"Chimu, I want to ask, if I marry you, how much dowry can your family provide?"
Of course, could I refrain from the usual betrothal gifts of silver, cloth, pastries, and jewelry?
All I need are grain and a large jar for storing water.
Furthermore, I want to leave all the betrothal gifts at my parents' home.
Furthermore, there was nothing from your family in my dowry.
Some of my belongings consisted only of books given to me by my elder brother, with his annotations, and some embroidered items I had made myself.
Chi Mu thought it was something serious, but when she heard that Chi Mu asked about the purpose of the dowry and that she wanted to leave it at her parents' home, she felt it was perfectly reasonable.
The wives of the men of Chijia'ao, which one wasn't given a "dowry" or sold into servitude?
Shen Yejun's situation is rather special, especially since she said her dowry is books, which are more precious than anything else.
His family doesn't have much grain, but if they eat it sparingly, it should last them for three years.
My aunt brought back some grain this time. If necessary, my mother can use the betrothal money that should have been given to buy it from my aunt.
Thinking this through, he nodded decisively: "Yes, I can make that decision."
Your betrothal gifts can be exchanged for grain, or you can keep them at home.
Given the current situation, how much grain your family needs is something your parents and my parents need to discuss before the marriage proposal and betrothal.
To be honest, Chen Ye was genuinely relieved when he heard Chi Mu agree.
"That's good! Next, I hope you can continue your studies when the harvest is better and we have more money."
If one could pass the imperial examinations and obtain official rank, even just becoming a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) would be acceptable.
Of course, I'm not forcing you to take the imperial examination to become a scholar.
This depends on your own wishes.
Also, you have three brothers in your family, and I don't know what kind of personalities your future sisters-in-law will have.
All I know is that with more family members, there are more conflicts.
I won't propose separating the family immediately, but I hope that after your parents turn forty-five, the family can be divided and each person can take charge of their own affairs.
After all, by then, our children will be teenagers. And in a few more years, we'll be grandparents too.
Chi Mu hesitated for a moment. He could make the decision about the dowry and accompanying gifts that Shen Yejun had mentioned earlier.
That's why he couldn't agree to the division of the family property later on.
While parents are alive, the family remains connected.
His parents separated from his uncles and other relatives after his grandparents passed away.
As the eldest son, he couldn't have this thought, nor could he bring himself to say it.
Of course, he didn't hide anything and said directly, "I can't agree to your request to split the family property."
In Chijia'ao, all the people live with their parents and do not separate from their families.
Shen Yejun knew, of course, that it wouldn't be that easy, so she added, "When I say 'separate the family,' I mean separate the family but not separate the households."
After all, when our children grow up, we will have to take charge of many things ourselves.
Furthermore, my older brother said that Chi Sen has a talent for studying and he will definitely rise to a higher position in the future.
If he becomes a successful candidate in the imperial examinations or an official in the future, he can't possibly stay in Chijia'ao or Anping County.
Of course, we couldn't possibly follow behind him.
After all, elder brother and sister-in-law and nephew are not wives and children, so there is always a difference in closeness.
We can't just try to climb up to them because they've become successful.
Therefore, although the families separated, they remained in the same household registration. Everyone lived their own lives, but their household registrations were still together.
In this way, everyone saves trouble, and perhaps they can even benefit from being exempt from taxes and corvée labor.
Chi Mu hadn't thought about these things before, but after hearing what Chen Yejun said, he thought about it carefully and suddenly felt that it made some sense.
Despite his thoughts, Ikegi didn't impulsively agree at this moment.
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