My Greedy Mother-in-law

My mother-in-law, Emerald Jones, had always loved to exaggerate. My wife’s wedding gift for me was worth 8,800 dollars, but my mother-in-law told everyone it was worth 880,000 dollars. We only looked at cars at a luxurious car dealership. But she went around saying she spent over 200,000 dollars to buy me one. I figured that I was going to spend my life with my wife, Emilia, so I put up with her. On the eve of our wedding, I had a small argument with my wife. She blurted out, “My family has to pay over a million dollars for me to marry you. What more do you want? “My wedding gift alone is 880,000 dollars. Anyone who doesn’t know better will think you’re living off a woman!” I was utterly disappointed. She was not directly involved in the discussion on the wedding gift. However, it was something both families had agreed on together. My wife actually believed her mother’s ridiculous remarks and assumed I had received an outrageously expensive wedding gift. After my mother-in-law transferred 1,000 dollars to me for the wedding banquet, she told everyone she had given me 100,000 dollars instead. So, I swapped the luxury wedding feast for instant noodles on the day of the banquet. In addition, I showed a looped display of her stingy transfer of money to my bank account for everyone to see. Chapter 1 The guests were stunned when the attendants served them instant noodles. Finding it odd, they exchanged glances and whispered among themselves. Their eyes were filled with disdain. Emerald’s face turned pale. I, on the other hand, pretended as if nothing was wrong. I picked up the microphone and invited everyone to start eating. “What are you waiting for? Dig in. Do none of you like this flavor?” Emerald’s expression kept changing. In the end, she could no longer hold back and questioned me in a high-pitched voice, “Jonathan, you’ve got to be kidding me! You’re serving instant noodles at a wedding banquet?!” I let out a cold laugh and shot back, “What exactly were you expecting if not instant noodles?” The guests instantly turned to us with sharp and piercing eyes. Emerald’s face was flushed due to embarrassment. She looked like she wanted to disappear into the ground. “Most wedding banquets serve a proper feast. How humiliating is it to serve our friends and relatives this kind of food?!” The guests could not help but started to discuss the issue fervently. “Come on, even the poorest families serve a better feast than this. No one would serve instant noodles at a wedding banquet.” “Besides, they aren’t poor. This has to be some kind of joke to liven things up, right?” “That’s right. No matter how tight the budget is, people will still put on a decent banquet spread for the sake of their dignity.” At my wedding banquet, I only served them cheap cups of instant noodles. I did not even add sausages or eggs for them. I smiled and said to everyone, “You’re overthinking it. This is the menu for today.” Meanwhile, Amelia finally snapped out of her daze. She slapped me across the face without hesitation. “Jonathan, how could you be this wicked?! How could you do something so despicable after receiving 100,000 dollars from my mom?” A flicker of guilt crossed Emerald’s face. Nonetheless, she did not back down and turned the tables. “Everyone, please judge for yourselves. We’ve been treating Jonathan generously. “His wedding gift alone is worth 880,000 dollars. Although the car was expensive, we still bit the bullet and forked out over 200,000 dollars to buy one for him. “Why would you still pocket the money for the banquet and humiliate us in front of our relatives and friends?” Staring with disgust, the guests pointed at me and said, “He’s been horrible as a son-in-law. If we didn’t know the story, we’d think Emerald and her family did this on purpose to humiliate us.” Chapter 2 Hearing that someone actually believed her nonsense, Emerald’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Jonathan, hurry up and contact the hotel staff. Ask them to bring out the food we originally ordered. Have them serve all the good food they have. “We won’t hold this against you. After all, Amelia loves you.” The muscle in my cheek twitched, although I forced a smile. “Does she even deserve to enjoy all that good food?” I thought. “Sure. As long as you pay the bill, you can eat whatever you want.” Amelia dug her nails into my arm, and her face was filled with fury. “Jonathan, have you lost your conscience?” I smirked and pried her hand off. “I think you’re one who’s lost yours!” “Your