Chapter 3: Dowry

As dusk settled outside, who else would come knocking at this hour but those people?

Mother He sighed deeply and instructed, “Wanxu, take the children to the back room and don’t come out.”

“Mother,” the youngest daughter of the He family tugged at her sleeve, eyes filled with worry.

The men outside, growing impatient with the lack of response, kicked the door and cursed, “What’s this? You’ve got money for a wedding but none to repay your debts?”

Mother He’s face paled. They had already come two days ago and taken the last tael of silver. Why were they back so soon?

Su Yi’an sensed Mother He’s distress and quickly understood. The He family’s current hardship must stem from old debts. Now that they had held a wedding and Su Yi’an had brought a generous dowry, these creditors had seen an opportunity.

Unfortunately for them, their scheme would fail.

The impatient men outside were about to force the door open when Mother He cracked it open from the inside.

“Didn’t you take the silver two days ago? You took everything we had left,” she said, keeping the door barely ajar, desperate to keep them out.

The leader burst into laughter. “That might fool the villagers, but you think it’ll work on us?”

“You just got married today. Hand over the dowry!” They’d heard the bride had come from town with two chests of dowry.

Mother He gripped the doorframe, trying to block them. But the burly men shoved it open with ease.

The room was bare. No dowry chests in sight.

“Where are those chests? Where did you hide them? At your age, you should know debts must be paid!” the debt collectors snapped.

“Boss,” a lackey whispered to the leader, “Gou Er swore the bride brought two chests. How come there’s nothing here?”

Their eyes fell on the curtain to the inner room. “Two chests can’t just vanish,” the leader said with a smirk. “They’re hiding them.”

He nodded to his men to check the inner room.

Mother He panicked and rushed to block the doorway. “You searched before! Second Son is bedridden on the kang. That room is tiny!”

The debt collectors, undeterred, grew even more determined when she tried to stop them.

The curtain was lifted, and a strong herbal scent wafted out.

The men quickly covered their mouths and noses.

“Big Brother,” Du Hu, the youngest, backed away, covering his face. “I’m not going in there.”

The leader sneered and strode in—only to immediately spot the two chests.

He burst into laughter. “Come in and see! The He family really did hide the goods!”

In seconds, the rest squeezed into the tiny room.

“Big Brother, these chests look impressive! Open them up and show us the treasures!”

The He family women stayed silent. Every time these men came, they left with something. They only hoped they’d take what they wanted and leave. It was a pity about Miss Su’s dowry, though.

Su Yi’an watched silently. The He family had endured so much. With no one to stand up for them, it was no wonder others took advantage.

“You can’t touch that!” the Eldest Son of the He family shouted. “That’s the bride’s dowry. You’ve no right!”

Su Yi’an glanced at him in surprise. He had spirit—but in that crippled body, could he even stand?

“Pah! Debts must be repaid. You owe us money and now you have it. Why shouldn’t we take it?”

“Debts must be repaid, that’s true,” Su Yi’an said suddenly, “but the He family’s debts have nothing to do with me.”

The burly leader finally noticed her. He’d been so focused on the chests he’d missed the beautiful woman standing to the side.

“What’s this? You’re not one of the He family? Didn’t you marry in today?” Du Bao narrowed his eyes.

Everyone in Yongyang Village knew the He family had held a wedding today. How could she say she wasn’t one of them?

“Was there a bridal procession or ceremony? Did any villagers witness it?”

This… Gou Er had said the bride brought two chests. As for the rest… Du Bao looked at He Yunhuai lying unconscious on the kang.

“Big Brother, don’t listen to her. Now that she’s here, she’s part of the family. Let’s just open the chests.” Du Hu reached for the first one.

“No, you can’t touch them!” Su Yi’an stepped forward.

But it all happened too fast. No one stopped Du Hu in time, and Su Yi’an hesitated deliberately, appearing helpless as the chest was opened.

Inside were only pieces of wood and stone.

Undeterred, they opened the second chest—same contents.

“You!” Su Yi’an’s face flushed as if her lie had been exposed.

“This dowry… it’s just wood and stone! Did you swap it?”

The He family was shocked too. None of them had expected that.

The debt collector stared at Su Yi’an, noticing her crimson cheeks. Only then did he understand why she had tried to stop them.

So, the chests were just for show—to avoid being looked down on. No wonder. Who would pay a real dowry to marry into the He family?

Du Bao looked around before fixing his gaze on Mother He.

“We’ll leave it at that for today. But the He family still owes ten taels. I’ll send someone in a few days. If you can’t pay, we’ll take your fertile fields.” He gestured to the crates.

The crates looked sturdy enough to be useful even if unsellable.

Several men gritted their teeth as they carried them out. They didn’t understand the leader’s intent but followed orders anyway.

Only after walking a distance did Du Hu finally ask, “Boss, why’d we leave so suddenly? What if they hid valuables inside? These crates aren’t worth much.”

