Ye Caiping was somewhat surprised.

She already had some understanding of the prices here.

At least in their region, the bride price for a typical farm girl is around five or six taels of silver, and eight taels is considered high.

Those who pay ten taels are usually special cases, such as Butcher Zhang.

But this Hu Xiuxiu actually wants twenty taels! That's an outrageous dowry!

Ye Caiping said, "Although she is quite pretty and charming, she is not so much so that one would fall in love at first sight. Why does it cost twenty taels?"

Madam Du said, "You don't understand. She has seven younger brothers! Her mother gave birth to seven sons in one go, do you understand?"

Ye Caiping almost spat out her tea. Seven? That's like having a whole bunch of gourd babies!

Grandma Ye said in a low voice, "This Xiuxiu's mother thinks she's especially good at having sons, and that her daughters will follow her example. She even said that Xiuxiu was born with a destiny to have sons, and that those seven younger brothers were raised by her, guaranteeing sons! That's why she's asking for such a high price."

Ye Caiping is numb. Is she guaranteed to have a son?

However, in this closed and backward era, having a son was indeed very attractive and a major selling point.

Grandma Ye sighed softly, "Although...but...twenty taels is really too much, so much so that Xiuxiu has been waiting until she is seventeen years old and still hasn't found a husband."

As she spoke, Grandma Ye suddenly seemed to have grasped the key point, and her eyes lit up: "Why don't we wait a little longer? Maybe the price will drop in another year or two!"

Ye Caiping found it amusing; was she waiting for the big off-season sale?

Du said angrily, "How much can you lower the price? Even at half price, it's still ten taels! We still can't afford it."

"Besides, if it really goes that price, by the time we save up the money, she'll already be married off. Let's think about other girls!"

As she spoke, Du glanced at Ye Caiping.

Fortunately, she was quick-witted and made a three-month agreement with Ye Caiping!

Three months later, Ye Caiping still couldn't find a husband, so she was left to decide her own marriage!

As long as Ye Caiping is married off far away, so that her family can't even reach her, it won't hinder Yong'er's marriage prospects.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chattered away while Ye Caiping quietly left the house.

The Ye family became destitute because of the original owner's meddling, which also prevented Ye Yong from getting married.

She needs to make money quickly so that Ye Yong can get married first.

...

After leaving Ye Caiping's house, Huang the matchmaker arrived at the Hu family's house.

As soon as Xiuxiu's mother saw Huang the matchmaker, she exclaimed "Oh!" and welcomed her into the house, serving her tea as she spoke:

"But is there good news? What happened to the young man from Riverside Village that we talked about last time?"

The matchmaker, Huang, said with some helplessness, "The young man was quite satisfied at first, but when he heard it cost twenty taels... he refused. He said that price could buy him three wives."

"To be honest... your Xiuxiu is quite good, but isn't this price too high? The girl from Wangjia Village ahead can do embroidery, is good at everything from cooking to housework, and is also very pretty, and she only asked for eight taels. Your Xiuxiu..."

"No way, I won't leave the house even if I lose a single penny." Xiuxiu's mother refused without even thinking. "My seven sons were all raised by Xiuxiu. My Xiuxiu was born with a silver spoon in her mouth! She's guaranteed to give birth to a son."

The matchmaker, Huang, was speechless. Why were all the people she encountered lately so strange?

Matchmaker Huang stood up: "Alright, I'll look around again later and come back when I find someone suitable."

After saying that, the matchmaker left.

Hu Xiuxiu carried a basket of pig feed on her back and didn't enter the house until Huang the matchmaker's figure disappeared.

She was filled with shame and indignation: "Mother, stop saying things like 'Is it okay to guarantee a son?' Don't I have any shame?"

Xiuxiu's mother disagreed: "That's just a fact! I can have seven sons, and so can you. Whoever marries you will be marrying a golden hen, and their family will surely prosper."

Hu Xiuxiu was filled with shame and indignation: "Stop talking nonsense. I'm not a hen! I won't get married, so don't bother me."

After saying that, he turned around and left the house, throwing the pig feed behind him into the corner.

"You brat, when did it become your decision whether or not to get married?" Xiuxiu's mother quickly followed up. "Don't think I don't know, don't even think about Ye Yong."

"Hoping he can come up with a bride price is like asking the sun to rise in the west. His family is dirt poor; they don't even have a place for his wife to live after she's married into the family. And his sister-in-law is like a bottomless pit; she's a living hell."

Hu Xiuxiu frowned: "Mother, no matter what her aunt is like, at least she taught everyone how to process cassava."

"Although the cassava hasn't been harvested yet, it seems that every family is getting a good share. This is all thanks to her. We should be grateful, not gossip about her behind her back."

"You brat, if you talk back again, you're not allowed to eat dinner tonight."

...

Ye Caiping went out with a basket on her back and found Ye Jin'er and her sister washing clothes by the river. She told them that she would cook dinner when she returned in the evening, and then left.

On the way up the mountain, we encountered many people who grow cassava.

"Picking apples, digging for wild vegetables?"

"OK!"

She wasn't really going up the mountain to dig anything; she was just pretending.

She walked around the mountain for a while, then found a secluded spot, opened her spatial panel, and searched for: Ginseng!

As the saying goes, if you travel through time, you must dig up ginseng; if there is no ginseng, you must create ginseng!

Modern ginseng is almost entirely cultivated.

Ye Caiping picked and chose; many were only a few dozen yuan a bunch, but the quality of those was too poor.

[The customer has selected a 10-year-old ginseng root, priced at 100 coins. Please confirm if you wish to purchase.]

Ye Caiping immediately realized that with a clang, the copper coin in the space disappeared, leaving only two coins.

Soon, a ginseng appeared in her space.

The quality is so-so, but at least it has all its whiskers and tail intact, and the shape is not bad.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!