Chapter 226 Preparing Dowry for Mother

Lu Qinniang is good at work, but she is not very talented in studying.

Not to mention Daya, she can't even compare to Erya and Sanya.

But she was not discouraged. After all, she just needed to learn a few more words so that she wouldn't be fooled in the future.

She doesn't need to learn poetry and songs.

She had so much to do that she had no time and no occasion to recite poems.

Daya is making rapid progress and is now able to be a teacher to her two younger sisters and Yun Ting.

Her handwriting is also the most beautiful.

If Yun Ting’s level wasn’t comparable, Erya would have been so outdone by the comparison that she wouldn’t want to learn anymore.

Xiao Yan also taught them arithmetic, and often in the evening the whole family would study at the table.

For this purpose, Lu Qiniang specially ordered a large table.

When not in use, it can be folded up and placed aside to save space. When studying, everyone gathers together to save lamp oil.

When guests come to your home, you can also use it to eat, killing two birds with one stone.

A few days before the fireworks were ready, the family received a generous gift.

When Lu Qiniang returned home, Erya was stroking the gorgeous brocade piled on the kang, her saliva almost flowing out.

"Where did this come from?" Lu Qiniang asked in shock, "We can't afford such a valuable gift."

She couldn't even look at the fabrics on the kang at a glance. There were more than a dozen pieces, which was dizzying.

Could it be a gift from the Jiang family?

"I don't know. She said it was for Dad. There's also a letter with my eldest sister. She gave it to Dad." Erya pulled Lu Qinniang's arm and begged, "Mom, I want to make new clothes."

"Go away! It's not a festival, why do you need new clothes? You already have the most clothes."

"Then make me a nice suit for the New Year using these materials, okay?"

"No!" Lu Qiniang glared at her. "How can we return such a valuable gift? We have to give it back. Besides, if you do it this year, it will be too small next year. Why would we use such fine material?"

"Mother, mother——"

"Don't come here, I have a headache." Lu Qiniang looked at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan had finished reading the letter, but he lit the letter on a candle and burned it.

"Keep it," he said calmly, "someone sent this to Zhao Zhao to add to her makeup."

These are thank-you gifts from King Yan.

Thanks to Daya for giving him advice and helping him get out of this situation safely.

The emperor looks in good health now. Prince Yan still feels scared when he thinks about his recklessness at that time.

"Are they all for my elder sister's makeup?" Erya's eyes were filled with disappointment.

"Just wait," Yun Ting said, "I'm going to see my grandmother today. If I can make her happy, I'll give her all the good things she wants."

"Who wants your stuff?"

"You don't want my things, but you give me a look! Who wants to see you with a gloomy face?" Yun Ting rolled his eyes.

"Who asked you to look at me?"

The two started arguing again.

Daya said, "I'm not married yet, so all the things belong to my family. Let mother divide them."

"And this!" Erya pointed to a small brocade box beside her and said, "This should be for my eldest sister to add to her makeup."

"What?" Lu Qiniang opened the brocade box and exclaimed, "How come there are still pomegranates in this season? How much does one bite cost?"

Rich people are really like to eat food that goes against the seasons.

The sweet potatoes that are incredibly cheap in autumn and winter can be stored until summer and their price is as high as that of japonica rice.

Where can I get such a big pomegranate in this cold winter? How much does it cost?

"Mom," Erya said, "that's fake!"

"Fake?" Lu Qiniang was even more shocked. She touched it and the hard and cold touch confirmed that the pomegranate in front of her, which looked so real, was really fake.

But when the pomegranate cracked open, revealing the juicy and sparkling pomegranate seeds, how could it look fake?

And the pomegranate peel which is yellow and even has some brown spots, isn’t it exactly the same as the real one?

"How come this hand is so delicate?" Lu Qiniang reached out to touch it, afraid of damaging it, so she squatted beside the kang and stared at it, "It's really beautiful."

"I don't know what kind of jade or gem it is," Erya said with a hint of sourness. "It must be worth a fortune! Dad, was this a gift from your friend to Big Sister?"

Does that mean she will also have it when she gets married?

"He's my friend, but your eldest sister did him a big favor last time, so he specially rewarded your eldest sister." Xiao Yan said, "Pomegranates symbolize fertility and good fortune, and it's also a blessing for Zhao Zhao."

As parents, we naturally try to treat our children equally as much as possible.

But children should also know that everyone has different abilities and circumstances, and it is normal for them to have differences in their future lives.

Whatever Daya gets in return with her intelligence and talent, no matter how much, is hers.

"Now that my eldest sister is going to the Jiang family, she has a hidden treasure." Erya was happy for Daya, but she couldn't help feeling a little jealous.

What will happen if she gets married in the future?

Anyway, there is definitely no such good thing.

But this is also because she is not as good as her elder sister. Shouldn't she think about saving some dowry for herself?

Lu Qiniang said to Daya, "These twelve pieces of cloth were also given to you by others. They look very valuable to me. We can't wear them on a regular basis, so they will look good as a dowry for you."

She was incompetent and failed to earn a dowry for her daughter.

Her daughter worked hard and earned her own money, so she couldn't withhold it from her.

"No need, mother," Daya said, "The Jiang family knows our family's situation very well. There's no need to try to be too superficial. A good woman doesn't wear her wedding dress. In the future, the respect of the Jiang family depends on me."

After a pause, she continued, "Since mother said that I should be the one to decide on the material, of the twelve pieces of material, mother, I, and my second and third sisters will each keep one piece to make clothes; two pieces will be given to the Jiang family as a New Year's gift; and the remaining six pieces will be kept by mother as a favor."

"How can that be possible?"

"Mom, you also said that this is for me, so I can make the decision." Daya insisted.

"Thank you, big sister." When Erya heard that she could get a piece of cloth for new clothes, she immediately smiled and stared at the fabric, starting to choose. "Mom, the pomegranate is the best one for big sister."

Now, she doesn't feel sour at all.

Big sister is so generous!

"As for the pomegranates," Daya picked up the brocade box and presented it to Lu Qiniang with both hands, "I give them to you, mother. I wish you a life of wealth, honor, prosperity, and many children."

"You child!" Lu Qi's mother said, "I don't want it! I'll keep it for you!"

"Master Li said he would give me a pair of vases, which are very precious. As for the pomegranates, I really want to give them to my mother as a dowry. I hope that my mother and father can grow old together and have children and grandchildren around them."

Lu Qinniang didn't answer. She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and said, "What nonsense are you talking about! How can a son or daughter give a dowry to their mother? Besides, your father and I—"

"You and my father are doing well." Daya looked at Xiao Yan, "Mom, you will get better and better."

This pomegranate is extremely precious. It is her blessing to her mother. She is also afraid that one day the family will need money again and she can use it to make ends meet.

Her mother gave her the best, and she also hopes to leave the best things she has to her mother.