Chapter 67: The Formal Betrothal

Qian Xile didn’t bother to hide anything.

She was getting married soon.

Even if her brother and sister-in-law tattled, she wasn’t afraid. She had hidden her dowry silver in a place no one could ever find.

Only she herself knew where it was.

“Child, something this big, why didn’t you tell your brother? How much have you saved up?” Qian Ping’an asked.

“I’m not telling you. When I marry, you’ll know.”

Qian Xile turned her head away and ignored him.

At the side, Jiang Fubao sat obediently on a chair without making a sound.

She held a water cup in her little hands, sipping slowly.

But in truth, her round eyes were darting everywhere, sneaking peeks at her future sister-in-law.

The two families chatted for a long while.

Half an hour later, the Jiang family finally left Qianjia Village.

Another night passed.

At dawn the next morning, the Jiang family came at the appointed time to fetch Matchmaker Qian.

They were going together to make a formal proposal.

Today, Matchmaker Qian deliberately dressed in bright red. She kept her voice raised along the way, making sure the whole village knew what was happening.

Dong dong dong—

The Qian household’s gate was tightly shut.

Matchmaker Qian knocked three times before footsteps were heard inside.

“I’ve come to help the Jiang family with their proposal—”

“Oh my, here so early already? Well, of course—you won’t find another bride who asks for no bride price. If it were my son, I’d rush here too. Otherwise, if she ran away, wouldn’t it be a great loss?

Matchmaker Qian, honestly, why didn’t you find a good family for our Xile? Not even a coin of bride price—are they so poor they can’t even keep their pot boiling? I don’t even know why Xile insists on marrying into that family. Ah, I’m her sister-in-law. Naturally, I want her to live well. But she just won’t appreciate a kind heart~”

Qian Xile’s sister-in-law, Zhu Pan’er, opened the door and cut Matchmaker Qian off before she could finish.

She even dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve in fake tears.

But her eyes were perfectly dry.

On what should have been a joyful day, she deliberately made things sour.

Matchmaker Qian’s smile froze on her face.

Hot-tempered Zhang Jinlan wanted to lash out, but after a moment’s thought, she swallowed it.

After all, this was a proposal visit—if things blew up, it would be hard to mend.

The hall fell into silence.

Thinking she had gained the upper hand, Zhu Pan’er was about to throw another jab when a childish voice suddenly rang out.

“Auntie, you’ve got food stuck in your teeth—wow, it’s a big piece!”

Nestled in her uncle’s arms, Jiang Fubao stretched out her chubby finger and pointed at Zhu Pan’er’s mouth, stifling her giggles.

Nothing wounds dignity more than that.

Zhu Pan’er, who cared greatly for appearances, instantly snapped her mouth shut.

She shoved her fingers into her mouth, fumbling between her teeth.

But with so many teeth and no mirror, she couldn’t find where it was stuck. Soon she was too busy poking around to even notice Fubao had just called her “auntie.”

Everyone else stifled their laughter.

Only when Qian Xile came out did the Jiang family finally get invited inside.

They sat in the main hall.

Qian Xile personally brought out several cups of water.

Not a grain of sugar was in them.

“There used to be some sugar at home, but my sister-in-law is so stingy—I don’t know where she’s hidden it. I searched and couldn’t find a bit. You’ll have to make do with plain water.”

Qian Xile wasn’t afraid of embarrassment.

She simply laid her family’s affairs out for all to hear.

It drew hearty laughter from everyone.

Just then, Zhu Pan’er, having finished digging at her teeth, came into the hall.

She hadn’t looked carefully before.

But when she saw Zhu Yingqiu’s face, she froze. “It’s actually you?”

Though many years had passed, they had grown up in the same village. Of course she remembered.

“Heh…” Zhu Yingqiu’s lips curled down as she sneered, refusing to speak further.

For a person like this, even a single word felt dirty.

She had destroyed her family, yet dared to live on.

Truly, evil lived long.

“No! I don’t agree to this marriage. She can marry anyone, but not your son.”

The laughter in the hall pierced Zhu Pan’er’s fragile pride.

Her face darkened, and she wanted to drive the Jiang family out.

“And who do you think you are? To meddle in my marriage? What, you want me to make another scene? I’m not afraid. It’s your reputation that will spread, and then your three precious sons won’t find wives. Hah!”

Sitting in her chair, Qian Xile tilted her mouth into a sneer.

Just a few words, and she left Zhu Pan’er choking.

Panting heavily, Zhu Pan’er jabbed her finger at Qian Xile, but no words came out.

Smack!

“Brother, what did you promise me before? Have you forgotten already? My marriage is none of your business! Whoever I choose to wed is my decision. Your wife has bullied me long enough. When you face our parents in the afterlife, how will you have the face to answer them?”

Qian Xile slammed the table, her voice sharp as a blade.

Everyone jumped in fright.

She turned her glare on her elder brother, demanding answers.

For once, cowardly Qian Ping’an thought of their late parents—and grew a backbone.

He yanked his wife by the arm and dragged her out of the hall.

Peace returned at last.

“Hehe, Uncle, Auntie, Grandma Jiang—sorry you had to see that joke.”

Qian Xile immediately changed her expression, the anger vanishing from her face. She scratched her head and grinned sheepishly.

“You’ve suffered all these years.”

Zhang Jinlan’s single sentence brought tears to Qian Xile’s eyes.

“Enough, enough, let’s not speak of hardships on a happy day. Come now, the marriage contract is ready. Just sign and press your marks.”

A proper matchmaker had to be literate.

Matchmaker Qian had written the marriage contract the day before.

After both parties signed and stamped, the contract was handed to Zhang Jinlan for safekeeping.

“Child, here—keep this two taels of silver for yourself,” Zhang Jinlan said, glancing toward the courtyard.

She slipped two taels secretly into Qian Xile’s hands.

“Grandma Jiang, please hold onto this for me. When I marry, you can return it to me. I’m afraid my sister-in-law will steal it. Oh, and here—this is my dowry too. Please keep it safe.”

Qian Xile pulled a money pouch from inside her trouser leg.

Inside were several bits of silver.

Altogether, just five taels.

“Oh my, that much?” Zhang Jinlan gasped.

Her not-yet-married granddaughter-in-law had managed to scrape together so much—how many wild vegetables and mushrooms had she foraged to save this?

“I’ve been saving ever since I was old enough to understand things. Maybe our parents in heaven were blessing me. Once, while digging wild vegetables on the mountain, I got lost and wandered into the inner forest. There, I found a strange mushroom.

It looked different from the others, so I asked a friend in the village. She said it was lingzhi.

Though it wasn’t large, it sold for four and a half taels. The remaining half tael I scraped together from selling mushrooms and wild greens. Altogether five taels, not a coin more. On the wedding day, my sister-in-law will surely trail me everywhere. If she finds out I’ve hidden money, it’ll be trouble. Better that you keep it for me, Grandma Jiang.”

Qian Xile dropped the two taels into the pouch, tied it tight, and placed it into Zhang Jinlan’s hand.

“Since you trust me, I’ll keep it safe. When you marry into our family, I’ll return it to you. Don’t worry—your dowry and bride price won’t go into the common purse. You’ll keep them yourself, and spend them however you see fit.”