Live-streamed dating: My information is constantly updated

Chapter 67 Win-win cooperation
"Born in 91? 34 years old?"

"Yes."

"Huh? Big brother, isn't this your first marriage? You don't plan to have children after marriage? I thought you found a 24-year-old."

"It's about buying a car and adding names to property deeds."

"24 years old? You're dreaming. With my looks, how could anyone possibly be interested in me?" The older brother had clearly given in; from his tone, you could tell he was half resigned to his fate.

[What an amazing person! You found a 34-year-old for the dowry?]

[Where did I come from? A female-oriented novel?]

Sisters, I told you not to settle! I got married at 34 and my husband spoils me like a little princess.

[Dude, are you only a 1 out of 100 in looks? The woman who marries you wants over a million yuan in compensation for emotional distress?]

"It's possible that a 24-year-old might not be interested in you, but it's not like a 34-year-old would be."

"What do you want from her? Is it just because she's a teacher and has a stable job?"

"Yes, that's right." The older brother was very honest and said what he meant: "I'm three years older than her, so neither of us will be at a disadvantage if we get married."

"That's true just by looking at their age."

“But…” Zhang Zhe shook his head.

Actually, the older brother's conditions are a good match for this female teacher, but we have to disregard the high dowry and the need for a house and car.

He owns a car and a house in the county town, and earns 15 yuan a year.
He was paired with a teacher who was three years younger than him, had no car or house, and earned less than 10 yuan a year;

It matches.

Although the woman is a bit older, as long as she's healthy, they can still chat. After all, the man is 37, which isn't exactly young anymore.

"You gave too much in betrothal gifts!"

"That's not much. That's how weddings are here," the older brother retorted. "My childhood friend's wedding cost 25 yuan for the engagement and gold jewelry, 18 yuan for the bride price, 10 yuan for the 35-table banquet for the bride's family, 15 yuan for the down payment on the house, and 20 yuan for the renovations..."

"This is really not much."

Damn, his childhood friend is even more of a heavyweight.

Don't spread rumors, it only costs 88,000 yuan in Jiujiang.

The bride price is indeed high in northern Jiangxi, but it's not so bad near Guangdong province. My family only asked for 12 yuan.

Rural men are so easy to fool; these days, many young men are unwilling to give bride price.

"Brother, your customs are really something else, I have nothing to say." Zhang Zhe smiled helplessly: "But on another note, do you know why the bride's family demands a bride price these days?"

The older brother immediately replied, "Because they are unsure and afraid that the man will cheat them into marriage, so they want a dowry as a guarantee."

"If you add her name to the house and buy her a car, why would she be afraid you're lying to her?"

“Um…” The older brother thought for a moment: “Her parents raised her with great difficulty, so we should show our appreciation by marrying her.”

“In our area, in addition to the bride price, we also give ‘grace money’.”

"What the hell is this 'enyangqian' (恩养钱)?"

“Now that compulsory education is free, the woman you went on a blind date with is a teacher, and she’s most likely studying at a teacher’s college. How much money can her family afford to educate her?” Zhang Zhe sighed and asked in return, “You’re married now, aren’t you going to take care of her parents in their old age?”

"Brother, you still don't understand."

"Let me tell you what a bride price is."

"The kind of dowry you give up is essentially a woman giving up her right to choose a better partner and asking for compensation from you."

"It was a one-time compensation payment you gave her."

“She felt she could find someone better, but she couldn’t find anyone right now, so she settled for you. Because of you, she gave up the opportunity to marry into a wealthy family, so she needs to be compensated with money, otherwise she won’t be able to accept it.”

"It's that simple."

[That seems to make some sense]

[Isn't that a bit odd? Isn't the bride price supposed to be compensation for a woman's childbirth?]

According to the law, betrothal gifts are premarital gifts, not compensation.

"Just think about it, if she weren't a teacher, but a girl from your rural hometown, would she ask you for such a large dowry?"

“In my hometown…” the man thought for a moment and replied, “They will still want some, but I don’t think they’ll want that many.” “…” Zhang Zhe was silent for a moment.

No wonder social science research is becoming increasingly difficult, because some aspects simply don't make sense.

It's like when you're discussing human reproduction, and suddenly an Indian guy comes out holding a Komodo dragon—the conversation just stops there.

"Anyway, this is the most reasonable explanation I've seen for the bride price so far. Otherwise, why would it be so high, hundreds of thousands?" Zhang Zhe was too lazy to explain further, leaving the rest to his older brother to figure out for himself.

"That's why I said you gave too much as a bride price."

Zhang Zhe bluntly asked, "Your girlfriend, a 34-year-old female teacher, does she still have any chance of marrying up?"

"Can she find someone better than you?"

“She has been working for at least 12 years now. If she wanted to find someone, she would have done so long ago. You are her best choice now.”

Why should she demand a bride price?

"Yeah, what makes her so special?" the older brother muttered, repeating Zhang Zhe's words.

No matter how he asked himself, he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.

Is it because his family is poor? But the other family isn't much better off either.

I don't have a car, and I still commute by electric scooter. I'm hoping he'll buy me a Xiaomi car so I can look good in front of my colleagues.

They don't even have a house; the family is still living in the old town.

What exactly makes her so special?

The only explanation is his IP address.

“Brother Zhang, I suddenly remembered that the matchmaker once told me that she was preparing to get married through an introduction, but they couldn’t agree on the bride price.”

"Did the matchmaker also tell you that her family is asking for very few more women now? Did you get a bargain?"

"Yes, how do you know?"

"This is from our industry textbook, '99 Little Ghost Talks from a Matchmaker,'" Zhang Zhe couldn't help but laugh. "Otherwise, how would we convince you to spend money? If you don't spend money, where would we get the red envelope?"

[Haha, aren't you afraid of being hunted down by your competitors?]

Don't believe a matchmaker's words; they're deceitful.

It's better to go to a reputable matchmaking agency; at least you'll get accurate information.

If you ask me, the best thing this guy can do is buy this woman a car, and not in full, but pay it off in installments over three years.

"I think I understand now." After being lectured by Zhang Zhe for half a day, the eldest brother finally seemed to have gained some understanding.

"Should I talk to her family again?"

"Brother Zhang, can I use your slice to persuade them later?"

"Sure, you can try, but don't blame me if you get beaten up." Zhang Zhe said, forcing a smile, "I'm telling you the truth, her family might get upset if they hear this."

"Seriously, I advise you not to put all your eggs in one basket."

"You can ask a local matchmaker to help you find someone."

"What kind of wife should I look for?" the older brother asked, somewhat bewildered. "I don't even know what kind of wife I want."

"Don't choose those that require you to spend money."

"You need to find someone you can work with and live with."

"For someone like you who has worked so hard to accumulate some wealth, the worst thing you can do is give it all away. So many people are counting on marrying you and starting a business with you!"

Zhang Zhe directly told his older brother the answer for the current Chinese server version:

"The pure pay-to-win gameplay is outdated."

"We are now in an era of cooperation and win-win results."

"You'd better find a partner who can work with you to make your family, or even your family business, better. Together, you can increase income and reduce expenses, and make your life better and better."

"The kind of wedding that costs millions is too expensive to maintain. The car will break down and need to be replaced, right? The house will get old and need to be replaced, right? If she has no income, you will have to support her, right? It's no wonder they break up after a while."

(End of this chapter)