“I know that after the marriage, all the property acquired by the family should be divided equally between the brothers and the clan. After the brothers get married, the family must be divided within one year. At the time of division, the family’s land and houses should not be encroached upon.”
All of this property included the family's harvest. In other words, she could only eat 10% of the crops she had worked so hard to grow. The remaining 80% had to be left to her brothers, and the 10% had to be handed over to the clan.
One-tenth of the cost was not only for her own consumption, but also for her husband and children.
How can such a small amount of food possibly feed a person?
This world is harsh on women; from the day they are born, they are not even qualified to be listed in the family genealogy.
They are also not allowed to own private property.
Only after marriage can a woman be included in her husband's family genealogy and be allowed to own private property such as a dowry.
If it weren't for the population shortage in Xuchuan, and the government's rule that women must marry by the age of sixteen, she could have remained unmarried and raised her younger siblings well.
But that won't do. If she gets married, she will have no connection with her family anymore, and she won't be allowed to interfere in their affairs. Her younger siblings are too young to be manipulated by Wang and others, and she can only watch as they divide up the family property.
First came the story of selling a granddaughter, then the story of abusing a grandson.
The Wang family has shown no kindness to the three siblings, so how can they be expected to take good care of Jiang Lu and Jiang Songwen?
"Then do you know, if... if..." The clan chief's voice trembled. It wasn't that Jiangjia Village didn't have women who married into families, but so far, none of them had a good ending.
Many of them starved to death along with their husbands and children.
This is because on the day of the harvest, the clan will take away the portion belonging to her brother and put it into a separate warehouse. After that, her brother's food will be allocated once a month, and the clan will weigh the grain according to the child's age, without giving her even a milligram of deduction.
"If a brother dies young, ninety percent of his property shall be handed over to the clan."
Jiang Bai already knew about these clan rules when he mentioned taking a son-in-law as a wife.
It's funny, but girls in the clan aren't allowed to be listed in the family genealogy when they're born.
If it were to be a marriage proposal, the son-in-law could be listed in the family genealogy, and the son-in-law would also be listed in the Jiang family genealogy. However, this was not a glorious thing for the man who married into the family, and he would be ridiculed for the rest of his life if word got out.
Jiang Bai subconsciously looked at Ji Yanwen.
His eyes were blank, he was quite shocked, and his expression was almost identical to Jiang Songwen's. He couldn't come to his senses for a long time.
The thought kept echoing in my mind: She wants to take a son-in-law? She wants to take a son-in-law? She actually wants to... take a son-in-law?
"You know that's good. So... are you still going to take a son-in-law?"
Although the clan rules are strict, they are designed to protect the interests of the clan. If any girl could be married into the family, a situation like Jiang Bai's could very well lead to a wolf into the house, who would then divide up all of her family's property.
Farm families rarely take in sons-in-law, because after the harvest is handed over, the remaining grain is not enough for the whole family to eat. If the brothers are young and have children, the family needs even more grain. When the harvest is bad, life becomes even more difficult.
Unfortunately, this is a time when the harvest is poor.
“Yes, I want to find a son-in-law to marry into the family.” Jiang Bai nodded again.
"Do you think you can just take in a man as your son-in-law? What man would want to marry into another family these days? I think you're just talking nonsense and trying to seize Awen's family fortune." Jiang Anlin couldn't hold back any longer. How could he stand by and watch this girl take in a man as her son-in-law?
Although the conditions for marrying into the family are harsh, once she is married into the family, she will be listed in the family genealogy and become the head of the household, and will also have a place in the family's discussions.
If that's the case, they really won't get any advantage at all. The big house and the crops that are about to be harvested will all belong to that little brat Jiang Songwen.
"Ha, how do you know no man is willing to marry into your family? Just because you're not willing doesn't mean no one else is."
Jiang Bai chuckled and glanced at Ji Yanwen discreetly. Unexpectedly, Ji Yanwen seemed like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and took several steps back in fright.
It's clear that he's recovered from the shock of Jiang Bai's offer to take him in as a son-in-law.
It's impossible for him to marry into the family.
Absolutely impossible.
That eldest daughter of the Jiang family is truly inhuman.
Ji Yanwen was furious. He should have realized that the two sisters were not good people when the second daughter of the Jiang family changed her mind. He actually believed that she would marry him.
If it weren't for the fact that he had injured Wang's hand and it wouldn't be convenient for him to leave before this matter was resolved, he would have loved to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible and go find his future wife.
Thinking about why he had injured Wang Shi, Ji Yanwen felt even more uneasy.
He'll definitely avoid that family from now on; not a single one of them is any good.
"Anyway, I'm only sixteen years old. If we still can't find a suitable person by then, we can just arrange a marriage for me when the government comes to arrange it. Why are you in such a hurry, Uncle?"
Jiang Bai glanced at Ji Yanwen again, thinking that he shouldn't be more than half a year away from turning seventeen.
Anyway, if he's not willing, she can find someone else, so there's no rush.
"You...you...Uncle, you can't let her take a husband!"
Seeing that she couldn't persuade Jiang Bai, Jiang Anlin looked at the clan leader, hoping that the clan leader would stop Jiang Bai. As long as the clan leader and elders disagreed, she wouldn't be able to be included in the clan genealogy or marry into the family.
The clan chief and the elders discussed in hushed tones. They had originally thought that since Anliang had left, Anlin and Anshan were his own brothers, and the seventh brother and his wife were Anliang's parents. With their care, Anliang's remaining children could also find a good home.
I never expected that Lao Qi and his wife would be so heartless.
The An brothers, An Lin and An Shan, are also unreliable.
Thinking of Awen, such a well-behaved child, they've ruined him like that. If they were to take care of him again, it's hard to say whether he would even survive to adulthood.
"Okay, we agree."
"Uncle." Jiang Anlin was shocked, never expecting that the clan leader would actually agree.
The clan chief glared at him but ignored him.
"But if you do not find a husband to marry into your family before you are sixteen, after the government arranges a marriage for you, your family's house and land will be taken away by the clan, and Awen and Erya will be taken care of by the clan."
In any case, it's impossible to hand the person over to Lao Qi and his wife again.
"good."
Jiang Bai readily agreed.
In any case, it's absolutely impossible for her not to be able to find someone. If Ji Xiucai is unwilling, she will find someone else. If there is no suitable candidate, she can buy one.
Buying people is a last resort; she wouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary.
“Alright, in that case, An Lin, return everything you took away to us within three days, untouched.”
"Uncle..." Jiang Anlin was filled with resentment.
"Don't force us to use family discipline. If you're not happy, you and your parents can move out of Jiangjia Village."
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