Chef Hua
Chapter 250: Episode 149: Talking About Dowry_2

Chapter 250: Episode 149: Talking About Dowry_2

Hua Xiaomai quickly stood up and carefully helped her sit at the table, unable to resist voicing a complaint, "Why didn’t you rest earlier? Why wander around so much, and at such a late hour? Aren’t you afraid of startling the little ancestor in your belly?"

"Your brother-in-law won’t let me do anything all day long; if I don’t move around more, I’ll really get too fat!" Hua Erniang complained with her mouth, yet her face bloomed into a flower-like smile. "I know you all mean well for me, but I have my own sense of measure, and there’s no need for you to worry. I slept quite a bit in the afternoon, and now I’m feeling a bit restless. If you’re still energetic, how about we chat?"

"Sure." How could Hua Xiaomai refuse, as she deftly poured a warm cup of water for her, grinning and saying, "You speak, and I’ll join in the conversation."

Hua Erniang raised the cup to take a small sip, revealing a face that didn’t bother to hide her schadenfreude: "In a few days, when the betrothal gifts from their side arrive, your matter with Meng Family’s eldest brother will be all set, no chance of escape. If it weren’t for the fact that I’m carrying this one in my belly, I’d really love to go to the Guan Family’s doorstep first thing in the morning to see what kind of faces they have now, and it would be best to spit in their faces twice! Hmph, their family now truly has no face to meet others, they deserve it! Walk the ghostly paths at night often enough, and you’re bound to encounter ghosts. Had they not eagerly stirred up all that nonsense, they wouldn’t have ended up slapping their own faces!"

Hua Xiaomai smiled faintly, lowering her eyelids and saying, "Why bother about them? What their days are like has nothing to do with me. I don’t even have the interest to think about them, with just my little restaurant’s business giving me enough headaches for a good while."

"Let me tell you..." Hua Erniang looked at her sideways, "Don’t say I didn’t remind you, you need to hurry and make a pair of shoes for Meng Family’s eldest brother. When their betrothal gifts arrive, we must send back a pair of shoes made by the girl’s own hands; that’s the custom! Since your little restaurant isn’t doing any business anyway, rather than idle away your time, it’d be better to take advantage of the gap and prioritize getting the proper matters done."

"Second sister, you’re poking at my sore spot..." Hua Xiaomai rolled her eyes at the air, "You know I worry about this every day, and yet you... My hands are only good for wielding a kitchen spatula, you expect me to handle an embroidery needle? Isn’t that asking for my life? If the shoes end up not fit to be seen, our family will lose even more face!"

"I don’t care, even if it’s the fight of your life, you’ve got to make those shoes beautifully!" Hua Erniang slapped her head with a hand, speaking fiercely, then sighed, "Before, I thought there was still plenty of time, so I didn’t rush to remind you. Now that you two have suddenly changed your mind, it’s caught even me off guard. I was thinking you two wouldn’t get married until next year, I would have a few more months to save up for your dowry. Now it looks like Meng Family’s eldest brother seems to be preparing to marry you before the end of the year, time is so tight..."

"I don’t need..." Hua Xiaomai wanted to say a few words to persuade her, but she was interrupted by a hand raised.

"I know what you want to say. You want to tell me that you don’t need that much dowry, right? Tsk, it’s not about whether you need it or not; it’s about face, do you understand? That Meng Family’s matriarch is not an easy person to deal with. If you don’t have a decent dowry, just wait for her to bully you to death—besides, the situation between our two families is indeed a bit troublesome."

"What’s so troublesome about it?" Hua Xiaomai lifted her head to look at her upon hearing this.

Hua Erniang pondered carefully and said while counting on her fingers, "I’m not too worried about the restaurant to the east of the village. After all, it’s our own business. Even if she’s not happy about it, she can’t easily complain. I won’t beat around the bush with you, once you’re married, the profit from that restaurant will be split evenly between our two families. If Lady Meng has nothing to say about it, naturally, everyone is happy. However, if she has many opinions, or doesn’t let you go to the restaurant anymore, then you won’t get even half of the profits. It’s her own choice to make!"

"Not to mention my restaurant isn’t making money now, even if it earns profits in the future, I don’t plan on handing them all over to her..." Hua Xiaomai muttered under her breath.

"You’re not giving her all of it, but you have to at least make her feel the impact, understand?" Hua Erniang slapped her on the forehead and said, "Fortunately, the eldest brother of the Meng Family is sensible and will stand up for you. I don’t need to worry about this, but what troubles me is the matter with the chili. "

"What’s wrong with the chili?" Hua Xiaomai was confused by her words, trying hard to keep her eyes wide open and staring at her.

"How can you be so slow-witted!" Hua Erniang prodded her forehead and continued, "You want to plant the chili, but those two plots of land are with our family. Once you’re married, you will be a member of their family, and it will become complicated to explain the situation. It’s not easy to handle and might give people a reason to talk. That’s why, after discussing with your brother-in-law, we’ve prepared to buy you another two plots of land. When the time comes, you can take the chili seeds over there, and we won’t want them."

"How can that be possible?" Hua Xiaomai immediately became anxious.

Although she did not yet know how much money the chili seeds could earn, just by looking at the preciousness of the chili at that time, she could guess it wasn’t going to be a small sum. She had originally wanted the Hua family to have some extra wealth, thus she came up with the idea of selling the seeds. How could she...

"What’s wrong with that?" Hua Erniang looked at her, speaking authoritatively, "To be honest, those two plots of land at home were earned by you, and the comfortable life your brother-in-law and I have is also thanks to you. We don’t want to take advantage of the chili anymore, is that alright?"

"Besides, the chili was originally retrieved for you by the eldest brother of the Meng Family. After you two are married and take care of those two plots of land together, it will be only proper for you to earn the money... What else can I give you? Other girls’ dowries involve more than a dozen or twenty chests. What about you? Aside from those two plots of land, I can only prepare some household items, jewelry, clothes for you. It feels unfair to me thinking about it, so can you stop arguing with me, please?"

Her words were decisive, and Hua Xiaomai felt a tinge of sadness as she lowered her head to think for a while, "Then... after next year’s chili harvest, I’ll bring you some, and you can plant them next time."

"That could work." Hua Erniang nodded, smiled with pursed lips, and gently patted Xiaomai’s shoulder. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)