Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 192 - 147 Wedding_3

Chapter 192: Chapter 147 Wedding_3

Yang Youfu entered the small room. With a fairer and leaner appearance than the typical robust peasants who work in the fields year-round, he stood out. Amidst laughter and teasing, he took the tearful Qian Manxia to the main hall to kowtow to Old Man Qian and his wife, as well as to the couple of Qian Dagui.

Qian Manchuan carried his sister on his back to the bridal sedan chair. A procession of ten dowry cabinets were lined up, and along with a large escort of people, they formed an imposing long queue that awed many onlookers. Qian Yixiu and Qian Yiduo ran out, following the procession all the way to Hong Bridge, watching the line become smaller and smaller, until it disappeared from sight.

The Qian family, not to be outdone, had made sure the dowry was arranged with great respectability and had organized a procession consisting of sixteen people specially. Besides the two handsome young boys, Qian Yishan and Qian Yijin, the others were all young and strong. The Qian brothers, Qian Xiang’s three sons, Wan Dazhong, Huang Tie, and several of the Wang family’s cousins, all looked tall and handsome. They donned their best clothes, and as they stepped out, they attracted countless gazes, making it seem as though all the desirable young men within a hundred miles had gathered here.

Lady Wang wept uncontrollably, snot and tears mingling. Her reluctance to part with her most beloved daughter was partly the cause, but perhaps her biggest concern was the fear that her daughter wouldn’t have an easy life in the future. She didn’t want to share this with others, so she just cried.

In another room, Old Woman Qian said to Qian Xiang and Lady Wu, "The elder daughter-in-law is very strong-willed, insisting on finding someone from the town. If that family is so good, why didn’t they find a bride in town? Why pick a country bumpkin from our parts?"

Qian Xiang retorted, "Mother, I don’t like what you just said. Are you implying that my in-laws settled for me because they couldn’t find anyone better, and they had to pick a peasant girl like me?"

Her words brought smiles and laughter from Old Woman Qian and Lady Wu.

Qian Xiang then said, "I think that young man is sincere. If Auntie Die can hold on to her husband’s heart, and in the future have a son, with so much dowry to back her up, she’ll be able to live well..."

By the afternoon, the wedding procession had returned. Except for Qian Xiang’s three sons, who had to hurry back to the county town, the rest ate dinner in the courtyard.

It was said that the Yang family were all smiles at the sight of the ample dowry, but they were somewhat unhappy with the large turnout of the escort. But since the young men were all so presentable and tall, with a few who not only outshone the typical country bumpkin but even surpassed many young men from the town in looks, the Yang family didn’t dare take them lightly.

They had to arrange two more tables for the feast at the last minute but were too stingy to buy more food. So, they spread out what they had among the tables. Originally, there wasn’t much food to begin with, barely enough for everyone. After dividing it up to accommodate the new guests, not only were the young men left hungry, but the other guests also didn’t have enough to eat.

As Qian Manchuan softly shared this news, Lady Wang listened with a red face, trembling with anger but powerless to do anything. Lady Xu consoled her, "Auntie Die is smart. As long as she holds the dowry tightly, her days won’t be tough."

Three days later, when Qian Mandie returned to her parents’ home for the customary visit, Qian Yixiu stayed to accompany Cheng Yue while the couple of Qian Sangui took Qian Manxia to eat at the eldest’s house. According to the three people who came back, Yang Youfu seemed to be an honest man, who, besides his unsightly eating habits, was not bad and treated Qian Mandie quite well. But the rest of his family was extremely disagreeable.

Qian Mandie confided that apart from being stingy, her father-in-law was otherwise okay. However, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were hard to get along with. The very next day, her mother-in-law wanted to take charge of the dowry, saying that it was she who managed her eldest daughter-in-law’s dowry. But Qian Mandie made up an excuse to refuse. Her mother-in-law then threw a tantrum, cursing and throwing things around until her husband scolded her into silence. Nevertheless, her father-in-law still admonished Qian Mandie, telling her that from the moment she entered the Yang family, she should be dedicated to them and stop being petty. She could manage her dowry herself, but she was not allowed to spend a single penny without their consent because the dowry would eventually belong to their grandson.

Yang Youzhi, the younger sister-in-law, first looked down on the village girl, but upon seeing Qian Mandie’s dowry, realized that the Old Qian Family had ’meat inside the tortoise shell.’ Envious of the hairpins, earrings, clothes, fabrics, and make-up, she brazenly demanded some for herself. Helpless, Qian Mandie ended up giving her four yards of pink silk to make clothes...

With tears rimming her eyes, Qian Mandie disclosed these troubles, infuriating Lady Wang. She had always thought the Yang family was stingy but never imagined they would be so shameless. She told Qian Mandie to endure, as things would get better once she became independent from the larger family. Above all, she stressed that the dowry must never be handed over; she couldn’t indulge her sister-in-law’s bad habits. She also cautioned Qian Mandie not to discuss these matters with relatives to avoid becoming a laughingstock.

Despite being told not to, Qian Mandie couldn’t help but share her troubles with Qian Manxia, "Except for my husband, sister-in-law, and nephew, the people in that family are difficult to get along with. Mother told me to hold on to my dowry and not give anything else to my sister-in-law. I know I should do that, but my sister-in-law has skin as thick as a wall, always lurking around my room..."