He was happy that his daughter hadn't disappointed him, and even his gaze towards He Xiaohua became much more loving.

He Xiaohua obediently placed the teacups in front of the two guests, and was about to return to the kitchen when He Daqiang called her back.

"Xiaohua, come with me, I have something to tell you," He Daqiang said as he entered the room first, and He Xiaohua followed him nervously.

She felt a gaze fixed on her from behind, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Once inside the room, He Daqiang carefully closed the door.

He Xiaohua had a bad feeling: "Dad, is there something you need? Mom is cooking alone in the kitchen, and I want to go help her."

"No need, just have your mom cook. Please sit down first," He Daqiang said with a gentle smile, inviting his daughter to sit next to him.

Although He Daqiang rarely beat or scolded her, this was the first time He Xiaohua had been treated gently by her father, and a strange feeling stirred within her.

"Xiaohua, you're 18 now, it's time for you to get married. That Comrade Wang outside is the person I'm introducing to you. What do you think?"

He Daqiang spoke in a very gentle tone, but there was nothing he could do about it. Wang Xiong told him that his new wife had to marry him willingly.

If she doesn't want to marry him, then he shouldn't. He's rich and can find anyone he wants, so why should he choose someone who doesn't want to live a good life with him?

Therefore, He Daqiang's initial plan to kidnap his daughter and send her to the man's house because she disagreed was simply not feasible.

He could only try to reason with his daughter and persuade her to marry him willingly.

He Xiaohua looked at her father in disbelief. There were only two people outside: Cai the matchmaker's son and the other middle-aged man, who was the Comrade Wang her father had mentioned.

"I don't want to! Am I even your daughter? That man looks about your age, and you actually want to marry me off to him!" He Xiaohua could no longer contain her anger and roared at He Daqiang.

He Daqiang was afraid that the sound would be heard by Wang Xiong, so he quickly covered her mouth: "Xiao Hua, don't be anxious. We're just discussing this. We didn't say that you have to marry her."

These words gradually calmed He Xiaohua down. She looked at him with a skeptical gaze, questioning the truthfulness of his words.

"I'm not lying to you, if I wanted to force you to marry, would I still be talking to you nicely? I would have just kidnapped you."

There was some truth to that, and He Xiaohua believed most of it. She said with a straight face, "Then I don't want to marry him either. You should let him go back."

“The other party is a formal employee in the city, and his family is very wealthy. They are willing to give a bride price of 500 yuan,” He Daqiang said, holding up his hand to show the amount.

Then, gritting her teeth, she said, "If you're willing to marry him, I'll give you 100 yuan as a dowry. Xiaohua, although that man is a bit older, you won't have to worry about food and drink once you marry him. If you can give him a big, healthy son, you can just wait to enjoy the good life for the rest of your days."

When He Xiaohua heard that the bride price was 500 yuan, the words of refusal stuck in her throat.

She remembered that when her sister got married, the groom's family gave her a dowry of 88 yuan, which emptied their savings. Because of this, her sister could never hold her head up in her husband's family and was treated like a workhorse by them.

Doing the most work and eating the least food, I felt like I aged 10 years in just two or three years.

He Xiaohua thought that since she would never be able to marry the person she liked in this life, Wang Xiong was a bit older, but he was rich.

Will she be happy if she marries someone else? Won't she still have to live the same life, running between the fields and the house, with endless farm work and housework? Is that what she wants?

Seeing that his daughter remained silent, He Daqiang knew she was starting to waver and continued to persuade her:

"Xiaohua, think about it. As long as you are willing to marry him, you will be a city person and you will never have to work in the fields again. Aren't all men the same? He will be more caring when he gets older."

He Xiaohua glanced at her father indifferently: "He's so old, he can't possibly have never been married, right? Did he beat his wife to death?"

Such things do happen in the countryside. If a man beats his wife, he shouldn't marry her no matter how rich he is, otherwise he won't live to enjoy his money.

"What are you saying? Do you think your dad is that heartless? What good would it do me if he beat you to death? I'm waiting to enjoy your blessings when I'm old."

"Comrade Wang's wife died of illness two years ago. He only has one daughter who is already married. If you give him a son, everything in the family will be yours in the future."

He Daqiang was calculating his options. If his daughter was doing well, she could help the family in the future, which was a sure-fire way to make money.

“I’m willing to marry him, but I’ll have to give you 200 yuan as a dowry.” He Xiaohua chose to compromise. Her father was right. It didn’t matter who she married, she should marry someone who could give her a good life.

He Daqiang glared at his daughter with dissatisfaction. Meeting her stubborn eyes, he knew he couldn't change her mind, so he could only grit his teeth and agree: "Fine, here's 200. You promised it yourself, so you can't go back on your word later."

You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. Having 300 yuan is good enough; it's better than having nothing. After my daughter gets married, does that mean she won't be filial to her father at all?

"Yes, I won't go back on my word," He Xiaohua said without any expression on her face, but the light in her eyes gradually dimmed.

He Daqiang looked at her happily: "You are really my good daughter. Trust me, I will never cheat you. You will enjoy endless blessings in the future."

He Xiaohua sneered inwardly. Marrying her daughter to an old man the same age as herself, and then claiming she wouldn't harm her daughter? Who would believe that?

She didn't say this aloud, as it wasn't the right time to strain the relationship.

He Daqiang left the room excitedly and gave Wang Xiong and the other man a no-questions-asked gesture.

"Let's discuss the wedding date," He Daqiang said, eager to get the bride price and unwilling to waste any more time.

Ever since Wang Xiong saw He Xiaohua, he had been itching to marry her.

Wang Xiong had someone calculate a few auspicious dates.

After discussing it, the two sides chose the nearest date and set the time for next month.

Ever since He Xiaohua agreed to marry Wang Xiong, her status in the family has risen steadily.

Not only did she no longer need to work in the fields, but Li Lanfen also took care of all the housework.

Li Lanfen would even steam a bowl of egg custard for her every day. Before, she could only watch her younger brother eat it, but she had never eaten it herself.

She was able to receive this treatment simply because Wang Xiong said he thought she was too thin.