From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 27 Betrothal Gift
A few days later, at the Chen family.

Seeing that his daughter was so thin from hunger that she was almost unrecognizable, Chen Bajin felt both distressed and angry. He sat alone in the yard, drinking cup after cup of bitter tea, as if to dispel the irritability in his body.

In the past two days, his belief in finding a live-in son-in-law has been shaken.

It was not only his daughter's hunger strike, but also the tragedy of the Zhao family that changed his mind.

The Zhao family's house was not far from his home, only half a mile away.

After the accident, Chen Bajin went to the Zhao family. The way several people died made him shudder and had nightmares for several nights.

He couldn't help but wonder what the consequences would be if this happened in his family?
The answer made him feel deeply powerless: their family of three had no ability to resist the martial arts master.

His family has no power, no influence, and no military force, and is very vulnerable in this world.

He is already in his sixties and could die at any time. If he dies suddenly, what will happen to his daughter and his wife?
"The Xu family is very prosperous, and the third son is a martial arts expert. If Xiulian marries into the Xu family, at least she will be safe. Her mother and I will also be able to get some care."

Chen Bajin took a sip of cold tea and his mind became lively.

"It's fine if there's no descendants, but it's my descendants, Chen Baguai, who are gone, not the descendants of the Chen family."

There were more than just his branch of the Chen family. He knew of two other branches that were closely related to his family and were both doing well. Therefore, the Chen family, an inconspicuous family in Baihe Village, was cut off.

After making the decision, he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest.

"Ouch~~"

He had been sitting for too long, and when he stood up his lumbar spine creaked and ached. He rubbed his lower back, preparing to tell his daughter his decision.

But after taking only two steps, he stopped again. His stubborn nature made him unwilling to bring up the matter.

"No, I can't tell her. Otherwise, she'll think I'm afraid she'll go on a hunger strike. I don't believe she can stand starving her for two more days."

He wanted to wait until his daughter begged him before he agreed.

----

Outside the Chen family courtyard.

Xu Xiaoniu raised his hand to knock on the door, but it hung in the air and then he put it down, holding the water bag in his other hand.

"no……"

He hesitated and took a few steps back, pacing hesitantly outside the door.

He has been hesitating here for a long time and has not been able to make a decision.

He has always been stubborn, but now he finds that there are such difficult problems in the world.

He wanted to persuade Chen Xiulian to give up, but he felt very uncomfortable.

He didn't understand what love or liking was. He only knew that he would be in a good mood if he could see Chen Xiu Lian every day, and he would miss her if he didn't see her for a day.

But, his father said that he would never let him marry into the family!
"Ah~~"

Xu Xiaoniu thought about it until his head was burning but he still couldn't come up with an answer, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

He plucked up his courage and walked forward, knocking on the gate.

"Who?"

Chen Bajin's weathered voice came from the courtyard.

"Uncle Chen, yes, it's me."

Regardless of age, it is appropriate for Xu Xiaoniu to call him "Uncle Chen", but considering his relationship with Chen Xiulian, he lowered Chen Bajin's generation.

The gate of the courtyard is open.

When Chen Bajin saw Xu Xiaoniu, his eyes lit up. He was just wondering how to take the initiative to speak, but then Xu Xiaoniu came to him on his own initiative.

He deliberately kept a cold face: "What are you doing here?"

"I, I'm returning the water bag to Xiulian. She left it with me last time."

Xu Xiaoniu looked at Chen Bajin's face and felt uneasy.

"Come in."

Chen Bajin made way to let Xu Xiaoniu into the yard and closed the gate.

"Uncle Chen, how is Xiulian? I haven't seen her for a while."

Xu Xiaoniu is concerned about Chen Xiulian's recent situation.

"What's wrong? I'm starving to death!"

Chen Bajin blew his beard and glared and shouted.

Are you starving to death?

Xu Xiaoniu was anxious and blurted out, "Uncle Chen, do you have no food to eat?"

