Zhou Cuilan greeted them with a smile as they entered. "Come in, please have a seat."

In the living room, Lin Dashan, Lin Feng, and the others all stood up to greet them.

Wen Xiaoya's parents subtly observed their surroundings after entering the house, a look of surprise on their faces.

Lin Jie set down the gifts he was carrying and began to introduce his family. "This is my dad and my mom. And this is my big brother and my sister-in-law."

"And these are my brother's children!"

Wen Xiaoya exclaimed, "Lin Jie, your brother's whole family is so good-looking! No, I mean, everyone in your family has off-the-charts good looks."

She took the initiative to greet Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi, introducing herself. "Hello, Big Brother, Sister-in-law. I'm Wen Xiaoya, Lin Jie's girlfriend."

Lin Feng replied with a faint smile, "Hello, welcome."

Zhang Yuxi also smiled slightly. "Hello."

The children were also polite to Wen Xiaoya; after all, Lin Jie had always been very good to them.

Wen Xiaoya covered her mouth and gasped. "Oh, now I remember! I've seen you all before! You were trending online a while back."

The second, third, and fourth children had always kept a low profile. If it weren't for that trending topic, who would have ever realized they were all related?

Wen Xiaoya was both shocked and delighted. "Lin Jie, you never told me they were your nephews!" She shot him a reproachful glare.

Lin Jie gave his typical, blunt reply. "You never asked."

While their corner was abuzz with chatter, Lin Dashan was already attending to Wen Xiaoya's parents, pouring them water and offering fruit and snacks.

"We've already booked a table at the restaurant. We can rest for a bit before we head out to eat."

Wen Xiaoya's father, who had a very serious demeanor, said, "You shouldn't have gone to such trouble and expense."

Lin Dashan said with a smile, "It's no trouble at all!"

This served as the official meeting between the two sets of parents.

Zhou Cuilan had discussed it with her husband the previous night. They agreed that the young people should live their own lives. If Lin Jie truly liked Wen Xiaoya, she would support him. As for her parents, they would do their part. If, after this meeting, Wen Xiaoya's parents still didn't agree, there was nothing more she could do.

Wen Xiaoya had a very lively personality, which was a perfect complement to Lin Jie's calm nature.

She took out the gifts and distributed them one by one.

"Uncle, this is for you. I hope you like it."

"Auntie, this is for you…"

"Um, Big Brother, Sister-in-law, this is for you…"

Holding up another bag, Wen Xiaoya said, "These are some snacks. It might not be enough, but I'll bring more later."

The snacks were for the children. They thanked her one by one, which made Wen Xiaoya feel a bit bashful.

Her every move was secretly observed by her parents, whose expressions clearly screamed their disappointment. It was as if she was desperately trying to ingratiate herself with his family. Where did that leave them, her parents?

Lin Dashan checked the time. "Let's get going."

The family had four cars in total. One was a BMW that Lin Feng used to drive the children around, and another was an SUV he had bought earlier. There was also a car worth over 100,000 yuan that Lin Jie had bought himself, and the last one, worth over 200,000 yuan, belonged to Zhou Cuilan. Lin Feng would occasionally drive this car when he was back. With so many family members, it was only natural to have so many cars.

Wen Xiaoya's family drove in their own car, an arrangement her father had proposed.

In the car, Wen Xiaoya's father scowled at his daughter. "Can't you be a little more reserved? You're a girl!"

Wen Xiaoya didn't seem to mind. "Well, I'm already planning to marry Lin Jie, and his whole family knows it."

Her father's face darkened. "Let me tell you, if you don't behave yourself for the next few days, your mother and I will not agree to this."

Wen Xiaoya pursed her lips and said nothing.

Her mother sighed. She was already tired from the flight, and seeing her husband and daughter bickering again left her mentally exhausted. "Xiaoya, how do you think his parents will see you, being so forward and unreserved? You're not showing any maturity at all!"

"You and Lin Jie being together still requires the approval of both sets of parents!"

That line worked. Wen Xiaoya truly took it to heart. "Okay, I'll be on my best behavior and act more composed."

Then, she couldn't help but let out a snicker.

Her mother asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Wen Xiaoya replied, "I'm happy! Lin Jie's family is quite well-off!"

