Beijing. The Li Family Courtyard!
By the time they returned home after dinner, it was already 7:30 p.m.
The children had been on the go for so long that they were all exhausted; they’d been yawning nonstop during the meal at the restaurant, and even Yun Rui and Yun Jin—who were usually quite well-behaved—had thrown a brief tantrum.
Realizing the children were tired, Jiang Xue went to the main room to put them to bed as soon as they got home.
Li Yi was just about to head to his study to sort through the items he’d brought back from Hong Kong—mainly the gifts. He needed to separate those intended for his immediate family from those for relatives and friends, and get them delivered to everyone as soon as possible.
Once his third sister’s wedding was over, he planned to take his parents and his wife and children back to their hometown—after all, the Lunar New Year was just two weeks away.
That’s right—this year, Li Yi planned to spend the Lunar New Year back in his hometown!
For one thing, his parents weren’t used to living in Beijing, and for another, he wanted to visit his hometown himself.
But just then, he saw his mother push open the door and walk in from outside.
Seeing Jiang Xue lying on the kang, holding the child as she slept, she immediately beckoned to Li Yi, signaling for him to come out.
Li Yi threw on a thick coat and then went into the main room.
“Mom, what’s up?”
“If you’re not busy, come with me to the side room. I need to discuss something with you,” Zhang Yuehong said.
“Sure!”
Li Yi then opened the door and followed his mother to the west side room.
But the moment he pushed open the door to the west side room and saw the scene inside, he was instantly stunned.
The large wooden bed in the west side room was piled high with all sorts of items.
In addition to bed sheets and pillowcases, toothbrushes and toothpaste cups, there were towels, soap, slippers, and even bowls, chopsticks, and wooden trunks.
Moreover, everything was red. With so many festive items piled together, the scene was quite a sight.
Most importantly, his second older sister, Li Lan, was still pulling things out of a burlap sack. Before long, the bed was completely covered, and even the few chairs were piled high.
“Mom, Second Sister, what are you two doing?”
Zhang Yuehong stepped forward to help as she said, “Your second sister and I are putting together Nana’s dowry. We’re just a bit undecided about a few things and wanted to ask your opinion!”
“What exactly are you two undecided about?”
As he spoke, Li Yi’s gaze drifted to the items on the bed; he too wanted to see what dowry his mother had prepared for his third sister.
After taking a look, Li Yi felt somewhat disappointed.
Although there were quite a few items on the bed, the most valuable were likely those four red wooden chests; the rest were just ordinary household items of little value.
Just then, his mother’s voice rang out: “It’s this dowry money—your second sister and I just can’t decide how much to put in!”
Hearing this, Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “Just put in as much as you want—as long as it’s not too meager, right?”
According to the customs of North Sai Province, when a daughter gets married, her family is expected to prepare several trunks, regardless of whether they provide a dowry.
Those with limited means usually prepare two, while those with more resources might prepare four or eight—in any case, the number must be even.
Inside the trunks, besides her daily clothes and the outfit for her post-wedding visit to her parents’ home, there must also be “trunk money.”
This “chest money” is private spending money given to the daughter by her parents; the exact amount depends on their financial situation—tens or hundreds of yuan is considered generous, while even a few yuan is appreciated.
In Nianzishan Village, villagers usually put in 6.60 or 8.80 yuan; those with more means might put in 88 or 188 yuan, but very few give more than 100 yuan.
“I was actually planning to put in 888 yuan, but then I thought it might not be quite appropriate!” Zhang Yuehong said.
“Mom, what’s wrong with that?” Li Yi asked, puzzled.
Zhang Yuehong explained immediately, “The dowry is usually based on the groom’s betrothal gift. Xiaolong was quite sincere—he gave Nana 666 yuan as a betrothal gift. Logically, our dowry should either be 666 yuan or double that amount!”
“But when they were furnishing their new home, I bought them over 5,000 yuan worth of furniture and appliances. And while the bedding isn’t worth much, it still cost four or five hundred yuan. If we add another 888 yuan to the money we’re saving for her dowry, the total would likely exceed 6,000 yuan—that’s ten times the betrothal gift!”
