Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Seeing that Cheng Jinxi really looked like she couldn't come up with the money, Shi Zhihui quickly said, "Jinxi, it's not that it has to be six thousand yuan. The Ma family said it would be best if you could come up with six thousand yuan, but if you really can't come up with five thousand yuan, that's fine too. Besides, the Ma family only has one daughter, so in the end, won't the money go to the young couple?"

That's what she said, but what was the point of having so much? Cheng Jinxi was dissatisfied, but she couldn't say it. However, Old Ma only had one daughter, and the bride price would be brought back sooner or later anyway, so Cheng Jinxi felt more at ease. But she still had to come up with at least five thousand yuan for the bride price, which was indeed a bit too much. But she still needed to get married, so she could just borrow from door to door and she could eventually borrow enough.

With a clearer understanding of the situation, Cheng Jinxi breathed a sigh of relief. However, on the surface, Cheng Jinxi still wanted to negotiate with Shi Zhihui. "Zhihui, do you think you could put in a good word for me with your third brother-in-law? Could the bride price be reduced? We're not city people, how much money can we possibly make here? Don't you think so?"

Shi Zhihui was used to this kind of scene. The groom's relatives would always try to bargain and see if the bride price could be reduced. Shi Zhihui responded with experience, "Jinxi, it's not that I don't want to put in a good word for you with my third brother-in-law, but I already said all the right things when I persuaded him to come to your family for the matchmaking. Now he's not buying it. Besides, your family will give a dowry on the surface. The bride price you're asking for is already low."

"Besides, Huaihua is such a wonderful girl. It's not just your family that has taken a liking to her; other families have also taken a liking to her. I have quite a few people who want me to persuade my third brother-in-law to go on blind dates with her. But my third brother-in-law just likes your Tianfu and wants him to be his son-in-law."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jinxi was overjoyed. "Is this true? Did Old Ma really say that?"

Zhou Tianfu, who was eavesdropping nearby, blushed and turned his head away in embarrassment, feeling secretly pleased. He hadn't expected his future father-in-law to be so satisfied with him.

Shi Zhihui also genuinely thought highly of Zhou Tianfu and Ma Huaihua; their interaction at yesterday's betrothal banquet clearly showed they had a good rapport.

"Oh, when have I ever lied to you? My third brother-in-law is also satisfied with Tianfu, otherwise he wouldn't have brought up the bride price. The Ma family is already asking for less, at least five thousand yuan. The bride's family also has some dowry to spend money, right? Prices are rising sharply now, and the girl is beautiful and young. She's a perfect match for your son. If your family misses out on such a good girl, I guarantee your family will regret it."

Cheng Jinxi listened, but she still refused to give up. "Zhihui, can't you lower the price a little? Five thousand yuan is too much."

Zhou Tianfu watched anxiously from the sidelines. Why was his mother still haggling? Why didn't she just agree to the dowry amount directly? He could just do more farm work and collect more scrap, and he would earn back the money sooner or later. At least his wife wouldn't run away.

Shi Zhihui also said with difficulty, "Jinxi, it's not that I don't want to speak up for you, but this is already considered low. Besides, it's not like when we got married before, when the bride price was low. Now, every family asks for such a high bride price. It's normal for a girl's family to ask for 5,000 yuan as a bride price. Originally, they were asking for 6,000 yuan, but I tried to persuade them that your family might not be able to afford that much money, so the bride price was reduced to 5,000 yuan. But if you ask for any less, it won't be sincere, and they won't want to marry their daughter off."

Zhou Tianfu overheard this and immediately became anxious. That wouldn't do; he really wanted to get married.

Then Zhou Tianfu jumped out and said loudly, "Mom, I think five thousand yuan is fine. I'll just do more farm work if necessary. I'm determined to marry Huaihua. What if Huaihua doesn't want to marry me if you keep haggling like this?"

When Shi Zhihui heard Zhou Tianfu say this, she covered her mouth and laughed, "Look, Tianfu knows more. He even knows that he's afraid his wife will run away. Jinxi, if you keep hesitating and bargaining, you might not find a wife for your future daughter-in-law."

Cheng Jinxi was also angry to see Zhou Tianfu eavesdropping on her. When he couldn't eavesdrop, he even tried to interfere with the bride price. She thought her son made it sound so easy, but the bride price was still paid by the parents.

