Chapter 3 Dowry Qiu Qishan muttered a curse about his wife in his heart…
Qiu Qishan silently complained to himself that his wife was always outspoken.
Now look what happened. Qiu Yuruo asked the old man for ten taels of silver, and then she asked her own family for a second one.
Qiu Qishan was the eldest son and had a talent for studying. He always had the family's resources at his disposal. Although he hadn't passed the imperial examinations to become a scholar, he had used the pretext of studying and socializing to extract a lot of money from his father. Twenty taels of silver wasn't much to him.
But being able to take it out doesn't mean he's willing to give it away.
Qiu Qishan made excuses: "Yu Ruo, your aunt was just bragging. You know, your uncle has been studying all along and doesn't have much income. The dowry he prepared for your sister was less than twenty taels, not even ten taels. Those things look like a lot, but they're actually only worth three or five taels."
"How about I go back and scrape together the five taels of silver you saved for your brother's wedding, and you can take it with you?"
Qiu Yuruo sneered inwardly: "Uncle, you're making things difficult for me. I can't bear the blame for delaying Grandpa's eldest grandson's wedding. Since you don't have the money, then give me the dowry you prepared for my cousin's marriage to the Su family."
When Zhang heard Qiu Yuruo mention wanting her daughter's dowry, she immediately became agitated: "I've been saving up for Lin'er's dowry since she was less than ten years old, and you just ask for it..."
She paused for a moment, then softened her tone, remembering that she still needed Qiu Yuruo to marry that living dead man in place of her daughter. "Yuruo, Lin'er's dowry really isn't suitable for you. Your uncle and I are truly broke. You already have ten taels of silver from your family, which is more than enough. Please don't make things difficult for us!"
Zhou Qishan also said, "Yes, we really don't have any money on hand!"
Old Mrs. Zhou couldn't stand seeing her eldest son begging Qiu Yuruo for forgiveness, and her anger flared up again. She pointed at Qiu Yuruo's nose and scolded, "How could I have raised such a vicious jinx like you? Your uncle said he doesn't have much money left, and you're still pressuring him like this. You have no conscience at all!"
Since transmigrating, Qiu Yuruo had never uttered a word of rebuttal to Zhou Shi's insults, but now, she no longer wanted to tolerate it.
She stood up, looked up and stared directly at Zhou Shi, "It was my uncle who forced me to risk my life to exchange for his daughter's freedom. What's wrong with me asking him for some compensation?"
Since Grandma has said so, I'll really force you this time. If Uncle doesn't give me twenty taels of silver, I won't take your place in the marriage! Even if you hang me with a rope and throw me into the water, I still won't take your place in the marriage!
At first, her voice was normal, but it grew louder and louder until the last sentence was shouted hysterically by Qiu Yuruo. After shouting, all the energy that her long-starved body had just replenished was used up, and she suddenly lost all her strength and collapsed to the ground.
Although her body was paralyzed, she began to feel happy.
Qiu Yuruo couldn't help but laugh; finally, she didn't have to put up with this old idiot anymore.
Her laughter awakened Zhou Shi, who was stunned by her stubbornness. She was so angry that she raised her foot to kick Qiu Yuruo, but was caught by the third brother.
Amidst Old Mrs. Zhou's shouts and Uncle's attempts to dissuade her, Qiu Yuru avoided her aunt's attempts to help her up. Instead, she lay flat on the ground, staring at the roof rafters. Gathering her strength, she continued to shout, "Father, Mother, why did you leave me alone in this world? I can't go on living. Take me with you!"
Old Qiu was exasperated by his cursing wife and his tantrum-throwing granddaughter. He scolded, "Alright, stop arguing!"
Old Qiu still held considerable prestige at home. After he finished speaking, Old Mrs. Zhou stopped cursing.
She stopped, and Qiu Yuruo also shut up. It was already a victory that she could stand up to Old Lady Zhou and not be targeted individually. She knew when to back down.
When her third aunt, Guo, came over again, Qiu Yuruo no longer avoided her help and got up with ease.
Before sitting back down in her chair, Qiu Yuruo glanced at her.
