Ma Dani stood there in silence. What should she say? After she got married, except for her sisters, her grandparents and parents never asked her if she was doing well?
Or before she got married, her grandmother wanted to swallow her betrothal money, making her almost unable to hold her head up in her husband's family for the rest of her life?
Or perhaps, from the very beginning, her parents didn't take this marriage seriously. Her grandmother just found someone randomly, and she got married in the dark, just like the darkness when she was born in this life.
…
The country had actually proposed a family planning policy in the early 1970s, but at that time it was just publicity and there was no mandatory requirement.
After the reform and opening up, family planning was officially put on the agenda, advocating late marriage, late childbearing, fewer births and better quality of births.
People from the village would come from time to time to do propaganda, especially to some families who already had three or four children. Chen Chunhua and her family also received propaganda warnings, urging them not to have any more children.
At this time, Ma Dexiang's family, especially Mrs. Ma, became staunch supporters of family planning, and promoted the idea of having fewer children, raising better children, and gender equality in the village every day.
"What's wrong with not having a son? A daughter can also be the head of a household! You should raise her well!"
"What era is this? You still favor boys over girls! Aren't you ashamed?"
"I would rather die without descendants than not let the country rest in peace!"
…
The people in the township family planning office were very optimistic about them, and the villagers also felt that the Ma Dexiang family's decision to no longer pursue having a son was probably a genuine intention.
Except for the nine girls from the Ma family, who would roll their eyes along with their grandmother behind her back.
Young people in rural areas, regardless of gender, have to get married when they reach a certain age, especially older girls. In this era, no matter how much they promote late marriage, they still have to get married at the age of 20, right?
If there is a girl at home who is about to get married, and she is not ugly and is good at work, she doesn’t need to advertise herself, as matchmakers will come to her house.
It was just after the Chinese New Year, and on the seventh day of Ma Dani's 20th birthday, a matchmaker came to her house, saying that there was a family in the next village with five sons, and the youngest son was still unmarried. He was only four years older than her, and his character and appearance were both excellent...
Old Mrs. Ma didn't listen any further until she heard about the family's five sons. She was so envious that tears were about to fall.
This is the family. Even though my son and daughter-in-law are not having children anymore, it’s good for them to share in the joy!
The Wang family brought the betrothal gift of 88 yuan on the day of the engagement, and then Old Mrs. Ma held it in her hand and refused to let go.
Traditionally, the bride's family does not provide the quilts, buckets, plates, etc. that a girl should get married with, so she has to pay for them herself.
Because Old Lady Ma said that the money Dani earned from working was in her hands, and the family had no money, so she was already doing her best to provide them with food and drink, so how could she continue to lose money?
In fact, this statement is not a big problem in this era, but the problem is that the old lady took her betrothal gift.
The custom here is that no one will refrain from accepting the betrothal gift. It must either be returned or taken away by the girl. Furthermore, the betrothal gift is used to buy a dowry, which is ultimately taken back to the man's family.
If she embezzled the money to help her brothers get married, she would be criticized by people in the surrounding villages for decades. What's more, she doesn't have any brothers.
Dani didn't know whether Old Lady Ma was shameless or not, but she still wanted to marry him. If she really married him empty-handed, her life would be over.
Ma Dani originally wanted to forget it and just consider it as repaying her parents for raising her. After all, her family would not be able to take care of her after she got married.
She had saved some money over the years, so at worst she wouldn't have to prepare a dowry, and she could just collect the money and take it back as a betrothal gift.
But Ma Sanni disagreed and she overturned the table at home.
"When my eldest and second sisters were working, didn't they buy food with their work points? You got some money, but today you want to buy cloth to make a quilt, tomorrow you have no sugar or salt, and the day after tomorrow you're saying your brother's son's baby is one month old and you need a gift. It's none of their business! You're just trying to squeeze money out of them."
"Five Ni and six Ni go to school, and they have to earn their own tuition! They also have to support the younger ones, and if they don't work in the fields, they have to pay for living expenses! Eating, sleeping, and drinking water all cost money. They charge for electricity to turn on the light bulb, firewood to steam sweet potatoes, and water to wash hands!"
"What? You sold the water I picked up from the river as tap water? Then why don't you pay me? Give it to me!"
Ma Sanni stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips, scolding the two old men at the top, making them so angry that their hair almost stood on end. Old Madam Ma pointed at Ma Sanni with a shaking finger.
"You little beast... Lao Ma, Lao Ma, beat her to death! Beat her to death for me!" The old man was looking for a stick before she finished speaking, to teach this unfilial granddaughter a lesson.
Then the stick was snatched away by Da Ni and Er Ni, and Si Ni stood in front of San Ni to protect her. Behind Wu Ni and Liu Ni, a group of girls rushed up and formed a circle around San Ni.
"What are you doing? What did Third Sister say wrong? If you dare to do anything, I'll report you to Director Cai for bullying women and children!"
Ma Dexiang and Lin Yulan were stunned. It was like they knew for the first time that the daughters in the family were so united and disliked them so much.
Ma Dexiang is already the village security director. If such a thing were to spread about his family, not only would he be laughed at, but he would also lose his position as a small official.
"After all, we raised you! How could you, child, say such unfilial words!"
"The grace of raising me? Tell me about it! What is the grace of raising me?" Sanni continued to sneer and scolded Lao Deng and Zhong Deng.
"Sini and I were both raised by my eldest sister, and Ni Wu was raised by my second sister. I was already washing Ni Liu's diapers with a runny nose when I was six years old. If we really want to count the gratitude for raising a child, it would be my eldest and second sisters, right?"
"But I remember it was you guys who said it. When my eldest and second sisters were young, they tied a rope to the corner of the table. They went out to work during the day and only came back to check on us at noon. They ate, drank, defecated and urinated on the floor. I want to ask you, what on earth did you manage?"
Ma Dexiang trembled as he said, "Everyone, everyone raises children this way... Everyone raises children this way. If we don't go out to work, how will we get the money to buy food..."
"Yes, so you gave us sisters a bite to eat, and we should be grateful. Have we worked like slaves for more than ten years enough to repay you? Have we paid you back for the years that my eldest and second sisters ate for free, and the ten years that followed?"
Ma Sanni is already 16 years old. She is not a fool. She knows very well what it is like for girls in the same village to get married and what the situation is like in her own family.
If Old Lady Ma really holds on to the money today, her eldest sister will never be able to hold her head up in her husband's family after she marries him.
What's more, my second sister is already 18 years old and may get married next year or the year after. If this trend is not nipped in the bud today, the sisters who come after her will only be more miserable than the other.
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The progress will be a little faster in the next two days, and we will talk about the events of the past six years for a few days, but it will return to normal later.
I beg for mercy~ Ladies and gentlemen, please leave your little hair~~~????????????biubiu
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