Daily Life of Raising Kids and Running a Stall - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Dowry

Qiu Qishan inwardly blamed his wife for being so loose-tongued.

Now look what happened, Qiu Yuruo had already asked the old man for ten taels of silver, and now she was turning around to ask their family for a second round.

Qiu Qishan was the eldest son and had a talent for studying, so the family’s resources had always been tilted in his favor. Even though he had never passed the xiucai exam over the years, he still used his “scholar connections” as an excuse to drain plenty of silver from the old man’s hands. Twenty taels wasn’t much to him.

But being able to pay didn’t mean he was willing to.

So Qiu Qishan tried to find an excuse: “Yuruo, what your Aunt said earlier was just exaggeration. You know I’ve been studying for years and have no income. The dowry we prepared for your cousin? Forget twenty taels, there probably wasn’t even ten taels worth. It might look like a lot, but it’s really just stuff worth three to five taels at most. How about this? I’ll go gather some money and let you take the five taels we set aside for your cousin’s future marriage. Would that work?”

Qiu Yuruo laughed coldly inside. “The way Uncle puts it, it’s like I’m the one making things difficult for you. I wouldn’t dare bear the guilt of delaying Grandpa’s eldest grandson from getting a wife. Since you’re short on money, just give me the dowry you were preparing for Cousin to marry into the Su family.”

When she said she wanted her cousin’s dowry, Madam Zhang immediately became agitated. “I’ve been saving for Lin’er’s dowry since she was under ten years old, and you open your mouth and…”

She paused, remembering that they still needed Qiu Yuruo to take Lin’er’s place and marry that half-dead man. She softened her tone and said, “Yuruo, Lin’er’s dowry really isn’t suitable for you. Your Uncle and I truly don’t have the money. You already have the ten taels from the family, that should be enough. Please don’t make things harder for us.”

Qiu Qishan added, “Yes, we really don’t have the silver!”

Old Lady Zhou couldn’t stand seeing her eldest son humble himself before Qiu Yuruo. Her temper flared again, and she began pointing at Qiu Yuruo and cursing, “How did I raise such a vicious jinx like you? Your Uncle just said he has no silver, and you’re still pushing him! Your conscience must’ve been eaten by dogs!”

Ever since Qiu Yuruo had transmigrated, she had never once talked back to Old Lady Zhou’s scolding. But today she no longer wanted to endure it.

She stood up, looked Old Lady Zhou directly in the eye, and said, “It was Uncle who first forced me to trade my life for his daughter’s freedom. What’s wrong with asking for a bit of compensation? Since Grandma has already said so, then today I will force the issue. If Uncle won’t give me twenty taels of silver, then I won’t take her place! Even if you tie me up and toss me into the river, I still won’t go!”

Her voice started at a normal volume, but grew louder and louder until she was screaming hysterically. After shouting that last sentence, the little energy she had regained after three days of starvation was completely spent. She collapsed to the floor.

Though her body had fallen, her spirit was soaring.

Qiu Yuruo couldn’t help but laugh. Finally, no more pretending in front of this bitter old hag.

Her laughter snapped Old Lady Zhou out of her stunned state. Humiliated and furious, she raised her foot to kick Qiu Yuruo, but was held back by Third Uncle.

Amid Old Lady Zhou’s angry curses and Third Uncle’s attempts to calm her down, Qiu Yuruo avoided the hand her third aunt extended to help her up. Instead, she lay flat on the ground, staring at the ceiling beams. Gathering her strength, she shouted again, “Father, Mother—why did you leave me all alone in this world? I can’t go on anymore. Please take me with you!”

Old Man Qiu had a splitting headache from the shouting match between his wife and his grandchild. He scolded, “That’s enough! All of you quiet down!”

Old Man Qiu still had considerable authority in the family. As soon as he spoke, Old Lady Zhou finally stopped her yelling.

With her silenced, Qiu Yuruo also fell quiet. Just getting through a standoff with Old Lady Zhou without becoming a targeted scapegoat was a victory in itself. She knew when to advance, and when to retreat.

