-Laws Come to the Door

"Logically, people should have their engagement party at a restaurant, so why did you cook at home...?"

"Exactly, with only a few people, how much can they possibly eat? They're being so stingy..."

Xiaoyue's parents did not show any joy at their daughter's engagement; instead, they started finding fault as soon as they entered the door.

"Um... Mother-in-law... We just thought it would be quieter to eat at home, and we could chat more..."

"Besides, isn't this your first time visiting my home? You can come and see the environment where Xiaoyue will live after she marries in."

Lou's mother argued that, in reality, they had squandered all the money Xu Damao had given them, and now they basically had no money left.

"Pshaw, what's so interesting about such a tiny place?"

Xiaoyue's mother rolled her eyes. Although her family wasn't wealthy, and Xiaoyue had dropped out of school early and stayed home unable to find a job, she was extremely picky about the Lou family.

"Mom, look, this is my room."

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Lou Sheng quickly stepped forward to try and win over the other person's cold shoulder.

"Mom? Are you calling me? You and Xiaoyue aren't even married yet, what are you calling 'Mom' for?"

Lou Sheng's calling her "Mom" really startled both Lou's mother and Xiaoyue's mother. Lou's mother's face fell to the ground. Seeing her beloved son, whom she had raised since childhood, calling someone else so ingratiatingly made her very uncomfortable.

"I... I was just thinking that since we've already set our engagement today, you're practically my mom now."

Lou Sheng had never suffered such humiliation since childhood, having been protected by his parents. However, he was still very humble and looked worthless in front of Xiao Yue's family.

"This is your room? This... After we get married, you're going to have my Xiaoyue squeeze into this place with you?"

Xiaoyue's mother pursed her lips, got up, and went to Lousheng's room. As soon as she entered the room, she couldn't help but frown and pointed to the tiny room, asking a question.

"No, no!"

"Well, Lou Sheng's older sister is already married and doesn't come back often. When Xiao Yue marries in, I'll combine these two rooms."

"These two rooms together must be at least ten square meters, they're quite spacious for the young couple, even bigger than our main house!"

Upon seeing this, Lou's mother hurriedly spoke up, which made Lou Xiao'e, who was standing to the side, tremble. She had tolerated her parents' favoritism towards her younger brother, but it was really hard for her to accept that they had taken away her room.

"That's more like it, but you'll have to let my Xiaoyue oversee the renovations, otherwise she definitely won't want to live there if you make something so old-fashioned."

"Okay, okay, no problem."

In order to successfully marry Lou Sheng a daughter-in-law, Lou's mother has basically no bottom line. She readily agrees to whatever demands the other party makes.

Even Lou Sheng had never heard of the house renovation project, but he was naturally very happy that his mother was so supportive.

"Alright, in-laws, please sit down and have some water. It's cold and dry outside, and it's easy to get a sore throat."

Lou's father also stepped forward and poured three cups of tea. With so many people crammed into the already small house, Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e had no choice but to stand aside.

"This is Lou Sheng's sister? Are you sure you can stop going back to your parents' house?"

As soon as Xiaoyue's mother sat down, she began to look at Lou Xiao'e standing in front of her.

·· ·····Requesting flowers·· ·

"What...what are you saying? Why can't I go back to my own home?"

Lou Xiao'e, who had been holding back for a long time, finally lost her temper.

"Look at you, you silly girl! I knew this family was dishonest. Look how obviously they're lying to us! They couldn't even coordinate their stories properly!"

Xiaoyue's mother sneered and turned to her daughter.

"No, no, no, my dear in-law, please don't take offense. My daughter just got pregnant recently, so she might be feeling a bit off. Let's not take it personally."

"Don't worry, I'm in charge of this house. I'll definitely decorate it to Xiaoyue's satisfaction!"

Lou's mother tugged at Lou Xiao'e from behind, then quickly put on a smiling face towards Xiaoyue's mother.

"pregnant?"

"Your family is really something! Don't you know that a wedding is a joyous occasion? Sending a pregnant woman is like inviting bad luck and attracting villains!"

Xiaoyue's mother persisted.

"We're so sorry, we're just saying that since this isn't a formal wedding, we definitely won't let her come to the wedding ceremony!"

Lou Xiao'e felt utterly heartbroken upon hearing this conversation. But considering how much she had already sacrificed for this marriage, she had no choice but to endure it.

"Now that we're talking about the wedding, we only have one daughter, so she has to have a grand and glorious wedding."

"You'll have to rent good cars for the wedding procession. My family is large, so you'll need to arrange several cars. The restaurant must also be high-end; don't try to fob us off with some small eatery."

"But that's all for later. You should sort out the house issue first, and then we can talk about the wedding."

Xiaoyue's mother blurted out everything in one breath, indicating that the woman was in charge in their family, as she kept talking about money.

Chapter 281 Lou Xiao'e Confronts Her Mother

"Don't worry, my dear in-laws, we'll go cook first!"

Upon hearing that Xiaoyue's family had brought up so many money requests again, Lou's mother hurriedly pulled Lou Xiao'e into the kitchen.

Seeing this, Xu Damao quietly followed him out. Anyway, with the house in such a mess, no one would pay any attention to him.

"What's wrong with you? Yesterday your brother went to ask for money, why didn't you let Xu Damao give it to him?"

"He made all sorts of promises when he took you from our house, but now that you two are in a good relationship, you're neglecting your family?"

As soon as she entered the kitchen, Lou's mother's expression changed, and she launched into a tirade against Lou Xiao'e.

"Mom... everything has its limits. Xu Damao is just an ordinary worker, and he spent all his savings on Lou Sheng? Lou Sheng isn't even his son..."

Lou Xiao'e curled her lip and retorted directly.

Xu Damao, who was hiding in the corner by the kitchen door, was quite gratified to hear this, since Lou Xiao'e was still speaking up for him even when he wasn't there.

"That makes sense, but isn't this just creating trouble?"

"You saw it just now, none of the members of Xiaoyue's family are kind people. They can't explain themselves without money."

"Old Li's son in the front yard got married a couple of days ago. Everyone else's brother-in-law handled all the arrangements. Why is your Xu Damao so special?"

When Lou's mother heard that Lou Xiao'e was still speaking in favor of Xu Damao, she angrily shouted at the top of her lungs. Realizing that there were still so many people sitting in the room, she lowered her voice.

"Anyway, we don't have any money. If you think Old Li's son-in-law is good, why don't you ask him if he can also arrange a wedding for Lou Sheng? He's so rich anyway."

After saying that, Lou Xiao'e turned to leave. Xu Damao, who was eavesdropping outside, found it quite exciting; the falling out between the Lou mother and daughter gave him a strange sense of pleasure.

"You stop!"

"Lou Xiao'e, Lou Xiao'e, did your father and I raise you for nothing? Now you're turning your back on us?"

"Think about it carefully. If we hadn't backed you up, would Xu Damao have stayed with you this long, given that you can't have children?"

"How stingy has Xu Damao been to our family all these years? You finally got pregnant, and I can't even hold my head high and ask him for some money?"

Lou's mother grabbed Lou Xiao'e from behind, knowing that she would have to rely on Lou Xiao'e to hold a wedding for her son.

"Alright, since that's what you think, I'll tell you the truth."