Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 11849

Erxi said, "What our mother said makes a lot of sense. This is not a high branch. As the saying goes, a slap can separate you from another layer."

"Yang Ruoqing was able to take care of the second branch of the family entirely because she and Yang Yongjin of the second branch were cousins. As the next generation grew up, the relationship gradually faded away."

"As for the third branch, although Da'an is the governor, he doesn't take care of the Yang family at all. Unless someone in the Yang family also studies and takes the imperial examination, they might be able to help and support each other. But for our Sixi, he's just a farmer. Da'an can't give Sixi an official position. If he were to be sent to the yamen to guard the gate or sweep the floor... to be honest, it's really better to stay in the hometown and farm. He doesn't have to travel so far to serve others and be bossed around."

Erxi said this, and Erxi's wife nodded repeatedly, "Being driven by others is being inferior. If we work at home, at least the family can be together and reunite."

Sixi's mother said, "What you two said really resonated with me. Sixi is the most honest of all. It's better for an honest boy like him not to go and marry into the Yang family. If he does, he'll be looked down upon as a son-in-law or grandson-in-law."

“Mother, second brother, you can’t say things like that.” As the eldest brother in the family, Da Xi also expressed his opinion on his fourth brother’s matter.

"Although the second branch of the family is not the most powerful or influential branch in the Yang family, and they rely on the third branch and Yang Ruoqing for support, have you ever thought about how generous Xiu Hong's dowry would be if the fourth brother were to marry her?"

"Although Yang Yongjin himself is just a manager acting under Yang Ruoqing's name, it's true that people follow the social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, but Yang Yongjin has made money!"

"Let's not talk about the eighteen loads of dowry that Xiuxiu brought when she got married a few years ago. We just heard that this time, when Xiuxiu came of age, all of Old Yang's relatives and friends came to give gifts."

"Yang Yongjin said that he had prepared a dowry for his second daughter, and that he would treat them equally. He said that whatever size Xiuxiu had made, Xiuhong would also be prepared according to the list."

"Just think about it, if our fourth brother marries Xiu Hong, the amount of gold and silver jewelry and money he keeps hidden away, besides the dowry, could easily reach that level!"

Overjoyed, he held up three fingers.

Erxi's wife asked, "Brother, three taels of silver?"

Da Xi's wife rolled her eyes at Er Xi's wife with the same look she'd given a country bumpkin, "Second sister-in-law, you really are from the mountains, I never even dared to dream of that! Thirty taels!"

What? Thirty taels of silver hidden at the bottom of the chest?
Erxi's wife was truly frightened, to the point that she temporarily ignored her sister-in-law's sarcastic remark that she was a country bumpkin...

Thirty taels of silver! What kind of concept is that? Thirty taels of silver, in the mountains, could have been used by her parents to help her two older brothers and three younger brothers get married. They wouldn't have had to sell their sisters off to others to save up for their dowries...

If I had thirty taels of silver in my own hands, I wouldn't have to work for the rest of my life. I could just sit back and live off my savings. At worst, I wouldn't be too extravagant.

With these thirty taels of silver, she no longer needed to worry about her in-laws' attitudes and could live however she wanted.

"Father, Mother, think about it. If we let Fourth Brother marry Xiu Hong, our family will rise up too. With this money, we can tear down this house, open up the foundation at the back, and build a courtyard two or three times bigger than this one. There will be a large courtyard with smaller courtyards inside. We four brothers will each have our own small courtyards when closed, but when we open them, we'll be one big family. Because we're related to the Yang family, who in Changping Village will dare to bully us? When we flood the rice paddies during the busy farming season, who will dare to steal our firewood? Who will dare to steal the firewood you've left to dry at the foot of the mountain?"

Apart from Sixi's mother, the rest of the family were somewhat tempted by Erxi's analysis.

Even Erxi and his wife remained silent. Although Erxi's wife knew that if Xiuhong brought such a generous dowry, she would definitely have the highest status in the family, as long as the family didn't split up, her fourth brother's wife's dowry would have to be used to support the family. When building a new house, her second branch of the family would also benefit.

Only Sanxi frowned at the faces of the crowd and muttered, "All of you are only after money and other girls' dowries. Has none of you ever thought about Fourth Brother's lifelong happiness?"

Erxi glared at Sanxi: "It doesn't matter who you marry, right? Once the lights are out and it's pitch black in the bed, all the goddesses look the same! You're just being dramatic!"

As soon as Erxi said this, two people blushed.

One is Erxi's wife, and the other is Sanxi himself.

However, the reasons for their blushing were quite different. Erxi's wife was embarrassed because, among the three wives in the family, she was the only one who had entered the family through a process of half-marriage and half-sale.

The eldest sister-in-law and the third sister-in-law both brought their dowries with them. Although their dowries weren't particularly large, they were at least within the standard for a rural family to marry off their daughter.

Although the eldest sister-in-law was not very good-looking, the eldest brother did not dare to bully her because she was his mother's niece, and marrying her would be a double blessing.

My third brother's wife's family is from Lijia Village, which is close by. It is said that my third brother took a liking to his wife and his wife at first sight and begged his family to propose marriage. The young couple has a good relationship.

She was the only one who had no emotional foundation with Erxi, nor was she related by marriage, and she didn't have a dowry to back her up.

Erxi's wife blushed. At the same time, she felt her two sisters-in-law glancing at her with ill intent. The meaning was self-evident, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She was very angry that Erxi had said such things in public. He really didn't consider her feelings at all.

But I had no other choice.

The other person whose face turned red was Sanxi.

However, the reason why Sanxi's face turned red was quite straightforward: anger.

"Second brother, you can't say that. You can't sleep under the same quilt for two different people. You marry a wife to live with you, to have children, to deal with the daily necessities. It's a lifelong commitment, how can you be so casual about it?"

"Besides, Fourth Brother has already eloped with Xiu Hong, which shows how determined he is to marry her!"

"We're all family, why insist on stopping us like this? Why not grant our fourth brother's wish? It wouldn't be good if things escalated to the point of family separation!"

“What Third Brother said… makes sense, Father, Mother, why don’t you think about it again?” Da Xi was somewhat persuaded by San Xi, and his tone changed.

Si Xi's father continued smoking his pipe, his brow furrowed, and remained silent.

Sixi's mother spat on the ground and said, "That brat was bewitched by that girl Xiuhong. What's so good about eloping with her? He broke his leg before he even left Mianniu Mountain. That damned girl is a jinx! She's no good for her husband!"