After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 67 Su Tai's Wedding
Chunhua's eyes reddened slightly, and she silently shed a tear, smiling through her sobs as she said, "I know what you're thinking, but I'm already eighteen. Next year I'll be an old maid. Even if I get married, what kind of good man can I marry?"

Moreover, we have no parents, no relatives or elders, so even if we marry into a husband's family, we may not be able to have a good life.

Although the Ke family lived in the icy plains and their conditions were somewhat harsh, Aunt Han told me that they were all honest, kind, and good-natured people. She also said that it wasn't easy for them to find a wife in their area, and that families who did find wives would only pamper them and not mistreat them, so they seemed like a good family.

Most importantly, they're willing to give me ten taels of silver to marry me. With that ten taels, I won't have to worry about food this winter. Next year, you can work hard for another year, and after the autumn harvest, you can get married.”

Chunhua shared her thoughts.

The three Ye brothers shook their heads, crying, and refused to agree no matter what.

Xia Hua, who hadn't said a word, remained calm. "Why are you crying! Miss Su is getting married tomorrow. You'll come with me to Aunt Han's house to meet her and ask her more carefully. If it's really as Aunt Han says, it's not that she can't marry. If you can't bear to part with your eldest sister, I'll just marry her!"

Chunhua and her three siblings were stunned by Xia Hua's words.

Ye An became anxious, "Second sister, we can't bear to part with you either."

"Why are you talking so much nonsense? If it weren't for this family, my older sister and I would have gotten married long ago." Xia Hua turned her face away so they wouldn't see the tears on her face.

The next day, before dawn, Su Tai was dragged out of bed by Han Shi.

Since Su Yu was pregnant and couldn't come over, she asked Su Yan to help Su Tai with her makeup and dressing up, and her mother-in-law also helped. Everything proceeded smoothly.

At this moment, the butcher delivered half a carcass of pork, and Huang also brought over three hundred eggs, all at Han's request.

Tao and the others, along with Su Nizi, were helping to make steamed buns and dumplings in the kitchen.

The entire Su family was bustling with activity, with people coming and going.

Chunhua brought her younger siblings over, first said a few auspicious words to Madam Han, and then Ruan Xiaoyu led them to the kitchen.

Tao noticed their surprised expressions at first, then suddenly realized what was going on. She assigned them the task of washing vegetables, and, as if afraid that Su Nizi wouldn't recognize them, she specially introduced them to her, saying, "The five siblings are surnamed Ye. They just settled down in our village this year. They are all good children who know how to be grateful."

Su Nizi's heart stirred, and she carefully examined Chunhua and Xiahua, praising them with a smile, "They are really beautiful."

"That's right! She's hardworking and sensible, but it's just that she's had a year of famine, so it's tough!" Tao shook her head, feeling a pang of regret.

After hesitating for a while, Su Nizi found a gap and went over to work with the five Ye siblings.

Speaking in a voice only they could hear, she said, "I am Xiaotai's aunt. My sister-in-law came to propose marriage to my son."

The five Ye siblings were taken aback by Su Ni's bluntness and were momentarily at a loss for words.

Su Nizi was a little embarrassed, scratched her head sheepishly, and said, "Our home is in the Ice Plains, and our food and clothing are definitely not as good as here. We only eat two meals a day."

In the morning, we would boil a pot of goat milk and add milk shortbread. In the evening, we would eat goat milk mixed noodles.

Every day, the men would go out to herd the sheep and bring them back in the evening. The women's job was simply to tidy the house, wash clothes, clean, and if they had nothing else to do, they'd sew.

Ye An opened her eyes wide and asked, "Isn't it very cold on the ice field? Is the water especially cold?"

Su Nizi nodded without hiding anything, "The rivers on the ice field all come down from glaciers, so they must be cold. That's why we choose to do our laundry when the weather is good and the sun is strong. We probably only do it once every three to five days, instead of every day."

If the weather looks bad, we'll store hay for the sheep. At this time, the women also need to help, because we graze wherever the grass is lush, and moving is a common occurrence.

However, this is also because we are too poor. This year, the sheep sold for a good price. The husband said he wants to buy a piece of land in town and build a house so that the wife can live in town even if she doesn't want to move to a far place.

"You wouldn't believe it, there are towns on the ice plains, but not many, only one every few hundred miles. Only well-off families can afford to stay in a town. I used to only envy them, but I never thought my family would have such a day!" The five Ye siblings were inexplicably happy to see Su Nizi's expectant face.

Xia Hua then asked, "Does it cost a lot of money to buy land and build a house in town?"

Su Ni hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "There are few people in the Ice Plains. Building a house like my brother's would cost about forty taels of silver, but ordinary families can't even save two taels of silver a year. Forty taels is simply unthinkable."

This year, thanks to the village, the village chief told my wife today that every year they should find out which families in the village want to buy sheep, and then have my brother go and talk to them. When we bring the sheep back, we can earn some money.

I don't need to expect anything like this year; I'd be content with just a few dozen taels.

As they were talking, Ke Zhengping and Ke Zhengliang appeared at the kitchen door and called out to Su Nizi, "Mom, your uncle wants you to come over and meet some relatives."

Su Nizi quickly put down her work, said something to the five Ye siblings, and ran away.

In just a short while, Ye Chunhua and the others got a glimpse of what the Ke brothers looked like.

Xia Hua said, "She looks alright, not too bad."

Xia Hua's youngest brother whispered, "I heard that the Ke family's youngest daughter is exceptionally beautiful. If the younger sister is pretty, the older brother must be quite handsome too."

"That's true," Xia Hua muttered, then looked at Chun Hua, "Sister, what do you think of this place?"

Chunhua did not answer on the spot, but said only, "I'll talk about it when we get home."

Around noon, the wedding procession arrived.

Shen Yi sat on the donkey, looking quite pleased with himself.

Amidst the jeers of the villagers, he strode into the backyard.

Soon, Su Tai was carried out. After bidding farewell to her parents and brothers, she was helped into the bridal sedan chair.

The bridal sedan chair was a large sedan chair carried by eight people specially hired by Shen Yi, and this spectacle was enough to make the villagers talk about it with great interest.

After the people who were to be married left.

Some village women then gathered around Han and asked, "Little Tai's mother, how much dowry did the Shen family give Little Tai?"

Han held up two fingers.

Everyone instinctively guessed, "Two ounces?"

Han shook her head.

The other party gasped instantly, "It can't be twenty taels, can it?! Shen Yi is too generous!"

Huang sneered from the side, "What's so special about this? You're all only thinking about how much betrothal gift Shen Yi gave Xiaotai, but why don't you think about how much dowry Xiaotai brought? An ox, a pair of sheep, a lot of furniture, quilts, jewelry, and money—all of this adds up to more than twenty taels!"

Upon hearing this, everyone realized it was true, and instantly stopped envying the Han family and began to envy Shen Yi instead.

Han Shi chuckled to herself. In fact, Shen Yi had given her a dowry of two hundred taels of silver, but she dared not say so, fearing it would arouse jealousy from those with ulterior motives. So she remained silent and let everyone guess.

(End of this chapter)