Still suspicious, Du Hu muttered, “They’re big enough to hide treasure…”

Du Bao slapped his head. “You’re too green. You’ll understand someday.”

“What do you mean, Boss?” Du Hu rubbed his head, puzzled.

“Didn’t you see the bride and He family’s faces? It was amusing,” another added, also knocking Du Hu’s head.

“Boss! Second Brother! Just explain it to me!”

Su Yi’an hadn’t expected them to leave so quickly. She’d thought there’d be more trouble.

The He family, shocked by the empty chests, couldn’t say a word. After all, they hadn’t given a betrothal gift, and Su Yi’an marrying in was already a favor.

Only Mother He’s expression was dark, not out of greed, but heartache.

She had pushed for this marriage. Seeing Su Yi’an’s bold demeanor earlier, she had thought the girl was cherished at home—thus the confidence.

Now, looking back, she realized Su Yi’an’s confidence had been defiance—a protest against the marriage and being forced into humiliation.

Su Yi’an remained unaware of Mother He’s thoughts. She simply felt relieved.

The Su family had prepared a dowry, yes—but a pitiful one. A few bolts of cotton, some quilts, a couple of taels of silver. Barely twenty taels in total.

Knowing the He family was poor and her future husband bedridden, Su Yi’an had taken precautions. That day, she swapped everything for wood and stones.

As long as no one pried, they’d never know what she’d hidden.

When Second Young Master He passed away, she’d simply leave.

She hadn’t expected her first day to be this troublesome. At least, the empty chests had proved useful, and the family didn’t press her.

As night deepened, the youngest, He Xingchen, began rubbing his eyes.

Seeing this, Mother He said, “Wanxu, take the child to rest. Don’t exhaust yourself.”

She then turned to He Ningwen. “Yi’an, our house is small. You’ll have to share a room with Ningwen tonight.”

Su Yi’an had noticed the cramped huts earlier. She nodded. “I understand.”

“Mother, what about you?” Ningwen asked softly.

“I’ll go to Wanxu’s room. Their kang is bigger. Eldest Son can sleep here tonight.” Mother He took her grandson’s hand and led him outside.

Left with no choice, Ningwen looked at Su Yi’an, then led her to the adjacent room.

Moonlight streamed through the paper windows. Mother He lay awake on the earthen kang.

Wanxu gently patted the sleeping child and whispered, “Mother, is something on your mind?”

Mother He sighed. “Wanxu, did I make a mistake?”

The thought of Su Yi’an made her uneasy. But no mother could bear to lose a child. Her Second Son had been unconscious for five days. Even the doctor had told them to prepare for the worst.

She would’ve tried anything. But who would marry their daughter into a family like this? Only the Su family…

“Mother, Second Brother’s fever broke. That means you didn’t make a mistake,” Wanxu replied.

As a young woman, she couldn’t condone it. But as a mother, she would’ve done the same.

Mother He stared at the ceiling beams. The image of those chests full of stones flashed through her mind again.

“Alas. Our He family was at fault first. I understand why the Su family acted that way. But I pity her. I wonder if she’ll ever accept us.”

Wanxu didn’t respond. She didn’t know either.

In the other room, Su Yi’an was shocked to learn that Mother He had blamed the Su Family for the dowry issue. Though, to be fair, the Su Family deserved it—they were truly despicable. The dowry itself was meager: a few bolts of cotton cloth, a couple of quilts, and a few taels of silver, barely totaling twenty taels at most.

On the kang bed, the youngest daughter of the He family lay stiffly, afraid to disturb her guest.

“Ningwen, are you asleep?” Su Yi’an asked gently.

“No, Sister Su,” came the timid reply.

Maybe sharing the quilt brought them closer.

Su Yi’an asked what had weighed on her mind: Why was the He family in such dire straits? Even if they’d fallen on hard times, why were they so ostracized?

Ningwen paused. Her family always thought she was too young to understand, but she knew exactly what had happened.

After a long silence, she finally spoke. “Sister Su, it all started at the end of last year.”

Master He had received a collection of books from a friend. After reading them, he praised them and even wrote a poem.

Somehow, word spread, and days later, yamen officers arrived and took him away.

“My father’s health deteriorated in prison,” Ningwen whispered. “Mother tried to get news but failed. Then someone said they could help… but they demanded a huge sum.”

Her voice trembled.

Su Yi’an immediately understood. A trap—to ruin the He family.

“Mother sold everything to raise the money. But that man vanished. Eldest Brother tried to confront him, but the yamen broke his leg. After Father died, Mother brought us back to the village.”

Su Yi’an’s heart sank. It was all orchestrated, a slow-motion destruction of the entire family.

“What about your Second Brother?” she asked softly.

The youngest daughter burst into tears, her small frame wracked with sobs.