Guo nodded almost imperceptibly, turned around and sat down next to her husband who had settled his mother-in-law, gently nudging him with her elbow.
Third Uncle Qiu swallowed hard, cleared his throat, and said to his eldest brother, "Eldest brother, Second Brother only left Yu Ruo as his bloodline. Even if she wasn't marrying into the Su family in place of Lin'er, it's only right that you, as the eldest uncle, should provide a dowry for your niece as if she were your own daughter, even if it's just for the sake of your deceased brother!"
Qiu Qishan looked at his third brother in disbelief. He never expected that his usually cunning third brother would actually speak up for Qiu Yuruo!
The third brother avoided the eldest brother's gaze. He had never clashed with the eldest brother before, firstly because the eldest brother was the eldest, and secondly because the two of them didn't have any major conflicts.
But things are different now. If I don't help Qiu Yuru get the money from the boss, judging from her current willingness to go all out, she really would rather die than marry without the money. Then the boss would dare to try to take her daughter's place in a marriage in her place!
Everyone loves their own child, and for my daughter's sake, I have to stand up for her today.
Moreover, with the eldest son studying, most of the family's income went to him, and after all these years, he still hasn't even passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations.
Now that the children are all grown up and it's time to spend money, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind the old man that the next generation of children are all getting old and it's time to spend money too!
The third brother ignored the eldest brother and, following his agreement with his wife, said to Qiu Yuruo, "When a girl gets married, you should prepare some things for her to wear. Your family and your eldest uncle will provide the money. Your third uncle's ability is limited, so I'll have your third aunt make you two quilts and two sets of clothes so you'll look good on your wedding day."
Qiu Yuruo was quite surprised by Qiu Qiyong's sudden generosity. She paused for a moment before quickly getting up from her chair and thanking Qiu Qiyong and his wife sincerely.
Qiu Yong's generosity in this matter made Old Man Qiu more satisfied with his youngest son. In addition, the fatherly affection for his second son stirred up by Qiu Yu Ruo was so strong that he said to his eldest son, "Yu Ruo is marrying into the Su family in place of Lin'er, so you should also give her ten taels of silver."
Whether it was the money Qiu Qishan had saved up or the fact that he had Qiu Yuruo marry in his place, it was all because of his parents' favoritism. Now that Old Master Qiu had spoken, even if he didn't want to, he had no choice but to reply, "Yes."
Qiu Yuruo, knowing when to stop, acted as if she herself hadn't been the one who said she wouldn't marry Qiu Laoda for less than twenty taels of silver. She said to Qiu Laotou, "Since Grandpa has spoken, I won't say anything more. Let's do as Grandpa says."
Old Man Qiu was quite pleased with Qiu Yuruo's pragmatism, and while stroking his beard, he said some words of advice to Qiu Yuruo to be virtuous and kind in the future.
Qiu Yu Ru chuckled inwardly. For every sentence he said, she mentally added, "Remember to tell your eldest granddaughter too." No matter how much she resisted in her heart, she nodded obediently without showing any sign of meekness.
Qiu Yuruo had just given a good fight back, but now her patience was wearing thin. Regardless of whether he had had enough, she started swaying as if she was about to collapse.
Guo quickly went over and helped her up.
Seeing her weak appearance, Old Qiu said to his wife, "Give her a good rest these next few days, so she'll look good when she goes out."
Zhou, who always obeyed her husband's every word, did not respond this time.
Having worked under her for several years, Qiu Yuruo knew perfectly well that she was being manipulated again.
So be it. She's been manipulating me for years anyway. Before she received the promised money, Qiu Yuru bowed again and said, "Grandma, I was wrong just now. Please don't be angry with me."
Grandma Zhou was not appeased by Qiu Yuruo's apology; she only snorted and remained silent.
Qiu Yuruo: She still wants me to beg her in such a humble way, just like before!
dream!
Now that he has the leverage of being a substitute bride, he apologized to her for the sake of his reputation. If he were to put himself in a subservient position as before, Old Man Qiu would probably think that he is still as easy to manipulate as before, and he would have to give her a discount on the money he promised.
