Zhao Qinshi thought about it and it seemed to make sense, but it was also a bit far-fetched.

One thing she was certain of was that her cousin's family was planning to send their children to school.

If he turns out to be successful, our family will definitely benefit, and our grandniece will definitely have to marry into the family.

If they can afford to send their children to school, their family must be quite well-off.

After figuring it out, Zhao Qinshi continued her matchmaking efforts.

"Yes, reading is a good thing. My old man always says, 'Of all things, only reading is noble,' and that's the truth of it."

Studying and getting married don't conflict. You can arrange marriages for the children first, and they can get married when they reach the right age. That's perfectly acceptable.

Fortunately, my grandniece can still help out at home for a few more years.

Huang's eyes gradually turned cold, and she stopped smiling.

He thought to himself, "Has this woman lost her mind? How come she can't understand human language?"

As Zhao Qinshi spoke, she realized Huang's displeasure and was about to explain when Huang spoke up.

"Sister-in-law, as I just said, the two boys from the second son's family aren't getting married."

For no other reason than that, when my children pass the imperial examinations, shouldn't they marry wives who are literate?

People say that a beautiful woman adds fragrance to a man's life; when men and women are together, they need to have things to talk about.

My grandson recites a line of poetry, and his illiterate wife asks him what it means. Do you think they can have a good chat?

My sister-in-law understands what I mean.

So, I'm not fortunate enough to be in-laws with you, sister-in-law. It's fine if we remain sisters-in-law, don't you think?

Could Zhao Qinshi say no? If she dared to say no, she would be truly shameless, especially since they had already made it so clear.

He sighed, exchanged a few polite words, and went home.

On the way home, I was still thinking about what kind of family to marry my grandniece off to.

My grandniece is indeed capable, but my nephew's dowry is a bit too much.

She wasn't particularly beautiful, and besides, in rural families, when choosing a wife, they only cared about whether she could work; a pretty face wasn't enough to fill a stomach.

In the entire Zhao Family Village—no, now it's Yingyong Village—you can't find any other family that can afford such a large dowry.

My nephew is a good-for-nothing. He's always out causing trouble and doesn't live a proper life. My wife and daughter do all the housework.

His eldest daughter had already been sold to an old widower, simply because the dowry he offered was high.

Now they've set their sights on this second daughter; they're utterly despicable.

My head hurts. It hurts so much.

Just as Zhao Qinshi reached her front door, her nephew rushed out.

"Auntie, how's it going? Have you agreed on anything? How much is the bride price?" Qin Shanhe asked eagerly.

Looking at her nephew, Zhao Qinshi had a lot to say but couldn't express it. She sighed and went into the main room.

"Shanhe, listen to your aunt's advice. Go home and take good care of those few acres of land. Your wife is capable; you'll manage no matter what."

Your family's life won't be bad. Once things have calmed down, we'll slowly find a good family for your second daughter. If she marries well, she'll be filial.

Not to mention distant places, the filial piety gifts given during festivals and holidays are quite substantial.

It's better to keep the dowry for decades than to scare people away by demanding such a large dowry all at once.

Besides, which peasant family could afford so much money?

Qin Shanhe pondered for a moment, then his eyes darted around.

"My aunt is right. Before she left, she said that your cousin's family was doing quite well, so how come they couldn't even come up with 20 taels of silver?"

Zhao Qinshi felt mentally exhausted and blurted out the truth without thinking.

“His son hasn’t gotten married in the last three years, saying he’s going to send him to a private school.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shanhe lost control of his emotions.

"What? Sending someone to a private school costs a fortune. If you have money to go to a private school, why don't you have money to find a wife?"

"Why don't you go and talk to them again, Aunt? Maybe their family can afford the bride price."

Zhao Qinshi wanted to facepalm. She had just been shameless herself, and her cousin was the epitome of shamelessness.

"Shanhe, didn't you understand what your aunt said?"

He plans not to get married for three years, intending to find a literate wife after passing the imperial examinations.

"Is your second daughter good at studying or even reading? Nobody wants her."

Qin Shanhe felt he had been humiliated.

"Hmph, just a peasant, he hasn't even made it ashore yet, and he's already looking down on people."

Where can you find a girl with such good character? Anyone who marries her is incredibly lucky.

"A family without good fortune; the money spent on education is all wasted."

Zhao Qinshi felt uneasy listening to her cousin's words, yet they seemed strangely familiar.

When he realized that he had said it before, he felt ashamed.

Qin Erya, who had been eavesdropping outside, also came in.

"Dad, I told you, we're just country folk, we don't deserve such a high dowry. You should stop dreaming."

They are families that can afford to send their children to school; we are not families that can afford to associate with them.

Let's go home tomorrow; we still need to go back and weed the fields.

Hearing his daughter's words, Qin Shanhe was very unconvinced. His biased and inferiority complex made him very resentful.

"Auntie, where does your cousin live? I'll take my daughter over and show them."

With my daughter's looks and appearance, is she worth 20 taels of silver?

"Having money to study but not to get married? Who would believe that? They clearly don't respect me."

Huang: "I really don't care. My grandson isn't getting married yet. Can't you understand human language? You idiot."

When Zhao Qinshi heard her nephew say that, she became anxious.

"Shanhe, stop thinking about it. Your daughter is a celestial being descended to earth, and he has no plans to get married right now."

Besides, 20 taels of silver is quite a lot. In our village, it's considered very good if a family can save 20 taels in ten years.

Don't expect any family in the countryside to be able to afford such a high bride price.

And why are you so fixated on 20 taels?

Tell your aunt, "Did you offend someone important? Is that why you urgently need money?"

Zhao Qinshi suddenly transformed into Sherlock Holmes.

Qin Shanhe showed a brief moment of panic, but then calmed down.

"Cousin, can't you just hope your nephew does better?"

It's not that our family is struggling financially; I'm considering whether to buy two more acres of land.

The remaining silver was used to build two more thatched huts, so that it could be used to marry off his son.

That's why I thought of arranging a marriage for Er Yatou.

Besides, only wealthy families can afford that much money; my daughter won't suffer if she marries into one.

After saying that, he didn't forget to nod to indicate that he was sure, that's exactly how it is.

Whether he can convince himself of his own words is something only he knows.

Zhao Qinshi frowned as she looked at her cousin, wanting to ask him if his eldest daughter had come home to see her father all these years.

Seeing that Zhao Qinshi was looking at him without saying anything, Qin Shanhe felt offended again.

"What, doesn't your aunt trust her nephew?"