Chapter 174 Dowry
The village chief Hu Zhigang said angrily with a look of disappointment on his face.
"Oh, I'm saying you're just a woman with long hair and short knowledge. I don't usually have much contact with An Xin? But after meeting her today, I found that she does things quite neatly and efficiently. It shouldn't be wrong."
Hu Zhigang, who has been the village chief for so many years, is considered a well-informed person in the village. An Xin came to discuss the matter with him directly and decisively, without any procrastination. Many men cannot do things to the same level as An Xin, but An Xin did it. It can be seen that this girl will achieve great things in the future.
Seeing that her boss was angry, the village chief's wife didn't dare to complain anymore and muttered in a low voice.
"Well, remember to teach our son and nephew well and ask them to behave better tomorrow so that they can be selected."
The village chief said proudly.
"Of course. As the saying goes, like father, like son. My son and nephew may be less educated, but they are still quite smart."
An Xin naturally had no idea what the village chief and his wife were planning, so she went straight to her parents' home carrying two baskets of eggs. Chen Hongyan had already gotten up and was working in the fields, and only An Yang and his two twin brothers were at home feeding the chickens.
Seeing An Xin coming, Anyang ran over happily and said excitedly.
"Sister, why are you here?"
Her sister has a job in the city, so how could she have time to come here so early in the morning?
An Xin shook the two baskets of chicken in her hands.
"I'll give you some eggs to improve your nutrition."
Anyang saw the two baskets of eggs in Anxin's hands and said with a distressed look on his face.
"Sister, why did you buy so many eggs? That would cost so much. We've already bought chicks, and we'll have eggs to eat soon. There's no need to spend so much money."
I have to say that the little girl is more sensible than the little boy, and there is nothing wrong with that. Anyang sees the hard work of Chen Hongyan and Anxin and knows how difficult it is to make money.
Naturally, he didn't want to spend more money on them, even if it was just the money to buy two baskets of eggs. Anyang didn't want his sister to continue wasting money!
An Xin smiled and shook her head.
"You little brat, stop worrying about so many things. I'll bring you some eggs. Cook them for your mother and your two brothers. You need to supplement your nutrition. Otherwise, when you get to the provincial capital, if you don't have enough nutrition and can't concentrate, you won't be able to keep up with the pace of study!"
After saying that, she carried two baskets of eggs into the house. Anyang followed her and stuck out his tongue, looking disapproving.
"Sister, studying is studying, and eating eggs is eating eggs, how can you confuse them?"
Haven’t their brother and sister eaten eggs much in all these years? Studying and working are still equally important.
An Xin: “…”
Well, this was a bit off topic. She didn't want to argue with Anyang about eggs and studying for the time being. She could only tell Anyang a few words, asking him to take good care of his younger siblings and look after the house, and then left in a hurry.
She still had to rush to the provincial capital to pay and pick up the car. An Xin hurried to the village entrance and heard someone calling her name from behind. When she turned around, she saw Dongmei chasing after her in a hurry.
Anxin stopped and just met Dongmei who was running out of breath. He quickly supported her and spoke in confusion.
"Dongmei, why are you running so fast? No one is chasing you."
Really, I remember this girl was quite steady, why is she in such a hurry today? No one let the dog bite her?
Dongmei stood in front of Anxin, breathing heavily, and did not forget to respond to Anxin's words.
"Oh, I saw you going to the provincial capital, so I wanted to go with you, but I was afraid I couldn't catch up with you, so I ran a little hastily."
An Xin opened her mouth with question marks in her eyes.
"What? You want to go to the provincial capital with me?"
This little girl is a filial daughter. She has returned home since she dropped out of high school. She helps her parents with housework and does farm work every day. She seldom travels far away from home often. Why is she suddenly going on a journey far away today?
Dongmei glanced at the village behind her, with some sadness in her eyes, walked forward alone and said to Anxin.
"Hey, don't ask so many questions, let's talk while we walk."
So, on the way from the village to the provincial capital, the two talked as they walked, and Anxin roughly understood why Dongmei was in such a hurry to go to the provincial capital.
