Chapter 230: Proud And Happy
If Ruth was a rich woman, kidnapping her would be too simple. Just wait at the teahouse.
Downstairs at the teahouse, Mother-in-law Ruth was glowing, her charm and grace amplified by the designer dress her eldest daughter had bought for her. There was no trace left of the formerly rustic and shrewish woman she had been before.
Above her deep cleavage rested a jade necklace, on her wrist was the gold bracelet given by her son-in-law, and she carried the branded LV bag gifted by her second daughter.
Ruth chatted cheerfully and proudly, while the others wore expressions of pure envy and jealousy. After the extravagant birthday banquet last night, they were already numb; no deliberate showing off was even needed now.
Teahouses are prime gathering spots for gossips who love to stir up trouble. The events of last night had spread like wildfire by this morning, and Ruth was undoubtedly the target of everyone’s envy, jealousy, and hatred these past two days.
Given Ruth’s personality, even if it were raining knives today, not just rain, she would still come here to bask in the attention.
"Mom, hello everyone!"
Luis approached with a cheerful laugh.
Aunt Kiara exclaimed, "Oh, our rich son-in-law is here."
Yana said with a soft, charming look in her eyes, "He’s definitely a local tycoon. But you really don’t care much about your own appearance, do you."
"Comfort comes first!"
The clothes Luis wore cost only ten or twenty dollars, his sports bag was just a few dollars, and his sneakers weren’t even name-brand. His entire outfit was at the level of a complete extra.
"We’ll be going now. May everyone have good luck and win lots of money."
Ruth, like a proud peacock, held her head high, slung her bag over her shoulder, and haughtily took Luis’s hand as they left together.
Once in the taxi, Luis eagerly held her hand and asked, "Mom, how is my sister-in-law?"
"We’ll talk about it later!"
With the driver present, Ruth was visibly a bit reserved. Her pretty face flushed as she let her son-in-law hold her hand.
She cast a charming, teasing glance his way, a mix of a young girl’s shyness in love and an elder’s desire to scold him, yet indulging him, her body betraying her stern words with its compliance.
Such a mother-in-law was incredibly alluring, her charm so immense that Luis couldn’t help but break into a lewd grin.
He mentally plotted to complete the second creampie as soon as possible to activate the "Affection Through Familiarity" hack. That way, this stunning beauty would belong to him alone.
The Gestor Palace had already removed the glass panels from the private room in advance. But Ruth, holding the car keys, seemed a bit nervous. Blushing, she said, "Son-in-law, you should drive!"
"Mom, you’ve had your driver’s license for so many years. You’ve been practicing every night lately, and you still don’t dare to drive it?"
"There are fewer cars at night. During the day there are too many, and it’s so difficult to drive out. I’d dare drive your beat-up Nissan, but I don’t want to scratch this one."
Looking at the luxury car that now belonged to her, Ruth’s eyes shone with excitement, her smile radiant. She caressed it a few times, treasuring the moment, before getting into the passenger seat.
Luis first drove the car out of the Gestor Palace, chuckling as he said, "Mom, my elder sister knows more about the features of this car. Have her take you for a few spins tonight and you’ll get used to it."
"Okay!"
The moment Ruth got in the car, she began looking around everywhere, her face filled with curiosity and joy.
She hadn’t driven a car in half her life. Owning a Cayenne still felt like a dream to her.
If possible, she truly wished life could have frozen at that wonderful moment last night.
On the road, Luis behaved himself and didn’t act inappropriately. Mainly, he wasn’t entirely familiar with the car yet, so he focused more on driving safely.
Arriving home, the first thing they did was register the license plate with the property management. Having a parking space meant they wouldn’t need to use the temporary lane.
"Sister Yu, you’re so fortunate. Your son-in-law and daughters are all so successful."
"A Cayenne. There’s one in our community, but it’s a second-hand, low-spec model..."
"There are a few luxury cars in Phase Two, but honestly, Sister Yu’s car is definitely the best one in our entire community now."
The property management office was another gathering spot for gossips.
After all, they were all old resettlement households, and many faces were familiar. Luis stood to the side, smoking a cigarette, waiting patiently.
He understood perfectly well how proud and happy his mother-in-law felt at this moment. Watching her receive all this admiration from others, she had probably never felt so triumphant in her entire life.
After all, being abandoned by her husband in her youth had made her a laughingstock for a time, unable to hold her head up high.
At their age, what they competed over was their children’s success. In the eyes of outsiders, the eldest daughter had married well, but the second daughter taking in a live-in son-in-law had always been a subject of ridicule and gossip.
A live-in son-in-law implied he was penniless. Even if he was handsome, what did it matter? A man with no money was nothing.
Some even said that the second daughter of the Wood Family was so ugly that she was actually getting a good deal, and other such sarcastic remarks...
Now that the second son-in-law had made something of himself, the claim that he had achieved financial freedom initially made people skeptical.
After all, buying a bag or a necklace was something an average family could manage if they scrimped and saved.
But lately, Ruth had been making quite a splash. Not to mention the fact that all the women from the Wood Family now carried designer bags when they went out.
Buying a shabby second-hand Nissan wasn’t that surprising, but paying 40,000 dollars in full for Old Bard’s house, and then immediately buying two parking spots, also in full, was truly startling.
Over half the people at the teahouse were residents of City Garden. The rumors about last night’s birthday banquet had already spread wildly.
Never mind anything else, the mere cost of holding a banquet at that place, the Gestor Palace, was beyond ordinary folks; just having a event there was a status symbol in itself.
The gifts from the daughters were impressive enough, but ending it with a Porsche Cayenne was absolutely explosive.
Even if it wasn’t the top-tier model, it still firmly belonged to the luxury car category.
Many people had scoffed at yesterday’s rumors, thinking they were just boasts, but now the car was right here...
Ruth chatted especially happily with the property management staff. It was a full hour before she reluctantly left. Checking the time, her face reddened as she said, "Son-in-law, was Mom talking for too long?"
"It’s fine. It’s good to maintain good relations with the neighbors." 2
Luis gave her a gentle smile, which made Ruth feel even more blissful. Any other man would have lost his patience long ago.
Just as she was thinking about driving the car back into the garage, Ruth got into the passenger seat, her face still flushed, and said, "Mom isn’t playing cards this afternoon. Let’s go buy groceries. I’ll cook you all a delicious meal tonight."
"Okay, Mom!!"
The nearest grocery market was at least two intersections away, quite remote, with difficult driving and parking.
It was strange. City Garden had already completed two phases, and the villa area of the third phase was nearly finished, but the accompanying small market had never been opened.
Something about a property rights dispute. Rumor had it there was internal chaos within the developer, Tiger Real Estate, so for now, everyone had to go elsewhere for groceries.
Having lived here for so many years, Ruth had her regular stalls where she bought groceries. As soon as she parked the car, people greeted her.
She responded happily each time. Luis followed silently behind her, smoking a cigarette, content to observe his mother-in-law’s vanity on full display.
For her, this was the height of happiness. The happier she was, the easier it was for her favorability meter to rise, making it simpler for Luis to train her accordingly.
After a long walk and buying all the groceries, he drove the car steadily back into the garage. He had originally wanted to try having sex in the car to ’initiate’ the vehicle, and also to perform the second creampie to activate his hack.
Unfortunately, the garage environment wasn’t suitable. It was the time when people were returning from work and school, and it was too crowded. Luis had no choice but to abandon that tempting idea.
Back home, Ruth changed her clothes, took off her jewelry, and immediately started working busily in the kitchen. Her mother-in-law might be sharp-tongued, but she was a hardworking woman who had managed to raise three children on her own.