Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

After everyone in the main house left, Ji Nuan's doubts grew stronger. She couldn't help but ask her mother, "What did my aunt want to say just now? Was she trying to threaten me?"

Ji's mother looked at Ji Nuan with sincerity and tenderness, "That's not the case. Your father and I have always acted with integrity and have never wronged anyone. What could she possibly threaten us with? She's just trying to get your betrothal gift and say some unpleasant things."

Ji Nuan still felt something was wrong. Her aunt had clearly been trying to threaten her mother, and there was a deeper meaning hidden in her words. Furthermore, everyone else seemed unusually calm; even Ji Feng's expression remained unchanged. This could only mean that they all knew what her aunt was trying to say, but they were keeping it from her alone.

Ji Nuan decided that since her parents refused to tell her, she would go to her aunt to ask for clarification. After all, her grandmother loved her when she was alive, and her grandmother would definitely let her aunt tell her.

Having made up her mind, Ji Nuan prepared to leave for the backyard.

Unexpectedly, she was called again.

Ji's mother said, "Don't leave in a hurry. I'll ask someone to call your brother and sister-in-law over so we can discuss your dowry together."

Ji Nuan had no choice but to stay. Soon, the servants called in Ji Shan and his wife, as well as Ji He and his wife. Ji Chuan, who had been counting the betrothal gifts in the backyard storeroom, also rushed over after hearing the call.

After everyone was seated, Ji Chuan said, "The betrothal gifts are placed in the order they were brought in. It's very convenient to count them. They're all ready. Did your parents ask us to come here to talk about something?"

"Well, that's good." Mother Ji nodded. "Just now, your uncle's family was still thinking about those things, which made me upset, so I just called you all here to discuss it. Your father and I want to give all these betrothal gifts to Nuannuan as a dowry. If you have any other ideas, you can also bring them up."

"We've already split up the family, what good things are they thinking?" Ji Shan, as the eldest brother, was the first to express his opinion: "Those things were originally the betrothal gifts from the Song family to my younger sister, so they should all be used as her dowry."

The eldest sister-in-law also agreed, "Father and mother, Ji Shan and I have no objections. When I knew my younger sister was getting engaged, I went to Shopkeeper Tao and ordered six sets of mattresses and quilts to be added to the dowry."

Ji's mother was relieved to hear this: "You are so busy every day that you have no time to spare. It's amazing that you still think about arranging your little sister's dowry."

The second sister-in-law also smiled and said, "Mother, I have prepared a gift for my younger sister too. It is six sets of clothes for each of the four seasons. They are all new styles that I have thought of myself. My younger sister will definitely like them when they are made."

Mother Ji nodded with satisfaction, and looked at her second sister-in-law with eyes full of praise: "The second son's wife is also thoughtful."

"Thank you, sister-in-law and sister-in-law!"

Ji Nuan graciously accepted her brother and sister-in-law's kindness, smilingly saying, "Dad and Mom, you just need to talk to my aunt and the others about it. You don't have to give me all the betrothal gifts. Have you forgotten? I still have half a street on my hands! I also have some things collected at the house in the capital. If you add them all up, wouldn't it be more than the Song family's betrothal gifts? Besides, it wouldn't look good if I took the betrothal gifts back as a dowry without changing them!"

Upon hearing this, Ji's father burst out laughing. "Ah, we've grown old and muddle-headed. We only thought about our family's limited financial resources and our inability to afford a decent dowry, and completely forgot that you still own so many shops. It would be great if we could replace some of them! The Song family sent 120 loads of betrothal gifts. Excluding cakes, fruits, chickens, ducks, fish, and other hard-to-store items, there should be more than 100 loads left, right?"

Facing Ji's father's gaze, Ji Chuan calmly took out the booklet and said carefully, "There are indeed quite a lot of cakes and fruits. We can share some with the villagers. Chickens, ducks, fish and meat are all living things. We can also find a place to raise them. In addition to these, there are indeed 106 loads."

Father Ji thought for a moment, then turned to Mother Ji and said, "Xiaomei, how much do you think we should prepare for the dowry?"

Mother Ji was now full of confidence. She replied, "With so many shops added, we should also prepare 120 loads of dowry."

Ji Nuan smiled and shook her head, advising, "Mom, if they send 120 pallets, we should also bring back 120 pallets. Isn't this deliberately trying to outdo the Song family? We should prepare 99 pallets, which will be just right. This way, both sides can save face."

"Is that so? You are my only daughter, so of course I want to give you all the good things as a dowry." Ji's mother looked at her sons and daughters-in-law and said, "Those things were originally yours. Even if you take them all, your brothers and sisters-in-law won't say anything."

Ji Nuan held her hand and smiled warmly, "Mom, of course I know. My parents, brother and sister-in-law are naturally the best! But you also said that our family foundation is still thin, and the businesses of my eldest and second sisters-in-law have just established themselves. I can't plunder the house clean as soon as I get married and be a heartless little person, right?"

When Ji Nuan came here, she was treated warmly by them and regarded them as real family members. She hoped that everyone in the family would live well.

"Mother, the Qu family's assets were originally managed by my third brother. I promised to leave 50% to the Qu siblings, and I plan to leave the remaining 50% to my family. As for the ones in the capital, I will choose a few shops to take away, and leave the rest to my family."

Upon hearing this, Ji's father decisively refused, "I won't agree, and neither will your brothers. They all have their own things to do now. As long as they are diligent and willing to endure hardships, life will improve for our family. If you give all these profitable shops and properties to your family, it's like feeding them all the food. This way, they won't have to work hard, and over time they will inevitably become lazy and even a burden to you in the future. Moreover, the descendants raised by such parents will not have a bright future."

Father Ji looked at his sons and saw that none of them had any greed on their faces. He then continued with satisfaction, "My daughters, we all know your intentions, but you should keep these shops and properties for yourself. Your brothers are young and strong, and they are doing well now. If they want something, they should work hard to earn it. They will be able to keep what they earn through hard work in the future."

Although Ji's father is not good at explaining profound principles, his decades of life experience are enough to educate his son well.

Look, after listening to what Father Ji said, the three sons nodded repeatedly and agreed with it deeply.

Ji Shan said to Ji Nuan sincerely, "Little sister, Dad is right. We are both brothers. How can a grown man rely entirely on you for support? I am very satisfied now. I have work to do every day, I can earn money, I eat rice, and every meal has meat and soup. This is a good life that I could not imagine before. Once your sister-in-law and I work hard for a while, we can also buy some land and shops."

- ??(?????) Thanks to Xuanying Baoer for her non-stop support! Thanks to everyone who urged me to update!