To protect her money, Qiu Yuruo could no longer apologize and only asked her, "Does Grandma mean that I don't need to marry in her place?"
Grandma Zhou: "You wish!"
Qiu Yu Ruo did not shy away from her fierce gaze and calmly said, "Since you still want me to marry in your place, before I get married, my diet will follow the standard my uncle used to take care of his health: two eggs a day, and only refined grains. My stomach has been hungry for a few days, so I can't eat meat right away. I'll start eating a chicken every two days from the day after tomorrow."
Qiu Qishan had taken the imperial examinations for many years, but although he had never passed and become a scholar, Old Lady Zhou always made him take these kinds of tonics before and after each examination.
When Grandma Zhou heard this, she was furious. The food that Qiu Yuruo mentioned was only eaten for a few days before and after her eldest son's exams. Even her husband had never eaten like this before. How dare Qiu Yuruo ask for the same treatment!
She pointed at Qiu Yuruo and said angrily, "A jinx like you dares to want this kind of food? Don't you even know if you deserve it!"
Qiu Yuruo remained calm and asked her, "Does Grandma think that having a jinxed sister is beneficial to the brothers and sisters in the family?"
These words immediately stopped Zhou's cursing and made the rest of the family think twice.
Old Qiu sternly told his wife, "Don't say those things again!"
Zhou Shi was also afraid that Qiu Yu would tarnish the reputation of the eldest son's children, so she quickly said, "I know, I won't say it again."
Before Qiu Yu could say anything else, she said to Old Man Qiu, "Grandpa, since I have agreed to marry, I am prepared to face the hardships of life ahead. The Su family is full of sick people and young children. If I am not healthy, I will be powerless no matter how much I want to."
I didn't want to trouble my family, so I said I would eat the same kind of nourishing food as my uncle. Actually, given my current condition, taking some tonics for a few days would be the best thing to do.
I'm perfectly healthy. I'll raise my younger siblings in the Su family. When the time comes, everyone will say you're kind and that you've raised our children well!
Old Man Qiu was concerned about his reputation, and Qiu Yuruo's words struck a chord with him. He waved his hand and decided, "Before Yuruo gets married, she will eat according to the same standard as when the eldest son took the imperial examination."
Ignoring Grandma Zhou's sour face, Qiu Yu gave Grandpa Qiu a friendly and delighted smile and said, "Thank you, Grandpa."
Compared to his dramatic outburst a few days ago, this was the effect Old Man Qiu wanted, and he gave a satisfied "hmm".
...
In order to prevent Qiu Yuruo from wasting food, Old Lady Zhou urged Old Man Qiu and the Su family to discuss and decide on the wedding to take place in seven days.
Qiu Yuru ate what was nothing out of the ordinary in her previous life, but was the first time she had ever eaten such refined food in this life. Her body, which had been starving for three days, finally began to recover.
Even after her health began to recover, she stopped doing housework and rested for two more days before starting to pack her own things.
Seeing that she was no longer resistant to the marriage, Old Mrs. Zhou chose to ignore her lack of work over the past few days.
In fact, Qiu Yuruo had very few belongings of her own: a few clothes that her cousin didn't want, a few cheap hair accessories, and a dozen or so coins of New Year's money she had saved over the years—enough to fill a bundle.
Fortunately, there were two sets of clothes and two quilts that her third uncle had promised; otherwise, a dowry of only one bundle would have been far too meager.
The things my third uncle promised have all been prepared and placed in his room, but the money that my grandfather and eldest uncle promised has not yet been given.
Qiu Yu decided to ask them for it again tomorrow. Today, she would first retrieve the silver bracelet that her mother had hidden in the backyard after she woke up from her coma in the middle of the night.
When her parents and younger brother died together, Qiu Yuruo was in a coma. If the family hadn't been busy with the autumn harvest, her mother's silver bracelet would have been taken away by Old Lady Zhou long ago.
She secretly retrieved the hidden silver bracelet, and the next day she urged them to give her the promised silver, which she finally received the night before her wedding.
...
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