Arthur was the first to speak, saying, "Ruth, I just took a look at your place. You've already bought the card table, the chairs, and the side cabinets, but you haven't bought anything else yet, right?"
"How can I buy anything when I have no money!" Ruth shot back, her voice full of defiance.
These words stirred a faint unease in Luis. Even though he had conquered his mother-in-law's heart and body, the reality of this marriage and the child born from it was still an obstacle she could never truly overco in her lifeti.
Uttering such a resentful remark ant she still cared about it deep down, and for a mont, Luis felt a twinge of jealousy.
Driven by a surge of possessive anger, Luis grabbed her hand and shoved it directly into his crotch. Loose sweatpants certainly had their advantages—they were convenient like that.
Ruth seed startled for a second, but her face betrayed nothing. Silently, she closed her fingers around her son-in-law's stiff cock and began to stroke it gently.
The rectangular table was draped in a red cloth, so even though they were sitting face to face, no one could see what was happening below unless they deliberately looked down.
A shiver of pleasure ran through Luis, and he spread his legs wider to give his mother-in-law easier access. Maintaining his composure on the surface, he raised his glass and said, "Let's have a toast first. I'm feeling a little thirsty."
They clinked glasses and drank. While they ate, Arthur spoke up again, "Ruth, our son-in-law has made sothing of himself and wants to be good to us, which is wonderful. But we still need to think about his interests, too. We should save money wherever we can."
Hearing this, Ruth's expression shifted slightly.
She already knew that her son-in-law Luis was doing remarkably well—even her eldest daughter's bar had been funded by him. That's why she felt the weight of his success much more personally than Arthur did.
"Don't bother buying cups for the custors at the teahouse," Arthur continued. "I've got over two hundred heat-resistant beer mugs at ho. They're brand new, just need a wash, and they're ready to use."
"And since your teahouse has a tea preparation room, I have a ready-made set of equipnt you can have."
"I can equip every private room with a water dispenser, too. I've got all of that. If you need them, I even have a batch of tableware I can bring over."
Suddenly struck by another thought, Arthur added, "Oh, and you don't need to buy computers, and don't waste money on surveillance caras. I have all of that. I can bring everything over tomorrow."
The saying goes that starting anything is difficult, but it's not just about inexperience. It's also about the budget—it always ends up being more than you planned.
Even for sothing like renovating your own house, if your budget is one hundred thousand, you'll probably end up spending over two hundred thousand by the ti it's done, not even counting all the incidental expenses.
Arthur's offer also carried a sad, underlying truth: all these years as a contractor hadn't been kind to him. He'd ended up with all kinds of random junk in lieu of paynt for his work.
"Oh? You've thought of everything, haven't you?" Ruth's expression remained cold as she sneered, "You've just been piling all that junk in the warehouse, right? And now you're trying to swindle how much money out of your son-in-law this ti?"
This remark made it clear that the mother-in-law knew about the Benz. Honestly, that sister-in-law, Nancy, had no concept of keeping things secret. She'd blab about anything and everything except her own affair with her brother-in-law.
It was obvious Ruth was harboring resentnt, still stewing over the Benz.
Thankfully, she probably didn't know about the loan. If she did, she'd likely be cursing up a storm right now. At least Nancy had so limits.
"Don't be so distant. Just take whatever you need and use it," Arthur said sincerely. "We're family. Who's going to be petty and calculating about it? If the stuff is useful to you, it saves you money, right?"
It did sound generous, but the sheer volu and chaotic variety of bartered goods he'd accumulated over the years was truly sothing else.
Ruth was never one to be easily appeased. She snorted contemptuously. "Oh, look at you, being so generous for once. Rember when asking you for a little bit of tuition money for the kids was like asking for your life? I guess your little vixen at ho has given her permission now, huh?"
Hearing this, Luis was montarily stunned, then looked thoughtfully at the 98% favorability rating hovering over Ruth's head.
"Ruth, we're both at this age. Why hold on to all these grudges? I know you can't let go of what happened."
Before he could even finish, Ruth cut him off with a cold laugh: "Be careful when you tell soone to be magnanimous. You might be the one struck by lightning when it falls."
Arthur could only force a bitter smile. "Alright, alright, let's not fight. What kind of example would that set, arguing in front of our son-in-law?"
That remark managed to calm Ruth down. Her little hand imdiately stopped its motion and slipped out of her son-in-law's pants, a clear sign of what she considered more important.
Ruth gave a cold smirk. "Easy for you to say. What if your little concubine gets upset and cos looking for ? Will I have to apologize to her then?"
"She's not well lately, needs to be hospitalized. I know, it's all my fault." Arthur's voice was sincere. "Ruth, your hard tis are finally over. Why make things difficult for the children because of all this?"
It had to be said, the father-in-law was a master at navigating social situations. If he'd said sothing like 'You're doing well now, why complain?' it would only have fueled Ruth's anger.
But ntioning not making things hard for the children imdiately put Ruth in a dilemma. After all these years, was she really going to stir up another family storm over this? It was sothing she genuinely had to consider.
Despite her generally brash nature, Ruth had a woman's intuition and could vaguely sense her son-in-law's displeasure.
Still, she couldn't resist another jab. "So you're sending all this stuff over for free? Aren't you afraid your little vixen will find out? If she sets your own backyard on fire, you'll be the one suffering."
Arthur almost said that she wasn't that petty, but caught himself, realizing it might sound like mockery and be inappropriate.
After a mont's thought, Arthur sighed. "Ruth, every mistake is mine. I don't expect your forgiveness. I just want you and the kids to be happy and comfortable now."
He pulled out a large envelope and handed it to her. "Your teahouse is about to open. This is a little sothing from her, to wish you well."
"Oh? A real bleeding heart." Ruth took the envelope, hefting it in her hand. "Fifty thousand dollars? Such a lavish gift. A generous offer out of the blue—it must be either incredibly kind or incredibly crooked."
Arthur smiled wryly. "It's just a gesture of goodwill, a congratulations. There's no other aning."
"I don't have that kind of fortune. How could I possibly accept her money?" Ruth practically threw the envelope back down in front of Arthur.
In the past, when money was tight, she might have given in. But now, with her successful son-in-law backing her, Ruth felt she could stand her ground.
Truth be told, Arthur wasn't exactly a pushover either. In the old days, if Ruth had dared to mock him like this, they would have been in a full-blown argunt already.
To be blunt, Ruth wouldn't have dared to act up like this before. She needed money from him to raise their daughter, and life had been especially humiliating.
Now everything was different, all thanks to the sudden rise of their son-in-law, Luis.
Arthur had borrowed money from Luis, and even had him take over the lease on the Benz, which had been a help. As an elder, it was hard to maintain a superior attitude; he had to show his son-in-law so respect.
Otherwise, causing a scene the mont he arrived would make him, as the father-in-law, look terrible.
Arthur took a deep breath. "Ruth, life is good for you now. Don't be so stubborn. Whatever wrong was done, just put it all on my shoulders. Please, don't be angry anymore."
User Comments
0 comments from readers