Entering the kitchen, Jiang Xuan saw a dozen or so fried dough sticks already in a bowl on the cutting board. The pan was still frying, and Yang Shuying was standing by the cutting board kneading the dough.
"Auntie, are you frying dough sticks?"
Yang Shuying was startled. "Hey, you, you're back?"
Jiang Xuan picked up a fried dough stick and took a bite. Yang Shuying's heart clenched. How could this shameless person be so clueless?
Jiang Xuan took another one, intending to give it to Lu Shengye, but Yang Shuying couldn't help but say, "Xuanxuan, this fried dough is what your uncle is going to bring when he visits relatives. If you're hungry, there are steamed buns in the basket."
Jiang Xuan chewed on the fried dough, her eyes wide, "Auntie, why are you suddenly willing to bring such good fried dough to visit relatives? I remember you used to bring biscuits."
It's not just the Jiang family that has those worm-eaten biscuit crumbs; many families do the same.
Because we were so poor, we kept the things that our relatives brought us to visit other relatives.
Two boxes of cheap cookies, passed around over the years, have long since crumbled into crumbs and expired.
But nobody cares, since nobody's going to eat it anyway.
Of course, some people also take fried dough cakes, but that's usually done by families who are better off or more generous.
Because of Jiang Mengyuan's subsidies, the Jiang family's conditions were not bad, but Yang Shuying was most afraid of others taking advantage of her, and she was not that foolish.
Hearing Jiang Xuan say that, Yang Shuying felt a little embarrassed and said, "Isn't this because you found a good family? I'm happy. Besides, if you take the fried dough sticks, they'll be happy to help you with the banquet later."
Jiang Xuan nodded, "Thank you for thinking of me, Auntie. Oh, by the way, have you told Uncle about the dowry?"
Before Yang Shuying could speak, Jiang Qiaoyun stood at the kitchen doorway and said to Jiang Xuan expressionlessly, "Dad wants you to go to the main room."
Jiang Xuan went to the main room, and Yang Shuying picked up a few fried cakes from the pot, used a fire poker to extinguish the fire in the stove, wiped the handles on both sides of her apron, and followed her.
"Uncle, you called me."
Jiang Qiutang glanced at her and said, "Well, let's talk about your marriage. Shengye, you go first."
Lu Shengye said, "Uncle and Aunt, my family likes Xuanxuan very much and values this marriage. I also brought my birth date and time with me. However, Grandpa Jiang just passed away. I don't know if there are any customs in our area that prohibit getting married recently?"
After saying that, Lu Shengye took out his birth date and time and handed it over.
Jiang Qiutang hummed in agreement and said, "Grandsons usually only wear half the mourning period. For the eldest grandson, it's generally customary to wait until the hundred-day mourning period is over before getting married. There are no such customs for granddaughters."
Yang Shuying nodded: "Yes, we don't have that kind of custom here."
Lu Shengye: "That's good. Xuanxuan and I will get our marriage certificate first when we go up here. We'll let you know when we find a date for the wedding banquet. We also hope that you can help us inform other relatives."
Jiang Qiutang: "Okay, then let's talk about the bride price."
"Okay, go ahead."
“According to our local custom, the bride price is between 200 and 800 yuan. But since you were betrothed by Xuanxuan’s grandfather, and Xuanxuan said that the dowry in your area is different from mine, I thought about it and decided to compromise on the bride price, which is 500 yuan.”
Jiang Xuan rolled her eyes inwardly: "200 to 800? Why don't you just say 2000 to 8000?"
She quickly swallowed the fried dough in her mouth and said, "Uncle, you know that our marriage was arranged by Grandpa. Did you not read Grandpa's letter carefully?"
"What's the meaning?"
“Grandpa wrote clearly in black and white in his letter that he did not want a single penny of betrothal gifts from the Lu family, he only hoped that the Lu family would treat me well.”
Jiang Qiutang was taken aback. "Is that so?"
Jiang Xuan was prepared. She took out the letter, turned to the third page, and said, "Look, it's right here."
After reading it, Jiang Qiutang's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
That old geezer, he's just here to bring misfortune upon him, why does he always ruin his plans?
Jiang Xuan pointed to the cigarettes, alcohol, tea, candy, and other items on the table. "The Lu family knows about this, but they are kind and value us. Look, these are all high-end goods. Originally, when proposing marriage in Ningzhou, two cases of cigarettes and alcohol would have been enough, but the Lu family bought whole cases of them."
"And there are health supplements for you and your aunt. These were all brought back from abroad by someone asked by Grandpa Shengye. They were originally for him to improve his health, but they asked us to bring them as well."
"These things cost five or six hundred."
“If Grandpa knew that you were not following his last wishes and were still demanding a dowry of 500 yuan, I'm afraid his spirit in heaven would not be at peace.”
Jiang Qiutang slammed his fist on the table in anger. "Stop bringing up your grandfather. Go ask around within a ten-mile radius. Where can you find a bride who doesn't ask for a dowry?"
“This is Grandpa’s wish. He has had a hard life and has never enjoyed a day of happiness. As his granddaughter, I have never had the chance to properly take care of him. This is also his wish. If I don’t comply, I will feel uneasy.”
Jiang Qiutang was so angry his nose almost twisted out of shape.
Jiang Xuan continued, "Uncle and Aunt, we're all family, so there's no need for formalities. How about this: we'll do the betrothal gifts as Grandpa said, and I won't ask for any dowry. This way, you and Aunt can save a lot of money. Aunt should have told you that in Ningzhou, dowries are usually home appliances, which are much more expensive than betrothal gifts."
Seeing Jiang Qiutang's dark face and silence, Yang Shuying quickly said, "Dad, why don't we do as Jiang Xuan said? Jiang Xuan is a good girl, and she will help us a lot in the future."
Yang Shuying turned her head. "Right, Jiang Xuan?"
"Of course, Auntie."
Jiang Qiutang's face looked worse than rotten pig liver. He turned and left.
Yang Shuying was relieved; he had agreed.
Yang Shuying said, "Xuanxuan, you must never tell anyone about the bride price. If it gets to your uncles' ears, we'll be in big trouble."
"Don't worry, Auntie, I won't say anything."
“Okay, I just tidied up your grandfather’s room. I also took out the bedding to air it out while the weather was nice. Let Shengye sleep in your grandfather’s room tonight.”
“Auntie, Grandpa’s room is too damp and shady. There are bugs under the mat. Shengye grew up in the city and can’t get used to living in a room like this.”
Hearing Jiang Xuan say that, Yang Shuying blushed.
Is Jiang Xuan out of her mind? How could she say such a thing in front of outsiders, as if she were abusing an elderly person?
She said with difficulty, "But there are no other rooms to sleep in."
Jiang Xuan pointed outside, "Isn't my cousin's room empty?"
Yang Shuying was furious. This bitch, she's only been in the city for two days and she thinks she knows her place? She's even eyeing her son's house.
"It's empty, but that's reserved for your cousin's wedding. Your uncle just built a bigger kang (heated brick bed) a few days ago, and it's not dry yet."
Fearing that Jiang Xuan would take it seriously and expose her, Yang Shuying added, "But the weather has been hot these past few days, so it might be almost dry by now. If Sheng Ye doesn't mind the dampness, he can make do with it."
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