"Sister Xiaoya, don't be in such a hurry to refuse. It's not that I'm deliberately trying to help you, it's my mother's idea, and even my third aunt thinks so." Xiaoli glanced at Mo Xiaoyue.
Mo Xiaoyue quickly took out the item, which was a silver bracelet, but it was solid. "Sister, Xiaoli is right. My mother didn't prepare anything else for you, afraid that your aunt would take it. Wear this bracelet on your wrist so that your aunt won't see it."
If it weren't for the fact that she had made a small fortune raising rabbits, Huang would not have been so generous. In addition, she understood the principle that if one suffers, all suffer; if the reputation of the eldest branch of the family was ruined, it would not benefit anyone. Besides, her eldest niece was a good person, and she genuinely wanted to help her.
Mo Xiaoyue took her other hand, put the ribbon on her wrist, and carefully lifted it up before tucking the sleeve in.
Mo Xiaoya looked at her two younger sisters, tears welling up in her eyes, unable to speak.
"Sister, wipe it off quickly, don't ruin your makeup. Today is your special day, you should be a beautiful bride." Mo Xiaoyue took out a new handkerchief, wiped Mo Xiaoya's face, and then stuffed it into her hand.
"Sister Xiaoya, this handkerchief is new. Keep it. My mother made several for me." Mo Xiaoyue also felt sorry for her eldest cousin. Both of them were daughters of the Mo family getting married, but she at least had eight sets of dowry, while her eldest cousin only had a small bundle, which probably only contained two sets of old clothes.
“It is an honor to receive a gift from an elder. We all hope you are doing well, so please accept it without worry. My mother said that your husband is a very good person. If you live a good life, you will definitely be happy in the future.”
Seeing Mo Xiaoya calm down, Xiaoli was also happy that her eldest cousin had left those two awful parents. Although they hadn't had a good life all these years, her brother-in-law was a good man, and she would definitely enjoy a better life in the future. As long as her sister wasn't too submissive and didn't become a "brother-supporting demon."
"Please thank my two aunts for their kindness. I have no way to repay them, so I can only kowtow to them when I come back in the future." Mo Xiaoya knew that her aunts were being kind and couldn't bear to see her ruined by her parents. She also knew how difficult it would be for a new bride without a dowry.
After a while, Fourth Aunt came in and brought a pair of pillows, a pair of pillowcases, and a pair of pendant earrings, which was quite a generous gift.
"Xiaoya, your mother is not kind, but don't take it to heart. Your aunts love you. Your little sister Xiaohan has a bit of a cold, so I didn't let her come back. Don't blame her for not coming to see you off."
Mo Xiaoya just nodded and saw her fourth aunt off. Grandma Mo also brought a quilt. She came to give Mo Xiaoya breakfast and wanted to give her granddaughter some dowry money. Seeing that all three daughters-in-law had given generous gifts, and considering that Mo Xiaoya's dowry was really too meager, she worried that if it ruined her reputation, which family would be willing to marry into the Mo family in the future. So she added a quilt.
This is the dowry of my aunt, Mo Qingmei. Mo Qingmei is 17 years old and is engaged to Wang Xiucai from Zhouwangzhuang. They originally planned to get married this October, but Wang Xiucai's father suddenly fell ill and passed away, so it was postponed. She needs to observe a year of mourning and will only be able to get married next year.
Just as she was about to leave, her aunt, Madam An, came into the room again. Xiao Li thought she was there to give her daughter some instructions. Little did she know that her aunt was there to plunder her belongings. How could she not be tempted when she saw her niece bringing nice things to add to her dowry? Luckily, she was quick enough to hide the silver hairpin and earrings before her aunt came in, so that her aunt wouldn't see them.
Xiao Li almost laughed in anger. She had witnessed her aunt's ruthlessness and stinginess once again. Seeing the disappointment in Mo Xiaoya's eyes, Xiao Li thought it was fine. This way, her older cousin would finally give up.
"Aunt, are you here to deliver some of my sister Xiaoya's dowry?" Xiaoli said in a deliberately low voice. "Where is my sister's dowry? Quickly take it out so my brothers can deliver it to her."
Mrs. An was a little embarrassed. "Go away, go away, what do you know, you're just a child." She picked up the ruler that Xiao Li had brought, touched it, and thought it was really good material. It would be perfect for making a set of undergarments.
"Does Auntie also think this ruler is very nice? My mother specially picked it out, saying she wanted to make an outfit for Sister Xiaoya so she could wear it when she goes back to her parents' home." Xiaoli quickly cut off her aunt's words to prevent her from asking for it.
An was about to speak when she was cut off, and she couldn't say anything more. These two sisters-in-law were not easy to bully.
She rummaged through the items but found nothing of value. She didn't dare take the quilt or pillow, so she just grabbed a handkerchief and left.
Mo Xiaoya's eyes reddened again, but remembering her two cousins' words, she forced herself to calm down. Yes, she was about to start a new life, so what was there to care about in the past?
Before putting on the veil, Xiaoli helped her eldest cousin put on her silver hairpins and earrings, packed the ruler and the hair ornaments and handkerchiefs on the table into a bundle, gave it to Mo Xiaoya to hold, instructed her brother to put the quilt and pillows on the oxcart, and watched the matchmaker lead the people out the door.
The groom, from the next village, was dressed in new clothes with a large red flower on his chest, looking quite festive. After helping the bride onto the borrowed oxcart, the wedding party slowly departed.
The wedding banquet here has also begun. Xiao Li, with Xiao Jiu'er, sat down with her older brothers and sisters to enjoy the first banquet in ancient times.
When Xiaoli returned home, she told her mother what she had seen during the dowry ceremony. Yunyu's mother was also speechless. It seemed that An Shi was obsessed with money and even cheated her own daughter.
He then took three taels of silver and gave it to Xiaoli, telling her to give it to her grandmother to make up for Mo Qingmei's dowry.
Xiao Li took out a small jar of monkey wine, mixed it with a small cup of spiritual spring water, and took it to her grandparents' room.
Only Grandma Mo was in the room, lying on the bed. She had another argument with her eldest daughter-in-law about Mo Xiaoya's marriage, and she was clearly very angry. As she got older, her health deteriorated.
"Grandma, this is fruit wine. You and Grandpa should drink a glass every day. It's good for your health. Don't forget to drink it." Xiaoli poured a glass of water for her grandmother and added a few drops of spiritual spring water to it.
"You can only drink one cup a day. Keep an eye on Grandpa and don't overdo it."
"Okay, okay, I'll remember." Grandma Mo took the water glass and drank a few sips.
Xiaoli then handed the silver to her grandmother, saying, "Grandma, my mother said the rabbits are doing well this year, thanks to my aunt who often brings us vegetables. My mother said to ask you to make an extra quilt for my aunt; this is her reward."
Grandma Mo looked at Xiao Li. Three taels of silver could make several quilts. Considering that her second son's family was well-off, she accepted the money.
“Your mother is kind-hearted. I thank her on Qingmei’s behalf.” Grandma Mo opened the bedside table again, took out a cloth bag, and handed it to Xiaoli.
“These are pumpkin seeds. Your mother loves them, but no one in your family likes pumpkin, and she doesn’t bother to prepare them. Here, have some.”
"Oh, thank you, Grandma. I love it too, but you're so biased, you only remember that my mother likes it." Xiaoli pretended to be jealous, making Grandma Mo laugh.
Mo Qingmei stood at the door, her originally gloomy face now showing a hint of a smile.
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