Chen Qingqing knew that although Wu Shiren verbally agreed to the marriage between Chen Feng and Wu Cuihua,
But given his personality, he would surely make all sorts of unreasonable demands.
If we agree to all his requests now, he will probably make more, or even more difficult, demands.
Anyway, the matter between my elder brother and Cuihua is already a done deal, so it won't make a difference if we wait a little longer.
Let's go home and discuss our next steps. We absolutely cannot let Wu Shih-ren lead us by the nose.
After a moment's thought, she spoke softly.
"Manager Wu, I don't approve of my brother's marriage to Sister Cuihua. After all, Sister Cuihua is already in this state, and the Wang family broke off the engagement. She's basically an unwanted leftover."
But my elder brother is a man of deep affection and loyalty, and he doesn't look down on Sister Cuihua. I can't very well break them up, but your request is really excessive. If you insist on having double the dowry...
Even if you go to Nanshan Village, my parents will not agree to this marriage. To avoid a falling out, I advise you not to go.
Chen Feng, feeling depressed, looked at Wu Shiren with a calm expression. "My little sister is right. Although Cuihua and I are in love, I cannot agree with your actions. Farewell!"
If hearts understand each other, silence conveys tacit understanding; if feelings are mutual, even without words, there is tenderness.
Wu Cuihua understood immediately that Chen Qingqing and Chen Feng had no choice but to say those things. She blamed her father for going back on his word and being obsessed with money.
Wu Shiren's expression changed drastically, and he quickly stood up. "Chen Feng, don't be anxious. I just said the double gift money casually. Don't take it to heart. We'll discuss this in detail when I meet with your parents. What do you think?"
"Alright, then we'll head back now."
"Okay, you guys go first, I'll be there shortly."
Seeing the two leave the courtyard, Wu Shiren's face immediately turned cold, and he spat out a mouthful of saliva, "You shameless bastard, if Cuihua hadn't contracted this strange illness, would you even have a chance to get this marriage?"
Wu Cuihua was both angry and anxious. "Father, your daughter is in such a state, are you trying to force me to my death?"
“Daughter, don’t worry. I will definitely arrange this marriage for you, but the Chen family has no chance of getting a wife without spending money.”
Wu Shiren was absolutely confident he could control Chen Feng; after all, that kid was loyal and righteous, and he didn't even mind his daughter's condition.
Moreover, he was no longer the poor boy he once was; Ruyi Tower's business was now incredibly lucrative.
It was only a few hundred taels of silver; I doubt they would refuse.
"You can't make promises you can't keep. What if things fall apart over this small dowry? How will Cuihua live then?" Madam Wu said, her face full of worry.
Although she was not Cuihua's biological mother, she was a kind woman who followed Wu Shiren for more than ten years without any status or identity, and even gave birth to Wu Duoduo for him. People who did not know the truth would say that she was shameless, but what could she do when she was a widow who could not even eat her fill?
Her father married her off to a consumptive man for ten taels of silver; the man died less than a year after the marriage.
Her in-laws and brother-in-law kicked her out of the house while she was running a high fever.
In the moments before he fell into a coma, he encountered Wu Shiren.
He appeared in her life like a ray of light in the darkness.
Thanks to his meticulous care, she finally woke up from the brink of death after being unconscious for three days and three nights.
Although she knew Wu Shih-jen had a family, she still willingly became his mistress.
Ever since she came to the Wu family and met the sensible Cuihua, she liked her very much and sincerely hoped that Cuihua could marry a man who would love her.
Seeing that Wu Shiren did not respond, Madam Wu continued to persuade him.
“Master, if you ask me, as long as the two children are happy, our family doesn’t need to worry about the dowry. Letting Cuihua get married happily is better than anything else.”
“What do you know? Do you think I’m short of a few hundred taels of silver? What I care about is my reputation. I don’t want people to know that my daughter is worthless, and I don’t want that bastard Wang Qizhang to look down on her. Even without the Wang family, my daughter would still be in demand.” Wu Shiren said with a sullen face, his chest heaving violently.
Madam Wu shook her head. "I know you mean well for Cuihua, but she's not the same as before. What if Chen Feng changes his mind? Wouldn't you be hurting Cuihua?"
"Alright, I know what I'm doing." Wu Shiren waved his hand. "Come on, come with me to Nanshan Village. Let's finalize the marriage today."
******
The Chen family's sugar mill was bustling with activity. White sugar had become a hot commodity in the Great Ning Dynasty, attracting merchants from all over the country. The mill operated on a three-shift system with day and night supervision, but the supply of white sugar still could not meet the demand.
With the recent bumper harvest of sugar beets and crops, each household in the village needs to keep someone on hand to harvest the autumn crops, leaving the sugar mill short-handed.
After leaving the Wu family, Chen Qingqing and Chen Feng did not return to Ruyi Tower, but instead hired a carriage to return to Nanshan Village.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Chen Qingqing called out to Chen Zhanshan and his wife, "Dad, Mom, don't bother with your work, come home with me first."
Hearing the call, Chen Zhanshan looked up with a surprised smile, "Daughter, why are you back?"
"Yes, Mother thought you wouldn't be back until the end of the month, so she didn't prepare any food." Lin wiped her hands on her apron.
"Mother, don't bother, I'm not hungry yet. There's a reason I rushed back this time." Chen Qingqing briefly explained what had happened, and then added, "In short, my eldest brother has to marry Cuihua, but we can't agree to Wu Shiren's unreasonable demands. We can't let him lead us by the nose, or he'll think we're easy to manipulate!"
"Okay, okay, we know what to do." Mr. and Mrs. Chen nodded repeatedly in agreement.
The Chen family had made ample preparations long ago.
Chen Zhanshan and Lin Shi looked serious as they considered their options.
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