Chapter 292: Chapter 292: Giving a Gift

During this era, Hong Kong was at the zenith of its economic prosperity, a veritable Eden Garden that many from the mainland aspired to.

He Ming’s status as a businessman from Hong Kong was a major feather in Meng Wei’s cap.

Perhaps to prove her own superiority, Meng Wei seized the opportunity to tell Lu Cheng in a boastful tone:

"After the New Year, Ah Ming and I will go to Hong Kong to register our marriage. We’ll be moving there permanently."

Jiang Moli said with a hint of regret, "So I guess it will be hard for us to meet again in the future?"

’Who wants to see you, anyway?’

Meng Wei scoffed and didn’t reply. Instead, He Ming offered some pleasantries:

"Mrs. Lu, you must come visit us in Hong Kong when you have the time. Xiao Wei and I will be sure to give you a warm welcome."

Jiang Moli nodded, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "Of course! Boss He, you’re so handsome and wealthy, and you and Meng Wei make a perfect couple—a true meeting of talent and beauty. Since your wedding is just around the corner, allow me to give you a pair of dragon-and-phoenix gold bracelets as a wedding gift."

The gold counter was right across from them, and it was crowded with shoppers browsing gold and silver jewelry.

Hearing Jiang Moli’s ostentatious offer, the nearby shoppers all turned to look.

A pair of dragon-and-phoenix gold bracelets would weigh at least 60 grams. At current gold prices, that was over six hundred yuan!

Meng Wei was skeptical. She didn’t believe Jiang Moli could be so generous.

He Ming, however, took her at her word and beamed. "Mrs. Lu, you’re far too kind."

Jiang Moli beamed. "Just find a moment to pop over to the counter, pick out a style you like, and once you’ve paid, you can take them with you."

He Ming froze.

Meng Wei’s expression soured. ’She knew Jiang Moli was up to no good!’

Lu Cheng rubbed the tip of his nose. ’So that’s why his wife was being so generous,’ he thought. ’She was just messing with them.’

The onlookers were equally speechless, their gazes toward Jiang Moli now filled with disdain and mockery.

’Offering a gift but making them pay for it themselves? The nerve! What a bullshitter!’

[Contempt Value +6. 60,000 Yuan credited to your account.]

He Ming laughed, trying to smooth things over. "Mrs. Lu, you have such a great sense of humor. Please, no gift is necessary. Your blessing is more than enough for Xiao Wei and me. Since we’ve run into each other, why don’t I treat you and your husband to a casual lunch?"

Jiang Moli was quick to nod. "Great! You don’t mind if I bring a few family members, do you? There’s my dad and my brother from my side. And from my in-laws’ side, there are my husband’s parents and one of his aunts. With the four of us here, that’s just enough to fill a table."

Hearing this, the onlookers were even more dumbfounded.

’The man offers to buy you a meal, and you turn around and invite your entire family and your in-laws? The nerve on this woman is unbelievable.’

[Contempt Value +7. 70,000 Yuan credited to your account.]

He Ming had navigated the circles of the rich and famous from north to south and considered himself worldly, but he had never encountered someone as shamelessly brazen as Jiang Moli.

Though speechless internally, he maintained his composed facade. "Not a problem at all. The more, the merrier..."

Before he could finish, Meng Wei hastily cut him off. "Let’s reschedule. We have other plans today."

He Ming was quick on the uptake and went along with her. "Oh, that’s right. I almost forgot. We have an appointment at noon. Let’s do it another time when we’re free."

Meng Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t that she was worried about He Ming’s money; she was just terrified of Jiang Moli.

Every partner she’d ever had, Jiang Moli somehow managed to drive away. It was uncanny.

Until she was safely married to He Ming, she just wanted to stay as far away from Jiang Moli as possible.

Jiang Moli hadn’t actually wanted to freeload a meal. She was just using He Ming as a tool to farm some Contempt Value.

Now that her goal was achieved, she knew to quit while she was ahead.

"All right, then. If you’re busy, we’ll just forget about it."

Meng Wei quickly hustled He Ming away.

Jiang Moli and Lu Cheng went back to their clothes shopping.