Her father commented indifferently, "It's just a villa and a few cars."

Wen Xiaoya retorted stubbornly, "Well, you're the ones who said Lin Jie's family was just average. At least they live in a villa, don't they?"

Soon, they arrived at the restaurant. One glance at the exterior made it clear that it was an upscale establishment.

After everyone had taken their seats, the meal proceeded in a relaxed atmosphere.

After they finished eating, Lin Feng's family left, inviting Wen Xiaoya's family to be their guests the next day.

Wen Xiaoya readily accepted. "Sure!"

Lin Dashan made an excuse for his son to take Wen Xiaoya for a stroll through the night market while the two sets of parents discussed the marriage arrangements.

「Around eleven o'clock that night.」

After the children had fallen asleep, Lin Feng called Lin Dashan.

"Dad, are you asleep?"

"Not yet. It's so late, why are you still up?"

"I was just about to sleep. How did the discussion go today?"

"Oh, Wen Xiaoya's parents agreed to the marriage. We've settled the bride price and everything. It'll be 660,000 yuan. They also said they have two apartments in Jingcheng and will give one to Lin Jie."

"And you accepted?"

"I talked to Lin Jie about it. He said he has his own money and plans to buy a house in Jingcheng himself later."

The father and son chatted for a little while longer before hanging up.

Zhang Yuxi, who had been half-asleep, overheard the conversation and woke up fully. "A bride price of 660,000 yuan?"

Lin Feng hummed in affirmation.

Zhang Yuxi yawned. "For people like Wen Xiaoya's parents, who have some assets in Jingcheng, that amount is quite reasonable."

Lin Feng added, "Dad discussed it with Lin Jie today. He has no issue with the amount of the bride price. Lin Jie has some money saved up and was planning to add 200,000 of his own to it."

"My dad wouldn't let him. He told him to save it to start a business, saying that they have four million yuan on hand."

What Lin Feng didn't mention was that he had also offered to contribute, but Lin Dashan had strongly refused.

For Lin Dashan and his wife, once Lin Jie's marriage was settled, another major worry would be off their minds. Seeing that their eldest son's children were already in high school while their younger son still showed no signs of settling down, how could they not be anxious?

「On the other side.」

Wen Xiaoya exclaimed, "660,000 yuan? Isn't that way too much?"

Her father was so infuriated he nearly fainted.

Her mother stood by, not knowing what to say. To think we raised our daughter for so long, and this is how she is…

She said irritably, "We suggested 660,000 yuan, which is a very reasonable figure in Jingcheng. Besides, the Lin family agreed without a second thought."

"Once the Lin family gives us the money, we'll add some more to it and give it to you as your personal fund."

The implication was that they had no intention of keeping the money and planned to give it to the young couple.

Wen Xiaoya beamed when she heard this, and her parents could barely stand to look at her.

"You go on to bed," her mother said. "I need to talk to your father."

Hearing this, Wen Xiaoya became wary. "You're not going to change your minds halfway through, are you?"

Her mother was so frustrated she wanted to smack her. "Go on, go on, get to bed!"

Once she was gone, the couple both let out a sigh.

When they had proposed the 660,000 yuan figure, they hadn't meant to put the Lin family in a difficult position; for Jingcheng, that price was truly a compromise.

Her mother said with a smile, "I got a good feeling from the Lin family today. Zhou Cuilan is a warm person, and she was very good to Xiaoya."

The biggest challenge in a marriage is often the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, so Zhou Cuilan was the person her mother was most focused on.

"She mentioned that when Lin Jie was in high school, he used his own New Year's money to buy an apartment—a two-bedroom place over eighty square meters."

"He started paying the mortgage himself after he went to college, and now they're preparing to renovate it to be their new home. She said they wouldn't interfere in the couple's life."

"They also have an old house they rent out, and the villa they live in now belongs to them, the old couple."

Her father was silent for a moment before asking, "Did they mention Lin Jie's older brother?"

Her mother nodded; she had already subtly managed to find out most of the details about the Lin family.

"Lin Jie's big brother lives in Yangcheng most of the time. He only comes back to Mei City for a while when the children are on vacation. They have their own house and shop over there."

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