mom only gave me 1,000 dollars for the banquet, yet she told everyone it was 100,000 dollars. “Why should I pay out of pocket just to protect your family’s dignity?” When Emerald saw me blurting out everything, she panicked and shouted at me, “What nonsense are you spouting, you jerk?! I really did give you 100,000 dollars. Don’t even think about denying it!” Amelia looked at me with disappointment. “This is my wedding, and my mom isn’t my enemy. Why would she give you only 1,000 dollars for the banquet to embarrass me?” The guests thought she made a good point. A proper feast for a family of four or five already cost around 1,000 dollars. How could anyone host a wedding banquet with that amount? The guests criticized me again, “People get married to build a life together. You got married just to scheme against your mother-in-law, didn’t you?” “If everyone could get a million dollars just by getting married, why bother working? They might as well get money by taking a wife.” Their gazes were as sharp as blades that could kill. “A man as wicked and cunning as you would’ve been beaten to death back in the old days.” I did not bother arguing with them anymore. Instead, I walked over and turned on the giant screen in the banquet hall. Everyone could see the record of Emerald’s transfer to my bank account as well as our chat history. It was a fact that she had given me only 1,000 dollars for the wedding banquet. Emerald was the kind of person who wanted to spend the least but earn the most praise. The very first time I met her, she had deliberately given me 101 dollars. However, she went around telling people she had given me 10,001 dollars as a show of respect for me. At that time, Amelia comforted me and told me that her mother was short of cash. She did not want others to think that they did not take me seriously. Later, she made up the difference, so I let it go. However, when it came time to discuss marriage, Emerald’s behavior only worsened. Whenever money was involved, she would quickly transfer money to my bank account. When I bought my wedding suit, she only transferred 100 dollars, but she told everyone that she had spent over 10,000 dollars on it for me. After that, she exaggerated the money spent for my wedding gift and car. She made everything up. I complained about it a few times, but she said matter-of-factly, “I’m just making you look good. If they hear that your wedding gift’s worth 880,000 dollars, they’ll be so jealous. “Our relatives will also see that we respect you, and they won’t look down on you.” I told Amelia about it, and she promised she would talk things through with Emerald. However, she ended up believing her mother’s lies instead. The guests exchanged looks in shock. “Mrs. Jones, it clearly shows a transfer of 1,000 dollars to his bank account. That’s very dishonest of you.” Chapter 3 Amelia frowned, while Emerald panicked. “I-I must have transferred the wrong amount of money to his bank account. Yes, that’s it! I sent the wrong amount to him.” Then, she put the blame on me. “I clearly transferred 100,000 dollars to your bank account at that time. How could it be just 1,000 dollars? “I’m old. It’s only normal that I can’t see things clearly at this age. Why didn’t you say anything at that time? Why did you have to wait and bring it up at the wedding? Why do you have to embarrass me at a time like this?” I was about to show another chat record when Amelia shot me a look of disgust. “Jonathan, are you doing this on purpose to embarrass us? “We’ve given you a wedding gift that’s worth 880,000 dollars. Why are you making such a big fuss simply because my mother made a mistake transferring the money?” Looking at Amelia, she felt like a complete stranger to me. I knew her as a gentle and considerate woman. At this moment, she blindly sided with her mother. I stared at the duo and said in a mocking tone, “So, it’s a mistake, huh? Actually, the hotel staff already prepared the food worth 100,000 dollars, which we had agreed upon earlier. “If you settle the bill now, everyone can still enjoy a feast.” Honestly, I doubted if Amelia had been fooled simply because she trusted her mother too much. She knew her family’s financial situation better than anyone. If they could not even come up with 100,000 dollars, how could they possibly afford a wedding gift that was worth 880,000 dollars for me? Sure enough, when Emerald heard my words, she froze. Amelia was still as foolish as ever and unhappy with me. “You’ve embarrassed my mother and haven’t apologized to