LIN FAMILY RULES

New Year's Gifts and Dowry

Time flies, and the Chinese New Year is just around the corner. During this time, my parents were quite satisfied with Yoyo's various performances. They even took the initiative to hold her hand and go to the mall to buy New Year gifts. I thought they would buy some gold or silver jewelry for marriage, but the so-called New Year gifts turned out to be a pair of dishwashing gloves on sale, costing 20 yuan for two pairs. Each of us got a pair and my mom was delighted. She held Yoyo's hand and said, "See, Auntie didn't lie to you. Our family rules state that as long as you can adhere to them, we'll treat you like our own daughter. During this period of time you behaved very well, we are very recognized you Look, my daughter got a New Year gift, and so do you. Are you happy?"

Yoyo smiled with curved eyebrows, "Thanks for your recognition, Auntie. I'm so moved. Auntie, there's a jewelry store ahead; let's go in and have a look. I want to express my gratitude to my elders."

After a day of shopping, Yoyo and I each had a pair of discounted gloves, while my parents carried various large and small bags of down jackets, watches worth thousands, bracelets, and necklaces worth tens of thousands. Roughly calculating, Yoyo spent at least 100,000 yuan on this trip. It seemed that Yoyo's family conditions were really well off. Due to Yoyo's outstanding performance today, my parents unanimously approved her application to officially become a member of the Lin family. They decided to take her back to our hometown for the New Year's Eve this year, so that our relatives can meet her as well

Yoyo was extremely surprised and promised to prepare well in advance to learn about this. The next morning, she drove a million-dollar luxury car to our home parked it downstairs in our house, handed the keys to my brother with a smiling face, and said, "I think this car is more in line with the Lin family's style. What do you think?" My brother was a little shaky with excitement and asked, "Where did you get this car?" Yoyo playfully winked, "My mom heard that I was in love, so she gave it to me as transportation. From now on, this car is yours. How about using it to celebrate the New Year when we go back?"

"Great!"

We returned to the village in this grand manner. Once we entered the village, my dad drove as slowly as possible, almost stopping to greet any passing dog. Soon the whole village knew the news that my family drove a luxury car back to the village, and by the time we got to the door, there was already a large group of relatives and neighbors waiting to see the fun.

"Hey, Old Lin, your family has become prosperous! This car looks expensive."

"Yeah, we'll have to rely on Uncle Lin to take care of us more."

While my parents were floating on cloud nine amid the compliments, some people were being sarcastic, saying things like,

"The Lin family has become famous on the internet.“”

“What？You don't know it yet ！The rules for their daughter-in-law are all over the place. Check the trending topics on your phone; it's all about the Lins. They even require their daughter-in-law to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to cook, 20 yuan for four dishes and a soup. It's really laughable."

"Old Lin, are you going to use this luxury car to snatch discounted groceries in the future? Will anyone be willing to marry into your family? If you can't find daughter-in-law, your family line will end. Being too high-profile can easily lead to downfall."

At this moment, Yoyo and my brother also got out of the car. The young and beautiful Yoyo immediately attracted everyone's attention. My mom pulled Yoyo mimicking those sarcastic tones, "I'm afraid some people will be disappointed. Not only have we found a daughter-in-law willing to follow our family rules, but she's also a high-achieving student from a prestigious university."

Yoyo became the center of attention after entering the house,. Aunts and uncles surrounded her, discussing marriage arrangements, dowries, and other matters.Yoyo lowered her head and said shyly, "My dad said that when we get married, he'll give me a set of luxury condos in the city center and a row of shops on the street." The room erupted in exclamations. My mom with her eyes popping outcouldn't believe what she heard. "Is what you said true? Did your parents say how much they want for the dowry?"

"Dowry? Our family doesn't care about dowries. My parents just want me to be happy." Hearing this, my mom burst into laughter, and she even volunteered to cut fruits for Yoyo. But I noticed that the faces of other relatives looked somewhat awkward, and there were occasional hushed conversations.