It turns out that Dongmei's family has three children. She is the youngest daughter in the family. She has two older brothers. The eldest and second brothers are both unmarried, mainly because the family is poor.
Some time ago, his eldest brother started dating a girl in the next village. Both of them liked each other, but when it came to discussing marriage, the girl's family offered a high bride price.
Dongmei's family naturally couldn't afford the bride price, so her family wanted her elder brother to give up the marriage. But her elder brother was determined as hell and was determined to marry the girl from the next village.
His eldest brother even went on a hunger strike over his marriage, so his family wanted to find the next best option and asked the matchmaker to talk to him a few more times and ask the other party to lower the bride price.
As a result, the other party lowered the bride price and set a condition.
"What? The condition they offer is that you go over and marry that girl's eldest brother?"
An Xin was stunned after hearing this condition. What a bullshit marriage! It was clearly a chance to get both the woman and the money.
Could it be that the older brother of the girl from the next village has already set his eyes on Chunmei? Thinking of this, An Xin couldn't help but look at her good friend beside her. She saw that the little girl had red lips, white teeth, fair skin, beautiful face and long legs. She was indeed a rare good seedling. No wonder the other party offered such conditions.
Dongmei nodded and continued speaking very embarrassedly.
"This isn't something that's hard to accept. But the girl's eldest brother is a disabled person without a right hand. It's very difficult for a man like him to find a wife in the village. It's even a question of whether he can have food to eat in the future."
This is also why after the other party put forward the conditions, her mother came to ask Dongmei for her opinion. Dongmei immediately rejected the marriage and immediately thought of running away from home. Fortunately, she saw Anxin as soon as she reached the entrance of the village.
Dongmei felt very uncomfortable. Could it be that her mother felt very uncomfortable? Her elder brother’s happiness is happiness, so can she, a girl’s, just ignore her own happiness? If she married such a disabled man, it would be like falling into a fire pit.
The days ahead will be difficult!
After An Xin heard Dong Mei's words, what was there that she didn't understand? When there is evidence, there is also opposition to evidence.
"What? That man is a disabled person. Have you ever seen him? Without a right hand, how will he support you and your child in the future? This family is really wicked. No, you must not agree to this marriage."
Really, Dongmei is a little beauty in their village after all, how could she marry a disabled man?
Don’t Dongmei’s family members have any brains? In order for his eldest brother to get married, not only does he have to sacrifice their family's wealth, but he also has to sacrifice his daughter's happiness. What kind of family is this?
Thinking of this, Anxin suddenly understood, so she asked Dongmei anxiously.
"So, you ran away from home to oppose this marriage?"
Otherwise, this little girl has basically never left the village and is very well-behaved. Why does she suddenly want to go to the provincial capital? Fortunately, I met her, and An Xin couldn't help but feel lucky.
He didn't find the key today. If it weren't for him, the little girl might have gone to the provincial capital and he would be at a loss.
When Dongmei heard Anxin's question, an unnatural look flashed across her face, but she still nodded and admitted it.
"Yes, I have never met the disabled elder brother of the other party, and I don't want to meet him. I just want to go out and see if I can find a job. If I can make money and earn enough for my elder brother's dowry, will my family not marry me to the disabled elder brother of the other party?"
He is a disabled person, so why should she go to see him?
I have to say that Dongmei has a kind heart. Even when her family wanted to give her away as a betrothal gift, she was still thinking about her family. What a kind and good girl!
An Xin finally understood Dongmei's thoughts, so she looked at Dongmei seriously and confirmed.
"Dongmei, have you figured it out? If you really earn enough money for the betrothal gift, will your family marry you off to the next disabled eldest brother? For example, your second brother hasn't married yet?"
She now has to figure out what Dongmei's family members are thinking, otherwise the little girl will never escape from this hell.
Dongmei was silent for a long time, and just when Anxin thought he would not talk about it, she spoke in a low voice.
"I haven't thought about that. From what my mom said, she seems to want to tie my lifelong happiness to my eldest brother's marriage."
An Xin understood that even if Dong Mei came out to earn enough money for his elder brother's betrothal gift, she would still be doomed in the future, so she was very fair and just.
