Wu Shiren had already planned it out in his mind. He had run a restaurant for half his life and his family was not short of money, but his daughter had been spoiled since childhood. Asking for more dowry would be a way to leave his daughter with more options.
After all, Chen Feng does have some ability. If he becomes successful and changes his mind in the future, having money to rely on will give Cuihua confidence.
“Brother Zhanshan, we’ve been childhood playmates since we were little. Logically speaking, if the two children are in love, we as parents should give them our full support.”
The amount of the bride price reflects how much you value Cuihua. I know that we ordinary people are not as well off as the wealthy and powerful in the city, so the concept of "paying a bride price" doesn't apply to us.
But the bride price should still be made public, don't you think, Brother Zhanshan?
Chen Zhanshan was completely bewildered by his long speech, but in order to please his son, he still smiled and said, "Brother Wu is absolutely right. Just tell me how much dowry you need."
"I don't want much, just give me two hundred taels of silver as a token."
"What, two hundred taels of silver?" Chen Zhanshan was startled.
Chen Qingqing found it acceptable. After all, every family spends money to marry off a daughter-in-law. Besides, Wu Shiren had said that the money was for Wu Cuihua to rely on. The fact that he could think of Cuihua proved that he was a qualified father.
Chen Zhanshan looked at Lin with a questioning gaze.
Lin felt that Wu Shih-jen was asking for an exorbitant amount.
Normally, the bride price for an ordinary family is about ten taels of silver, and even for a slightly wealthier family, it wouldn't exceed fifty taels.
But she was willing to pay this money in order to marry Cuihua as her daughter-in-law.
Madam Lin nodded. "Alright, two hundred taels it is."
She verbally agreed, but her heart was bleeding. Two hundred taels of silver was a lot of money!
But when she thought about how her son was getting on in years, she knew she would regret it for the rest of her life if she delayed his marriage for such a small amount of money.
When Wu Shiren saw that they had agreed, he felt a little regretful. He had been so careless. Why did they only ask for two hundred taels of silver? They could have come up with two thousand taels even if they had asked for two thousand.
But words spoken are like water spilled; they cannot be taken back.
He cleared his throat. "Alright, now that the dowry is settled, let's talk about where we'll stay."
Hearing him say that, Chen Zhanshan quickly chimed in, "Brother Wu, you can rest assured about where you'll stay. Our house is a newly built three-courtyard house with plenty of rooms."
"Brother, you're wrong about that. As the saying goes, mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are natural enemies since ancient times. Nine times out of ten, they don't get along. Under the same roof, it's inevitable that they'll clash. To avoid unnecessary trouble, try not to get involved with the children."
"Where can a family live if they don't live together?" Chen Zhanshan asked, his face showing some displeasure.
Wu Shiren laughed and said, "That's easy. You can just buy a house in town. It doesn't have to be too big, just enough for the two of you to live in."
"How much money will this cost!" Mrs. Lin couldn't help but exclaim.
Upon hearing this, Wu Shiren curled his lip, "How much could this cost? A hundred or eighty taels could buy a decent house. You wouldn't be so stingy as to not even spend this little bit of money, would you?"
Making this request is not only a way for me to save face, but also a way for your family to gain prestige.
Now everyone in Qingshui Town knows Chen Feng; he's the head manager of Ruyi Tower.
If he doesn't even have a decent house to give his wife, people will say the Chen family is stingy, or that my Wu family's daughter is throwing herself at him.
Rumors are like tigers, they can drown you in their spittle, so you absolutely must buy a large house in town.”
He wouldn't have made such an unreasonable request if it were anyone else, but he knew that the Chen family wasn't what it used to be.
Leaving aside how much money Chen Feng's restaurant makes, Chen Qingqing's sugar workshop is producing sugar that sells like hotcakes, making a fortune every day.
The Chen family is incredibly wealthy; they've made a fortune.
He was simply asking for a property for his daughter; it wasn't excessive at all.
Mr. and Mrs. Chen frowned simultaneously, feeling that Wu Shiren was being completely unreasonable.
But then I thought, which family doesn't go through a lot of hardship to get a wife?
Besides, life is better now, so we can still afford to spend this amount of money.
Thinking of this, Chen Zhanshan gritted his teeth and forced a smile, "Although we can't compare to wealthy families, since Brother Wu has brought it up, let's do it this way. We agree to buy a house in town."
Wu Shiren nodded in satisfaction, "That's right. Parents always have the same heart. We're doing this so that our two children can live comfortably in the future."
"Yes, yes, that's exactly it."
Chen Zhanshan nodded, feeling that the matter had been discussed sufficiently, and then changed the subject.
“Brother Wu, since the matter has been agreed upon, let’s leave it at that. We’ll have the matchmaker come over to discuss the other details later. We’ll head back now.”
"Wait, sit down first." Wu Shiren glanced at Chen Zhanshan, who was getting up to leave, and shook his head speechlessly. "Brother, you're here to propose marriage for your son, and I haven't even finished speaking before you're trying to leave. What kind of nonsense is this!"
Chen Zhanshan smiled awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Brother Wu, I was just too nervous. Please don't take offense."
"What's there to be nervous about? Once Cuihua marries into our family, our two families will be related by marriage, and we'll be one family. What's there to be nervous about? I don't eat people."
"Yes, yes, we're family. If you have any other requests, Brother Wu, just tell us. We'll do our best to help you with anything we can."
“Alright, with you saying that, I have no more worries.” Wu Shiren said, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and then continued, “Since we are now considered family, let’s be frank. I have one last request: please teach me how Ruyilou makes mala tang.”
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned, and their gazes all turned to Wu Shiren.
Chen Qingqing almost laughed in anger. She scoffed inwardly, "He's said so much nonsense, but his true colors are finally showing."
But she remained calm, wanting to see Chen Feng's reaction. If he agreed, she wouldn't be able to stop him.
Enraged, Chen Feng couldn't hold back and slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups jump.
"This is outrageous! You're still not satisfied with just two hundred taels of silver and a house, and now you even want my sister's recipe. You're so greedy."
"Exactly! We'll agree to any conditions you set, but how dare you try to take my daughter's formula? This is utterly unreasonable!" Chen Zhanshan was so angry he almost overturned the table.
On the way here, he had already discussed it with Madam Lin. They would try their best to meet any requests Wu Shiren made, after all, it wasn't easy for him to raise a daughter. But who knew that Wu Shiren would have such a wolfish ambition...
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