How could she possibly be fixated on Xia Minglei?
When it was almost time, Wenxi and the others returned to the Xu family. By then, the first group of people had finished eating, and everyone was busy preparing for the second lunch.
After the tables were cleaned up, the group of educated youth went over and sat down. Since they weren't familiar with the villagers, the group of educated youth ended up sitting together.
There were too many of them to fit at one table, so the remaining people sat with the villagers.
“You’ve just arrived, and there are many things you don’t know yet. If you have any questions later, you can ask me.” Lu Xiaoyun said, but his eyes were on Wen Xi.
The welcoming banquet was held at night, and under the dim light, only a beautiful silhouette could be seen, not very clearly. Today, under the sunlight, it was clear, and Lu Xiaoyun's gaze towards Wen Xi became more profound.
Wen Xi smiled faintly, "Thank you."
“The work in the fields will be finished in a few days, then you won’t have to work anymore and can rest. The village will slaughter pigs for the New Year in December. Since you’ve just arrived and don’t have any work points, you definitely won’t get any meat. But if there’s any leftover meat, you can buy some. Also, there’s a big market near the town gate in the last few days of the year. If you need to buy New Year’s goods, you can go there to take a look,” Lu Xiaoyun kindly reminded him.
Wen Xi smiled politely at Lu Xiaoyun, "Lu Xiaoyun, thank you for reminding us, otherwise we really wouldn't have known about these things."
Soon, my aunt brought the dishes to the table one by one, plate after plate of wild vegetables and vegetables grown in her own yard. The only meat dish was egg drop soup, because you don't need many eggs to make soup, and if you were to fry eggs, no matter how many eggs you have, it wouldn't be enough.
But that was the only condition in those days, and there was nothing that could be done about it. Besides, they were all poor families, so where could they afford to hold a lavish banquet?
Everyone exchanged glances and then picked up their chopsticks to eat. Even if some people felt disgusted, they didn't show it. In any case, everyone got a handful of fruit candies, so even if they lost out, they didn't lose much.
Wenxi held a steamed potato in her left hand and ate it bite by bite, while using chopsticks in her right hand to pick up vegetables. Eating the soft and sticky potato on its own was difficult; it had to be eaten with vegetables.
Just then, an older woman walked over and exclaimed, "These young girls are so beautiful!"
Wenxi turned her head and saw that it was Xu Aihua from the Harvest Brigade, who was known for her cunning and scheming. She didn't expect her to be coming up to them like this.
Wenxi wasn't sure who she was talking about, so she ignored her and just smiled politely, but didn't look up at Aunt Xu.
Aunt Xu pretended to be particularly kind, lowered her head and leaned close to Wen Xi, asking, "Little girl, how old are you this year?"
Wenxi hadn't expected Aunt Xu to come looking for her, and she didn't know what Aunt Xu's purpose was. Wenxi lowered her head, looking shy, and whispered, "Auntie, I just turned sixteen this year."
Aunt Xu was taken aback by Wen Xi's high-pitched voice for a moment before realizing what she meant. A hint of disdain flashed in her eyes. Not only did she look like a vixen, but she also spoke like one. However, she was a woman, and this tactic was ineffective against her. Aunt Xu quickly adjusted her tone, "Young lady, you're old enough to be looking for a partner. I have a nephew on my family's side. He's tall and strong, with fair skin, and exceptionally handsome..."
"Auntie, I'm sorry, my parents won't allow me to find a partner in the countryside. They said they'll find me someone near my home, because they say it's better to marry someone far away while your parents are still alive." Wenxi looked apologetically at Aunt Xu. "Of course, if the conditions are particularly good, it's not out of the question. My older sister received a dowry of two thousand yuan and the 'three turns and one sound' (referring to a set of three turns and one sound) when she got married, so I naturally can't be any less than her. If someone offered me four thousand yuan as a dowry, plus the 'three turns and one sound,' maybe my parents would agree!"
"Isn't this selling a daughter? What family asks for so much dowry?" Aunt Xu became excited after hearing Wenxi's conditions, and her voice rose to a high level. Even the guests at other tables heard her and turned to look.
Wenxi looked at Aunt Xu with an innocent expression. "In the city, people ask for a bride price when they marry off their daughters. That's like selling their daughters. So, if people in the countryside ask for a bride price when they marry off their daughters, isn't that also selling their daughters? Everyone asks for a bride price when they marry off their daughters. Why can't my parents ask for a bride price? It wasn't easy for my parents to give me life and raise me. I will repay them well in the future. I will not only give them a bride price, but I will also give them the 'three turns and one sound' (referring to a set of three turns and one sound equipment). I will also bring them to live with me in the future and take care of them and support them in their old age. I am a filial and good child."
Wen Xi stood up, looked around at everyone, and said, "Do you uncles and aunts think that daughters are obligated to be filial to their parents? If taking care of parents in their old age is the son's responsibility, then can you uncles and aunts promise not to ask your daughters for money or anything?"
Most people lowered their heads when they heard this, because they all asked their married daughters for things, and if the daughters didn't return them, they would go and ask for them themselves.
They all say their sons will take care of them in their old age, but in the end, it's all their daughters who support them. How many of them are actually taken care of by their sons in their old age?
Wenxi said that on purpose. After this meal, everyone in the brigade would probably know that her family had very high standards and that it wouldn't be easy to marry her. This would also prevent anyone with ulterior motives from getting close to her.
“Auntie, Xiaoxi’s family’s request isn’t excessive. We have the same request where I’m from. My grandma said before that if anyone wants to marry me, they have to give at least 5,000 yuan as a bride price, or else they can forget about marrying me.” Shen Jiaojiao added, thus confirming Wenxi’s words and stating her own request.
Otherwise, what if all sorts of random people come to bother her and ruin her reputation?
Jiang Yue received a wink from Shen Jiaojiao and hurriedly said, "The requirements in our area are even higher. Not only do we need a bride price and a set of three turns and one sound (referring to a house, a watch, a radio, and a bicycle), but we also need to have our own independent house. After marriage, the two of us will live separately and not squeeze together with our parents and family. Otherwise, our parents will not agree to let their daughter get married."
"Where are you from? Why is your bride price so high?" The people around them were clearly shocked by the bride price they were talking about.
Demanding a bride price and the "three turns and one sound" (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) is one thing, but they even want a house for the young couple to live in. Does this mean they want to separate their household before getting married?
These city folks are really too demanding!
"Yanjing." Wen Xi spoke frankly, wanting to discourage everyone from making a decision.
Upon hearing those two words, everyone gasped. Coming from such a big city, it's understandable that they would have higher expectations, since the standard of living there is much higher than here.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com