Chapter 703 - 243: The Bride Price Negotiations Broke Down (Part 3)

"Then I’ll ask for even more," Jie Jingchen said without a second thought.

"Go for it. You got this. I’m rooting for you," Qin Mei said, giving Jie Jingchen a thumbs-up.

Gao Qiang’s glare was venomous and icy. ’That guy is so shameless! The Qiao Family is clearly rich, yet they’re treating our Gao family like a bunch of suckers.’

Madam Qiao suppressed a laugh, raised her teacup, and took an elegant sip.

The Qiao family’s stance was simple. They weren’t after a high bride price; they wanted the Gao family to back down in the face of difficulties.

Having drunk too much milk tea, Qin Mei came out to use the restroom. When she opened the door, she found Grandma Gao eavesdropping. Caught off guard by the sudden movement, the old woman nearly fell, but Qin Mei’s quick reflexes kicked in, and she steadied her.

Elderly people can’t handle falls. A minor one could lead to a stroke; a major one could be fatal.

If the Gao family’s matriarch died from a fall at the Qiao Residence during marriage negotiations, it wouldn’t cause any real trouble for the Qiao Family, but it would definitely stir up some gossip.

Qin Mei closed the door and said to Grandma Gao, "Old Madam Gao, please be careful. You wouldn’t want to fall."

"What part of the negotiations are they on?" Grandma Gao asked.

"Bride price." Qin Mei uttered the two words, let go of Grandma Gao, and headed for the restroom.

Grandma Gao beamed. ’They’re already discussing the bride price! It looks like this marriage is settled. Next up is the dowry, then the wedding date.’

Little did Grandma Gao know, their very first step was the bride price.

When Qin Mei came out of the restroom, she was about to head back to the room to continue listening to them haggle, but Grandma Gao called her over. "Girl, come here."

Qin Mei hesitated for a second, then turned and walked over to Grandma Gao, sitting down opposite her. "What is it?"

"Waiting is so boring. Keep me company," Grandma Gao said.

"Boring?" Qin Mei’s gaze fell on the string of Buddha Beads in Grandma Gao’s hands. "Weren’t you chanting?"

"I’m done," Grandma Gao said with a frown.

"Then chant some more." Qin Mei had no desire to entertain her. She truly had no patience for a malicious old woman. She didn’t even want to deal with Jie Jingchen’s own grandmother, let alone someone else’s.

"Girl, I am the guest, and you are the host. I am an elder, and you are a junior. Shouldn’t you keep me company?" Grandma Gao glared at Qin Mei. ’Doesn’t she know how to respect her elders?’

"Trying to set me up with someone again?" Qin Mei asked sarcastically.

"You girl! If you had told me from the start that you were Madam Qiao’s grand-daughter-in-law, would I have been so eager to introduce my grandson to you?" Grandma Gao had a bad temper and was prone to hitting juniors who disobeyed her. She raised her Buddha Beads to strike Qin Mei, but then she remembered this was the Qiao Residence. She had already offended Madam Qiao; if she hit Qin Mei and got thrown out, she would lose all face.

Qin Mei sneered as she watched Grandma Gao. ’If she dares to hit me, I’ll hit her right back. I couldn’t care less about her age.’

’As if I don’t know what she’s thinking. She looks down on Xu Jiali and wants her grandson to marry a "proper" young miss of the Qiao Family. She needs a reality check. Considering the Gao family’s status and Gao Qiang’s own prospects, Xu Jiali even giving him the time of day is a blessing he’s incredibly lucky to have.’

’A toad lusting after a swan. The ambition is admirable, but is it realistic?’

Grandma Gao lowered her raised hand, concealed her hostility, and gave Qin Mei a benevolent smile. "Girl, what tricks did you use to marry Young Master Qiao?"

Qin Mei coquettishly brushed back her hair. An enchanting, soul-stealing smile graced her lips as she said in a teasing voice, "I seduced him with my good looks. You buy that?"

Grandma Gao’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. ’What a siren! It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her a vixen capable of toppling nations.’

"No matter how beautiful you are when you’re young, there will come a day when your youth and beauty fade. When that happens, just you wait to be cast aside." Who hasn’t been young and beautiful? Grandma Gao was a woman of experience.

A marriage won by looks alone would never end well. Grandma Gao could already picture Qin Mei’s miserable fate.

