"Exaggerating? Son, you don’t know! A talent like you, with such a salary... what do they call it these days? An eligible bachelor, right? An eligible bachelor! So many girls would be vying for you. Just like your cousin in C City. He has a monthly salary of ten thousand, and countless marriage proposals have come for him. You’re much better than your cousin. Just watch, the matchmakers will inevitably be breaking down our door!"
"Mom, look at what you’re saying. I’m just a practical, down-to-earth guy. Besides, why compare the number of marriage proposals with my cousin? Having Xixi is enough for me."
"Son, when did you become so modest? By the way, do you need a car for socializing now that you’re back? If you do, I’ll ask your dad to let you use his."
"Mom, I don’t need it for now."
She abruptly changed the topic to another relative’s son, her tone filled with lament. "You know your Third Aunt’s son, Dagang, right? Dagang graduated from a prestigious university with a master’s degree and has a good job. But that boy is so foolish! He married a gold digger. Before the wedding, your Third Aunt wasn’t too pleased, but because the girl was a college graduate and seemed decent, she agreed to add the girl’s name to the property deed. And look what happened! Now the young couple isn’t getting along and is talking about divorce. The girl didn’t contribute a single penny, yet she’s demanding half the property! What a shameless woman, trying to cheat a man out of his money through marriage! She’s worse than a prostitute!"
Huang Xiaojue laughed. "Mom, why are you bringing all this up? Dagang made his bed, so he has to lie in it. He was willing, so he just has to accept his bad luck."
"Son, don’t you dare think this has nothing to do with you! I absolutely forbid anything like that from happening in our family."
"Mom, aren’t you overthinking things a little?"
"Overthinking? Son, let me tell you, our responsibilities to you pretty much ended when you graduated from college. This large duplex your dad and I live in cost over three million and nearly drained our entire family savings. We’re modern people. We don’t believe in living with our children and causing them annoyance. So, when you get married in the future, we can only help with the down payment for a new 120-square-meter house for you. That alone will take everything your father and I have worked for, including our pension money. But you’ll have to pay the mortgage yourself. You’ll only have the right to live there, no rights to dispose of it. I have to be blunt about this upfront: even though you’ll be paying the mortgage, the house must be in my name. Of course, I’m not trying to take advantage of you. For safety, once my grandchild is born, I’ll transfer the house to him or her as a tenth birthday gift. That way, if any marital disputes arise, we won’t end up losing the house and everything else along with it."
Hearing this, Yan Xixi’s face burned scarlet. Her head dipped so low it nearly touched her bowl, and she was unable to utter a single word.
Seeing things were getting awkward, Huang Xiaojue felt quite displeased with his mother but knew he couldn’t lash out. He tried to smooth things over with a laugh. "Mom, look at you, where is all this coming from? It’s just a house, isn’t it? I’ve never expected you and Dad to buy me one. The company will provide me with a dorm for the next couple of years, so I’m not in any hurry to buy. I’ll buy my own place when I get married in the future. I won’t need a single penny of your or Dad’s money for it, so don’t worry. As for that 120-square-meter house you were talking about, you can just rent it out. Use the income to play mahjong or cover its mortgage payments."
His mother shot him a sharp look. "You’re so extravagant and have no savings. How could you possibly afford a house in two or three years?"
"Mom, I’ll start saving from now on, alright?"