Flush with her new earnings, she made a grand gesture. "You know what? I’ll take them both."

Lu Cheng, naturally, deferred to her.

After buying the clothes for Jiang Dahai, the two went to look for something for Jiang Peng.

Jiang Peng was in the military, so his uniform covered his outerwear. But he still had to provide his own thermal underwear and sweaters.

Watching Jiang Moli carefully picking out thermal underwear, Lu Cheng brought up Meng Wei and He Ming.

"You really don’t like Meng Wei, do you?"

Jiang Moli didn’t stop what she was doing. "What makes you say that?"

"It’s not that you can’t get along with her. You just don’t want to. You’re provoking her on purpose because you don’t want to deal with her, right?"

Jiang Moli gave a noncommittal answer. "Something like that."

While she wouldn’t go so far as to say she hated Meng Wei, she certainly didn’t like her.

Besides, she wasn’t blind. The way Meng Wei looked at Lu Cheng was far from innocent. It was obvious she was still hung up on him.

At that thought, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng clearly misunderstood her. "If you can’t decide, just buy both."

Jiang Moli handed the thermals she’d chosen to the salesclerk and gave two different sizes, then turned to Lu Cheng. "What’s your impression of that Boss He?"

When Lu Cheng heard her list two sizes and realized one of them was his, he felt a sweet warmth spread through his chest.

’His wife was thinking of him after all.’

Out loud, he replied, "That Boss He has probably been married before."

Jiang Moli was surprised. "What makes you say that?"

"He has a mark from a ring on his left ring finger. People in Hong Kong tend to follow Western customs; married couples usually wear wedding rings."

As he spoke, he gently took her hand. "We should go pick out a pair of rings for ourselves later. Your fingers are so long and elegant; a ring would look beautiful on you."

Unlike the romantic notions of the West, women in the country often had to manage household chores after marriage. Consequently, many preferred practical jewelry like earrings, necklaces, and bracelets over rings that could get in the way.

Lu Cheng had wanted to buy Jiang Moli a bracelet when they first married, but she had refused it.

Jiang Moli didn’t answer his suggestion about the rings, continuing on the topic of Meng Wei instead.

"With how proud and arrogant she is, if she found out He Ming was divorced, she might not be so keen on the marriage. And that’s if he’s just divorced—the best-case scenario. I’m more worried he’s a marriage swindler."

This sort of thing wasn’t uncommon in the eighties and nineties, after the country opened up. Many businessmen from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau came to invest in the mainland, falsely claiming to be single to trick local women into marriage and bearing their children, or simply keeping them as mistresses.

Lu Cheng said, "Let’s not talk about her. Let’s go look at rings. What kind of material do you like?"

"Aren’t you going to warn her? You two were childhood friends, after all."

Jiang Moli wasn’t usually one to meddle in others’ affairs, but she had a particular, unspoken concern about this situation.

’After she completed her mission and had to leave, if Meng Wei ended up with a scoundrel, would Lu Cheng feel guilty? Would that guilt, or some other emotion, lead him to end up with Meng Wei just to make do?’

Lu Cheng, clearly misinterpreting her concern, had a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Are you jealous?"

Jiang Moli just huffed and said nothing.

Lu Cheng forgot about the rings. He pulled her to a less crowded spot, bent down slightly to meet her gaze, and explained earnestly:

"I have never had any romantic feelings for Meng Wei. Even if you weren’t in the picture, I would never have married her."

Jiang Moli met his gaze. "But what if she’s being scammed by He Ming? Wouldn’t you feel guilty?"

"She’s an adult. She can tell right from wrong. Besides, she has her parents, her brother, and her sister-in-law. It’s not my place, as an outsider, to be responsible for her life."

Satisfied, Jiang Moli squeezed his thick pinky finger. "Alright, let’s go look at rings."

Lu Cheng was equally pleased to hear she was now willing to buy rings.

"What kind of material and style do you like? If they don’t have anything at the counter, we can have them custom-made."

Jiang Moli thought for a moment. "Something simple is fine. Let’s get a pair of plain gold bands. Thin ones, nothing too flashy."

"Okay!"

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