Chapter 2695: Chapter 26: The Betrothal Gift Must Be at Least 30,000 Taels of Gold
"For a person, having everything go too smoothly isn’t a good thing; if life is too smooth, you can’t stand up to real trouble. A life full of setbacks may be rough and pitiful, but it forges a spine of steel. As for you, you’re naturally someone who takes responsibility, no worse than your elder brothers. But your methods in handling matters are lacking; you’re too soft-hearted. Many things aren’t finished just because you’ve taken responsibility. You need to carefully think this whole matter through from beginning to end—why did such a thing happen, what should you do once it has happened, and after you take responsibility, what consequences will that bring?"
"In the past there was only your father alone; when it came to your generation, you’re three brothers. In the future, you’ll have children as well. Before our eyes, our family is taking shape as a clan and growing bigger and bigger, and the responsibility on each person’s shoulders is getting heavier and heavier. That also means that sometimes one person’s decision is no longer just his own affair, but the affair of the entire clan."
"Mother, I understand now!"
He wasn’t a stupid child; one nudge and he understood.
"It’s good that you understand."
Yang Chuxia thought that this child was good in every way, just too soft-hearted. Fortunately, he had two elder brothers in front of him, who could look out for him somewhat in the future.
After the marriage between Ye Rongqing and Mu Shuang was settled, both families began their respective preparations: the Mu Family was preparing the dowry, and the Ye Family was preparing for the wedding procession.
Originally it wouldn’t have been so soon, but Yang Chuxia was worried—what if Mu Shuang ended up pregnant?
So she discussed it with Ms.Fan and simply decided to move the wedding forward. Then she went to see Abbess Qingning again, and very soon the date was set—June twenty-eighth was a good day.
From the proposal, to the betrothal gifts, to selecting the wedding date, from start to finish the Ye Family took not even three months altogether; the speed was so fast it practically dazzled people’s eyes.
"Madam, these past few days this servant heard another juicy bit of news; I don’t know if you’ve heard it yet?"
"Oh? What juicy news? Tell me, let me hear it."
Ming Lan smiled and said, "Three days ago this servant was at the second gate and heard two maids gossiping. They said Madam Situ’s maternal family’s far-relative niece is also a match with our Third Master, also water-fated by destiny."
"Madam Situ has even let it be known—what this servant heard in her tone was that she’s just waiting for you to come to propose, so she can properly put on airs."
"What did she say?"
"Madam Situ’s original words were: ’Though this niece of mine isn’t some noble princess, she has nonetheless been carefully raised since childhood. She must not be lightly taken by some country bumpkin. Even if one truly has that intention, one must show sincerity that satisfies me. I won’t talk about anything else, but as for the betrothal gold, at the very least it must be thirty thousand taels of gold.’"
Yang Chuxia was stunned and looked toward her two daughters-in-law. "She doesn’t know about us negotiating the marriage with the Mu Family?"
The two exchanged a glance and both shook their heads.
Then Li Luru said, "Before, she probably truly didn’t know. Mother, those few times you went to the Mu Family, it was all kept quiet from others. But I think that ever since three days ago, when we went to the Mu Family to deliver the betrothal gifts, she should already know."
Yang Chuxia curled her lip. "Thirty thousand taels of gold—that’s three hundred thousand taels of silver. Does she think her niece’s body is made of solid gold?"
And that’s not even counting the other things; she really was planning to squeeze the Ye Family to death.
"Mother, there’s something fishy about this," Mu Huaen said. "Before this, we’d never heard she had any niece living in the Capital City. And yet she just happens to fit Third Uncle’s destined wife’s requirements so perfectly?"
Yang Chuxia thought of that pair of mistress and maid who had helped support Qingqing back to the guest room that day—could that have been this Madam Situ’s niece?
That night, she mentioned this matter to the men of the family and told them to look into it.
"Miss, there’s no use getting angry at a time like this."
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