Chapter 78: Harsh Conditions

“Can you accept that?” Qin Xue asked, unable to look Qiao Youfu in the eye after saying those words.

She knew very well how unreasonable her conditions were.

Her dowry was already much higher than average, and she was older and a divorced woman with a child.

The crucial point was that the dowry would be kept entirely, not returned, and she wanted to bring her son.

At that time, the entire nation was struggling to survive, with most people still barely getting enough to eat. Zhuzi was at the age where he needed a lot of food to grow.

The saying, “A half-grown boy can eat a father to death,” wasn’t without basis.

They were farmers, making a living from the land, every grain a drop of sweat.

With Zhuzi added, how much more work and land would Qiao Youfu have to cultivate to support them?

Most importantly, Zhuzi wouldn’t change his household registration or surname, and would return to Xujiadong when he grew up.  This meant Qiao Youfu would be raising someone else’s son for nothing, reaping no benefits.

And although Qiao Youfu was an old bachelor, he was honest and hardworking, had separated from his family, lived independently, built a new house, was marrying for the first time, and could offer 200 yuan as a dowry.

These points, even if told by a matchmaker, were reasons to boast.

Therefore, from any perspective, Qin Xue was at a disadvantage.

Qiao Youfu, though not intelligent, wasn’t a fool.

His eyes instantly dimmed, a mix of emotions filling his heart, and he remained silent for a long time.

Of all the women he’d met, she was the first to show him kindness and not reject him, the first woman he’d ever imagined spending his life with. He liked Qin Xue.

Qiao Youfu whispered, “You… you didn’t say… last year…”

Qin Xue sighed.  “Yes, last year I said I’d keep 200 yuan for the child, and the child would stay in Xujiadong, but at the end of last year, the time I looked for you, Zhuzi had an accident.

He’s still so young, I’m not comfortable leaving him, so I want to keep him with me for a few years.”

After a pause, she continued to explain, “Let me tell you about the Xu family’s situation. Zhuzi’s grandparents only have Zhuzi’s father. Now that Zhuzi’s father is gone, Zhuzi is their only hope.

So Zhuzi can’t take your surname. When he’s older and independent, he will return to Xujiadong.

In other words, he’ll eat at Qiao’s house, but when he’s old enough to work, he’ll return to Xujiadong.”

Qin Xue looked directly at Qiao Youfu, speaking clearly and honestly; she didn’t want to deceive him.

Qiao Youfu opened his mouth, wanting to ask why, if Zhuzi were to live in Gaoshi Village, the 200 yuan dowry should still go to his former in-laws.

But thinking of Liao Fuzhen and her husband, who had lost their son, and their age, the honest Qiao Youfu hesitated.

But if Zhuzi’s father died, it didn’t mean that he should take on the responsibility of supporting his parents just because he married Qin Xue.

If that were the case, what was the difference between this and becoming a son-in-law?

No, it was worse than being a son-in-law.

Qin Xue saw what Qiao Youfu wanted to ask, but she didn’t explain.

They sat there, each minute and second seeming to stretch out endlessly.

After a long while, Qiao Youfu rubbed his face.  “I… I need to think about it, okay?”

Qin Xue stood up.  “Okay, think it over carefully. This isn’t a small matter.”

Qiao Youfu, slightly hunched, walked towards Qiao Jiangxin outside the door.

Outside, Liao Fuzhen glanced at Qiao Youfu, then went inside to Qin Xue.

Qiao Jiangxin glanced at her uncle’s face and her heart sank; the negotiations hadn’t gone well.

“What’s wrong, Uncle?”

Qiao Youfu looked a little aggrieved and whispered, “Auntie Qin said to leave the 200 yuan dowry for the Xu family elders, that Zhuzi would come to Gaoshi Village to live with us, but wouldn’t change his surname or household registration, and would return to the Xu family when he grew up.”

Qiao Jiangxin turned to look at Zhuzi.

He was eight or nine years old, well-cared for, with clean clothes and a chubby face, showing that he was loved by his family.

Bringing him to Gaoshi Village wasn’t a simple matter; food, clothing, illness, education it would all be her uncle’s responsibility.

Not to mention other things, just the food…

Qiao Jiangxin had been a mother in her previous life. When Chen Zhi was eleven or twelve, he seemed to eat eight meals a day.

For Zhuzi to become independent, he would need at least fourteen or fifteen years, maybe even eighteen.

Her uncle would turn 38 next year, and his physical strength would certainly not be what it once was.

He also needed to have his own children. If Auntie Qin really married him, pregnancy and childbirth were inevitable, and the whole family would depend on her uncle.

Qiao Jiangxin even darkly thought that, later on, with her uncle working tirelessly like an old ox, and Auntie Qin managing the household, would they favor Zhuzi, who didn’t have a father, and pour all their resources into him?

Moreover, the 200 yuan left for the in-laws was clearly for Zhuzi.

“Uncle, what do you think? These conditions are really unfair.  Should we just go back?

With a dowry of 200 yuan, you’re a good man, marrying for the first time, and we’ve built a new house; we don’t necessarily need Auntie Qin.

If not, we can add some more dowry and find a twenty-five or twenty-six-year-old unmarried woman. That’s better than raising someone else’s son for free!”

Qiao Youfu opened his mouth and glanced inside the house.

Inside, Liao Fuzhen was also asking Qin Xue something. Qin Xue looked outside and met Qiao Youfu’s gaze.

Both their eyes held a sense of helplessness.

Qiao Youfu remembered Qin Xue waiting for him in the cold wind for over two hours at the end of last year, and her dejected look when he said he didn’t have the money, and his heart softened.

“Jiangxin, Zhuzi is a good child, your Auntie Qin… she… she probably has her difficulties.

She wants to settle her former in-laws before leaving, showing that… she’s a kind and righteous person.”

Qiao Youfu softly defended Qin Xue.

Qiao Jiangxin was a little surprised; her uncle had fallen for Qin Xue?

She quickly persuaded him, “Uncle, you need to think clearly.  It will take many years before Zhuzi can take care of his grandparents. If anything happens to them in the meantime, will Auntie Qin still rely on you?

So, if you marry her, you’ll not only have to take care of Zhuzi but also the Xu family elders?

You’re just looking for a wife to spend your life with, you don’t need to put so much pressure on yourself!

Let’s pay the dowry according to the rules, and look for someone according to the rules. Even if you want to take on this burden, you need to consider your own abilities.

You’ll be thirty-eight after the New Year, and your health will decline year by year. Your own children will still be young, and everything will cost money. Where will you find the energy to manage other things?”

Qiao Jiangxin felt her uncle was blinded by love and pulled him to leave.

This widow Qin was taking advantage of her uncle’s affections, wasn’t she?

She hadn’t made such unreasonable demands before the New Year.