Born to Keep Score, I Can’t Understand My Mother-in-Law’s Polite Hints

At our engagement dinner, my future mother-in-law pushed a parking space purchase form in front of me with a smile. She told me to use my betrothal money to reserve a parking space for Chengze first, claiming that putting it under his name was just a formality. The relatives at the table all chimed in, saying I should not take polite words so seriously and that a woman who kept score too much would have a hard time getting married. I nodded, borrowed the restaurant printer from a server on the spot, and printed two copies each of a loan agreement, a joint contribution confirmation, overdue interest terms, and default clauses. My future mother-in-law’s smile froze. My boyfriend tugged my sleeve and said his mother was only being polite. I put the pen in his hand and told him I was only being polite too. Whoever refused to sign was trying to take the money for free. The next day, his family told the relatives’ group chat that I had no upbringing. On the third day, property management notified me that the parking space had already been pre-registered with my ID. What they did not know was that I had never understood polite hints since childhood. When someone says family should not divide yours and mine, I make sure to draw that line clearly.