Chapter 221 Back to Town
Shen Jinyuan held up a finger and said, "First, their wedding must be held in the county town, and they must live in the county town after they get married."
Old Lady Wan was shocked. She could hold the wedding in the county town, but if she lived in the county town, wouldn't she have to buy a house in the county town? How much money would that cost? Although the family had income now, if they bought a house in the county town, it would mean that the eldest Wan family would be separated. Old Lady Wan glanced at Second Sister-in-law Wan and Liu.
Wan Ersao and Liu both knew the family’s current financial situation and knew they could definitely afford to buy a house, but how would they divide the property when the time came?
Shen was anxious. She looked at Shen Jinyuan anxiously and stamped her feet in anxiety.
"Yuan'er, how can their family afford to buy a house in the county town? My aunt's family is just a farmer, how can they have any savings?"
Wan Ersao gently pulled Old Lady Wan, and Old Lady Wan glanced at her second daughter-in-law and saw her nod slightly.
Old Mrs. Wan knew that this was an agreement.
Old Lady Wan looked at Liu again. The fourth room in the family had the lightest burden now and didn't have much to spend money on. Old Wan received a salary of one or two taels of silver a month, and the couple's food and lodging were all provided by the public. They had saved a lot of money as well. Liu was not a petty person, and her mind worked faster than Old Lady Wan and Second Sister-in-law Wan.
Shen is Lord Shen's biological sister. Won't the dowry belong to the Wan family in the future? From what Shen is wearing now, it can be seen that the dowry will definitely be very generous. Liu also knows Shen's character and will definitely not let the Wan family suffer, so she said softly: "Mother, you can agree."
With the support of her two daughters-in-law, Mrs. Wan said, "No problem."
Shen was startled and looked at Old Lady Wan in disbelief.
Shen Jinyuan's face remained indifferent, neither surprised nor happy. After hearing Mrs. Wan's answer, it was within his expectations. He had been to the Wan family several times and knew that the Wan family had some financial resources. Now that they were willing to pay for their eldest sister, it showed that they really valued her. What Shen Jinyuan wanted was not that the Wan family really bought a house in the county town for Shen to get married, but the other party's attitude. This was a test.
Shen Jinyuan also breathed a sigh of relief. He was also afraid that Old Lady Wan would not be able to withstand the temptation and give up directly. Then the eldest sister would definitely be very sad. Now it seems that this family is still okay.
Shen Jinyuan held up a second finger and said, "After marriage, the man is not allowed to take concubines. He can only have my sister as his woman."
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Wan laughed and said, "No problem. This is not popular in our village. If someone takes a concubine, they will be criticized."
This condition was too easy for Mrs. Wan.
But Shen Jinyuan didn't think so. Since he chose Boss Wan as his brother-in-law, he would definitely help him secretly in the future. Once a man has money, he will spend it on wine and women, so he wants to put an end to it in advance.
Old Mrs. Wan didn't know Shen Jinyuan's painstaking efforts. The conditions that were easy for her were difficult for men in the city.
Shen Jinyuan raised his third finger and said, "I want a betrothal gift of one hundred taels of silver."
Old Mrs. Wan was a little dumbfounded. Just now it was the house, and now she wanted money. The total amount of money here must be at least two hundred taels. But she only had a little over two hundred taels in her hand. If she spent all of it on the eldest son, what would happen to the other three families when the family was divided in the future?
Old Lady Wan looked a little embarrassed and said, "Sir, but my family cannot afford such a large betrothal gift. I have three sons and we haven't divided the family yet. If I give all of it to the eldest son, even if his three younger brothers agree, I will not be able to bear it. Can you give less?"
Shen stood up and looked at Shen Jinyuan and said sternly: "Yuan'er, this marriage is my own, I don't want anything, don't worry about it. I am a country girl, and this is my second marriage, so there is no need to be so particular. Just pack a bundle with a few clothes and go there."
Shen Jinyuan was unmoved, still looking at Old Lady Wan and shaking his head: "No, not a cent less, why don't you go back and discuss it before giving me a reply? If you agree to my three conditions, you can directly let the matchmaker come to propose marriage. If you disagree, don't delay my sister's marriage."
Shen's eyes turned red with anger, and she twisted her body and ran out.
Old Mrs. Wan also said goodbye to her two daughters-in-law. The three of them walked out of the county government gate with heavy hearts and returned to the inn.
Boss Wan was waiting anxiously in the inn. When he saw Old Lady Wan coming back, he immediately went to greet her.
"Mom, what happened? Did you get it done? Did you see Shen?"
Old Mrs. Wan dragged Boss Wan back to the room. After the family closed the door, they told Boss Wan everything.
"What? One hundred taels of silver, and we still want to live in the county town? How can our family afford that much silver? Forget it. We can't afford the county magistrate's sister. Let's go back today and don't waste time. With this money, it's enough to buy a shop and marry my sons. In our village, marrying a woman only costs five taels of silver at most."
Old Mrs. Wan knew that Boss Wan was just saying that in anger, but she was also angry. This county magistrate also came from a poor family, so how could he not understand how hard it was for ordinary people to earn money? If it weren't for their family relying on little Fubao, they would be extremely poor now, with no food to eat.
The more Mrs. Wan thought about it, the angrier she became. Finally, she agreed to Boss Wan's suggestion and rented a carriage and returned to the town that day. She also gave the matchmaker one or two taels of silver, as it would be bad to let her make a wasted trip.
The moon was already high in the sky when we returned to the town. We couldn't go back to Shizi Village so late, so we all stayed in the town.
Wan Lao San and his wife and Wan Lao Si all got up and asked if the matter was settled.
Wan Ersao told the whole story, and Wan Lao San was so angry that he slammed the table and said, "What kind of gold nugget is this? Not only does he want to buy a house in the county, but he also wants a betrothal gift of 100 taels? With so much money, what kind of woman can't he marry?"
Wan Lao Si remained silent. He looked at the faces of the people around him, especially Wan Lao Da, who was sitting in a corner with his head down and also didn't say a word.
“Brother, what do you think? Are you really going to give up Sister Shen like this?”
Boss Wan raised his head and saw that everyone was looking at him. He said angrily, "What else can I do? We are the poorest family right now. My hunting skills are useless at the border. There are no mountains at the border, and there are ravines everywhere. Where can I go hunting?"
Wan Lao Si continued to ask: “Brother, let me ask you, do you want to marry Sister Shen?”
Boss Wan was silent for a long time before he hummed in a depressed tone.
Wan Lao Si then looked around at his family and analyzed the situation for everyone: "Mom, eldest brother, second brother, third brother, have you ever thought that this might be Lord Shen testing us? He must know that our family doesn't have so much money, but why did he put forward such harsh conditions? Haven't you thought about it carefully?"
Old Lady Wan looked at Old Fourth Wan and said, "Fourth, if you have anything to say, just say it directly. There's no need to beat around the bush. We are all family, and you are the only one in our family who thinks quickly. How do you think of testing us?"
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