"She's all grown up now and doesn't give a dime to the family! Your son will need money to marry and buy a house in the future, won't he?"
"Doesn't Xiao Shu buy things every month? Besides, she's just a teacher. How much can she earn? You've gone too far!"
"What's wrong with buying things? Shouldn't she show filial piety to you?"
"Exactly, father! Are you out of your mind? I'll be the one to take care of you when you get old! Can you still rely on someone not related by blood?"
"I'll tell you, Lin Guohua, starting from tomorrow, Lin Shu has to give me 5,000 yuan as living expenses every month, or she can get out of my house!"
...
The stepmother's last word was almost shouted at Lin Shu.
In fact, Lin Shu, who was tidying up the dishes in the living room, heard it.
She sighed, took out her mobile phone and sent a message, then grabbed an umbrella and her household register and went out.
It was drizzling outside. Lin Shu walked slowly, not feeling sad, just a bit regretful.
Her mother died early and she was brought up at her grandmother's house. A few months ago, when her grandmother passed away, she was picked up by her father.
In fact, her grandmother left her some money, and she was capable enough to support herself. Though she did not make a lot, she was making around 30,000 to 50,000 yuan each month, but she did not tell her father.
The intention was not to disrupt his life, but unexpectedly, his attitude was very firm, insisting to have her live at home.
Wherever there was a sharp-tongued stepmother, and a strange younger brother, for her contribution to living expenses, there was a small quarrel every three days, and a big fight every five days.
She understood her father, she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, so apart from cooking, she also paid for her brother's school fees.
Her salary as a teacher was not much. Almost more than half of it was given to the family, even so, her stepmother still felt it was not enough.
Today, it almost ended up in a direct confrontation with her.
She didn't want to make her father uncomfortable, nor did she want her unrelated stepmother and step-brother to take advantage of her.
After thinking about it, the only solution was to get married.
Although she didn't have a boyfriend, Lin Shu vaguely remembered that her grandmother had arranged an engagement for her before she passed away.
She tried her luck and made a call over there, and didn't expect someone to pick up.
The person on the other end asked her to meet directly at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Lin Shu touched the household register in her pocket, sighed, and wondered about what kind of person Mr. Fang would be?
The driver braked suddenly and Lin Shu got out of the car under the umbrella.
There were not many people at the entrance, and Lin Shu heard someone approach and start a conversation as soon as she reached the door.
"Miss Lin?"
Lin Shu turned her head and was quite astonished.
The man was not particularly handsome, but had a calm demeanor. Wearing a pair of silver rimless glasses, he looked indifferent, but overall he seemed gentle and refined.
This man in front of her should be the one her grandmother talked about, her betrothed, Fang Zhi.
According to Grandpa Fang, after the two families got engaged, they moved away and lost contact. They originally thought this childhood engagement would be canceled, but to their surprise, Lin Shu initiated the call. And since Fang Zhi was in his thirties and still single, the decision fell on the family.
But looking at Fang Zhi like this, good-looking and a lawyer in a law firm, how could he seem like someone who couldn't find a partner?
"Miss Lin, have you brought all your documents?"
Fang Zhi asked politely.
Lin Shu nodded, "Fang Zhi, Mr. Fang, right?"
"Yes."
"Can we talk first?"
Fang Zhi didn't object, "Alright, let's go to the coffee shop nearby."
"Alright."
Lin Shu breathed a sigh of relief, and went to a coffee shop next to the Civil Affairs Bureau with Fang Zhi.
This is a matter of a lifetime, even if it's about muddling along, it's better to choose someone who is suitable, to avoid future trouble.
Following Fang Zhi, Lin Shu stepped into the coffee shop, and the two sat down by a window.
"I'll have an iced americano." Fang Zhi ordered, and looked at Lin Shu questioning.
"Oh, I would like a hot tea."
Lin Shu followed suit.
Once the waiter went away, Fang Zhi began speaking, "Miss Lin, do you have any questions?"
Lin Shu asked tactfully, "May I ask, what do you do for a living, Mr. Fang?"
Fang Zhi adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose, "I currently work in a law firm, with a monthly income of about 30,000 yuan, the annual bonus is not fixed. I own a suite in Fuchun Garden. The property is under my name. I also own a Buick business sedan, for which I'm paying the loan."
Lin Shu breathed a sigh of relief, at least their income was similar.
She passed the teacher qualification exam after graduating and taught mathematics at a city high school. This year, after being evaluated, she was likely to become a homeroom teacher at the start of the new semester. She was also good at photography, and opened a selfie studio with her girlfriend. Her career was developing quite well.
Considering the overall picture, she could be considered a fair match for Fang Zhi, without anyone taking advantage of the other.
This was the best scenario, lest she feel guilty.
But Lin Shu still asked, "Mr. Fang, do you have any assets that require pre-marital notarization? We can get them done in advance."
Fang Zhi shook his head, "No."
As a lawyer, he didn't need Lin Shu to remind him of this, he had already prepared in advance.
However, the fact that she asked this question was quite surprising to Fang Zhi.
She indeed understood that no good can be achieved without putting in effort.
"After getting married, I might need to move in with you, did Grandpa Fang tell you about it?"
"Yes."
Fang Zhi glanced at his watch, and spoke indifferently, "Miss Lin, if you have any other questions, you can ask them all at once. If you've made up your mind, we can get our marriage certificate now. I don't have much time."
His tone was very cold, but Lin Shu didn't feel anything was wrong.
After all, she and Fang Zhi were strangers, and suddenly getting married and living under the same roof would make anyone uncomfortable, right?
"There's nothing else, let's go."
Lin Shu took the initiative to stand up.
Fang Zhi settled the bill, the two then went into the Civil Affairs Bureau and took a number.
They sat side by side on the bench, neither too close nor too far, looking more like they were here to divorce, rather than get married, and not speaking a word.
Fang Zhi was too lazy to say anything, and Lin Shu had nothing to say.
The awkward atmosphere between the two attracted the attention of many young couples there to get married. Fortunately, the queue was not long, and it was their turn soon.
Fang Zhi was filling out the form and said, "Miss Lin, we are just part of an arranged marriage, there's no legal effectiveness in it, we haven't seen each other in many years, let alone any moral constraint, you don't have to marry me."
"But once you sign it, it's different. You and I will be husband and wife then, and you can't regret it."
After saying this, Fang Zhi sneakily glanced at Lin Shu, in fact, deep down, he still hoped that Lin Shu would change her mind.
If it wasn't for his grandfather insisting him to come, he probably wouldn't have paid any attention to Lin Shu.
This was not part of his life plan, he didn't like sudden surprises disrupting his plans.
Especially a big problem like Lin Shu.
"Since I agreed, I won't regret it," Lin Shu replied while writing, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have made this call."
"Are you saying that Mr. Fang is having second thoughts?"