"He’s seven years older than me. He’ll get old before I do. If anyone’s doing the dumping, it’ll be me," Qin Mei said.

"Silly girl, he’s a man." Grandma Gao felt Qin Mei was too naive. Her cloudy eyes held a desolate world-weariness. "A woman’s bloom is brief, but a man’s lasts for a long time. As long as he has money and power, there will be plenty of pretty young girls willing to marry him."

Qin Mei fell silent. ’Someone of Grandma Gao’s generation lived through an era where a man could have multiple wives and concubines. But modern Huaxia practices monogamy.’

Seeing Qin Mei remain silent, Grandma Gao sighed and said, "Girl, don’t dismiss my words. I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice."

"No wonder you’re so salty," Qin Mei shot back, her words lethally sharp.

"You..." Grandma Gao was livid, her trembling index finger pointed at Qin Mei. "Don’t be so unappreciative."

"You’re trying to stir up trouble in my marriage, and you expect me to be grateful?" Qin Mei wasn’t a fool. Grandma Gao was trying to make her anxious.

"Who’s stirring up trouble?" Grandma Gao denied, glaring at Qin Mei. "And here I thought you looked smart, but you can’t even tell when someone is trying to help."

"And to think you call yourself a person, when you don’t even know how to talk," Qin Mei shot back.

Grandma Gao was so angry she wanted to hit someone. Her self-proclaimed warm-heartedness had been doused by Qin Mei’s cold cruelty. She waved her hand dismissively. "Go away, go away! I can’t stand the sight of you."

"Old Madam Gao, allow me to remind you, this is the Qiao Residence, not the Gao Residence." Qin Mei leaned back lazily against the sofa. ’Ordering me to come and go as she pleases. Does she really think this is her house?’

Grandma Gao picked up her teacup, wanting a sip to cool her anger, but only tea leaves remained; she had drunk all the water. "Go pour me a cup of tea. On second thought, no tea. Drinking too much will affect my sleep. I want coffee."

Qin Mei resisted the urge to point out, ’Shouldn’t you be more worried about coffee keeping you up?’

A visitor is a guest and should be treated with courtesy. Qin Mei got up to ask someone to bring Grandma Gao some coffee.

Just as Qin Mei reached the doorway, the door opened from the inside. She saw the Gao Family walk out with dark expressions on their faces. Xu Jiali’s crying could be heard from inside the room.

’Did the bride price negotiations fall through?’

Qin Mei stepped aside to let them pass. As Gao Qiang walked by, he shot her a vicious glare. Qin Mei was baffled. ’I didn’t even get involved. What’s he glaring at me for?’

’Jie Jingchen was the one who demanded the bride price. It’s not like I egged him on to ask for such a high amount.’

’Alright, fine. Maybe I did egg him on a little.’

’Honestly, in this day and age, a bride price of one million was indeed high. Never mind this era of scarcity; even in the future, a million would be an astronomical sum for any ordinary family, unless they were rich.’

"You all..." Grandma Gao’s voice trailed off. From the expressions on her son’s, daughter-in-law’s, and grandson’s faces, the marriage negotiation had not gone well.

"Mom, let’s go home," Mr. Gao said, suppressing his anger.

Grandma Gao frowned and asked, "The marriage isn’t settled?"

"The Qiao Family’s threshold is too high. Our Gao family can’t measure up," Mr. Gao said, raising his voice. He wasn’t speaking to his mother, but to the people inside the room.

Grandma Gao was displeased. It was true that their Gao family couldn’t hope to marry a proper young lady of the Qiao Family. But she had already settled for second best and agreed to let her grandson marry Xu Jiali. Xu Jiali wasn’t a true Miss Qiao. Marrying into their Gao family wasn’t marrying down for her. If she weren’t Madam Qiao’s niece, it wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to say she was marrying up.

"Weren’t you already on the bride price? How did it not work out?" Grandma Gao asked.

"They asked for the bride price right from the start," Mrs. Gao said as she helped Grandma Gao up.

Grandma Gao’s brow furrowed. She glanced at her dejected grandson, then asked her daughter-in-law, "How much did they ask for?"

"One million," Mrs. Gao said.

Hearing this amount, Grandma Gao was stunned. If the old man hadn’t died, a million would have been easy to produce. The problem was, the old man was dead, and the Gao family was on the decline. One million... was too much.

"What about the dowry?" Grandma Gao asked again.