"I……"

Chen Bajin was so angry that he almost cursed. Didn't his family look so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat? At this time, Chen Xiulian, who had heard the noise, walked out of the courtyard with the support of her mother. She hadn't eaten for several days and was so hungry that she was pale and could hardly stand.

"Xiu Lian, what's wrong with you?"

Xu Xiaoniu walked forward quickly, feeling sorry for Chen Xiulian's miserable condition.

Chen Bajin said sarcastically, "She's become too independent and is on a hunger strike with her father. Xu Daniu, let me ask you, do you really want to marry my daughter?"

"Y-yes, I think so!"

Xu Xiaoniu nodded heavily.

"Okay, I'll give you a chance. How much can you offer as a betrothal gift?"

bride price?

Xu Xiaoniu thought for a moment and said, "I'll just save thirty taels of silver."

"Too little, not enough."

Chen Bajin shook his head.

"Fifty taels?"

Xu Xiaoniu never cared about the bride price customs in the village.

"not enough."

Chen Bajin still shook his head.

In fact, in the village, marriages didn't require such a large amount of betrothal gifts. It all depended on the family conditions of both parties. A few taels of silver would suffice, and at most thirty or fifty taels. Only wealthy families like large landowners could offer high betrothal gifts, but they would marry people of equal status and receive equally generous dowries.

"Uncle Chen, just tell me the number. I have plenty of strength and can earn back any amount of money."

Xu Xiaoniu patted his chest. With his brute force, he could do ten men's hard labor.

Chen Bajin stretched out his index finger and said, "One thousand taels!"

When he said this number, everyone present was shocked.

"Dad, you're really embarrassing me. Who would give a thousand taels of silver as a betrothal gift for a wedding?"

Chen Xiulian thought her father had agreed, but when she heard that he wanted 1,200 taels of silver, she hurriedly spoke up for Xu Xiaoniu.

"Why? My Chen family's thirty acres of land will all belong to the Xu family from now on. Is one thousand taels of silver too much? Danniu, if you really want to marry my daughter, let me see your sincerity. Once the money is in place, you can find a matchmaker and marry my daughter off with the three letters and six ceremonies!"

Although Chen Bajin had already made this decision, he felt depressed when he saw his daughter speaking for the other party.

"it is good!"

Xu Xiaoniu said in a resounding voice.

One thousand taels of silver is a limited amount. No matter how great the difficulty is, there is a way to solve it.

It’s better than before when he couldn’t figure out the answer no matter how hard he tried.

"You're quite ambitious. Have you eaten?"

Chen Bakkin vented his feelings and felt relieved.

"Not yet. I just stood outside for a long time and didn't dare to come in..."

Xu Xiaoniu scratched his head awkwardly and told the truth.

"Stay for dinner."

Chen Bajin asked his wife to cook and invited Xu Xiaoniu to have a simple meal.

"Thank you, Uncle Chen."

Xu Xiaoniu had never eaten at the Chen family before. He was not stupid and knew that Chen Bajin had finally recognized him.

----

After a while, the food was ready and served on the table.

Chen Xiulian, who had been hungry for several days, had dinner with Xu Xiaoniu. She never took her eyes off Xu Xiaoniu for a second, and her eyes were full of joy.

"Xiu Lian, eat slowly. You can't eat too fast after being hungry for a few days. I'll make you some steamed buns."

Xu Xiaoniu broke the steamed bun into pieces and soaked it in the soup, then pushed the bowl in front of Chen Xiulian.

"Hmm~"

Chen Xiulian thought to herself: Who says Da Niu is dull? He really knows how to care for others. She felt lucky to marry Xu Xiaoniu.

"Hmph, I'm full!"

Chen Bajin filled his stomach with a few mouthfuls, put the bowl heavily on the table, turned and walked away.

He really couldn't stand the clinginess of the two young people, it was too sour.

(End of this chapter)