Chapter 443 The Marriage Is Not Negotiable
By the time the Grand River Banquet dinner officially opened, Sun Xiaolei had already returned to Guihua Village.
Seeing him return home with the insoles, looking dejected, Sister-in-law Sun was immediately filled with anger.
"Useless idiot, I even made the insoles for you, and you still can't give them away!"
Sun Xiaolei hung his head: "Chunhua said she won't marry into our family, Mother, let's just forget about it..."
"This is ridiculous! When did a little girl get to decide her own marriage?" Sister-in-law Sun sneered. "Her mother and I both agree to this, there's no reason for her to refuse! Let me tell you, you need to put your mind to it and try to get Chunhua to marry us willingly! Think about it, Chunhua works in the restaurant and earns eight or nine hundred coins a month. Your parents don't even earn that much in a month combined. If you marry Chunhua, our family will have hope!"
At this point, Sister-in-law Sun became somewhat anxious.
She put down her work. "No, this matter needs to be settled quickly. Xiao Lei, go inside and get ten eggs, and cut out a piece of cloth. We'll go to your house to propose marriage today."
Sun Xiaolei glanced at the sky: "It will be dark in half an hour. Let's go tomorrow."
“Alright, that'll help us raise some money for the bride price.” Sister-in-law Sun went inside to find Old Madam Sun. “I only have two hundred coins on me, which is still a bit too little for the bride price. Mother, could you lend me another three hundred coins? Half a tael of silver to marry a wife will make our Sun family rich…”
The next morning, before dawn, Sister-in-law Sun and Sun Xiaolei carried their things and headed towards Dahe Village.
When they arrived at Dahe Village, it was just getting light. Sun Xiaolei went to the canteen to help wash and prepare vegetables, while his wife went to Old Zhao's house alone.
Although it was still early, most of the villagers were already up.
"Aunt Zhao, are you washing clothes?" Sister-in-law Sun greeted as she walked in. "Are you busy right now?"
When Grandma Zhao looked up, she saw that the Sun family had arrived. Her gaze fell on Sister-in-law Sun's hands, which were carrying quite a few things.
The Sun family never brought anything when they visited the Zhao family before. Could this be...?
The old lady thought of what Cheng Wanwan had said yesterday. The eldest daughter-in-law never meddled in other people's business. Since she opposed Chunhua and Xiaolei's marriage, she must have her reasons.
The old lady wiped the water droplets from her hands, stood up, and said, "Why did you bring something to the door? Did you buy something for Xuanxuan?"
Sister-in-law Sun's face stiffened, but she smiled and said, "When Xuanxuan has his first birthday celebration, I, his aunt, will bring him some gifts. I came here today to finalize the marriage arrangements for the two children with my sister-in-law."
"Oh, sister-in-law is here!" Madam Sun came out of the house, her face beaming with joy. "Isn't this a coincidence? I was also thinking of settling the marriage as soon as possible."
Sister-in-law Sun hurriedly took out the things in her hands: "Our Sun family has prepared the bride price and everything that should be there. We will definitely not mistreat Chunhua. After Chunhua marries into the family, I will definitely treat her like my own daughter. You can rest assured about that."
"Okay, okay!"
Sun was overjoyed.
She saw that the cloth bag contained eggs, red cloth, and five hundred copper coins. This dowry would only be considered average in Dahe Village, but Guihua Village was much poorer. The fact that they could come up with so many things was enough to prove the sincerity of her family. Chunhua would definitely not suffer a loss if she married into the family.
"How about we set the wedding for the eighth day of next month?" Sister-in-law Sun said with a smile. "I had someone choose an auspicious date, and the eighth is a lucky day..."
Sun paused for a moment: "I'm afraid that won't work. Chunhua will have to wait until after Dawang and Damai get married. It will probably be around the New Year."
"Cough cough cough!"
Grandma Zhao coughed violently a few times.
The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they completely ignored her presence.
The person who truly makes decisions in the Zhao family is actually the old lady herself.
"Although the children's marriage is decided by their parents, we haven't separated our family yet. As their grandmother, I'm sharp-witted and clear-headed. Shouldn't we also ask for my opinion on this marriage?" Old Mrs. Zhao said calmly. "Chunhua is the eldest granddaughter of our Zhao family. Her marriage cannot be taken lightly."
Madam Sun repeatedly said, "Yes, yes, of course, Xiao Lei is absolutely reliable, he was the one I carefully selected..."
“You’re Xiaolei’s aunt, of course you’re satisfied,” Old Mrs. Zhao sneered. “But if Chunhua isn’t willing, then there’s no point in discussing this.”
Sister-in-law Sun's face stiffened: "Aunt Zhao, why can't we discuss this? The two children are cousins, grew up together, and have a very good relationship. This would be a wonderful thing, strengthening family ties..."
"In our family, we always consult the children's opinions on everything. Only when the children say it's okay can we do it," Grandma Zhao said seriously. "For example, Dawang didn't want to study anymore and wanted to go into business. We thought it was okay, so we let him go. For example, Xiahua loves embroidery, so we've never made her do any hard work since then. Similarly, Chunhua doesn't want to marry into your Sun family, so I won't agree to this marriage!"
After she finished speaking, she bent down to hang the clothes in the basin, wiped her hands, and went to work.
Sister-in-law Sun was so angry her face turned red: "Auntie, why are you making such a fuss? What does her eldest granddaughter's marriage have to do with her? Mind your own business..."
“It’s no use trying to reason with my mother-in-law,” Sun said. “The problem still lies with Chunhua. If she agrees, her grandmother will definitely stop interfering. But that girl is stubborn and refuses to agree no matter what. She won’t agree, and her grandmother won’t agree either. I can’t fight city hall, so let’s just let this matter go…”
She didn't expect her mother-in-law to object so vehemently, as if there was no room for negotiation.
Furthermore, I plan to send Xuanxuan to a school in the city for his early education, which will cost a lot of money. I can't offend my mother-in-law, so I can only listen to her for now.
Sister-in-law Sun was furious: "I came here early this morning, bringing betrothal gifts, and you're telling me to forget about it?!"
"Then what can we do?" Madam Sun spread her hands. "As a daughter-in-law, I can't go against my mother-in-law. Anyway, there's no rush to talk about Chunhua's marriage. Just let Xiaolei do his best. As long as he can win Chunhua's heart, this matter will be settled."
After saying that, she went inside to hug the baby.
Sister-in-law Sun was furious. Her blockhead son couldn't speak properly or flatter anyone; he would probably never win Chunhua's heart.
She put away the betrothal gifts, turned around and walked towards the market. When she reached the middle of the village, she heard a group of idle old women gossiping.
It was about the Lin family's young lady falling into the water. The story had been passed down by word of mouth and embellished in various ways, and the truth of the matter had long been distorted, but the villagers still talked about it with great interest...
Sister-in-law Sun stopped and listened for a while. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and an idea came to her.
She walked to the entrance of the Dahe Canteen, called her son out, and then muttered a few words to herself.
"Mom, you can't do this!" Sun Xiaolei's expression changed drastically. "I'm not going to do this kind of thing!"
"You idiot!" Sister-in-law Sun slapped him on the back of the head. "Fine, you don't have to do it, just wait to be a bachelor for the rest of your life!"
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