Despite her anger, Shi Zhihui was right about one thing: what if she kept haggling like this and her future daughter-in-law refused to marry her? She didn't want to scare her away.

She knew her family's financial situation all too well, but her son was getting older and would eventually have to get married. Sigh... Thinking of this, Cheng Jinxi gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I'll pay the five thousand yuan dowry. At worst, my husband and I will have to cut back on our own spending. Anyway, my son has to get married."

Shi Zhihui was delighted to hear this. She said, "I understand. I'll tell my third brother-in-law's family the good news right away. Jinxi, you should also hurry up and prepare the betrothal gifts. Once the betrothal gifts are ready, we can find an auspicious day for the young couple to hold an engagement banquet. Maybe you'll even have a grandson next year. I'm looking forward to hearing your good news."

Cheng Jinxi was also dreaming about the future, that maybe this time next year she would be able to hold her grandson and experience the joy of being a grandmother, and she was overjoyed.

She also took a basket of boiled salted eggs from the kitchen and handed it to Shi Zhihui, saying, "Zhihui, thank you for coming all this way. Once the matter of the two children is completely settled, I will definitely come to your home to thank you properly."

Shi Zhihui accepted it with a smile, saying, "You're too kind. It's nothing. It's my job as a matchmaker to bring a couple together."

Besides, matchmakers can also get a lot of benefits if they bring a couple together.

After Shi Zhihui left, Cheng Jinxi started sighing. After all, five thousand yuan was a huge expense, which could be said to have wiped out their entire savings.

Zhou Tianfu didn't take it seriously. He was grinning foolishly, lost in his fantasy of getting married soon. Cheng Jinxi looked at her son and became more and more angry. If Zhou Tianfu hadn't shown up so early, she might have been able to talk to Shi Zhihui again and reduce the bride price. Now that she had already said it, if the bride price was reduced, the neighbors would laugh at them to death, and the marriage might even fall through.

The more Cheng Jinxi thought about it, the more she disliked Zhou Tianfu. She grabbed his ear and scolded him, "Aren't you usually very steady? How come you turn into a big idiot when it comes to getting married? I'm really fed up with you. Don't you know how much a dowry of five thousand yuan is? Our family isn't that rich."

Zhou Tianfu was in pain from being pulled, and he couldn't help but say, "Ouch, ouch, ouch, Mom, stop pulling my ear! It's just five thousand yuan, right? You help me get a wife, and when I become successful, I'll give you fifty thousand yuan to support you, okay?"

Cheng Jinxi was amused by Zhou Tianfu's words, "All you do is spend money on your mother, 50,000 yuan. If you could earn 5,000 yuan and give it to me as a gift, I would be grateful."

Zhou Tianfu covered his reddened ears and quickly promised, "It's easy, Mom. When I earn five thousand yuan in the future, I will use that money to take good care of you."

Cheng Jinxi was helpless against Zhou Tianfu, but she was also secretly pleased by his promise. So she let go of his hand, saying, "I'll remember that. If you earn five thousand yuan in the future, you have to give it to me first."

Zhou Tianfu chuckled and said, "Yes, Mom, don't worry. I've never broken my promise, have I?"

Cheng Jinxi shook her head helplessly; she couldn't do anything about her son.

When Aunt Zhao arrived, she stepped forward first, chuckling, and offered her early congratulations, "Then congratulations in advance, Aunt! You'll soon have another daughter-in-law, and maybe you'll even have a grandson next year!"

Cheng Jinxi covered her mouth and laughed out loud, "You silly child, it's not as easy as not saying it. Besides, can this matter be completely settled?"

That being said, Zhao Da'e knew that his cousin would definitely get married this year, which would happen in the next few months, very soon.

However, Cheng Jinxi felt a pang of heartache when she thought about the bride price. "The bride price is getting more and more expensive, easily five or six thousand. What good family can afford that?"

Zhou Chunwen chimed in, "That's right, we're all broke."

When Cheng Jinxi heard Zhou Chunwen speak, she thought of her own two daughters. She looked at them for a while and silently decided that when her daughters got married, she would definitely ask for a hefty dowry. She wouldn't feel right if it wasn't at least six thousand yuan.

No, six thousand is too little, it should be at least ten thousand!

night

Zhou Yuren and Cheng Jinxi sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) counting their family's possessions.

