Reborn in the Great Northern Wilderness in 1982, I farmed and hunted to support my whole family.

“Alright! As long as the quality of your goods is guaranteed, I’ll add five cents to the normal purchase price.” Zhou Ming said generously.

"Okay! It's settled then. I'll send you some tomorrow." Li Mu replied with a smile.

Five cents seems like a small amount.

But little by little, five cents could buy a lot of things in 80.

Li Mu was happy that he had finalized the acquisition with Zou Ming.

However, he declined Zhou Chunhua's invitation to dinner, as he only wanted to withdraw 500 yuan from the bank to go back to the village to collect his belongings.

Unexpectedly, Li Mu happily took the money home, but before he even entered the house, he saw his older brother pleading with a middle-aged woman, grabbing her arm.

"Aunt Sun, can you wait a little longer? After the New Year, I will definitely find a way to raise five hundred yuan."

“Qianjin, it’s not that I’m heartless and forcing your Li family to give me five hundred yuan. But my Xiangnan’s grandparents are forcing us to give them this five hundred yuan, or they’ll marry Xiangnan off to that widower in the county.”

“Your uncle is a blockhead; all he knows is his parents. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Sun Erxi knew that given the Li family's circumstances, two hundred yuan was already the most they could offer. She genuinely wanted to marry her daughter into the Li family.

But... just thinking about the wretched things at home made Sun Erxi feel a surge of hatred.

The daughter is hers, so why should they make decisions for her and her daughter, and accept the old widower's five hundred yuan dowry?

Now things are really messed up. If they can't come up with 500 yuan to cancel the engagement, not only will her daughter's reputation be ruined, but the other two girls in the family will also suffer the consequences.

With this thought in mind, Sun Erxi hardened her heart, pushed away Li Qianjin's hand that was holding her, and turned to leave.

"It's just five hundred yuan! We'll pay for it!" Li Mu strode into the yard and shouted loudly.

Upon seeing Li Mu, Li Qianjin's nose immediately stung, and tears streamed down his face as if they were free.

"Mu Zi, your older brother..."

Seeing his elder brother shed tears, Li Mu felt an even greater tightness in his chest.

However, although he has the five hundred yuan today, he can't just give it away like that.

"Aunt Sun, you can go home and wait! We'll go to propose marriage in a little while, and we won't shortchange you a single penny."

As he spoke, Li Mu casually took out five hundred yuan from his pocket and waved it at Sun Erxi.

Sun Erxi was also seeing so much money for the first time, and he was momentarily stunned.

When Liang Meizhen heard the noise and came out, she saw the five hundred yuan in Li Mu's hand, quickly walked up and snatched it away.

"Look at you, so capable! Five hundred yuan, you just give it to me like that. Who's going to pay it back? Do you want your older brother and sister-in-law to be burdened with debt before they're even married?"

Liang Meizhen spoke angrily, glaring at Li Mu fiercely, indicating that she would beat him to death if he dared to say another word, before turning to look at Sun Erxi.

“Aunt Sun, you saw it too. We’ve already managed to borrow the money. The two children are willing to get married, and we can’t break their hearts again.”

Sun Erxi was well aware of this principle, but...

"Hey! Aunt Li, I know your family really wants to marry my Xiangnan. So I'll just tell you the truth."

Sun Erxi explained the whole story clearly in one go.

It turns out that Zeng Xiangnan's family never actually wanted the "three turns and one sound" (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument), they just wanted their child to be willing and Li Qianjin to be an honest child.

They'll definitely be right about Xiangnan in the future. No matter how much dowry they give, they plan to have their daughter take half of it back with her.

But who would have thought that Zeng Xiangnan's grandparents were indeed two snobs.

In addition, her husband's second son's wife easily persuaded her...

“Now, that five hundred yuan has all been used by the second son’s family to buy a new wife.” Sun Erxi said, his face turning ugly.

But I still have to say something.

"I had no other choice, which is why I came to discuss this matter with you in advance."

Li Mu finally understood.

If that's the case, then things will be much easier.

"Auntie, don't worry, go back! Five hundred it is, we'll definitely go." Li Mu's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

"However, let me make this clear from the start. We can give you five hundred yuan, but if you try to raise the price later, don't blame us for making a scene."

Sun Erxi was taken aback when he heard this. If the Li family really brought five hundred yuan to their door, his two old folks might really cause a scene.

This is really going to be a huge embarrassment!

Sun Erxi's heart tightened. Thinking of his daughter kneeling on the ground with her head bleeding, he made up his mind and said, "Don't worry, the five hundred yuan dowry will definitely not change."

“If the two elders in my family cause any more trouble, I will risk my life to let you take Xiangnan away.”

This is exactly the attitude Li Mu wants from Sun Erxi. If she hesitates even a little today, he won't show her any leniency when he brings people to his door tomorrow.

After Li Qianjin's marriage proposal was finalized, Sun Erxi didn't linger and turned to leave the Li family, eager to bring the good news home.

No sooner had Sun Erxi left than Liang Meizhen jumped up and down.

"You little brat, where did you get this five hundred yuan?"

"Mom, why are you making such a fuss? Don't even mention five hundred, your son would have another five hundred."

Li Mu said with a smug look on his face.

Turning to look at Li Qianjin, who was still wiping away tears, he stepped forward and hooked his arm around his older brother's neck. "Brother, what are you crying for, a real man!"

"Besides, we won't waste this five hundred yuan. I'll get a good sister-in-law, and you'll get a good wife."

Upon hearing Li Mu's words, Li Qianjin's tears, which he had been trying to hold back, started flowing again as if they were free, and his speech became intermittent and he couldn't keep up.

"Muzi, you've been so good to your older brother. I will definitely find a way to earn money to pay you back."

"The money will definitely be repaid, but your brother has plenty of ways to make money. You don't need to think about it, just work for your brother."

Li Mu said with a smile, and when Li Qianjin nodded, he put his arm around Li Qianjin's neck and started to walk into the house.

To everyone's surprise, before he could take two steps, he was stopped in his tracks by Liang Meizhen's shout.

"What! Trying to slip away? Do you think I'm not feeling well these days and can't wield this stick?"

"Alright, alright, let the two brothers talk it out for a while. You were so loud and boisterous. If you had listened to me and taken the money Mu Zi gave you to propose marriage earlier, none of this would have happened today!"

Li Guozhang: He's just offering hindsight advice again.

But before he could finish speaking, Liang Meizhen, who had already swung the fire poker, turned around and lashed the poker at him.

Then Li Guozhang let out a loud "Awooo!" and jumped three feet high.

Li Mu and Li Qianjin, unfazed by such sights, hurried back into the house to avoid being caught in the crossfire.