The village chief strolled slowly around, and since no fight broke out, he was even happier than the people involved.
As village officials in rural areas, they have little say in the face of such family feuds.
Even the spokesperson's family wouldn't listen, because it involves not only the family's reputation but, more importantly, money.
Wang Qing's family is in the wrong. They have to pay more than 200,000 yuan just for breaking off the engagement. Who would dare to speak up?
Uncle Erhu said slowly and deliberately, "It seems that the man had already prepared to break off the engagement, and even discussed in advance how much compensation he would ask for."
This only happened last night, and this morning they've already demanded annulment and compensation.
It's very likely that Wang Qing is having an affair, and the man has already heard the news.
It's just that without evidence, they couldn't bring up breaking off the engagement first. Now, things have gotten really bad; they've been caught having a secret rendezvous in front of everyone.
With all the evidence presented to them so blatantly, they now have a perfectly legitimate reason to break off the engagement.
Don't let Uncle Erhu's quiet demeanor and honest, unassuming nature fool you; his observational skills are anything but weak.
He sees things more clearly than others. He rarely speaks, but when he does, his words are always insightful and to the point.
So never look down on honest people. Honest people don't talk much, it's just their personality, they're not stupid.
People like them are just not good at verbally fighting for more benefits, but they actually know what they're doing!
There are certain rules governing what one can and cannot do, and who one can and cannot associate with.
Chen Hong was somewhat alarmed when she thought about the huge compensation claim of 200,000 yuan made by the man.
"Uncle, I really didn't expect that it would cost so much money to find a wife in our rural area."
After deducting the 60,000 yuan for emotional distress, there's still over 130,000 yuan left!
The two families have only been engaged for four years, and they've already spent so much money? Not to mention the seasonal gifts, red envelopes, and banquets over the past four years.
I did the math; the major expenses like engagement gifts and initial gifts alone amounted to over 70,000 yuan.
As Chen Hong spoke, a pang of sourness and a touch of jealousy welled up inside her. She then said to the village chief:
"Uncle, it seems that honest people are not popular! Back when Yu Hai and I got engaged, both of your matchmakers favored Yu Hai's family."
We got engaged five years earlier than Wang Qing. I remember the only gift he gave me when we first met was six hundred yuan.
The engagement gift was one in ten thousand, costing ten thousand and one yuan. The change of address fee was also six hundred yuan, and one thousand yuan was deposited in the betrothal letter.
They didn't mention the "three golds and one wood" (Mulan brand motorcycle) at all, and the engagement banquet was still held at my parents' house.
Yu Hai's family only gave us a discount of 1,000 yuan. Our family set up six tables and ended up paying more than 800 yuan for food and drinks!
This comparison shows a difference of over 60,000 yuan. Furthermore, regarding seasonal gifts, we got married less than a year after our engagement, and we didn't even receive the most important gifts for the Spring Festival.
The village chief chuckled sheepishly, "It's not our fault. Customs vary from place to place, and prices change every year. We don't have the final say."
Besides, even if people get engaged on the same day, the price might not be the same!
The matter of the engagement gift is entirely up to the man and woman to discuss when they sit down. We matchmakers are just passing on the message.
Your gift money was less at the time; it was about the same price as other places around Jinan. Although local prices vary, you can't generalize.
Back then, engagements were mostly one in ten thousand (ten thousand and one yuan). The custom of buying three gold and one wood (motorcycle) was just emerging, and only families with good financial conditions could afford to buy it.
If the conditions aren't good and the woman doesn't insist, we matchmakers would rather avoid getting involved.
But to be honest, being your matchmaker has been really easy.
Your dad is a very open-minded person. Before we could even say anything, he said he wasn't selling his daughter, and that we could just go with the market price.
We definitely offered the lowest possible engagement gift, and we thought there would be a lot of back-and-forth arguing, but your dad agreed right away.
That's why you and your daughter are such good people; you're truly kind. Even until the wedding, you never caused us matchmakers any trouble, and you never made any unreasonable demands.
Your father gave you furniture and appliances as a dowry when you got married, which was more than the bride price calculated at the time of the wedding.
After you got married, your family took good care of you two.
Your dad is such an honest and kind man. If he were here, I'd love to have a drink with him!
Chen Hong pouted: "Looking back now, I really have become the kind of person people call a money-loser."
My family has two daughters who have married off, and my father didn't ask for a single extra penny.
My sister and I are not valued in our husbands' families, and neither of us sisters would cause trouble.
So you can't be too nice. A kind person is bullied, and a good horse is ridden! This is truly a timeless saying.
Yu Hai didn't spend much money to get a wife, so he doesn't cherish her and easily dares to file for divorce and mess around outside, wasting all the good our family has done for him.
After what happened with Yu Hai, I've finally realized that being good to someone depends on the person. Some people are heartless and ungrateful; you can never warm their hearts, and they're not worth being completely devoted to.
Aunt Erhu finally felt a sense of presence: "We just don't have a daughter. If we did, we wouldn't be stingy with the dowry before the wedding. We can't be soft on her."
You can't ask for more than other families, but you definitely can't ask for less either. This shows how much you value your daughter.
You can't say you're selling your daughter. If you don't ask for a large dowry and let their family spend more money, you won't feel the pain of losing his flesh.
He only knows how to cherish the wife he married after spending a lot of money.
Otherwise, he might think that getting married is simple, doesn't cost much money, and won't cause any serious harm, treating marriage like a game!
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