When Madam Guo came over again, Qiu Yuruo no longer avoided her support and allowed herself to be helped up.

Before sitting back in the chair, Qiu Yuruo glanced at her.

Madam Guo gave her a subtle nod, then turned around and sat beside her husband, lightly nudging him with her elbow.

Third Uncle Qiu Qiyong swallowed hard, cleared his throat, and said to his elder brother, “Eldest Brother, Second Brother left behind only one child—Yuruo. Even if she weren’t taking Lin’er’s place in marrying into the Su family, even if it were a normal marriage, as her uncle, you should be giving her the same dowry as you would give your own daughter, at the very least for the sake of our departed brother!”

Qiu Qishan looked at his younger brother in disbelief. He had never expected their usually slick-tongued, self-serving younger brother to actually speak up for Qiu Yuruo!

Qiu Qiyong avoided his elder brother’s gaze. He had never clashed with his brother before—partly out of respect for the eldest, and partly because they hadn’t had major disagreements.

But things were different now. If he didn’t help Qiu Yuruo get the silver from the eldest brother, she might really refuse to marry unless she got it. And if that happened, the idea of a substitute bride might fall on his own daughter!

Every parent loves their child. To protect his own daughter, he had to take a stand today.

Besides, Eldest Brother had been living off the family’s income for years to pursue his studies, and still hadn’t managed to pass the xiucai exam. Now that everyone’s children were growing up and expenses were rising, it was a good time to remind the old man that others had needs too.

Without looking at his brother, Qiu Qiyong said what he had discussed earlier with his wife, “A girl getting married needs clothes and bedding. Since the family and your eldest uncle are giving you silver, I will have your Third Aunt make two sets of clothes and two quilts for you, so you look proper on your wedding day.”

Qiu Yuruo was quite surprised by this sudden generosity from Qiu Qiyong. She froze for a moment, then quickly stood up and gave the couple a formal thank you.

Qiu Qiyong’s generosity pleased Old Man Qiu. Combined with the slight stirrings of paternal affection toward his deceased son, he turned to his eldest son and said, “Yuruo is still taking Lin’er’s place marrying into the Su family. You should give her ten taels of silver too.”

The money Qiu Qishan had, as well as the opportunity to substitute Qiu Yuruo for his own daughter, were both results of their parents’ favoritism. Now that the old man had spoken, even if he didn’t want to hand over the silver, he had no choice but to say, “Yes.”

Qiu Yuruo knew when to stop pushing. As if she hadn’t just threatened not to marry unless she got twenty taels, she said to Old Man Qiu, “Since Grandpa has spoken, I won’t say anything else. Let’s go with Grandpa’s arrangement.”

Old Man Qiu appreciated her tact and nodded, stroking his beard as he launched into a lecture about being a virtuous and obedient woman.

Qiu Yuruo scoffed inwardly and mentally added a rebuttal after each line—“Remember to say that to your precious eldest granddaughter, too.” Though her heart raged, her face remained sweetly compliant as she nodded along.

Having just released her pent-up emotions earlier, Qiu Yuruo now found her patience waning. Not caring whether Old Man Qiu had finished his speech, she began to sway as if she couldn’t stay upright.

Madam Guo hurried over to steady her.

Seeing her so weak, Old Man Qiu told his wife, “Give her some good food over the next few days. She needs to look decent on her wedding day.”

Old Lady Zhou, who usually followed her husband’s words without question, did not respond this time.

But after living under Old Lady Zhou’s thumb for years, Qiu Yuruo could easily tell—this was her way of exerting control.

So be it. She’d been under her thumb long enough. Until she had the promised silver in hand, she could still play along.

Qiu Yuruo bent slightly and said, “Grandmother, I was wrong earlier. Please don’t be angry with me.”

But Old Lady Zhou, instead of softening, just gave a cold “hmph” and stayed silent.

Qiu Yuruo: Oh, so you want me to grovel like I used to?

