novelraw Chapter 14: Dowry
Chapter 14: Dowry
Soon the main room was filled with people.
Seated at the head of the table was Grandpa Ye Zhenshan, accompanied by several elders from the village, followed by Ye Shouhe and Zhang Yulan. The three brothers, Ye Jianjun, Ye Jianlin, and Ye Jianjiang, along with their wives, were also seated in the living room. Everyone waited quietly for Zhang Lei to arrive.
At this moment, Zhang Lei walked in. Looking at the room full of people, the words he had just prepared suddenly stuck in his throat, and his legs felt like they were spinning. He quickly composed himself and stepped forward.
"Dear uncles and elders, today is the auspicious day of my marriage to Ye Shuqin, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua. Due to the short time constraints, I would like to thank all the elders for coming to witness this moment."
After saying that, Zhang Lei looked at Ye Shouhe and solemnly said, "Dad, it is the greatest honor of my life to marry all three of them today. This is my betrothal gift to them."
As he spoke, he took out a thick wad of banknotes from his pocket and placed it steadily on the table.
Everyone was startled when they saw the thick wad of cash on the table. Ye Shouhe had originally thought that Zhang Lei would just give a few dollars, just as a token gesture, but who knew that Zhang Lei would be so generous.
At this moment, Zhang Yulan quickly nudged Ye Shouhe beside her and whispered, "What are you standing there for?"
Ye Shouhe then came to his senses, looked at the money on the table, and quickly waved his hand: "Xiao Lei, we don't give so much for weddings in the countryside. Just a token amount is enough. Five or ten yuan is fine."
Zhang Lei shook his head, his tone firm: "Dad, for other people's marriages, five or ten yuan is enough as a token. But Shuqin and the other two are kind-hearted and beautiful beyond compare. It's a blessing I've earned to marry them, and this little bit of money is nothing to me. This is also proof of my sincerity towards them, and I hope you can accept it."
At this moment, Ye Zhenshan finally came to his senses and said, "Xiao Lei, we have received your kind intentions. There's really no need for so much."
After hearing Ye Zhenshan's words, everyone turned to look at Zhang Lei.
Zhang Lei simply shook his head, his attitude remaining firm, insisting that the Ye family accept the betrothal gifts.
At this moment, an elder in the village spoke up, "Zhenshan, since it's Xiaolei's kind gesture, you should accept it. I think Xiaolei is a very honest person, not the kind of person who makes empty promises."
Another elder chimed in, "Yes, this proves you have a good daughter who is worth Xiao Lei's attention."
Listening to everyone's advice, Ye Zhenshan slowly nodded.
Seeing this, Ye Shouhe looked at the wad of money in his hand, his eyes slightly reddening, and said with emotion, "Okay, okay, I'll take it, I'll take it."
Seeing that Ye Shouhe accepted it, Zhang Lei smiled.
Zhang Yulan looked at Zhang Lei and said, "Xiao Lei, you must be hungry since you didn't eat breakfast." Then she said to Ye Jianjun beside her, "Jianjun, quickly take Xiao Lei to eat something first, otherwise the wedding is still a long way off."
Hearing his mother's words, Ye Jianjun quickly pulled Zhang Lei and said, "Mom, I understand. I'll take Xiao Lei to get something to eat right away."
After Zhang Lei left, everyone's eyes fell on the stack of money on the table.
At this moment, Wang Lihua, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Ye family, couldn't help but ask, "Dad, how much does this cost?"
Seeing the eager looks in everyone's eyes, Ye Shouhe took the money in his hand and began to count it one bill at a time: "1, 2, 3..."
At this moment, Zhang Yulan couldn't help but start counting along: "29, 30."
When everyone heard the number "30", someone immediately realized that it was 30 large banknotes, which is 300 yuan.
When everyone heard the number 300, they gasped in shock.
A dowry of 300 yuan is not exactly unprecedented, but in this rural area, they have truly never seen such a generous gesture.
