Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

As her suspicions grew stronger, Kuihua decided to test the waters before deciding what to do next.

Hesitated for a moment and asked back, "Mom..."

"Since you've already discussed it with the other party, then the dowry for my marriage must have been agreed upon as well... I wonder how much the other party plans to give as a dowry to marry me, and what you plan to do with that dowry money?"

The bride price can't be hidden forever. We're going to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get married and register our marriage tomorrow. Even if Kuihua is completely clueless, she'll still find out about this before we register.

Rather than waiting for Kuihua to throw a tantrum or even refuse the marriage on the spot, which would prevent the Jia family from getting the remaining dowry and rescuing Banggeng, it would be better to take the initiative and speak up.

After hesitating for several seconds under Kuihua's gaze, she finally spoke: "Kuihua..."

"Mom won't hide it from you..."

"The other party agreed to give 800 yuan as a bride price..."

"Mom has received two hundred yuan for now. After you get your marriage certificate tomorrow, you can give me the remaining eight hundred yuan as betrothal money..."

"You know the situation at home, Bang Geng absolutely cannot go to jail."

"I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you this time."

"Mom plans to use the dowry money to pay Banggeng's fine and try to get him out."

"When Banggeng finds a job, earns money, and gets married in the future, I'll pay you back the dowry money little by little..."

“If we don’t rescue Banggeng and get him sentenced, you’ll lose your family in the future, and if anything happens to you in your husband’s family, you’ll have no one to support you.”

"So, the fact that Mom used the bride price to pay Bang Geng's fine was actually for your own good, after all, Bang Geng is your only brother."

"When Mom gets old, Banggeng will be your only family, the only one who can support you."

Hearing this, Kuihua felt a pang of sorrow...

To everyone's surprise, her own mother, Qin Huairu, actually sold herself to save Banggeng, and for a full eight hundred yuan.

Amidst the sorrow and despair, another question suddenly popped into Kuihua's mind.

Although Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi had not found him a partner before, they often worked outside and had learned about such matters from their coworkers.

After the reforms, prices in Beijing skyrocketed, and the bride price also increased significantly.

But no matter how much the bride price increases, the bride price for most people's weddings is only a little over one hundred yuan.

For those with better financial means, a dowry of 168 or 188 is already considered quite high.

Kuihua believed that besides being pretty, she had no other merits.

If I were to get married in the future, I would be very satisfied if my partner gave me a dowry of 100 yuan.

As a result, the man that Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi were introducing to them was willing to give 800 yuan as a bride price, which was seven or eight times higher than the normal bride price in Beijing.

I'm not some rich and noble person, why should others give such a high dowry?

Since the problem doesn't lie with me, the real reason why the other party gave such a large dowry must lie with them.

As she pondered, another bold idea popped into Kuihua's mind.

Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi were probably up to something with the men they introduced to her.

Otherwise, why would someone with such good qualities choose to marry me, refuse to meet me before the wedding, and even offer a bride price seven or eight times higher than normal?

Thinking of this, Kuihua's sorrow was immediately replaced by anxiety.

If there's really something wrong with the other party, and I marry him now, I'll definitely suffer for the rest of my life.

He quickly asked Qin Huairu, "Mom..."

"Tell me the truth..." "With such a high dowry, is there something wrong with the person I'm marrying..."

Qin Huairu hadn't expected Kuihua to guess it, and immediately decided not to hide it any longer. Hesitantly, he answered, "Kuihua..."

"Mom won't hide it from you..."

"This person definitely has some issues..."

"His right leg is a little lame because of an injury, but it doesn't affect his walking. You will definitely live a good life if you marry him."

“He has a fixed salary every month, and you can earn thirty or forty yuan a month outside. In addition, his family has two or three thousand yuan in savings. As long as you marry him, you will have a good life. Mom will definitely not harm you.”

Kuihua never expected that Qin Huairu would sell herself to a cripple in order to raise money for Banggeng's fine.

Bang Geng is her son, and she is his daughter. How could she sacrifice her own happiness to save Bang Geng?

The other person is a cripple, or even if he can walk, he's still a cripple. Marrying a cripple is like pushing yourself into a fire pit.

Kuihua couldn't accept this fact.

She immediately shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum, and retorted, "I won't marry him..."

"Even if the other person doesn't have a job, or even has a bad personality, as long as he's a normal person who can save the gang, I'd have no problem marrying him."

"Mom, you actually told me the other party is a cripple? You're marrying me, a young woman in my prime, to a cripple? Are you crazy...?"

"I would rather die than marry someone like that..."

"Snapped……"

Just as Kuihua was about to continue speaking, Jia Zhangshi, who was standing to the side, couldn't take it anymore and slapped Kuihua across the face, shouting, "You have to marry her whether you like it or not..."

"Now that Banggeng is in trouble, marrying him is the only way to save him. You must marry him so we can get the bride price..."

“The Jia family has raised you for so many years, it’s time to repay the Jia family.”

"Besides, Banggeng is your own brother. After you get married, you'll have his only family. Helping Banggeng is helping yourself. What reason do you have not to marry him?"

"The other person just has a slight limp; they're not bedridden, unable to stand, or unable to walk."

"Why shouldn't I get married...?"

"Your mother and I have already decided on this. We'll go to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow morning to get our marriage certificate and then move into their house..."

"If you don't marry him, get out of the Jia family tomorrow. Consider it as if I, Jia Zhangshi, have no grandson like you..."

Listening to Jia Zhangshi's grumbling and cursing, Kuihua's face showed nothing but despair.

But they did not compromise on this.

While doing so could indeed save the stickler, the price to pay was far too high, essentially ruining one's own future.

Even if the other party's family is well-off, what future can one have if they marry a cripple?

Seeing that Kuihua still showed no sign of relenting, Qin Huai gritted his teeth and knelt directly in front of Kuihua, shouting loudly, "Kuihua..."

"Mom is kneeling down for you. This is the only way to save Banggeng. Please agree to marry him..."

"Bang Geng absolutely cannot have anything happen to him. If Mom had any other way, she definitely wouldn't let you marry a cripple, but Mom really can't think of any other way..."

"If you don't agree to Mom's request today, Mom will kneel here until she dies and never get up..."

"Please help the Jia family, help your brother..." (End of Chapter)