What I fear most is the silence in the air...
Not to mention Jiang Yue, even Wu Dalang and his wife were stunned by the girl's honesty.
"Then why should I pay you a dowry of twenty taels of silver to marry you?"
Big Stone breathed a sigh of relief; he understood what the other party meant by that.
"With a face like mine, there aren't many girls in the surrounding villages who are prettier than me. If you marry me, you can see my face every day, right?"
Zhang He'er looked puzzled. Her face was the most beautiful among the villagers for miles around.
She considered the dowry of a mere twenty taels to be very little.
Wu Dalang silently put down the gifts: a fish, half a bag of sugar, a piece of pork belly, and a cabbage.
Then he left without saying a word, followed closely by Madam Zhou.
Jiang Yue gestured for Da Shi to take the little girl to the car and sit down, while she stayed behind to cover their retreat.
"Hey, big guy, think about it. I don't think you're ugly, and you're good enough for me."
Zhang He'er hadn't realized that the man she was meeting was getting impatient and had unilaterally chosen to end the meeting. When she saw the gift on the table, she smiled broadly.
Da Shi's face darkened. What else was he considering?
He even suspected that the girl was mentally ill!
No matter how good-looking someone is, he doesn't care!
Jiang Yue laughed, unable to help herself; she didn't blame her.
"why are you laughing?"
Zhang He'er was very puzzled and looked at the woman in front of her with a strange expression.
“Girl, listen to your aunt’s advice. Blind self-confidence is not a good thing. You should be down-to-earth and hardworking, which is better than anything else.”
Jiang Yue offered a few words of advice, but then she heard her nephew calling from outside, so she decided to take her leave.
"Mind your own business!"
Zhang He'er snorted coldly. She wouldn't listen. Her father said that with her face, she was born to be a young mistress!
If other families can't even afford a dowry of twenty taels, what's the point of her marrying into that family?
Wu Dalang's face was still a bit dark, and he tried to soften his voice:
"Third sister-in-law, sit tight and cover yourself with the blanket. We're going to Jiangjiawan."
"Hey, if we can't get there before noon, we'll just have some dry rations on the way."
Jiang Yue glanced at the sky and offered her advice.
As for the families behind them, the girl didn't come out to see them off at all...
"Giddy up!"
"Da da da~"
The old man who met them at the village entrance was puzzled. How long had they been there? Could it be that he had guessed wrong?
After leaving Zhangjia Village, Da Zhoushi said angrily:
"I'm so angry! That girl's words are so hurtful!"
"Mother, please calm down. I will not marry her."
"Brother, please don't marry that girl. While I was waiting for you on the oxcart, I chatted with an auntie who was passing by..."
The girl bit her lip and recounted everything she had learned.
This hunter was originally hardworking, but after getting married and having a daughter, he tried for many years but couldn't have a son, and then he became a different person.
He not only drank heavily all day long, but also borrowed money to gamble!
Otherwise, with his hunting skills alone, his family wouldn't be in such a bad situation.
Now that his daughter is older, he's had wicked thoughts. He's been brainwashing her, causing her to become unrealistic and unmotivated. She hasn't learned or done any housework, supposedly to protect her fingers...
Now everything made sense. Jiang Yue and her sister-in-law exchanged a glance, both feeling "fortunate after the ordeal."
Thank goodness Oishi didn't like it!
Fortunately, Daishi was not seduced by her beauty!
Daishi held his head high with pride, knowing exactly what he was doing!
Madam Zhou felt a little sorry for the gift she brought and muttered a few words to her husband, "Hurry up, sir."
But then I thought, well, I've already given it. When I tell Matchmaker Yang, it won't make people think my family is stingy...
Sigh, I hope the girl from Jiangjiawan is a good one. She doesn't need her boyfriend to be as beautiful as an angel, as long as he's decent and her son is a good match for him.
The little girl curled up in the warm blankets, peeking out with her eyes, watching her older brother get his comeuppance as if it were a good show.
She was so focused on watching the oxcart that she didn't go over to take a look, which is a bit of a shame.
Jiangjiawan is much farther away, and the cattle need to rest and get hungry.
Wu Dalang felt sorry for the ox. When they were halfway there, he found a sheltered spot, cleared a space, lit some dry firewood, and invited everyone to come and warm themselves by the fire.
Jiang Yue gave a thumbs up and praised:
"Wow, big brother has really prepared everything."
"It was my parents who were very thoughtful; they told me to take it with me before I left."
Da Zhou exposed the truth, his tone full of trust.
"I have some flatbread here; it tastes even better when it's heated up."
Jiang Yue took out her bundle, opened the oil paper package, counted, and found there were six sheets, which was enough. There were also eggs, which she could roast by the fire.
"Da Xue is a good wife."
Madam Zhou was envious; she also wanted such a virtuous daughter-in-law.
Jiang Yue sat on the straw mat and couldn't help but praise:
"Yes, I get up very early every morning and clean the house spotlessly. Everything is in perfect order. Qingshan is so lucky to have married Daxue."
Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning Zhang He'er; without comparison, there's no harm done.
After eating and drinking its fill, the cow bellowed and trotted its four hooves on the snow, as if to say that it was ready too.
After extinguishing the fire with snow and making sure everything was alright, Wu Dalang put on his gloves and went to drive the car.
"Thump thump thump~"
The oxcart started moving again, and the people were in no hurry. They sped up when they encountered flat roads and walked slowly when they encountered roads with deep snow.
About an hour after an incense stick has burned, the group finally arrived at Jiangjiawan.
Jiang Yue was very familiar with this place. Without asking the villagers, she directly pointed out the way and taught her uncle to drive to her brother's house.
"Knock, knock, knock, sister-in-law, it's me! I've come to see you!"
"A girl's here!"
When everyone arrived at the Jiang family's house, Wu Dalang and his wife presented them with a gift in a very formal manner.
Jiang Yue, needless to say, had prepared two fish, as well as a bucket of cleaned eels and river shrimp, which were then carried into the kitchen with the help of her nephew, Jiang Lei.
"Lei Zi, it's been a while, you've grown taller again!"
"Really, Auntie? I've grown taller? That's wonderful!"
"Haha, you are taller. Qingshan didn't come, otherwise you could compare your height with your cousin and you'd know~"
"Auntie, don't leave tonight. Stay here and sleep at our house. My mother has prepared a room for you and is waiting for you anytime."
"Alright, alright, I won't leave today. Perfect timing, I'll catch a duck, cook it, and let Auntie taste it."
"Okay, I'll go catch some ducks in a bit!"
"Ahem, little girl, come here and recognize me. This is my aunt's eldest nephew, Jiang Lei. Call him Brother Lei. Perfect timing, you can help me supervise him catching ducks."
Jiang Yue looked at her energetic nephew. The Jiang family's genes were good; he looked a bit like her and was quite handsome.
"Third Aunt~"
The little girl first called out "Third Aunt," then quickly looked up and whispered, "—"
"Brother Lei."
She didn't mention that she almost twisted her ankle when getting off the bus, and it was this person who helped her...
For some reason, her heart had been beating really fast since then.
"Go ahead, go ahead, but don't go for anything that's not fat."
Jiang Yue went to great lengths to connect her little niece and her eldest nephew, creating opportunities for them to spend time alone together.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com