Chapter 53: The Dowry Dispute

Liu Manquan’s restless mood settled considerably. He thought it over, picked one that caught his interest, and followed the maid to look at the beauties.

The steward chased after him. “Master, what about the Lin girl? She’s about to enter the household. You need to make a decision.”

Since he hadn’t been able to marry someone with Lin Qinghuan’s looks, Liu Manquan no longer cared at all.

“Just send a sedan chair to bring her over. Do I even need to teach you such a small thing?”

The steward nodded and immediately sent a servant to the Lin family to tell them to prepare the bride’s things, and they would come to pick her up.

The Lin household.

Second Aunt saw Lin Yanlan’s dowry list and nearly vomited blood from jealousy.

Was it just a marriage? Why did it have to be such a big fuss and expense?

Silver hairpins and silver bracelets, plus new bedding and covers. That must have cost a lot of money.

That money should have been her precious son’s, but now it was going as a dowry to a girl who would only bring losses. How could she not be jealous?

“Mother, did our sister-in-law trick you into buying all this? With such a big dowry and two taels of silver as private money, half of Third Brother’s compensation must be gone, right? If Yanlan does well in the future, fine, but if she doesn’t, all this money will be wasted!”

The happy atmosphere froze at once.

Big Aunt’s face turned cold.

“If you had a daughter and wanted to give her such a dowry, I wouldn’t say a word! What kind of place is the Liu residence? Without a generous dowry, can she even hold her ground? Easy for you to say, but don’t expect Yanlan to show you any filial piety when she gets benefits later.”

“Humph, it’s true I don’t have a daughter, only a son. So what? In the future, my son will inherit the family property. When your daughter returns to her natal home, won’t she still rely on my son? What are you so proud of?”

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Lin Daguo slammed the table hard.

“Enough! They say peace in the family brings prosperity. If you two keep bickering like this, how can the family prosper? Yanlan’s marriage is a good thing. The whole family should support each other, and when there’s fortune, we all share. But you two can’t stand to lose a single bit!”

Usually he ignored the two sisters-in-law fighting among themselves in private, but they couldn’t do it out in the open or make a fool of the family in public, because he had to maintain his reputation.

Second Aunt was still resentful, but since Lin Daguo had spoken, she could only swallow her grievances.

Old Madam Lin put the dowry away and then started lecturing Lin Yanlan, determined to engrave the words “help the family” into her mind.

“Yanlan, you must think more of the family in the future. The Liu family is big and wealthy. Even the spare change that drops through their fingers is enough to feed us for a long time. You can’t just enjoy your own blessings and ignore your family.”

“I know, Grandma. I’ll help the family more.”

Looking at the plain hairpin and bracelet, Lin Yanlan’s resistance faded a bit more. She had never worn any jewelry in her life.

‘Once I’m married, I’ll be able to wear them freely, right?’

“Old woman, go cook dinner. It’s almost dark.”

Second Aunt’s eyes lit up. “Mother, last time you promised me you’d buy some meat. How much did you buy? I’ll go cook it.”

Old Madam Lin calmly took out a piece of flabby pork from her basket and handed it to her.

“Go cook it.”

The flabby pork was poor in appearance and taste, so it cost half as much as regular meat.

Unexpectedly, Second Aunt flared up. “Mother, if you can’t bear to spend, then buy less, or just buy lean meat. What do you mean by getting this piece of flabby pork?”

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