Seeing Xu Zhenzhu's face turn red with anger, Miao Cuihua quickly comforted her, "Zhenzhu, don't worry, don't get upset and harm your health—"
She glared at Xu Yinlai and said, "Can't you speak properly? Look how angry you've made your sister! Isn't she just trying to do what's best for you? Otherwise, she wouldn't have given up the bride price just to help you get a new job?"
When Xu Yin came to visit the Xu family, they all nodded in agreement, seemingly agreeing with what Miao Cuihua had said.
I almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
He used to think that Pearl, although a bit willful and vain, was still intelligent and resourceful.
In particular, being able to marry the son of the deputy director of the city's machinery factory was a stroke of good luck.
How come we're only just realizing now that Xu Zhenzhu is actually brainless!
Is she trying to have her cake and eat it too?
This clumsy tactic is so obvious that even I could see through it at a glance. How could it possibly fool the Lu family?
"So, she managed to get her family jobs in the city?" Xu Yinlai asked skeptically.
Seeing Xu Yinlai's dejected expression, Xu Zhenzhu knew that if she didn't persuade Xu Yinlai today, the second wife would not only refuse to pay the dowry, but the first and third wives probably wouldn't pay the two hundred yuan either.
Are you suggesting she'll marry into the Lu family with Miao Cuihua's secret subsidies?
With a determined look, she pulled Xu Yinlai into the yard and whispered a few words in his ear.
Xu Yinlai's expression changed several times before finally softening. He cautiously asked again, "Did the Taoist priest really say that? How come we didn't know?"
Xu Zhenzhu said softly, "This concerns my marriage and the future of the Xu family. The Taoist priest only told me! He told me not to tell anyone easily! If you hadn't disbelieved me today, I wouldn't have said it!"
He paused, then continued, "What the Taoist priest says is always true! I'm just listening to him! If you don't believe me, don't you believe the Taoist priest? Besides, we share the same fate, and even if I'm only thinking of myself, I can't let you suffer, can I?"
Xu Yinlai was somewhat tempted.
He was mainly moved by what Xu Zhenzhu had secretly told him earlier.
Although we oppose feudal superstition nowadays, he is a firm believer in it.
Why?
This is a long story.
When Xu Zhenzhu was young, she gave a bowl of rice to a wandering Taoist priest.
The Taoist priest said he had a connection with Xu Zhenzhu and helped her examine the Xu family's fortune and the faces of the Xu family members.
At the time, it was said that Xu Zhenzhu was the only one in the Xu family destined for great wealth and honor, and that the future prosperity and fortune of the entire Xu family would depend on her.
The Xu family was somewhat skeptical at the time, but the Taoist priest said that among the three sons of the Xu family, Xu Yinlai was the most promising and would be able to secure a stable job.
At the time, his family didn't believe it, but the Taoist priest told him to go to a certain place on a certain day and at a certain time, and he would meet a benefactor.
He listened to this with some skepticism, and surprisingly, he actually met a benefactor and got a job in the city.
The Taoist priest came again later. At that time, his wife, Shen Yue'e, did not know that she was pregnant. However, the Taoist priest immediately told her that Shen Yue'e was pregnant and that she was carrying a girl.
They also said that the baby girl in her belly had a peculiar fate, that she would bring misfortune to her parents and siblings, and that she should not be raised by their side.
But since they couldn't just throw her away, they decided to send her back to her hometown in the countryside, where he could help perform a ritual to ward off evil spirits and protect the house.
As long as she doesn't leave the countryside, she can become the best sacrifice for the Xu family to prosper.
He didn't believe it at the time, but to his surprise, Shen Yue'e soon found out that she was pregnant. After ten months of pregnancy, she gave birth to a daughter.
This forced him to believe it.
At first, he was a little reluctant to part with her, but unfortunately, in the years after Siya was born, the family was always experiencing bumps and setbacks.
It wasn't until the second daughter fell and broke her head that Shen Yue'e couldn't bear it anymore, fearing that the whole family would be cursed to death by the fourth daughter.
They sent Siya back to the countryside overnight.
After sending Siya to the countryside, they found the Taoist priest and had a ritual performed.
From then on, everything went smoothly at home. She was transferred from an ordinary employee to the machine repair team, and Shen Yue'e also encountered a good opportunity and got a job.
From then on, everyone firmly believed in what the Taoist priest had said.
Everyone hopes that Xu Zhenzhu will become very wealthy and powerful in the future, and that she will bring the Xu family along to share in their riches and glory.
Otherwise, why would he abandon his own flesh and blood and treat Xu Zhenzhu so well?
Why does the whole family indulge Xu Zhenzhu so much, just like Miao Cuihua?
There's a reason for all of this!
Since it was the Taoist priest's instruction, Xu Yinlai had no choice but to believe it.
However, he did hold back a little, since he would have to put his own money into it.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's not impossible for me to pay for it, but I have one condition!"
Miao Cuihua was furious: "It's only right that I help your sister with her dowry, what other conditions do you want?"
Xu Yinlai's face immediately darkened.
Before he could speak, having already lied, Xu Zhenzhu, feeling somewhat guilty, blurted out, "What are the conditions?"
Then he gave Miao Cuihua a wink.
Although Miao Cuihua didn't understand why her little girl was so easy to talk to, she always listened to her daughter, so she kept quiet.
“I can give you money, but as you know, your brothers are also struggling financially. After all, your two nephews need money for work, marriage, and having children! Have I done right by you all these years? I've covered most of your school and daily expenses!”
"It's not that I don't trust you! It's just that this matter ultimately depends on the Lu family. What if the Lu family changes their mind and refuses to give our family members jobs? So, little sister, you have to give us a written agreement. If we don't get the jobs, you have to return the dowry money we gave us, with interest!"
"Is this request too much? The Lu family is wealthy and values their reputation. They didn't offer a bride price, so they probably won't be after your dowry. As the saying goes, when you marry into the Lu family, you'll find food and clothing. Your and Lu Kai's combined salaries will be more than enough for your daily life."
"You never even had a chance to touch that money you'd been hoarding! It's not unreasonable for you to give it back to us, is it? You can't expect us, as the older brothers, to empty our coffers and starve while you live a life of luxury at the Lu family's house, pocketing the money and ignoring us, right?"
Xu Yinlai also had his own ulterior motives.
Upon hearing this, the other members of the Xu family immediately brightened up.
The second brother (second uncle) is right! If we really follow Xu Yin's approach, we'll either pay the money or get a job.
If I lose my job, I can still get this money back, so it's not a loss!
Xu Jinlai and Xu Baolai nodded like pecking chickens: "Second brother is right! Little sister, no matter what, you'll definitely have a good life after marrying into the Lu family! You have to think about us too, you can't just watch us suffer, can you?"
The whole family stared at Xu Zhenzhu.
Miao Cuihua wanted to say a few words in defense of her daughter, but seeing that the whole family agreed with her second son, she didn't dare to speak up.
After all, once her daughter gets married, she can't go to the Lu family with her; she'll still have to rely on her eldest and third sons to support her.
They really squeezed and tormented the eldest and third brothers too much, so her life wasn't easy either.
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