OBS Chapter 304 12 Dowry
Chapter 304 12 Dowry
Chapter 304 One Hundred Taels of Betrothal Gift
Chen Ying's hard work finally caught the eye of He Lin's family.
If Chen Ting knew that the other party was rushing to He Lin's house to take care of him, she would definitely scold Chen Ying, calling her an idiot!
Instead of doing chores at home, they go to other people's houses to do chores, just for a few worthless compliments!
They treat themselves like treasures at home, but like trash at other people's homes!
Chen Ting was happy to break off the engagement, while Sun Yu was having a lot of trouble finding a matchmaker.
"Aunt Liu! I want an educated wife, but... these things don't fit!"
Sun Yu was truly amazed to see the kind of people this matchmaker, Liu, was introducing to him.
This guy is honest, doesn't talk much, is hardworking, and doesn't have many requirements.
Actually, she's old and doesn't talk much. She's capable of working, and she does all the work for her own family. She doesn't have many demands, except that he has to give his earnings to her younger brother in the future.
"Well, this girl is a bit older because of her family, but look how efficiently she works," Liu the matchmaker explained.
"Oh dear, Aunt Liu, we don't have much work to do at home. Doesn't that mean this girl has to go back to her parents' house to work every time, and all the money she earns will go to my brother? How can that be? I don't want that!"
“Then how about this one! Isn’t he young? He doesn’t have any younger brothers, and his older brother is already married! Aren’t you worried about that?” Matchmaker Liu immediately found another one.
"Aunt Liu, she is young, but she is so ugly, I... I can't bring myself to kiss her!"
Sun Yu's description was already quite kind. He didn't know what had happened to this girl. Maybe she was hit by a brick when she was a child, because the middle part of her face was completely dented. Sun Yu even doubted that the girl was from their area.
After all, it's rare to see someone like that here!
"Hey, young man, how about this one? This one's young and good-looking!" Matchmaker Liu continued to rummage through the options.
"This is too short!" Sun Yu shook his head.
Sun Yu was unwilling. What if his future child took after the mother and became a short person? How could the child study and become an official?
It's important to know that the imperial court also had requirements regarding appearance and height for officials!
"You're quite picky, kid! How about this one?"
"Too high!"
"this!"
"Too fat!"
"this!"
"Too thin!"
"this!"
"Doesn't look very smart!"
"this!"
"Looks too smart!"
The matchmaker, Liu, was furious. "You little rascal, are you here to cause trouble? Too fat or too thin, too tall or too short, not smart, and not smart either! What kind of person do you want?"
How do I put this?
He's too fat; he's afraid he won't even be able to lift his wife, which would be so embarrassing.
Too thin, it looks like a withered tree branch, and it doesn't feel good to touch!
If he's too tall, it makes him look short, which would diminish his masculinity.
He was worried that his child would inherit his height, which would block his path to becoming an official.
If she's not smart, then she definitely shouldn't have her. Her child will need to go to school in the future, and if she has a not-so-smart mother, won't the child also be not smart?
Too smart? That won't do either. He's not that smart. What if the other party is cunning and sells him out?
After much thought, Sun Yu solemnly repeated his requirements: he wanted a wife who was of moderate appearance, well-educated, and preferably literate!
With a moderate appearance and build, he was a good match for everyone, so he wouldn't hesitate to make a move.
Being well-educated and reasonable indicates that the other person has a good temper, good character, and gets along well with his mother, so there won't be any conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the future.
If he can read, that would be even better. He can teach his future children to read, which is exactly what he wants!
"Alright, so how much dowry are you planning to offer, kid!"
As long as there are requirements, that's fine. As long as there are requirements, Liu the Matchmaker can find a suitable person. Otherwise, she's really afraid that this guy will ruin her reputation.
However, to find such a person, Sun Yu needs to clarify how much dowry she should offer, as different prices mean different people.
Dowry? Sun Yu hadn't really thought about that, but in order to have a son who would be good at studying, Sun Yu decided to spend more money.
"One hundred taels of silver!"
"Good, good lad, you should have said so earlier! If you had this much dowry, your auntie could definitely find you a good girl!" As soon as Matchmaker Liu heard that she was willing to give a dowry of one hundred taels of silver, she immediately agreed.
In an era when two taels of silver were enough for an ordinary family to live on for more than half a year, the dowry of one hundred taels given by Sun Yu was definitely high.
"She's just a literate girl. One hundred taels for the bride price, and I'll definitely find her for you!" Matchmaker Liu practically patted her chest to assure everyone.
Putting aside the matchmaker's fee, if she, Matchmaker Liu, could successfully arrange a marriage with a dowry of one hundred taels, her reputation would soar throughout the entire town. Who wouldn't admire Matchmaker Liu for that!
"Alright, if you can help me win the heart of this beauty, I'm willing to offer you a matchmaker's gift of ten taels of silver." Sun Yu was afraid that Liu the matchmaker wouldn't do a good job, so he continued to increase the offer.
"Don't worry, it's all taken care of! Auntie will definitely find you a good wife! Auntie will go and inquire about her first!"
When the matchmaker presented a ten-tael silver gift as a thank you, Liu the matchmaker was even more excited.
She had already mentally reviewed all the eligible young women in the neighborhood who were ready to get married. Oh no, she had to go and find out more!
Ten taels of silver! If this deal goes through, she won't have to leave the house for a whole year.
Being a matchmaker is hard work. You have to go from street to street, build relationships, and gather information. Sometimes, if you succeed, you only get a few dozen coins as a reward. You can imagine how much of a shock that ten taels of silver was to Liu the matchmaker.
"Hey, Auntie, you're leaving now? Won't you have some more water?" Sun Yu tried to persuade her to stay.
"Oh dear, I'm not drinking anymore, I need to hurry and go find someone!"
Liu the matchmaker walked away quickly without turning her head, her plump body making Sun Yu want to laugh.
"Yu'er, are you going to offer such a large dowry?" Sun Yu's mother overheard this from the next room. She was originally supposed to discuss it with Matchmaker Liu, but since she was still ill, Sun Yu had to go and talk to her in person.
“Mother, girls who can read come from well-off families, which is why they are likely to be literate. Our dowry is too low, and it will be difficult for Aunt Liu to find someone like that. Mother, it's all for your little grandson!” Sun Yu tried to persuade his mother.
He knew that the bride price he was offering was quite high in the area, but his family had nothing right now, so how could he marry a literate girl without offering a high bride price?
Besides, as he said, these days, a family that can afford to send a girl to school must be well-off, and he would definitely have to make some sacrifices if he wanted to marry her.
Although the house has started to be built, Sun Yu is thinking that he still needs to buy some land and see what to plant, as this is the foundation of a family.
Sun Yu's mother thought about it and agreed. It was really not easy to find a literate wife. Girls from ordinary families simply didn't have the opportunity to learn to read.
If they want a grandson who is good at studying, they really need to find a girl who is good at studying.
According to her son, that's a higher probability!