"One thousand two hundred yuan...one thousand six hundred and twenty-two yuan"

"Two thousand one hundred dollars...two thousand six hundred and fifty-seven dollars and fifty cents"

This includes loose change and the money in the savings account, which at most amounts to about 2,700 yuan, still short by half.

Cheng Jinxi did the math again, "Eating, drinking, and sanitation all cost money, and the New Year also requires expenses. At least three hundred, and in reality, with living expenses added, it will cost at least five hundred."

Zhou Yuren nodded in agreement, "We need to save some money this year for the Spring Festival and not spend it extravagantly."

Cheng Jinxi silently did the math. "Then let's not buy any new clothes this year. Buying new clothes and shoes costs money. Chunwen can wear Tianfu's old clothes, and Chunhong can wear Chunwen's old clothes. We, the two of us, won't buy any new clothes. But we have to buy you a good pair of shoes. After all, you're going to do farm work, and you can't do it without shoes."

Cheng Jinxi calculated for a long time, "Eating won't cost much, since we grow crops in the fields. Buying clothes won't cost much either, we can still wear old clothes, we can make do. But if Tianfu gets married, we'll need to clear out a larger room for the young couple as their wedding room, and we'll also need to hire a carpenter to make some furniture. That's a considerable expense, and we can't save money on it, we have to spend it."

Zhou Yuren said from the side, "Let's sell the cattle we raise after a while, that way we can have more money. We don't need to be too frugal, like you said, we should save where we should and spend where we should, but we don't need to be too frugal with food. What if the children don't get enough nutrition? I feel sorry for my own daughter."

Cheng Jinxi refused outright: "No way. If you sell everything you own, the woman will realize you're poor. How can that work? You only have a few cows at home, and that's enough to make you look like a well-off family. If you sell everything, the village will say you're too poor to survive in a few days. So, the cows and stuff, absolutely no selling."

The couple calculated it over and over again, but no matter how they calculated it, it was never enough.

Cheng Jinxi sighed. She carefully collected the loose change, put it together with the bankbook, and then placed it in the innermost drawer of the cabinet. She locked it with the key and made sure it was secure before she felt completely at ease. This was the family's wealth, and it had to be kept safe.

If all else fails, we'll have to keep borrowing money. It's not shameful; in this day and age, almost every family borrows money to get married. Anyway, the bride has to go; even if it means losing face, we'll just have to borrow money anyway.

Zhou Yuren smoked his cigarette, feeling extremely troubled, but he couldn't think of any good ideas.

In the latter half of the night, just as Cheng Jinxi was finally able to comfortably go to bed, Zhou Yuren suddenly said, "When Tianfu gets married and has children, our rooms won't be enough. There are only two rooms available, and Da'e, Chunhong, and Chunwen all sleep in one. Once Tianfu has a wife, she'll need her own room. Where will Chunhong and Chunwen sleep then? Building a new room will take time and money, and we can't afford to build one anyway."

This is also an important matter. Zhou Yuren reminded Cheng Jinxi, who sighed and said, "Once our son gets married, there are so many things to deal with. What can we do? After our son gets married, he will definitely need his own room. Why don't you have Chunwen and Chunhong sleep in our room..."

Zhou Yuren was displeased and said, "No way. The child is too old, not just a few years old. Chunwen is already a teenager, and it wouldn't look good if word got out that she's sleeping with us."

Cheng Jinxi was also at a loss. "Then tell me, what solutions do you have?"

Zhou Yuren was annoyed. He waved his hand and said impatiently, "I don't know, but I can't let my two daughters sleep on the floor. At worst, you three can sleep on the kang (heated brick bed), and I'll find an empty room to sleep in."

Cheng Jinxi thought about it and agreed, but it was too early to think about these things now. "Let's go to sleep first, and we can think about these things later. It's too early to think about them now. But once my son gets married, all sorts of troubles come up. I've been exhausted these past few days. If you have time, please come and help me. I can't be the only one working hard."

Cheng Jinxi has been exhausted these past few days. She's been buying groceries, cooking, cleaning the house, feeding the cows, and fetching water. Most importantly, she has to keep smiling and keeping everyone happy... It's really not easy for her son to get married.

Zhou Yuren quickly coaxed, "Yes, yes, my wife has worked hard. I'll come and help you with some chores tomorrow so you won't have to do all the work alone."