Chen Xinyi had already discussed the matter of the betrothal gift with Meng Jianfen, so she didn't need to repeat it, as Meng Jianfen helped to explain it.
"Xinyi's husband, our customs are different. We don't use money as a betrothal gift. Instead, the man pays for a house, a car, a ring, and three golds. These are the betrothal gifts! My niece-in-law even bought a new house worth 2 million yuan for the wedding!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone immediately exclaimed in envy, "Wow!"
A house worth 2 million yuan can buy a small villa even in their city.
Although the reality is: there is no betrothal gift, the house has nothing to do with them, and the car is also a loan.
But if this matter were made public, it would just make people laugh at it and make their family the subject of conversation after dinner. So, Lin Xiaoman didn't say much and let them misunderstand.
Although some people think that not having a betrothal gift is against the rules, the main reason they accept a betrothal gift is to find a wife for their son. Li Yanying's family has no sons, only Shen Xinyi. Since the man has already bought a house, whether there is a betrothal gift or not doesn't seem to be that important.
Because it is not easy to find a wife here, few couples will get divorced. In everyone's mind, once Chen Xinyi marries here, she will have a house and a car, and she will enjoy the life without having to struggle.
Good news! Good marriage!
A group of women chatted for more than half an hour, and then Mr. Shen came back staggeringly with a cane. Lin Xiaoman hinted a few words and knew that they had important matters to discuss. The women who came to visit tactfully left together.
There were only four people left at home, so they started discussing serious matters.
"Dad, what do you think of the sixth day of the Lunar New Year?" Lin Xiaoman had already discussed the wedding date with Meng Jianfen via WeChat, and it was clear that the old man knew about it. However, since Mr. Shen was the elder of the family, he still had to ask for his opinion in person.
"I've also checked. The sixth day of the New Year is pretty good." Mr. Shen had no objection to this.
"Then the date is set. I'll look for a chef in the next two days and decide on the cooking team. Dad, if there's anything you need to prepare, what the specific process is, and anything you need to pay attention to, please let me know in advance."
"Well, that Baldy Liu from Huaiming Town, his cooking is pretty good, and the prices are fair. He was often called upon to handle many things in the village before. If he's free, let's call him."
"Okay, I'll go ask in the next two days."
…
After discussing for more than an hour, Lin Xiaoman took Chen Xinyi back to his room, packed up, and drove for several hours. Chen Xinyi, who was not in good spirits, took a nap.
Lin Xiaoman went with Meng Jianfen. They drove the small tricycle to the town and bought a lot of vegetables at the market.
After returning, the two cooked dinner together. During the meal, Meng Jianfen was envious of Lin Xiaoman for being able to settle down in a big city.
At around 4 o'clock, Meng Jianfen's son Shen Liangsheng came back with his wife and son. Before 6 o'clock, Shen Fuguo also came back from get off work.
A large round table was set up, a table full of dishes was cooked, and everyone sat around it and had a lively dinner.
After having a good meal and a good drink, it was natural for them to chat, and the topic of the chat was still around Chen Xinyi's marriage.
As they were chatting, Shen Fuguo suddenly said, "Sister-in-law, isn't it a bad idea for this girl to get married without a betrothal gift? Those gossipy people in the village will probably gossip about it. Why don't you discuss it with the man? After all, Xinyi is your only daughter, so the betrothal gift will eventually be given to his family."
"Uncle, Zhou Yang's family has bought a house, so they really can't afford the betrothal gift. A few tens of thousands is too little, so it's better not to have it. They bought the house and the car, and they have paid what they should have paid, so let's forget about the betrothal gift. Besides, they don't accept betrothal gifts when their only daughter gets married." Chen Xinyi explained.
"This..." Shen Fuguo frowned and became conflicted.
"The house and the car have been bought, so what does it matter whether there is a betrothal gift or not? Xinyi is an only child anyway, so everything belongs to her. If the man's family buys a car and a house, wouldn't that be better? How much is the betrothal gift? 200,000 at most, but the house, 2 million! My niece's husband is the only child in his family, so when the time comes, the villa worth tens of millions will all be theirs," Meng Jianfen spoke up.
As a person of the older generation, Meng Jianfen had rarely been to the city and had no idea about the divorce rate. In her opinion, marriage was for life and there was no such thing as divorce.
"Look at our Liangsheng. He still has more than ten years of mortgage to pay off. The pressure is so great. It makes me sad just thinking about it. Xinyi, you are so lucky to have found a promising husband. Listen to your aunt and give birth to a son as soon as possible. In the future, their family will all belong to your son! When the time comes, your son... How do you say it? It's called: birth is the end for others! That's right, it's good to be born. Others can't even envy you enough."
After hearing what his wife said, Shen Fuguo felt more open-minded.
Although the custom here is to get engaged and give a gift before getting married, in recent years, there have been girls who married to other provinces, and some of them did not follow the local rules. There is no precedent.
"Last time I heard Liangsheng say that all the houses in the city have a red book, right?" Old Master Shen, who had drunk a lot of old wine, said with a smell of alcohol.
Shen Liangsheng responded, “Grandpa, that’s called a real estate certificate. Commercial housing all has a real estate certificate.”
"It's a certificate, that's it. Erya, you can bring it back and let everyone see it. It's over 2 million, much more than a betrothal gift."
"Grandpa, this property certificate isn't a certificate of merit, and it doesn't say 2 million. If it gets lost, that wouldn't be good." Shen Xinyi said, not hiding anything in front of her family. "Besides, my name isn't on the certificate, so others won't be able to tell what it is."
"Is that so..." Old Master Shen didn't know the difference between writing a name or not. After listening to her explanation, he gave up. "That's right, such a valuable thing should be kept safe."
Shen Fuguo and Meng Jianfen didn't think much about it. In their minds, as long as they got married and had a son, all the property would belong to their son.
Only Shen Liangsheng's eyes flashed, and he looked at Shen Xinyi and opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end he didn't say it.
Although they are cousins, they only see each other once or twice during the Chinese New Year, and their relationship is not deep. Shen Liangsheng thought that his cousin is a college student and has always lived in a big city, so it is impossible for her not to know the relationship between the names of the houses.
People are already willing, so what else is there for him to say? If he says too much, he might just annoy people.
They didn't ask any further questions, and Lin Xiaoman was too lazy to say anything. She said that if they divorced in the future, they wouldn't be able to get even a single brick, which would be a bummer.
After chatting for more than an hour, Lin Xiaoman took Shen Xinyi back home.
When going to bed, Lin Xiaoman could only say, no wonder everyone is trying so hard to squeeze into the big cities, the conditions here are really a world of difference.
There is no water heater!
There is no air conditioning!
The sweltering night passed with the hum of the old-fashioned ceiling fan.
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