"Cousin, Dalin has found a girlfriend, and the dowry has been agreed upon," the woman said with a smile, her face beaming with joy.
Lin Shufang was quite happy. "This is great news! What does the young lady do? Where is she from?"
Dalin is the son of her cousin Zhang Baosheng. He is two years older than Lu Mo and is twenty-seven years old this year. In her hometown, a small county, it is rare to see a twenty-seven-year-old young man. His children are usually old enough to run errands.
Her cousin had dated several women before, but all of them broke up. The women either disliked that Da Lin was too honest and weak, or they disliked that Da Lin's family was too poor. None of the relationships worked out, and the situation dragged on and on, becoming a major problem. Now that they have finally settled on marriage, Lin Shufang is genuinely happy for the boy.
The woman smiled and said, "The young lady is a primary school teacher. She is my sister-in-law's niece. She is quite pretty and has a blessed appearance. Her parents are also very understanding and easy to get along with."
"That's good." Lin Shufang nodded repeatedly.
A look of displeasure flashed in the woman's eyes. She had said so much, why hadn't her cousin asked her anything? What was the point of talking such useless nonsense? She kicked Zhang Baosheng hard under the table, but Zhang Baosheng just kept eating and didn't say a word.
He was too ashamed to mention that when his cousin was going through a tough time, his family was doing well, and his wife didn't lend a hand. He just ate and didn't say anything.
The woman was so angry that she kicked him again. "What a useless good-for-nothing! My son is just like this good-for-nothing man. That's why he's twenty-seven and still can't find a girlfriend. He's a laughingstock among our relatives and friends."
The man wouldn't cooperate, so the woman had to take matters into her own hands. She sighed with difficulty and said slowly, "Sigh... the girl's family is very good. The more they are like that, the less I want to mistreat the girl. I'm thinking of giving her a larger dowry."
Lin Shufang nodded repeatedly, "You should give more. It's not easy for them to raise a girl. They've spent a lot of time and money on her. You should treat her well after she marries into the family. Don't act like a mother-in-law."
Ye Qingqing saw through the woman's intentions at a glance. All that flattery was just a ploy to borrow money. She whispered in Lu Mo's ear, "Your aunt wants to borrow money."
Lu Mo peeled a large hairy crab for her. With the autumn wind blowing, the crab legs were plump. Although it was past the best time to eat crabs, it was still quite fat. Ye Qingqing loved to eat crabs, but she was too lazy to peel them, so Lu Mo always peeled them for her.
"Wow, this is a female, so much yellow, it tastes delicious."
Lu Mo opened the lid, and the golden yellow liquid was almost overflowing, filling the air with fragrance. Ye Qingqing took the lid, added some vinegar and ginger juice, scooped up a full spoonful with a small soup spoon, and put it in her mouth, leaving a lingering fragrance on her teeth and cheeks.
She finished the whole lid full of crab roe in just a few bites. Lu Mo picked out the crab meat, which was white and tender, and put it on a small plate. There wasn't much meat on one crab, so she ate it in a few bites. She ate two crabs in a row and didn't feel anything in her stomach.
"I'll have another one," Ye Qingqing whispered.
She could eat five or six of these plump crabs in one go, but Lu Mo only allowed her to eat two at a time, and wouldn't even allow her to eat half a crab.
"No, there are so many dishes to eat." Lu Mo refused sternly. The "Friends of Women" book said that girls should not eat too much cold food, especially crabs, and two crabs are the limit.
Ye Qingqing rolled her eyes in anger and had no choice but to eat the steamed pork with rice flour. Lin Shufang smiled and said, "Next time, buy swimming crabs and stir-fried rice cakes. You can eat more of those, it's fine."
"Yes, yes, the swimming crabs are delicious now." Ye Qingqing nodded vigorously.
The stir-fried crab with rice cakes was incredibly delicious, and the rice cakes were even tastier than the crabs; she could eat a whole plate by herself.
Although the woman smiled obsequiously, she secretly looked down on Ye Qingqing. Her hands were practically useless, and she even had to let a man peel crabs for her. What good was being pretty if she was so delicate? The daughter-in-law she had chosen was much better. She might not be as pretty, but she was healthy, hardworking, and had a round bottom, so she was sure to give birth to a son.
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