Traveling to Daliang Kingdom starts from falling into the water

The Gu family's old house is bustling with activity. Gu Erniu is about to get married, and the red lanterns at the gate and the red paper pasted in the courtyard create a festive atmosphere.

Although it was their daughter getting married, not a son getting a new wife, Gu Yangwen and Xiao Tianshi did not skimp on the wedding and still prepared a feast for eight tables.

These days, few families in the village go to such lengths to hold a dowry feast for their daughters; most only prepare two tables on the wedding day itself.

This banquet only included four cold dishes and six hot dishes, symbolizing perfection. They even specially hired someone to stir-fry the food beforehand, which shows how much thought they put into it.

Therefore, although many people came to add to the dowry, the eldest son's family offered to invite them to stay for a meal, but only the relatives in the family did not stand on ceremony with them, and some who were not close to them did not stay for long.

When the three Gu brothers arrived with their wives, children, and grandchildren, the families of Gu Da Gu and Gu Xiao Gu, as well as the maternal relatives of the four women, including Xiao Tian Shi and her mother-in-law, were still there.

There seemed to be a lot of food at eight tables, but everyone brought their families to celebrate, so there wasn't enough room for everyone. They had to make do, and Aunt Gu, for example, went to the backyard to lend a hand.

As with previous feasts, the stove was set up in the backyard. Those with good judgment, like Liu, would not follow her eldest sister-in-law to the backyard, but would take her daughter-in-law to Erniu's boudoir.

To be honest, she didn't dislike her husband's niece that much; at least when the two sisters-in-law fought, the niece wouldn't take sides.

But to say she had a particularly good impression of her, there wasn't really. Unlike Da Niu and San Niu, who would secretly lend a hand to her mother when she had a falling out with them.

Therefore, the dowry she gave to her husband's niece was the same on the surface: two silver pomegranate-flower hairpins and two pieces of silk fabric.

Women have it tough, and wishing their child a prosperous future and many descendants is a way for the couple, as the second uncle and aunt, to express their heartfelt wishes.

After her two daughters-in-law followed her and her two younger siblings-in-law and added to their dowry according to custom, she originally intended to take her leave, citing that she still had two young grandsons at home.

Unexpectedly, she was grabbed by the four female relatives of the eldest daughter-in-law and her husband's family, who said that once they sat down at the table, even her two daughters-in-law couldn't leave.

Fortunately, the meal was over quickly, and the girl's aunt was probably preoccupied with how many dowry gifts her daughter had received, so she rarely showed up at her daughter's room.

With the children's aunt absent and the old lady keeping things in order, even the men's table didn't drink much. Everyone chatted and laughed as they dispersed.

"This was the most worry-free meal I had over there. Although there wasn't much meat, the fish wasn't big, and it was so crowded that we couldn't even stretch our arms, we still managed to get through it."

Don't doubt it, that's right, it was your wife, your mother's eldest daughter-in-law, who said those words! Liu glared at Gu Erlang, who turned to look at her, with amusement.

Gu Erlang smiled and said, "Uncle is concerned about appearances. He wouldn't show his true intentions in front of his in-laws today. Our uncle doesn't tolerate him like that anymore."

"And then there's Dalang. He used to be envious of Liulang, but what's there to be envious of now? His stubbornness is useless; why bother competing with Liulang?"

"Aren't they afraid that Liu Lang won't go anywhere the day after tomorrow?" Ma Shan didn't quite believe her husband's words. Her uncle guessed that Gu Dalang was probably thinking, "Does he think he'll admit defeat?"
Don't think she can't tell that the hairpin that Dalang and his wife added to Erniu's makeup wasn't real gold at all; it was a gilded bronze hairpin!

This is just another way of showing off that they are the eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law. Don't even think about surpassing anyone. Erniu isn't Baoya. What do you expect from her and Sanya?

It's hilarious! The eldest son's family even said that if they weren't short of money, with only three younger sisters-in-law, they would have bought each of them an extra pair of gold bracelets!

