50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 706 Dowry
A bride price is a must, even though Sun Zhiwei doesn't care, that's just how the custom is now.

The amount of the bride price is not just a matter of money; it also reflects the degree of satisfaction the in-laws have with their daughter and is a frequent topic of conversation among relatives and friends.

When everyone compares their daughters later, they'll realize, "My daughter got married with a dowry of 500 yuan, but your daughter's dowry was 1000 yuan. Does that mean my daughter is inferior to yours?"

What if someone gossipy and spreads a rumor, "So-and-so's daughter got married with such a cheap dowry, maybe she has some kind of hidden illness?"

This is how family conflicts often arise, and Sun Zhiwei couldn't let his daughter suffer this injustice.

He didn't want to compete with others, but at least he wanted to be on par with outsiders; he couldn't let his daughter be the subject of gossip.

Nowadays in Beijing, when people marry off their daughters, the bride price includes both goods and cash, with the total amount generally between 2000 and 3000 yuan.

The physical items mainly consisted of the "four major appliances": refrigerator, television, washing machine, and tape recorder. This was an upgrade from before the reform and opening up, when the appliances were "three turns and one sound".

Cash amounts are generally no more than 500 yuan, but the amount may be higher for cadres' families.

Xiao Yifeng holds a high position, and his family members, apart from his children, are all military personnel. Of his four children, only Xiao Qihang remains unmarried.

Therefore, the bride price was not a problem at all for the Xiao family. The older brothers and sisters could easily chip in enough. The elderly couple, Xiao Yifeng and his wife, even made preparations in advance for their youngest son.

The two families made a simple agreement: the Xiao family would provide home appliances, the Sun family would provide furniture, and the bride price would be 1888 yuan in cash. However, a problem arose when discussing the wedding house.

Xiao Qihang has only been working for a few years, so he definitely won't be eligible for housing allocation, and the same goes for Sun Hongying.

Their biggest advantage right now is that they both work in the same unit, so they'll definitely be ahead in the housing allocation queue.

Therefore, when they got married, the wedding room was naturally arranged at the parents' house.

Xiao Yifeng's house is in the cadre building of the armored compound. His two eldest sons and one daughter have all gotten married and moved out.

Now that only their youngest son, Xiao Qihang, is left at home, there are definitely empty rooms available, so Sun Zhiwei didn't suggest that the young couple move out to live there.

However, Xiao Qihang objected, wanting to move out after the wedding. This is probably a common thought among young people, as living with parents presents many inconveniences.

But parents are more realistic; they know that newlyweds naturally prefer their time together.

But once they have children, it will be very difficult for both of them to take care of them if they are both working.

Back then, Sun Zhiwei and Tong Jiajia wouldn't have been able to manage things if their godparents hadn't moved in.

Xiao Qihang disliked the military atmosphere in his family since he was a child, which can be seen from the fact that his whole family were soldiers, but he himself went to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

When Xiao Qihang said he wanted to move out, Xiao's sister-in-law's expression turned sour, and Sun Zhiwei also felt it was inappropriate.

It wouldn't be good if the Xiao family thought it was their daughter's idea. Although he also felt it would be better for his daughter to move out after the wedding.

"It smells bad when you're close, but it smells good when you're far away." Conflicts are most likely to arise between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, so living separately is the best solution.

Xiao Qihang's older brother and sister tried to persuade him, but he remained unmoved and insisted on moving out.

Seeing that they were about to start arguing, Sun Zhiwei had to intervene: "Sister-in-law, Qihang, don't be anxious. Let me share my thoughts with you."

"The in-laws' concern is that the children are not doing well outside, and the young couple has to rent a place to live, which puts a heavy burden on their lives."

"Sister-in-law, is that what you mean?"

“Yes, they’re young and naive, only thinking about enjoying their time together. What will they do without our help?” “Sister-in-law, I think there’s no need to get so worked up about this.”

"We live in a new era now, and it's normal for children to have their own ideas. The difficulties of the future are no longer in front of us, so it's not surprising that they don't realize them."

"I think we should do this: you and your brother can keep their wedding room. If they want to move out for a while, that's fine too."

"You should think of it this way: when the young couple gets busy with work in the future, they'll both be tired after a long day and go home together."

"But when I got home, I found the stove and pots were cold. I don't believe they still have the energy to cook for themselves."

“What can they do if they don’t have food? Jiajia and I are rarely home, so they still have to come to your place to freeload their meals.”

"People can't teach you everything, but you can teach someone something in one go. Do you think what I'm saying makes sense?"

Sun Zhiwei could also see that Xiao's sister-in-law doted on her youngest son, Xiao Qihang, but unfortunately, Xiao Qihang's rebellious nature prevented him from reciprocating.

This isn't really a big deal. As long as the son's wife doesn't interfere, things will naturally improve over time.

Sun Zhiwei knew his daughter's personality well; she wasn't that kind of person, so there was nothing to worry about.

"Also, your concern about them not having enough money is not a big problem."

“I will have the young couple take the betrothal gifts you gave them back to their dowry, and we will also prepare a dowry for Hongying.”

“Tong Jiajia and I aren’t that old. We still have more than ten years until retirement. At worst, we can give the young couple some subsidies. We won’t worry about the kids going hungry.”

Sun Zhiwei had almost convinced Xiao's sister-in-law before turning to talk about Xiao Qihang.

"Qihang, today it's settled between you and Hongying. I also have a few words to say to you. Do you want to hear them?"

Xiao Qihang listened attentively to Sun Zhiwei's words: "Yes, please speak, I'm listening."

"Your parents' ideas may be different from yours, but that's not a big problem. The key is communication. Even if you can't get through to them, don't force things."

"I neither agree nor disagree with your decision to move out after marriage; it's your freedom."

"However, there's no need to rent a house. I prepared a small courtyard for Hongying and her younger brother Aiguo years ago."

"After you get married, you can stay at home first. If you want to get out and relax, go stay at Hongying's courtyard for a few days before going back. That way, it's convenient for both your personal and business needs."

He only found out when he was chatting with Sun Hongying a while ago that Xiao Qihang had no idea that Hongying had her own courtyard.

He deliberately took this opportunity to clarify the matter today, so that the young couple wouldn't have any conflicts over it later.

When Sister-in-law Xiao heard that Sun Zhiwei had actually prepared a house for his daughter, she was also surprised and asked about it.

It's not uncommon for married daughters to have a dowry, but it's still quite rare to see a house as part of the dowry, even now.

Firstly, there are few private houses nowadays, and most people live in housing provided by their work units, so people's awareness of buying private houses is not very strong.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Xiao family lives in a large apartment in the cadre building; it's still a unit-owned property.

Before the public housing was converted into private housing, rent had to be paid every month for such houses. The housing management department of the unit would directly deduct the rent from Xiao Yifeng's salary every month.

(End of this chapter)