At this moment, Ye Zhenshan cleared his throat and said, "Shouhe, hurry up and put the money away."
After hearing Ye Zhenshan's words, everyone came to their senses and congratulated Ye Zhenshan and Ye Shouhe, praising the Ye family for marrying such a good son-in-law.
Ye Zhenshan smiled broadly, but still remained polite and modest.
At this moment, Zhao Chunyan, the second daughter-in-law of the Ye family, who is also the wife of Ye Jianlin, Ye Shuqin's second brother, quietly left the main room.
She hurried to the backyard, where she saw that it had been carefully decorated. The three main rooms had been transformed into festive wedding rooms, with red ribbons hanging on the door frames and bright red "double happiness" characters pasted on the window paper.
Looking at Ye Shuqin and the other two who were still getting ready, Zhao Chunyan said with a smile, "Shuqin, Shuqi, Shuhua, you are all so lucky!"
Hearing her sister-in-law's words, the three looked up at Zhao Chunyan, and Ye Shuqin was the first to ask, "Second sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
Soon, Zhao Chunyan exaggeratedly recounted how Zhang Lei had given a bride price. The three of them gasped in astonishment, and Ye Shuhua even stood up abruptly, asking incredulously, "Second sister-in-law, really? Brother Zhang Lei gave a bride price of 300 yuan?"
Zhao Chunyan nodded with a smile: "Yes! What your brother Zhang Lei means is 100 yuan as a bride price for each of you. And you have no idea how much Zhang Lei praised you, saying you're both incredibly beautiful, truly beauties one in a hundred!"
Hearing her sister-in-law's words, the three of them blushed shyly. Ye Shuqin's mind was filled with Zhang Lei's image, and after a long while, she stammered, "Second sister-in-law, isn't this...a bit too much?"
Zhao Chunyan sighed, "Who can argue with that! But no matter who tries to persuade him, it's no use; Zhang Lei insists on giving it to you. That's why I say the three of you are truly blessed!"
Hearing their second sister-in-law's words, the three women were overjoyed. Even the slight embarrassment they had felt earlier because the three sisters had married the same man vanished. They felt that they had married a rare and wonderful man.
Seeing the three girls' shy yet happy expressions, Zhao Chunyan changed the subject: "Hey you three, if you ever do well in the city, don't forget your three older brothers!"
Ye Shuqin looked at her second sister-in-law and said earnestly, "Second sister-in-law, don't worry. The three of us are originally members of the Ye family, and we will never forget the care that my brother and sisters-in-law have given us."
Zhao Chunyan smiled with satisfaction upon hearing Ye Shuqin's words: "Alright, alright, then I won't bother you any longer. You two hurry up and pack your things."
After Zhao Chunyan left, Ye Shuqi looked at Ye Shuqin and couldn't help but ask, "Big sister, why did you say that just now?"
Ye Shuqin looked at Ye Shuqi and said helplessly, "Second sister, how could I not say that? She is our sister-in-law after all. If I don't say that, will our Ye family ever have any peace in the future?"
At this moment, Ye Shuhua stood up and said, "Sister, but Brother Zhang Lei married the three of us, so there will only be four of us in our family from now on, and Brother Zhang Lei will be the only one earning money."
As she spoke, Ye Shuhua's eyes reddened, and she could no longer continue.
Ye Shuqin looked at her, sighed softly, and said, "Little sister, I know what you mean. We can talk about this after we get into the city with Brother Zhang Lei."
"If we have the ability, we'll help our maternal family; if not, we'll take care of our own little family first. After all, once we marry Zhang Lei, we're part of the Zhang family, so we have to be mindful of the boundaries in everything we do."
Hearing Ye Shuqin's words, Ye Shuqi nodded seriously to Ye Shuhua.
At this moment, Ye Shuqi cheered up and said, "Big sister, little sister, don't worry. When the time comes, the three of us, plus Brother Zhang Lei, will definitely be able to make our lives prosperous."
The three exchanged a glance and nodded emphatically, their eyes filled with anticipation for the future.