As if no one knows what real gold is, who wouldn't know what a gilded hairpin is, and what a real gold hairpin is? He only fooled Third Aunt, but Old Aunt laughed so hard! "No, Sixth Brother has something to do in the city the day after tomorrow, and they've all heard about it." Gu Erlang slowed down, letting his father and brother go ahead and wait for his mother and her entourage to approach.

"Regarding this matter, our master wanted to delay Liu Lang's arrival in the city by one day, but Grandfather told Liu Lang to just go ahead and attend to his own business, and to find time to meet the new son-in-law after Er Niu's return home."

"Grandpa knows how to handle things. He's not our new son-in-law, why bother meeting him—"

"You shouldn't speak ill of your elders." Gu Erlang interrupted his wife, both amused and exasperated. "You actually took those polite words seriously. What did I say about my mother-in-law also contributing to Erniu's dowry?"

The topic changed a bit too quickly. Ma Shan paused for a moment, then shook her head and laughed, "Even Da Niu got her dowry, so it wouldn't be good to leave Er Niu out. Third Uncle and Third Aunt got theirs too, right?"

Her next question was directed at Zhou Banxia: "Yes, they are indeed close relatives. My parents seem to have sent the housekeeper to deliver the gifts this morning."

You're so good at talking. What do you mean by "real relatives"? But if you're saying they're not real relatives, tsk, Sanya isn't wrong. Look, even Wulang's wife's own mother gave a gift.

"With so many close relatives like us, Erniu's dowry is quite substantial. I just wonder if her mother might have kept any of the gifts. Could that be?"

Who knows? The bride price only included five taels of silver, four wedding quilts, and furniture. Today, they've also prepared eight tables for the banquet. It's quite an expense.

The groom's family will surely hold a banquet for the wedding on the auspicious day the day after tomorrow. Including other miscellaneous expenses, they will not give the bride's dowry money. Five taels of silver will not last long.

No matter how much they care about appearances, or how much they want their daughter to compete with their older sister, their family's financial situation is what it is. They can't possibly take on more debt to ensure their daughter gets married in a grand manner when they are already in debt.

The man isn't an only son from a family of higher social standing, so it's hard to say whether he can use this as bait to lure a big fish. "It depends on how much the uncles and aunts love their daughter."

"Anyway, it won't be like our parents." Speaking of this, Ma Shan proudly raised her chin, "When I got married, my parents made me bring everything with me."

Upon hearing this, Gu Erlang exchanged a glance with Liu Shi, decisively abandoned his wife, and took a quick step forward without leaving a trace, walking to Liu Shi's side and saying that he was going to leave.

It's not enough to just talk about it; my wife will then go on to talk about what gifts her relatives gave her during the days leading up to her wedding, what gifts her clan members gave, and she still remembers clearly even a handkerchief.

"...There are too many old ones, mostly just furs. Of course, they're not good materials. I couldn't refuse them, because my parents were worried that my dowry would be too small."

I remember there were so many small leather bags, only the size of my palm. I was thinking that when I needed them later, I would go back to my parents' house to get different ones, but my parents scolded me for it.

My parents weren't as good as my third uncle and aunt. When you got married, they knew it wasn't right to give you all of it as your dowry at once, unlike my parents who made me take not even a blade of grass with me!

Look at how much you're shaking your head, isn't that good?
Zhou Banxia couldn't help but chuckle. It was hard to say whether her situation was different from Ma Shan's, but...
"It's because the elderly folks care about you. If it were someone else, they wouldn't pay attention to you, and you'd be better off without them."

"That's true, but I still think your third uncle loves you more. It's only because our parents are good that they're watching you; otherwise, they would have been under surveillance long ago—"

"Watch your step," Zhou Banxia said, tugging at Ma Shan. "Grandpa has been very kind to you. There's only San Niu left, and she'll probably be getting married soon too." (End of Chapter)