Tian Xiaoyu is the type of person who, at first glance, seems ordinary and unremarkable, but becomes more attractive the more you look at her. Like Tian, she is a cheerful and straightforward person.
This is exactly what Lao Liu saw.
The two had a few private conversations. Men and women in ordinary families were not bound by so many dogmas. When Tian Xiaoyu heard her mother say that Lao Liu Ding Youxing had taken a fancy to her, she blushed slightly because she was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl.
"As long as my parents think it's okay." At her mother's urging, she lowered her head and uttered this.
Mrs. Tian gouged her daughter's eyes, "You little girl, now you know that just saying what your parents think is good is enough? Who said last time that you had to choose the one yourself? I knew you would like him. I saw you two talking that day."
"Mom!" Tian Xiaoyu stomped her feet and pushed Tian Dasao out.
Brother Tian was very happy to know that his daughter was happy about it. Ma Fuquan was about to tell the sixth brother the news when Tian's mother came over and knew that she was not happy about it.
"I heard from Wu Fengxian that his parents are not easy to get along with. They only care about money. I, an old lady, don't think it's a good idea for Yu'er to marry into his family."
"Mom." Ma Fuquan smiled and said, "Xiaoyu will live with Xiao Liuzi after she gets married, not with his parents, and they have already separated."
"That's right." Tian Dasao also said, "Xiao Liu seems smart, has a good temper, and is hardworking. Also, I heard from my sister that he was raised by his fourth sister-in-law. His fourth sister-in-law is such a capable person. If he wants to marry Xiaoyu, can his fourth sister-in-law not take care of the young couple and make plans for them?"
"His fourth brother even passed the imperial examination and became a scholar." Brother Tian also added, "Maybe he can pass the imperial examination and become an official in the future."
Seeing that her son-in-law agreed to the marriage, Tian's mother thought her daughter would be happy too. When she heard that their family had split up, she changed her mind. However, she still scolded her son and daughter-in-law, "I say to you two, don't focus on what the fourth brother and his wife are like. The most important thing is that the man our Xiaoyu is going to marry is good and reliable. That's what matters most."
Tian's mother had also met the sixth son, and she had no objection to him. Now that she was relieved, Ma Fuquan hurried to inform the sixth son, asking him to make preparations as soon as possible, return home sometime, and inform his parents to send a matchmaker to come and propose marriage.
"Well, I'll be back after a few days of rest." Lao Liu couldn't stop smiling, but he was still worried that the girl would look down on him.
On his day off, he returned to Dingxian Village but did not go to his own home. Instead, he went to Jian Ning's place.
After he explained his purpose, Jian Ning said, "It's no problem for Fourth Sister-in-law to be your matchmaker, but you need to go back and tell your parents, lest they disagree and cause a scene. Your Fourth Brother and I are fine, and we're not worried about her causing a scene, but I'm afraid she'll go to the Ma family and scold your Sister Tian, which would be bad."
"Fourth sister-in-law is right. I will go back and inform my parents."
"Wait, you're getting married soon, why are you in such a hurry? I haven't even finished what I was saying. Go back and tell them that they don't have to pay a penny for your bride, they just accept the gifts. Fourth brother and his wife have already taken care of all the expenses, including the wedding banquet. Just say it was all tips from guests over the years, and you saved it all."
"Even if you gave them this money, they would have paid for your marriage. Now that you don't need them to pay, I'm sure they won't have any objections."
"Go ahead, go home and talk to them properly. Don't be so angry."
"Oh, thank you, sister-in-law. I'll go then."
Lao Liu returned home excitedly and told Lao Dingtou and Mrs. Meng about this. Mrs. Meng jumped up and pointed at his nose and scolded him, "You grew up on a tree, how can you be blown away by the wind? You know how tight our family life is, and you actually saved money without telling us. How much did you save? Give it to me now!"
Old Ding was smoking a cigarette, raising his eyelids and glancing at Lao Liu with dissatisfaction.
"Dad, Mom, did I not explain myself clearly or did you not understand? You don't have to pay a penny for my wedding. Even if I give you all the reward money, you will still have to pay it back when I get married."
"Bah!" Mrs. Meng spat in his face. "Look at me and your father, we're only three years old. You can already arrange your own wedding, so how can that be a small sum of money? How much is it in total? Hand it over to me quickly."
Old Ding also said, "We have a ready-made house at home. Marrying a wife is not like marrying a gold nugget. How much money can it cost? Your mother is right. We are farmers, and her family is also farmers. Even if her family went to the county, they would only be helpers. That police station is not owned by her family."
"Six, we should build a nest the size of a bird. When your older brothers got married, we celebrated the same way we did in the past. This logic is applicable everywhere."
The sixth brother was anxious. It was a long time since his eldest brother got married. So his parents prepared 20 kilograms of tobacco leaves and 10 eggs for the Liu family, and then asked his eldest brother to work for the Liu family for three months.
Later, he did the same thing to his second and third brothers, and the same thing happened to the fifth brother. However, Lu's family refused to agree.
The times are different, the circumstances are different, what can people do?
Later, as a last resort, his parents gave him another two kilograms of pork. Because of this, the family of his third sister-in-law came and made a fuss for a while, and almost blew the roof off their house.
"Dad! Mom! I beg you, please don't worry about this. You don't have to pay any gifts, and you two don't have to spend a penny on the banquet. You can just accept the gifts. How wonderful is that? Besides, I don't have much money saved. At most, I only have two taels of silver. I still have to ask our boss for some wages for the banquet."
"Nowadays it's different from the past. A little tobacco and a few eggs are all you need."
"Nowadays, it's all about making girls' bodies out of flowered fabrics..."
"Bah!" He was interrupted by Madam Meng, "I was afraid she'd want to shroud herself in flowered cloth, and she'd even used flowered cloth. I've lived to this age, and how have you ever seen me wear flowered cloth? She might be different, with gold trimmings, right?"
Meng said, extending her hand. "Hand over the two taels of silver to me as soon as possible. If she wants to be with you, she can stay with you. If she doesn't, she can find someone else! I don't believe there's no girl in the whole village who's willing to marry without flowered cloth. You're not missing any limbs, so give it to me!"
Lao Liu stamped his foot in anger, "I won't marry this daughter-in-law anymore! I won't marry her for the rest of my life!"
After saying that, he turned around and left angrily.
Mrs. Meng chased him to the main hall door and said, "Who are you trying to scare by not asking for it? Even if you don't want it, you have to give it to me! If you don't, I'll break your legs the next time you dare to come to my door!"
Lao Liu walked out of the main courtyard gate and was so angry that he hit the big tree next to him more than ten times. He then squatted under the tree with his head in his hands for more than half an hour. Then he dragged his numb legs to the house of his fourth brother and his sister-in-law.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
