Chapter 2 — Locking my card to leave, I left my husband's family stranded in a seven-star hotel

The staff came to quote compensation. Imported carbon fiber fishing rod, 8,000 yuan.

“Add it to the general bill.”

My mother-in-law waved her hand extremely generously, not even looking at me. Lunch is seafood processed directly on the yacht. Lobsters, king crabs, and raw oysters filled the entire table. The three children fought over each other to eat, and the crab claws were broken and thrown all over the floor. Ly Binh just ate two pieces and said it wasn't fresh, so he asked the staff to make another portion.

“This lobster is too small, is there a bigger one?”

Mother-in-law asked the waitress.

“There are Australian lobsters, about three kilos each, 1,800 yuan each.”

“Bring two children.”

I sat in the corner of the boat, looking at their whole family. The sun is very beautiful. The sea is very blue. Only my heart is cold. When I returned to the hotel in the afternoon, my mother-in-law said she was tired and wanted to rest, and told me to go to the duty-free store first to "explore".

"I'll check first to see which stalls have them in stock. Binh Binh wants the classic black chain bag, large size. As well as the brown bucket bag, I'll ask for the price."

“Mom, those two bags combined must be 70,000 - 80,000 yuan.”

“How about 70,000 – 80,000 yuan?”

Her face immediately darkened.

"When my brother-in-law got married, I couldn't give him anything nice. Can't I make up for it now? Besides, Binh Binh will be grateful to me after receiving the bag."

“Mom, my money is not blown by the wind…”

The mother-in-law slammed the tea table hard.

"Tran Phong is right, you are really a stingy person. When you earn money, you only keep it for yourself, not thinking about your parents-in-law or brother-in-law at all."

"Look at Mr. Vuong's daughter-in-law next door, she only earns more than 100,000 yuan a year but still knows how to buy a gold bracelet for her mother-in-law. And you earn 400,000 yuan a year but regret the whole bag for your sister-in-law?"

I stood still, listening to what she said, the more outrageous it became.

"In the past, if it wasn't for Tran Phong, he would have wanted to marry me if it wasn't for Tran Phong. If it wasn't for Tran Phong, he would have wanted to marry me. What does your To family have? Your father is just a car mechanic, your mother is a supermarket cashier. If it weren't for the Tran family, we wouldn't criticize..."

I interrupted.

“I'm going to the duty-free store.”

I turned around and walked out. Behind her, the mother-in-law's voice still echoed:

"Remember to take a photo and send it to Binh Binh! Big size! Don't buy the wrong one!"

Duty-free shops were crowded with people. I stood in front of the luxury counter, looking at the bags in the glass cabinet priced at 50,000 - 60,000 yuan, but didn't take a picture. The phone vibrates. It's a video call from Phuong Vien, my best friend.

"Nien Niem, have you been to Sanya? Did you have fun?"

I reluctantly curled my lips and smiled. Phuong Vien immediately realized something was wrong.

"What's wrong? Is it your mother-in-law again?"

Let me briefly tell you about the past two days. After listening, she was silent for a few seconds, then exploded.

"To Niem, are you crazy? That's 200,000 yuan! What does she rely on? Where is your husband? Does he just stand there watching his mother suck your blood like that?"

“He just arrived the day after tomorrow.”

“When he came, he only took his mother's side.”

Phuong Vien was so angry that he changed his tone.

"Nian Niem, listen to me. You can't continue like this anymore. In the past three years, you've poured nearly 500,000 yuan into that house. What can you get in return?"

"A standard room. A free osin status. A mobile ATM."

I was silent.

"Your shop now earns more than 400,000 yuan a year. You rent your own house and buy your own car. You finally like Tran Phong because any? He earns 8,000 yuan a month, not even enough to pay off his credit card debt. What are you for anyway?”

“Phuong Vien, I…”

“Don't tell me it's because of feelings. What kind of love does a man who can't even protect his wife have?

Phuong Vien took a deep breath.

“Okay, I won't force you. But this time, 200,000 yuan… if you dare to spend it again, I will completely break with you.”

The call ended. I sat for a long time in the duty-free shop's rest area. The phone vibrates again. It's Ly Binh's WeChat message, sending several voice chats continuously.

“Sister-in-law, have you seen the black chain bag? Big size, don't buy the wrong size."

“Sister-in-law, can you help me see if I have a limited edition pink silk scarf? I think Xiaohongshu is very beautiful.”

"Sister-in-law, mom said you could buy me that jar of lady's cream, the kind that costs more than 10,000 yuan, mom likes it very much."

The jar of cream costs more than 10,000 yuan. Two bags cost 70,000 - 80,000 yuan. There are also limited edition silk scarves. I placed the phone face down on the table. Sitting for another half hour, I finally stood up, left the duty-free shop, and took a taxi back to the hotel. Returning to the standard room on the third floor, I opened my laptop and logged into the online shop management system. Sales this month are quite good. Average of more than three hundred orders per day, stable profit. This is a business I built myself from scratch. From choosing goods, taking photos, operating, customer care to packing and sending goods... everything is done by me alone. During the busiest time, I only sleep four hours a day. I opened the banking app again and looked at the balance in my account. 320,000 yuan left. That's all my savings. If I spend 200,000 yuan again this time, I only have 120,000 yuan left. 120,000 yuan, not even enough to import goods for next season. I turned off the computer, lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. At seven o'clock in the evening, my mother-in-law called and told me to come up for dinner.

“The hotel's Chinese restaurant, I've booked a private room, you can go up.”

When I arrived, the food had already been ordered. The mother-in-law sat at the head of the table, with a bottle of red wine in front of her. I glanced at the bottle label. Price 12,000 yuan.

“This wine is very delicious, the staff recommended it.”

She poured herself a glass and looked at me.

“To Niem, why did you come back empty-handed? Where's the bag?

“Mom, it's so crowded today, I can't stand in line.”

“Can't fold?”

The mother-in-law put down the wine glass.

“So what did you do all afternoon?”

“I'm going back to my room to handle some work.”

“Work, work, always just work.”

She snorted coldly.

“If you tell your child to do something, he won't be able to do it. Go back tomorrow, you have to come in line early in the morning."

“Mom, that bag…”

Her eyes narrowed.

“You don't want to buy it?”

Ly Binh immediately interjected:

“Sister-in-law, you don't regret spending money, do you? It's your mother's birthday and you don't show off at all?

“That's right.”

Tran Hao finally spoke up.

“Sister-in-law, you make so much money, how about buying my mother a bag? When Binh Binh and I got married, you only gave me an envelope of 20,000 yuan. My colleague's sister-in-law even gave her 100,000 yuan."

20,000 yuan is still a little. I clenched my teeth and said nothing.

“Okay, let's eat.”

Mother-in-law raised her glass of wine.

“Let's talk about tomorrow's story tomorrow. Now, happy sixty-year-old birthday, Mom.”

The table was full of delicious dishes. Abalone, bird's nest, wagyu beef, black truffle. I bowed my head and looked at the price list clipped to the corner of the menu. This meal costs at least more than 30,000 yuan. Plus today's cruise, fishing rod compensation, this bottle of red wine, and tomorrow's duty-free shop... I picked up a piece of food and put it in my mouth. Pale like chewing wax.