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Chapter 232: Chapter 232: Sky-high Bride Price
Hearing Lin Fengying heaving sighs, Si Chen furrowed his brows and asked, "What does Boyi want to do?" When it comes to matters of marriage, the opinion of the individuals involved should be considered.
Lin Fengying shared her dilemma: "Boyi likes Lijuan and does want to get married, but he doesn’t have the money to do so. I only have a little over two hundred yuan on me, which is not nearly enough." Her indirect message was that she hoped her elder son would willingly offer to help his younger brother.
Now that Tong Yao has opened a shop in Li City, she earns at least a thousand yuan a month. It’s also said that she has opened another shop in Kyoto, where the revenue should be even more than in Li City.
If her elder son was willing to help, Chen Jinlan’s demands wouldn’t appear all that significant.
Standing next to Si Chen, Tong Yao also picked up on Lin Fengying’s hint. She thought Si Chen would readily agree, but instead, he asked seriously, "What are their demands?"
"A betrothal gift of 101 yuan, symbolizing she’s ’one in a hundred’, as well as a sewing machine, wristwatch, and a bicycle." Lin Fengying pinched her lips together and uneasily continued, "Her family specifically requested a black and white television. It’s all my fault. If only I could take care of these things myself, Boyi wouldn’t have to worry so much about getting married."
Everything seemed reasonable until the black and white television was mentioned. So, this was Lin Fengying’s real predicament. At present, a black and white television costs about 500 yuan. It’s unheard of for any rural family to make such demanding conditions for a marriage. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
A sewing machine, wristwatch, and bicycle are already considered high-level betrothal gifts with two being the usual limit. The Zhang Family however, was asking for all three along with a hundred yuan and a black and white television. Were they treating Si Chen and Tong Yao like pigs for slaughter?
This was like some plot you’d see on television of fools being taken advantage of.
Chen Jinlan was clearly planning on taking advantage of the fact that Boyi was unable to meet these demands, expecting Si Chen and Tong Yao to cover the expenses. If they agreed to this unreasonable request, who knows what excessive demands she may request in the future.
Tong Yao’s face darkened immediately. If Si Chen dare agree to this, she would have a bone to pick with him. She refused to play the role of the naive and gullible fool.
It’s not that she wasn’t willing to help Boyi, but this kind of outrageous help was out of the question. No one was going to suck her dry, treating her like an easy mark.
Si Chen’s countenance grew grave as he listened to Lin Fengying. He had quickly grasped the situation and said curtly, "These demands are unreasonable."
Sensing that her elder son was resisting, Lin Fengying quickly added, "I know it’s unreasonable, but I’ve thought it through. We don’t have a house of our own, and it would cost at least a thousand yuan to build a three-room tile-roof house. Considering that, their demands don’t seem too excessive."
If her elder son was penniless, Lin Fengying wouldn’t push him. However, knowing how much the elder son’s shop made in a month, she believed it could help Boyi settle down with a wife. This would also show those who looked down on Boyi that not only could he take a wife, but provide an impressive betrothal gift too.
Also, though the gifts were for Zhang Lijuan, other than the hundred yuan betrothal money, everything else would be brought back for the young couple. It would not be a loss, all things considered.
Lin Fengying thought the elder son could help make up for Boyi’s lack of ability. It would improve the living standards of both families and bring face to her in the village -- a win-win situation.
However, only if her elder son agreed.
Lin Fengying’s considerations at this stage was somewhat self-centered, oblivious to the fact that her idea of a win-win was actually sacrificing her elder son’s interests. In her eyes, since her elder son was in a good financial position, with his monthly income, he should willingly offer to help Boyi with his marriage.
Recognizing the hidden intentions in Lin Fengying’s words, Si Chen pressed his lips together and said, "Don’t worry about it. I’ll call Boyi."
Upon hearing that he was going to call Boyi, Lin Fengying immediately became anxious, "Xiaochen, are you afraid that Yaoyao will disagree with helping Boyi? If you’re worried, I can talk to Yaoyao. We can consider this as borrowing money from you. In the future, I’ll pay you back with the money I get from selling grains."
A few days ago, Lin Fengying had discussed this with Boyi. But as soon as Boyi heard how many things Zhang Lijuan wanted, he immediately refused to discuss it further, declaring he could not afford such a wife. Upon learning her plans to ask his elder brother for help, he had strongly objected.
He argued that it was not his elder brother’s responsibility to shoulder the financial burden of his marriage.
Boyi was obstinate and Lin Fengying could not sway him. That’s why she attempted to discuss the issue first with her elder son. If he agreed, then Boyi would surely not raise any objections, since he had always listened to his elder brother.
However, upon hearing now that her elder son was about to discuss this with Boyi, Lin Fengying was anything but calm. Such a perfect daughter-in-law, whose character she knew like the back of her hand, how could they let her slip through their fingers?
"This has nothing to do with Yaoyao. It’s me who disagrees." Si Chen’s refusal was decisive, "Don’t worry about it. I will call Boyi and discuss it with him. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up."
Si Chen immediately ended the call without giving Lin Fengying another chance to speak.
Hearing Si Chen decisively refusing Lin Fengying’s unreasonable demand, Tong Yao let out a breath of relief, but she couldn’t help airing her grievances.
"Mom’s thinking is not right. Although I don’t mind helping Boyi get married -- we can afford to, after all -- Chen Jinlan is blatantly making outrageous demands. If we agree to this, she will definitely make even more unreasonable demands in the future. I don’t want to play the fool."
No matter how rich she was, she had earned that money through her own abilities. How she wanted to spend it was her decision alone. She certainly didn’t deserve to be left fuming over unnecessary expenditures. Though Tong Yao could sympathize with Lin Fengying’s worries about Boyi not having a wife, she couldn’t accept Lin Fengying targeting her elder son.
As for the black and white television, that was out of the question. The other items, however, were up for discussion.
Seeing Tong Yao with her cheeks puffed up, clearly infuriated by the situation, Si Chen lifted her hand and tousled her hair, reassuringly saying, "Don’t worry, I won’t agree to these unreasonable demands."
Seeing Si Chen taking her side, Tong Yao felt somewhat relieved. "You should call Boyi first to see what he thinks."
Si Chen nodded in agreement and dialed the shop. Boyi was packing up, getting ready to close. As he heard the phone ringing, he tensed up. Only Lin Fengying, Si Chen, and Tong Yao knew this number.
Worried that it might be Lin Fengying urging him again, he picked up the call reluctantly. Hearing Si Chen’s voice on the other end, his tension immediately eased. "Big brother."
"Hmm." Si Chen answered in a not overly warm tone, and went straight to the point. "I just called mom and heard about you and Lijuan. What do you think?"
Boyi hadn’t expected to be confronted with this right as he picked up the phone. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he believed he shouldn’t be bringing this trouble upon his elder brother at his age.