“Six thousand it is, then. Our family isn’t short on that kind of money. If you and Dad don’t have enough…”
Before Li Yi could finish, his second older sister, Li Lan, cut in: “It’s not that Mother is being stingy—it’s that she’s afraid of what people might say!”
“Uh, what kind of gossip?”
“You know as well as I do that only girls who can’t find a husband give the groom such a large dowry. If we give a dowry ten times the bride price, people will inevitably say that Nana is paying out of her own pocket to get married!”
Then Second Sister continued, “That’s the least of it. Anyway, we’re strangers here and don’t care what others say, but I’m worried your brother-in-law might read too much into it!”
“Second Sister, are you worried about hurting Third Brother-in-Law’s pride?” Li Yi asked.
“Exactly. You know what kind of person he is. He used to be in the military—he’s got a lot of pride. Mom’s worried that giving ten times the dowry might make him feel uncomfortable!” Li Lan said.
Li Yi smiled and said, “Mom, Second Sister, you’re overthinking it. Dalong may be a bit of a chauvinist, but he can still tell right from wrong!”
Li Yi knew Long Zhanjun’s character all too well. He was sharp-witted and had a keen insight into people’s hearts; he could tell who was genuinely looking out for him.
Besides, Long Zhanjun had some understanding of his family’s situation. Given the Li family’s current assets, offering 888 yuan—let alone 88,000—would be perfectly normal.
“Are you sure it’s okay?” Zhang Yuehong asked in a low voice.
“It’s fine. You could even put in a little more and it’d be just fine!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“888 is already quite a lot. If it’s really no problem, then Xiao Lan and I will start packing!” Zhang Yuehong said.
“Wait a moment!”
With that, Li Yi turned and left the west wing.
When he returned, he was holding several boxes.
Li Yi then handed one of the boxes to his mother and said, “Mom, put this in too. It’s a gift I prepared for Third Sister—it counts as part of her dowry!”
Zhang Yuehong took the box and remarked, “This box is quite pretty. What’s inside?”
“Jewelry!”
“What kind of jewelry? It feels pretty heavy.”
“Gold!”
Hearing this, both his mother and second sister froze, then stared intently at the jewelry box in front of them.
Li Yi, unaware of their thoughts, immediately said, “If you want to see it, just open it. We’re all family—there’s nothing to be shy about!”
Before his mother could react, his second older sister opened the jewelry box. The moment the exquisite rosewood box swung open, both women were stunned by the gleaming gold inside.
Inside the half-foot-square box lay two gold bracelets, a pair of gold earrings, a gold ring, two gold necklaces—one thick and one thin—and two gold ingots the size of a thumb.
My goodness, so much gold—at least a pound, no less!
“Xiao Yi, is… is this really for Nana?” his mother asked, her voice faltering slightly.
“Yes!”
“Does Xiao Xue know about this? I know you’re close to Nana, but you can’t do this behind Xiao Xue’s back…”
Before his mother could finish, Li Yi smiled and said, “Mom, this is what Xiao Xue picked out for my third sister!”
“Really?”
“Yep, and it’s not just for my third sister. Xiaoxue has also prepared a set for you, as well as for my eldest and second sisters!” Li Yi said.
“We have some too?” Second Sister asked in surprise.
“That’s right!”
With that, Li Yi handed the other two jewelry boxes to his mother and second sister.
Zhang Yuehong took the jewelry box Li Yi handed her with trembling hands, then opened it carefully.
Inside, they were filled with gold jewelry, gleaming so brightly it was almost blinding.
However, compared to Li Na’s set, every piece of jewelry in this box seemed a bit heavier, more suitable for the elderly to wear.
At that moment, Li Lan also opened her box. Hers was quite similar to Li Na’s, except that the two small gold ingots were gone, replaced by two small gold locks meant for children—clearly intended for the family’s little ones.
Looking at the priceless jewelry before them, Zhang Yuehong and Li Lan were both thrilled and deeply moved.
For a moment, the entire west wing fell into an unusual silence…
……..