"Mother, I don't want to marry her."

The He family in Chengwei, Shuangqiao Town, were also having dinner.

He Tian put down his chopsticks and spoke to Song Shi with annoyance.

"Ha, you don't want to marry me? You have no choice but to marry me, unless you want your mother to die. The choice is yours—"

Song gave a cold laugh.

This statement hit He Tian where it hurts.

"Mother, why do you insist on forcing your son? You know I will choose you, so why can't I marry Jiao'er? I want to marry Jiao'er!"

"Marry her? Go ask your father's memorial tablet if he agrees! My son, why don't you understand your mother's good intentions? Ever since you were old enough to understand, I've hoped you could pass the imperial examinations, not even for the highest degree, but even a lower-level degree would be fine. Do you know how long your uncle's family has coveted the house your father left you? Marry her? Does a child born to someone like that deserve to be the eldest grandson of the He family? If your uncle finds out, do you think he won't make a scene? My son, I just want to watch you settle down and start a family peacefully, find a respectable girl and give birth to the He family's eldest grandson. I don't have many years left to live, please don't let me die with regrets."

"mother......"

He Tian lowered his voice.

"Your mother has never given up on your pursuit of the imperial examinations. If you actually pass the exams and marry someone like that, you'll be ridiculed in official circles, son—"

As the bowl slammed heavily onto the table, Song also shed tears of sorrow.

"I was wrong, Mother. I'll listen to you. Don't cry, Mother. I'll marry him. I'll marry him, okay?"

He Tian's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

His father died long ago, and he was raised by his mother from a young age, so he is naturally filial.

Seeing his mother crying her heart out, he felt incredibly sad.

Forget about love and romance.

None of that matters at this moment.

"My child, I know you like her, and I don't want you to be sad. You are my own flesh and blood, how could I not love you? Every time you are sick, I wish I could suffer in your place. If God said that if I could die now, you would be healthy until old age, I would promise to die right now. My child, how could I not love you? Please listen to me, I'm begging you. I'm doing this all for your own good—"

Song stroked He Tian's face.

My eyes were already completely cloudy.

Tears fell like raindrops.

"I'll listen to you, Mother. Please don't cry, Mother. I'll do whatever you say. It was my fault. Mother, let's eat, okay?"

He Tian hurriedly picked up his sleeve and used it to wipe away her tears.

Soon, the cuffs were soaked.

Seeing her son's disheveled appearance.

Song finally stopped crying.

“My son, I know you’re heartbroken, but I will keep my promise. Once that girl named Xue comes into the family, I will help you take a concubine. My daughter can only be a concubine, not the principal wife. In any case, she will stay by your side to accompany you. The process doesn’t matter, as long as the ending is the same, right?”

"Yes, I'll listen to you, Mother. You can decide."

He Tian no longer dared to talk back.

If he makes his mother cry again, he'll be a terrible person.

"My good son, I know you're filial. Eat your food. Look at you, your clothes are all wet. Finish eating and take a bath. You won't be going to school today. Tomorrow morning, come with me to Baihua Village to propose marriage. The girl is alright-looking, not ugly, but her family background is too poor. Although her father is the village head, he's still a farmer. However, her dowry is quite large, almost the same as the girls in town. And since she lives far away, she'll be easier to manage. Five taels of silver is enough for our family's expenses for more than a year. After your father passed away, we've almost spent all the money. In the future, you should keep an eye on her and make her go back to her parents' home more often to ask for money. That way, our family's life will be a little easier..."

"Yes, I know what I'm doing, Mom. Come on, have some tofu."

There was only stir-fried greens and egg and tofu soup on the table.

Both the tofu and eggs are pan-fried first and then boiled, so they won't fall apart when picked up with chopsticks.

The He family's life wasn't so easy.

After He Tian's father died, he left behind this house and more than one hundred taels of silver.

With so many years of expenses plus He Tian's continued education, the money is almost gone.

When Song returned to her room that evening, she opened the cabinet where the money was kept and counted it.

There are only three and a half taels of silver left, and the marriage proposal is due tomorrow.

The daughter-in-law's dowry is five taels. If they were to give three and a half taels as a bride price, wouldn't that be a huge loss of face?

Madam Song rummaged through the box again and found the bracelet that came with her dowry when she got married. It was made of gold and iron and cost two taels of silver when she bought it. Even if she sold it, it wouldn't be worth much, maybe a little over one tael at most.

After all, iron is not as valuable as gold.

A piece of gold of the same weight as the bracelet would cost at least fifteen taels.

More than twenty years had passed, and the bracelet was worn and old. Madam Song asked her maid to bring her a cloth and carefully wiped it for a long time.

This made the bracelet look shinier.

"Xiaotian and I won't be back for lunch tomorrow, so you'll have to figure out your own lunch."

It was getting late, so Madam Song put the bracelet in the jewelry box and locked it. While taking off her clothes, she spoke to her maid.

"Auntie, is Brother Xiaotian going to propose marriage?"

The maid's voice was soft and sweet, like a natural baby's voice.

"Who's your aunt? You're just a maid, calling me 'Madam'! And you dare call me 'Brother Xiaotian'? He's the eldest young master of the He family! Watch your tongue!"

Madam Song frowned and stared intently at her.

The maid immediately knelt on the ground.

Shivering.

"I'm sorry, Auntie... No, no, it's Madam. I'm sorry, Madam. It was my fault for calling people by their names. Please don't be angry, Madam. It's all my fault. I'll slap myself."

The maidservant began slapping herself.

"Didn't you eat? Push harder!"

The Song family did not let her off the hook.

"Yes, Madam—"

"Clap clap clap clap—"

She was slapped more than a dozen times, her face red and swollen, looking pitiful. Tears streamed down her face, but her hand did not stop for a moment.

"Alright, get out of here. Just seeing you makes me angry."

Song waved his hand.

He lay down on the bed, turned his back, and stopped looking at her.

"Yes, madam."

The maid's voice was choked with sobs.

She backed away to the door, quietly closed it, and left.

After the footsteps disappeared, Song turned around.

He blew out the candle, put on his coat, and got out of bed.

The moon and stars hid behind the clouds, making the whole earth appear pitch black.

The He family's backyard.

Someone is crying softly.

A moment later, another figure appeared.

The clouds drifted by, and the moon appeared.

Two shadows embraced each other.

"My dear child, why are you crying? Did your mother bully you?"

He Tian hugged her with a look of heartache on his face.

"No, it was my fault. I didn't call you 'Young Master,' so Madam is angry. Brother Xiaotian, does Madam dislike me a lot...?"

The weeping woman looked up and saw that it was the same maid from before.

"Don't cry, my darling. Your crying breaks my heart. If you don't believe me, touch it."

"You're so annoying~"

He Tian soothed his beloved daughter with just a few words.

"Brother Xiaotian, are you really going to propose tomorrow? Didn't you say... didn't you say you would marry me?"