her yet. How can you still expect her to pay the bill? “Apologize to my mother now. Also, you’re paying for the banquet. Otherwise, don’t even think about going through with the wedding! “As for that 880,000-dollar wedding gift, return it to me. A man like you doesn’t deserve a single penny from us!” At her last sentence, Emerald quickly grabbed her arm. “Don’t do that! Amelia, I don’t mind suffering a little grievance as long as you can be with the man you love.” Amelia’s heart hurt for Emerald as she patted the back of her hand. She firmly said, “No way! You’re my mother. I wouldn’t be a worthy daughter if I allowed you to suffer such grievances! “I have to make him pay for this!” The guests were Emerald’s relatives, so they naturally spoke up for her. “Mrs. Jones, you’re too kind. You’ll be taken advantage of again in the future.” “That’s right. Amelia’s doing this for your sake. You shouldn’t stop her.” “No one would spend 880,000 dollars on a wedding gift and marry a man only to cause her mother pain.” As the farce escalated and everyone harped on the wedding gift, Emerald appeared to be at a loss. Her voice trembled as she tearfully tugged at Amelia. “Amelia, this is a happy occasion. Let’s get through the wedding first. We can talk about this privately later, okay?” After that, she looked like she was fighting back her embarrassment while saying to the guests, “I’m sorry for making a scene. As an apology, we’ll return everyone’s gifts. “I just hope that you’ll still stick around and witness Amelia’s wedding.” Emerald avoided mentioning paying for the feast or having the food served. Meanwhile, Amelia was frustrated that her mother would not stand up for herself. She grabbed Emerald’s hand. “Mom, you don’t need to be so humble! “You raised me all these years. I’d be an ungrateful daughter if I allowed an outsider to offend you! “Between getting married and doing what’s right, which one do you think is more important to me?” Emerald’s heart skipped a beat, but she could not force a smile. Chapter 4 “No. I’m not offended at all. I beg you. Please go through with the wedding first, okay?” Amelia did not listen to Emerald. Instead, she turned to me. “If you still want to marry me, apologize to my mother. Also, you need to return the wedding gift to us!” Emerald’s relatives gave her an approving thumbs-up. “That’s right. You only have one mother. If your husband doesn’t behave himself, you can always remarry.” “I wonder what makes Jonathan think he’s so special that he’s worth an 880,000-dollar wedding gift.” “Don’t let an outsider break your mother’s heart.” The more Amelia heard statements like this from the guests, the more convinced she became. “Jonathan, apologize and return the wedding gift now! “Otherwise, I’ll call off our wedding!” Emerald tried to say something, but her relatives pulled her back. All she could do was look at me with pleading eyes. I almost found it amusing. If she had the nerve to do all this, why the need to be scared of the truth? I figured she had learned her lesson this time. Amelia and I had shared moments of genuine affection before. Even though I no longer planned on going through with this wedding either, I wanted to show her family some dignity. Hence, I said to Amelia, “Arguing about this in front of so many people is really embarrassing. We can ask everyone to leave first. Then, we’ll talk things through in private.” To my surprise, she was about to slap me across the face again. “Don’t even think about it! I’ve given in to your whims so much that you think you can mistreat my mother so willfully! “You’re apologizing to her today no matter what. You also need to return the wedding gift to us, or else, I won’t let this go!” Emerald stopped holding back and broke free of her relatives’ grasp. She charged at Amelia and grabbed her hand just in time to stop her from slapping me. “Jonathan, why don’t you transfer the money for the wedding gift to me instead?” While saying this, she gave me a subtle wink. Amusement flashed in my eyes, and I agreed. The moment I opened the bank account on my phone, Amelia grabbed it. She knew my ID and password, so she quickly checked the balance through the application. After that, she showed everyone the balance. She smirked. “Jonathan, how shameless of you! You only want to return 8,800 dollars to us when you’ve already received a wedding gift that’s worth 880,000 dollars. “Let me tell you this. You’re returning all 880,000 dollars to us, not a penny less. If not, I’ll call the police.” The situation came