"Well... your future happiness is a bit uncertain."
He might have escaped his eldest brother's marriage, but his second brother's marriage was still uncertain. After all, Dongmei's family was so poor.
Compared to their old home, it is only a little better, just enough to ensure that the whole family has enough food to eat.
Dongmei also heard a hint of pity in Anxin's words, and she couldn't help feeling depressed.
"An Xin, what should I do?"
She was just a little girl from the countryside. She was lucky enough to earn enough money for her elder brother's dowry. What if she couldn't even earn enough money for her elder brother's dowry and became a victim in her elder brother's marriage?
An Xin stared at Dong Mei seriously and spoke slowly.
"Dongmei, you are a high school graduate. Do you think that as long as you work diligently for your family, help them earn money, and help them farm, your parents will choose a rural man for you, receive a dowry, marry you off, and you will raise children in the countryside for the rest of your life, facing the loess and back to the sky every day. Is this the life you want?"
In the past, she and Dongmei both lived in poor rural families. It would have been fine if she hadn't traveled through time, but now that she has traveled through time, Dongmei has also encountered such a thing. Anxin thinks that it would be nice to be able to have a good talk with her and perhaps change her good friend's life.
Dongmei obviously didn't expect Anxin to ask him such a question. She had never thought about these things before. She was silent for a long time and then spoke her mind.
"This... I don't know, but all the girls in our village live like this."
All the girls in their village are like this. They go to school for a few years and learn a few words. Some cannot even read. When they grow up to a certain age, their family members will help them find a husband. Then they will get married and have a few children. They will stay with their husbands, their children are beautiful, and they will work in the fields. This is how they spend their whole lives.
Even though Dongmei was a high school graduate, before Anxin asked her this question, Dongmei had never thought about what her future life would be like. After all, life as a little girl was carefree, and although her current life is poor, it is very comfortable.
Looking at the confused expression on his good friend's face, Anxin's face became more serious than ever.
"Dongmei, you'd better think carefully about how you want to live your life from now on."
After all, only when her own thinking has a qualitative improvement, can An Xin, as a good friend, help her.
Neither of them was silent, and An Xin was also silent for a rare time. The two of them stayed silent all the way to the provincial capital.
Anxin was anxious to pay and pick up the car. He made an appointment with Cui Yusong yesterday to pay and pick up the car at this time this morning.
But it’s not easy to abandon Dongmei, after all, this girl has rarely traveled far. It would be terrible if something happened to Dongmei in the provincial capital because I left her alone.
Thinking of this, An Xin turned to Dong Mei and said.
"Dongmei, I have something on my hands right now. Why don't you come with me first? I'll have a good chat with you after I'm done with the work."
Since this little girl hasn't figured out her life path yet, An Xin is willing to give her some time.
The two grew up together and are rare good friends. Dongbai's attachment to Anxin comes from the bottom of his heart. When Anxin asked her to accompany her, he nodded without hesitation.
"Well, the provincial capital is so big anyway, I can't find a place to stay."
Anxin took Dongmei to the bank quickly, arranged Dongmei in a corner, went to the counter to withdraw money, put it into his portable storage compartment swiftly, and took Dongmei straight to the destination.
Cui Yusong stood at the door of the warehouse, looking at the end of the road from time to time. He was almost waiting like a sculpture when An Xin finally appeared in front of him with Dongmei.
Cui Yusong walked forward dissatisfiedly and complained.
"Oh, it's been almost an hour since the agreed time. Why are you here just now?"
He had smoked up half a pack of cigarettes in his pocket, and if An Xin didn't come over again, he would just leave.
As for selling the car, let’s talk about it tomorrow. An Xin will come to see him anyway.
Seeing Cui Yusong’s depressed face, An Xin quickly stepped forward to explain.
"Hey, Mr. Cui, don't be so angry. I just met a friend on the way, and something happened that delayed me for a little while, didn't you?"
The main reason was that the warehouse was very remote. She and Dongmei walked all the way here, but couldn't get a ride, so they had to walk all the way here.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com