"Not too much, this amount," Fatty said, holding up a hand.
"Uh!" Ye Chen was momentarily stunned, then nodded and said, "That's not a lot, just fifty thousand yuan."
He had initially thought that the girl's family agreed to marry their daughter to Fatty for the dowry, but it seemed he had been narrow-minded.
"Not fifty thousand. Five hundred thousand."
"Pfft!" Ye Chen spat out the tea he had just sipped, drenching Fatty. "Five hundred thousand? Fatty, are you serious?"
Ye Chen wanted to ask if Fatty was marrying a wife or buying one, but he refrained. He knew it wasn't easy for Fatty to find a wife.
If it were him, he'd likely walk away at that price. But Fatty was fortunate; though fifty thousand was a lot, his years of salary were enough to cover it.
"Don't blame Lina. It's her parents who demanded it. Lina didn't agree but couldn't argue with them."
What could Ye Chen say? He patted Fatty's shoulder and said, "I sympathize with you, buddy. With in-laws like these, you're in for it."
Ye Chen wasn't wrong. This was just the beginning. If the dowry was fifty thousand now, what about in the future? It was hard to say.
"No problem. As long as I can marry Lina."
"Your girlfriend isn't an only child, is she?"
"No, she has an older brother, one year older."
"It's over," Ye Chen said, looking at Fatty sympathetically.
"What do you mean?"
"You'll find out," Ye Chen said. He didn't explain further because he knew Fatty wouldn't listen.
Many of his colleagues were in similar situations, constantly worn out by their in-laws' demands. If it wasn't the brother-in-law today, it was someone else tomorrow.
Dealing with these issues was exhausting, especially if the wife was not understanding and catered to her family's every whim.
Saying that one's hard-earned money barely supported the in-laws, and the wife still complained about his incompetence, wasn't uncommon.
While not all in-laws were like this, it was often evident before marriage. Fatty's in-laws didn't seem to be in the reasonable category.
"Your crayfish is here, the rest will take a bit longer," a waitress said, bringing a large plate of crayfish.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome." The waitress blushed, looking at Ye Chen before leaving.
Yes, Ye Chen had thanked her. This was due to his job as a security guard, where he dealt with various people daily.
"Let's not dwell on unpleasant things. Let's drink," Fatty said, pulling out two bottles of Yanjing beer from under the table.
"Yeah, let's drink."
After they were full and satisfied, the two left the snack street with arms around each other's shoulders. Ye Chen asked, "Are you holding the banquet in the village or...?"
"In the city, at my mother-in-law's request. According to Lina, her parents want to show off to their relatives and friends."
"Alright, I'll definitely be there."
"Haha, you have no choice. You have to come and help me prepare a couple of days in advance."
"No problem, I'll be there."
"Now that we live closer, we should meet more often."
"Sure, how about once a month?"
"Once a month isn't enough! At least once a week."
"Uh, okay, once a week," Ye Chen nodded.
Honestly, even once a week was less. Before Fatty went to college, they were inseparable.
"Exactly! I'll call you then," Fatty said, hugging Ye Chen's shoulder.
"Alright."
Ye Chen hailed a taxi for Fatty and instructed the driver before letting the taxi leave.
After seeing Fatty off, Ye Chen hailed another taxi to go back because he still had work that night. Otherwise, he wouldn't be returning so early.
When Ye Chen returned to the dormitory, it was already 9:30 PM, just half an hour before his shift started. Team leader Li Gang and the others were already getting ready.
"Ye Chen, where did you go all day? I thought you weren't coming back tonight."
"How could I not, Captain? My childhood friend called me out for a drink. I couldn't refuse."
"Alright, get ready. We're starting soon."
"Okay, I'll get ready."
Ye Chen quickly washed up, changed into his security uniform, and headed out with the team.
Night shifts were usually uneventful, mainly patrolling around. Though the night was quiet, making time seem longer, Ye Chen wasn't alone. Zhao Peng was with him, and chatting made time pass quickly.
"Brother Chen, if we weren't security guards, we'd be off today, right?"
"Yeah! Today is May 1st."