Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 79

“Fifty taels of silver… this… this is far too much, Qiufang…” Wei Ying’s face went pale, her lips trembling.

“It’s precisely because it’s so much that I had to open my mouth and beg for help from Eldest Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law!” Feng Qiufang’s real target was Madam Li, though if Wei Ying could contribute some silver too, all the better.

Madam Li stayed silent for a while before speaking, “Qiufang, Yin-ge’er being recommended as a tongsheng is indeed a good thing, but the amount of silver is truly too much. We’re all farming folk, just having ten taels saved up is already rare. And you’re asking us to gather fifty taels all at once… that’s… very difficult…”

“Eldest Sister-in-law, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not asking your two families to give the entire amount right away. My husband and I have managed to save around twenty taels over the years, and my father will give us another ten. We’re still short twenty taels, and with no other choice, I could only come beg you two sisters-in-law. Once Yin-ge’er succeeds in the exams one day, I’ll be sure to have him show his gratitude properly.”

Li Yin, sitting nearby, shook his head in secret. His eldest aunt’s family hadn’t had dealings with them for years, and now his mother was bluntly asking for silver, how could they possibly agree?

Li Zhi also rose and gave a slight bow toward Madam Li and Wei Ying, his face tinged with shame, “It’s truly out of desperation that we’ve come to you both. My wife and I would never willingly jeopardize our son’s future…”

“What, so if we don’t hand over silver, then we’re the ones ruining Cousin Yin’s future?” muttered Li Shuang, rolling her eyes and whispering to her elder sister Li Zhen.

“Don’t talk too much!” Li Zhen scolded softly.

Li Dalang frowned. The money would, of course, come from him if their mother agreed. No wonder Third Uncle had been overly warm toward him earlier, even probing whether the Weixuan Textile Shop in town belonged to him. So this was what they had been aiming for.

“Twenty taels isn’t a small sum. We’re just ordinary farmers, earning money is really not easy…” Madam Li began, but Feng Qiufang cut her off sharply.

“Eldest Sister-in-law, Yin-ge’er is your own nephew. We may not have been close before, but blood is thicker than water. You’ve even been willing to feed two unrelated mouths, how could you refuse to help your own nephew!”

Madam Li’s expression soured, suppressing her irritation, “It’s not that I don’t want to help Yi-ge’er…”

“Then you agree to give him the silver?” Feng Qiufang seized the chance, not letting her speak further, “I knew Eldest Sister-in-law would feel for Yin-ge’er, unwilling to see his future ruined before your eyes. And now our Dalang has prospects, opening a shop in town, ah, I haven’t even congratulated you yet! Truly, such blessings for you!”

Madam Li’s face shifted from pale to flushed, speechless at Qiufang’s quick tongue. At length she said stiffly, “That shop was opened in partnership. It doesn’t belong solely to Dalang.”

But no one paid attention to her weak clarification. Instead, all eyes shifted to Li Dalang. In villagers’ minds, anyone who could open a shop in town was rich, worlds apart from mud-footed farmers.

Feeling embarrassed, Li Dalang stood and explained, “What my mother said is true. The shop isn’t mine. I was simply fortunate that someone appreciated my skills.” He glanced at Ying Su, then added, “It was their investment, not mine.”

“Mother…” Li Qiao tugged at Wei Ying’s hand, her face anxious. The Li family already had a shop in town, surely they could spare money. Their own family was different. Father and Mother only knew farming, and back when Grandmother was alive, every coin in the household had to pass through her hands. Father and Mother never had private savings. When Elder Sister married, it was shamefully meager.

Wei Ying patted Li Qiao’s hand and drew a deep breath. Rising to her feet, she looked squarely at Feng Qiufang and said firmly, “Sister-in-law, your Second Brother and I are people of no skill. We’ll spend our lives tilling the fields. Over the years we’ve saved next to nothing. As for Yin-ge’er’s matter… our family… simply cannot help.”

She forced the words out, bracing herself. She had thought it would be unbearably hard to say, but to her surprise, it felt strangely easy.

With a loud clang, Old Man Li slammed his teacup down on the table. Before Qiufang could speak, he burst out, scolding Wei Ying. “You shortsighted woman! How can you be so stingy toward your own nephew? For the past two or three years I haven’t taken a share of your harvests, and now I’m only asking you to contribute some silver for Yinge’s future, yet you make excuses and refuse!”

Li Wei happened to come in from outside just then and heard this. Thinking his wife had made a mistake again, he quickly said, “Father, Ying is just a woman, her thinking is narrow. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Wei Ying’s callused hands clenched tightly together. She met Old Man Li’s gaze and, refusing to back down, said, “Father, when Zhen married, she had no dowry at all. Back then, all the farm income was in your and Mother’s hands. I begged her countless times, but she wouldn’t part with a single coin.” 

“In the end, I had no choice but to borrow two bolts of coarse cloth from Eldest Sister-in-law to sew clothes as her dowry. Later, Eldest Sister-in-law gave me fifty copper coins to add to it. That was all my Zhen had when she left our home…”

Tears streamed down Wei Ying’s cheeks, but she didn’t wipe them away. She continued, “Even now, thinking of how pitifully poor my Zhen was when she married, my heart feels like it’s bleeding. For years I’ve worried day and night, afraid that without a dowry, she’d be looked down on by her in-laws, treated poorly, that she’d live a hard life there!”

Li Zhen’s eyes reddened as she watched her mother weeping.

“But my Zhen was lucky, she chose a good man, one who never looked down on her for lacking a dowry! Still, I cannot let my second daughter marry in the same pitiful state. Ever since Shuang’s betrothal was settled, her father hasn’t had a single full night’s sleep. Every day he works the fields tirelessly, just hoping for a good harvest, so we can put together a proper dowry for her…”

Wei Ying’s face was resolute, as if she had cast aside all fear. Words poured from her mouth, whether proper or not.

Li Shuang’s nose stung, and tears welled as she cried out, “Mother…”

Even little Li Qiao’s eyes grew red, tears brimming. The sight of the three mother and daughters in tears was enough to pierce the heart.

Wei Ying pressed on, “Up until now, her father and I have only managed to save five taels of silver. I cannot and will not risk Yin-ge’er’s future, but I also cannot strip away my daughter’s dowry. Shuang is getting married after the New Year, her dowry must not be touched. If Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law resent me, let them. Father, even if you scold me, even if you beat me, I still cannot hand over that silver…”