to a point of no return. Emerald gave up on trying to control things and said, “Jonathan, how could you do this? Just give us back 880,000 dollars. Taking this to the police would make you look bad, right?” I had already given them a chance, but they failed to appreciate it. Fine. They could not blame me for not showing them mercy anymore. I took out my phone and called the police. “Fine. I’ll call the police, then. Let them confirm if I’ve spent any of this money at all. “Spreading lies and defaming someone can get you jailed!” Emerald screamed in a high-pitched voice. She charged at me and smashed my phone. I was so angry that I laughed. “You’re not letting me call the police. Fine. The bank statement can prove my innocence just as well.” Emerald’s calm facade shattered, and she started to throw a fit. “I’m just a country bumpkin! How am I supposed to know what a bank statement is?! Who knows if you’ve tampered with it?! “I get it now. You hate me. Fine. I’ll take my own life right now!” Right after that, Emerald slammed her head against the pillar. She was scheming because she sneaked glances at everyone’s reaction before doing it. Chapter 5 Of course, they stopped Emerald. The way Amelia glared at me was as if she wanted to devour me alive. Some of their relatives could not help but frown. “A bank statement isn’t something an ordinary person can tamper with. Mrs. Jones, you’re overthinking it.” Emerald broke free and lunged at me. Grabbing my arm tightly, she said in a pleading tone, “Jonathan, I was wrong. I can’t bear to suffer this humiliation anymore. “I won’t lie again. Just help me with this once. Give me back 880,000 dollars, okay? “Once this is over, I’ll return the money to you.” I pulled my hand out of her grasp and took a step back. How could I be so foolish as to return the money to her? 880,000 dollars was a big sum. Moreover, there was no guarantee she would actually return it. If I transferred her the money, I would be admitting to receiving a wedding gift of that worth and being so wicked that I targeted my mother-in-law. If I let that happen, I could never clear my name. “I’m not transferring a single cent to you. Unless, you can produce proof that my wedding gift is worth 880,000 dollars,” I said coldly. Then, Amelia spoke as if there were a few screws loose in her head. Her statements were totally ridiculous. “Jonathan, my mother would never lie to me. If she said she already gave you a wedding gift worth 880,000 dollars, that has to be it. “She’s just a simple countrywoman. She doesn’t understand all these tricks and schemes. She never thought you could be this wicked. How could she have deliberately kept any proof?” Most of their relatives thought Amelia had a point. “Jonathan, please return the money to them. Mrs. Jones is only trying to protect you from calling the police. Otherwise, this will be considered as fraud, and you’ll end up in jail.” “Have you spent it all, so you can’t return the money? If that’s the case, just write an IOU.” “If you’re this short of money, sell something off. Why do you need to cheat an honest person?” They surrounded me and refused to reason with me. After all, they were Emerald’s relatives. Who else would they side with? I stared at everyone as I enunciated each and every word, “The wedding gift I received is only worth 8,800 dollars. Hence, I’m not returning 880,000 dollars to them. “Regardless of whether you want to check my bank statement or call the police, I’ll see it through to the end either way.” Amelia abruptly kicked me to the floor. The sharp pain drained the color from my face, and I instinctively curled up. The next moment, my leg went completely numb. I barely had time to process it when Amelia grabbed my hair and slapped me across the face. “Jonathan, I must have been blinded for falling for a wicked man like you! “You dated me from the start just for my family’s money, right?” I pinched my leg, but I did not feel any pain. It was as though it did not even exist. I could not even stand. Amelia could have paralyzed me with that kick. That realization wiped away the last bit of affection I had for her. She knew the history of my back injury, and it could not afford to be hurt. I struggled as I used my fingers to pull her phone out of her pocket. I twisted her fingers hard. While she yelped in pain, I pushed her away and quickly opened my bank statement using her phone. While looking at everyone with bloodshot eyes, I yelled, “Do you see it clearly?! I have less than 10,000 dollars in my account balance!”