My sister-in-law forbade me from attending the wedding because I was poor… But when the groom met me, he quickly bowed his head and called me by a name that made his whole family scared. Actually, I am…
I have been married for two years. My husband’s family has three siblings, my husband is the youngest, and his sister – Hanh – is famous in the family for being a show-off. Since I became a daughter-in-law, she has always shown contempt and did not bother to hide it.
My family is in the poor countryside, my parents are farmers, and I am a girl who has been independent since I was young. After graduating, I worked hard in the interior design industry, gradually building my own company. But because of my simplicity, I have never shown any signs of being a show-off, and even my husband’s family did not know that I was a director. In their eyes, I was just a “little girl who ate a lot and was lucky to marry a rich man”.
Ms. Hanh often hinted:
– “I don’t know what kind of luck her family had to marry my younger brother. Nowadays, girls are good at cooking, but they probably don’t have much money.”
I listened and just smiled. I didn’t need to prove anything. But life is full of twists and turns – and the day she had to receive her “revenge” came faster than I thought.
One weekend morning, the whole family was happy because Ms. Hanh was about to get married. Her husband – the groom – worked in the field of construction design, and was said to have “a pretty face”. My mother-in-law was very happy and kept telling me:
– “Get ready to dress up, tomorrow we’ll go to the groom’s house with the whole family to meet him.”
I nodded, but before I could say anything, Ms. Hanh stepped out, arms crossed, her voice full of sarcasm:
– “No, you don’t have to go. His family is full of rich people, and you come from a background like this, going with me is awkward.”
I was stunned. My husband frowned:
– “What are you talking about? My wife is also a family member!”
But Ms. Hanh remained calm:
– “You don’t understand. You have to be respectful wherever you go! If people knew that our youngest daughter-in-law was a poor girl, wearing cheap clothes, what kind of respect would that be?”
I was silent. Not because I was embarrassed, but because I didn’t want to be with her. I just smiled and said softly:
– “I wish you happiness. You don’t have to go.”
But I know, fate sometimes has a way of arranging things that makes even the most naive person bow their head.
On the wedding day, even though Ms. Hanh forbade it, I still went. I didn’t want to show off, I just wanted to sincerely wish her well. I wore an elegant white dress, simple but luxurious. When she entered the banquet hall, Ms. Hanh saw me and immediately frowned:
– “Why are you here? I told you, there’s no need.”
I smiled:
– “I just came to congratulate you, it’s okay.”
She coldly snorted:
– “Whatever, but don’t make people think my family invited randomly.”
I remained silent.
A few minutes later, the groom appeared, in a neat suit. When his eyes swept over me, he was startled as if he had seen a ghost. The whole glass of wine in his hand fell to the floor and shattered.
His voice trembled:
– “Director… director…”
– “Director Linh?! You… you are Director Linh of A.L Interior?!”
The sound of broken glass had not yet subsided when the entire wedding hall suddenly fell into a deadly silence.
All eyes turned to me.
I paused slightly, smiling slightly.
– “Hello, Mr. Khai. Long time no see.”
Ms. Hanh was stunned, turned to look at her fiancé, her voice faltering:
– “You… you know her?”
Khai still had not recovered. His face was pale, his throat was dry:
– “Know her? Not only know her… but she is also your direct superior. She is the one who signed your company’s strategic contract with the Japanese corporation last year. If it weren’t for Ms. Linh, your company would no longer exist.”
Whispers began to spread throughout the banquet table.
My mother-in-law turned pale, while Ms. Hanh stood frozen, her lips trembling.
– “No way… she… she doesn’t have any money, she lives in a boarding house!”
I calmly put the glass of wine down on the table, my voice as light as the wind:
– “I live in my own apartment. It’s just that I’ve never felt the need to show off to anyone. Because being rich or poor isn’t something to show off — it’s something to live.”
The atmosphere was so heavy that the waiter didn’t dare to breathe too hard.
Khai awkwardly bowed his head deeply:
– “Sorry, director, I didn’t know you were… Hanh’s sister. If I had known…”
I chuckled, my eyes looking at Hanh:
– “If you had known, maybe this wedding wouldn’t have happened today.”
A moment of silence.
Then I continued, my voice still calm but each word was as heavy as falling stones:
– “I came to sincerely wish you well, but perhaps, thank God, I’ve also just helped a few people learn that — never look down on others just because they choose to live simply.”
Having said that, I turned around and walked away amidst hundreds of stunned eyes.
Behind me, I heard my mother-in-law sigh softly:
– “Hanh… until now you still don’t understand, luxury is not about how much the dress costs, but about how people treat others.”
As for Ms. Hanh — she just stood there, her eyes dull as she watched my figure disappear at the door.
Beside her, her groom still bowed his head, not daring to look up.
That day, I didn’t stay for the party.
But people say that the ceremony that day passed in silence, no one had the heart to raise a glass to toast.
And from then on, in my husband’s family, no one dared to call me “the country girl” anymore.