Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 686 - 336: Gratitude and Resentment _2

Chapter 686: Chapter 336: Gratitude and Resentment _2

Old man Qian was so frightened that he quickly covered his mouth and hurriedly said, "I’m not foolish, I won’t take these matters outside to speak of them."

"You can’t speak of them at home either; if our Qian family has any servants bought off by political enemies, they could just as easily spread these words outside," Qian Manjiang said.

Having said this, Qian Manjiang went off to entertain guests, leaving Qian Sigui to watch over Old man Qian. After the guests had been seen off, Qian Manjiang came back to reason with the elder, through both fright and examples, until Old man Qian was shaking in his boots and promised never to speak of the Royal Family’s affairs again.

The next day, before dawn had even broken, Qian Manjiang sent Qian Yishan off to the Pan family, instructing him to go with Pan Yang to the Songpan Academy. Thereafter, he would live and study there, returning to the Qian home for one day only during his breaks.

Wong Shou then took Qian Sigui to inspect the houses, shop fronts, and farmland, while Old man Qian, dressed slick and polished, went to the teahouse to drink tea and listen to stories. Qian Manxia and Qian Yixiu took Lady Wong, Qian Manting, and Qian Manpo out for a whole day of shopping on the streets. The main purpose was to buy dowry items for Qian Manting—jewelry, fabrics, ornaments and such. The Capital City had much finer selections than Ji’an, but they were also much more expensive.

Seeing Lady Wong grit her teeth each time she had to pay with silver, but ultimately still handing it over, Qian Yixiu just shook her head. This daughter’s marriage was certain to deplete the fourth branch’s entire savings. Even though this match was an instance of marrying above one’s station, it shouldn’t result in "sacrificing everything" for the sake of her daughter’s marriage.

Seeing that Qian Manting was so moved that her eyes reddened, constantly saying "Thank you, mother" and similar phrases, yet not stopping her mother from purchasing such expensive items, Qian Yixiu strongly disapproved. She thought to herself that if it were her, she would definitely not bear to let her parents drain their entire savings just to provide for her dowry.

Only when they got back home did they discover that the fourth household was not just "sacrificing everything" to marry off their daughter; they were "going into debt" for it.

Qian Sangui and Lady Wu mentioned that Qian Sigui had borrowed a thousand taels of silver from Qian Sangui while on the boat.

Lady Wu said, "These past few years, the fourth household has been scrimping and saving. They have done well to accumulate two thousand taels of silver, but what’s that enough for?"

In the Capital City, a modest house in an out-of-the-way location would cost at least eight hundred taels; even a small, less-than-ideal shop at the docks would be five hundred taels, and two hundred acres of farmland would go for at least a thousand taels. Add all that up, and it amounts to more than two thousand taels. Not to mention the costs of jewelry, clothing, fabrics, ornaments, furniture, and the traditional bottom-of-the-trunk silver...

My goodness, aside from not giving the house as part of Qian Manting’s marital procession, the items provided as dowry would amount to at least two thousand more taels of silver.

Qian Yixiu jested, "I bet my husband doesn’t know they are providing so much for the dowry, does he?"

Lady Wu laughed and said, "What your husband cares about most is whether your Fourth Uncle is giving away his shares in the Dessert House as a part of the dowry. Once he knew that those shares were not included, he let the matter go."

Qian Yixiu continued, "In the Capital City, even the families of nobles and valorous individuals marrying off their common daughters only provide dowries of two thousand taels of silver. Doing this much like Fourth Grandfather is excessive. Besides, the Huo family is not oblivious to the fourth branch’s situation. No matter how much dowry they give, could the Huo family ever regard Aunt Ting as if she’s a lady from an official’s family?"

Qian Sigui sighed and said, "On the boat, I already spoke with your Fourth Grandfather about this. He’s not young anymore; he shouldn’t be so hard on himself anymore. Besides, he should also consider Kid Po’s future. But your Fourth Grandfather said that the match was hard to come by, and he was afraid that Aunt Ting would be ill-treated after entering their home. He thought having a substantial dowry would make a good impression and save face. So, I planned that, when the time came for Aunt Ting to marry off, that thousand taels of silver would be my gift, and I wouldn’t take it back."

Qian Yixiu had always thought well of Qian Sigui; when she was a ghost, she saw clearly—it was Qian Sigui who had convinced Qian Sangui and his wife to buy a wife. Aside from being somewhat vain and a little selfish, Qian Manting wasn’t unlikeable.

She then said, "If we want the Huo family to hold Aunt Ting in high esteem, there are other ways. Why must we use money to make an impression? Couldn’t Father have Aunt Ting marry from our Marquis Mansion? Let everyone see that our Marquis Mansion will be her support from now on, and that Aunt Ting can in future consider our home as her parents’ house, which is more effective than matching them with any amount of silver."

Qian Sangui thought about it and agreed. Marrying from the Marquis Mansion meant many influential families would attend to offer their congratulations. Perhaps, this was something the newly arrived Huo family in the Capital City would prefer to see. He nodded, smiling, "Exactly, my granddaughter is clever."

At night, when Qian Sigui returned, his expression was sullen. Goods in the Capital City, even if called cheap, were much more expensive compared to those in Ji’an.

Qian Sangui called him to the side room and told him about the arrangement for Qian Manting to marry from the Marquis Mansion. Overjoyed upon hearing this, Qian Sigui felt it was perfect; not only would it bring honor to Aunt Ting and elevate her social standing, but it would also save the money for buying a house. He laughed and said, "Thank you, Third Brother, there could be no better arrangement than this. Hosting the celebration at Third Brother’s will undoubtedly incur expenses, and I will cover the costs. I apologize for the trouble and the expenditure it brings to Third Brother’s family."