In your dreams.

Now that she held the leverage of being the substitute bride, her apology was merely for the sake of appearances. If she returned to her old, humble ways, even Old Man Qiu might assume she was still easy to manipulate—and the promised silver might not be delivered in full.

To protect her dowry, Qiu Yuruo didn’t continue apologizing and instead asked, “So does Grandmother mean I don’t need to substitute-marry after all?”

Old Lady Zhou spat, “You wish!”

Qiu Yuruo met her venomous glare without flinching and calmly said, “Since I’m still expected to marry, then before I leave, my meals should follow the same standard Uncle had when he was building up his health. Two eggs per day, refined grains only. My stomach’s been empty for days, so no meat for now. One chicken every two days, starting the day after tomorrow.”

These were the food standards Old Lady Zhou had used to nourish her son every time he took the exam.

Now hearing Qiu Yuruo demand the same, she was utterly infuriated. Even her husband hadn’t eaten this well, and now this cursed child dared to ask for such treatment!

She pointed at Qiu Yuruo and said hatefully, “A jinx like you dares demand that kind of food? Know your place!”

But Qiu Yuruo remained calm and asked, “Grandmother, don’t you think having a jinx for a granddaughter is good luck for the other kids in the family?”

That one sentence silenced Old Lady Zhou and made the others pause and think.

Old Man Qiu sternly told his wife, “Stop saying those things from now on.”

Fearing that Qiu Yuruo’s words might harm her own children’s reputations, Old Lady Zhou quickly agreed. “Got it. I won’t say it again.”

Before she could speak further, Qiu Yuruo turned to the old man and said, “Grandpa, since I’ve agreed to marry, I’m prepared to face a hard life. The Su family—sick, young, and helpless—needs me to be strong. If I’m in poor health, I’ll be useless no matter how willing I am. I don’t want to be a burden to the family, which is why I suggested the same diet as Uncle. But honestly, what I need most now is a few days of medicinal supplements. If I stay healthy and raise the Su kids well, people will praise our family, and say you raised a good granddaughter.”

Old Man Qiu loved praise. These words hit him right in the heart. He waved his hand grandly and said, “Fine! Before she marries, give her the same meals we gave Eldest when he prepared for the exams!”

Ignoring Old Lady Zhou’s sour expression, Qiu Yuruo gave a warm, delighted smile and said, “Thank you, Grandpa.”

Compared to the weeping, suicidal girl from a few days ago, this was exactly the version of Qiu Yuruo that Old Man Qiu wanted to see. He gave a satisfied grunt in reply.

***

To avoid wasting more grain, Old Lady Zhou hurried Old Man Qiu into finalizing the wedding date with the Su family—set for seven days later.

Qiu Yuruo finally got to eat the refined food that had once seemed so ordinary in her past life, but was now something she was tasting for the first time in this one. After being starved for three days, her body finally began to recover.

Even as her body improved, she didn’t help with family chores. She rested for two more days before starting to pack.

Seeing that Qiu Yuruo no longer resisted the marriage, Old Lady Zhou chose to turn a blind eye to her idleness.

In reality, Qiu Yuruo had very few belongings—some hand-me-down clothes from her cousin, a few cheap hairpins, about ten wen of saved New Year’s money. Everything fit in a single bundle.

Fortunately, she also had the two sets of clothing and two quilts promised by her third uncle. Without them, her dowry would have looked pathetically shabby.

Those promised items were already finished and placed in her room. But the silver promised by Grandpa and Uncle still hadn’t been delivered.

Qiu Yuruo decided she’d ask for it tomorrow. Today, she would retrieve the silver bracelet from her mother’s dowry that she had hidden in the backyard after waking from her coma that night.

When her parents and brother died together, she was unconscious. If it hadn’t been harvest season, Old Lady Zhou would have already snatched the bracelet.

She quietly recovered the bracelet and hid it again. The next day, she pressed for the silver that had been promised.

Only the night before the wedding did she finally get it in hand.