Chapter 449

"A grown daughter brings a dowry of gold bricks; if they marry our Huaihua, Shazhu would be happily waiting, yet he still has the nerve to refuse, refusing over something as trivial as an eggplant." Jia Zhangshi countered Qin Huairu, "I'm not angry at all."

"You still say you're not angry? You're not angry, yet you can say such a thing?"

Qin Huairu looked at Jia Zhangshi, truly feeling she was having a hysterical fit, wishing for good things in broad daylight.

Regarding Shazhu's relationship with Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi.

They're almost becoming enemies.

A few days ago Jia Zhangshi had another argument with Shazhu, complaining that he hadn't lent money to the Jia Family nor lent them the house, and Shazhu slapped her several times.

Just got beaten.

Then immediately rushed to become in-laws with someone else.

Who would believe that?

"Our relationship, your relationship with Shazhu—you're not unaware—Shazhu avoids us at sight; how could he rush to become in-laws?"

"Huairu, you're still young, inexperienced." Jia Zhangshi repeated her idea, "I say this naturally because I have my reasons."

Qin Huairu shook her head, wearing an expression of disbelief.

"Mom, I still think your idea isn't very reliable; Shazhu will definitely not agree. How old is Weiguo? How old is Huaihua? They differ by several years. These years, Shazhu and his wife have forbidden their kids from interacting with ours."

"The other neighbors' kids in the courtyard still play with our Jia Family's kids." Jia Zhangshi whispered, "We have no choice; we can't just watch our house be taken away."

"I'm also worried about the house, but spending a thousand to marry our Huaihua and adding a room—that's a lot of money; could Shazhu agree? That's about two years of his salary."

Huaihua is Qin Huairu's biological child.

Of course she dotes on her.

Naturally she hopes she marries into a good family.

If Jia Zhangshi could really make this match, Qin Huairu wouldn't object; she knows the Shazhu family's circumstances—they're well off.

Marrying Weiguo, Huaihua won't suffer.

The question is whether Shazhu is willing to spend two thousand to marry Huaihua as his daughter-in-law?

Qin Huairu is very doubtful.

But without spending a penny, letting Shazhu get a daughter-in-law for free, Qin Huairu wouldn't be happy; her painstakingly raised daughter would just be taken away.

Pure nonsense.

"I think Shazhu won't agree."

"Whether he agrees or not, we should give it a try; trying won't cost us anything, and it might just work."

Hearing Jia Zhangshi say that.

Qin Huairu was somewhat persuaded.

Anyway, girls grow up and must marry.

And it's not a deadly feud with Shazhu.

There's no conflict that can't be resolved.

If things went as Jia Zhangshi imagined and they became in-laws with Shazhu, for the current Jia Family it would be truly wonderful news.

But this is just Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu's wishful thinking.

Shazhu would never agree; seeing Jia Zhangshi appear before him, he was slightly startled—how had Jia Zhangshi become an indestructible cockroach?

Could she be coming again to cause a scene at him?

Shazhu instinctively moved his wrist.

Jia Zhangshi recalled how Shazhu first flexed his wrist then slapped her, and a flicker of fear crossed her face.

"Shazhu."

"This time, how do you want to get slapped again?"

"Shazhu, look at what you're saying—what, you want to get slapped again? You're treating me, an old foolish woman, as if I'm begging for a beating." Jia Zhangshi, rare in adopting a kind elder's demeanor, said shamelessly to Shazhu: "I mean nothing else; I just want to have a good talk with you, to chat, and wipe out the grudge between our two families."

Qin Huairu hiding in the Jia Family.

Listening to Jia Zhangshi's words.

Racking her brains, she recalled the bits and pieces of history between the Jia Family and Shazhu, seeing how the two families became enemies.

The more she thought, the more confused she became.

Qin Huairu suddenly realized that the Jia Family and Shazhu actually had no grudge.

Everything started because of Shazhu.

It seems that since Qin Huairu moved into the Siheyuan, Shazhu has tried to stay as far away from the Jia Family and Qin Huairu as possible.

The lifelong estrangement began with Shazhu.

Qin Huairu couldn't understand why it was like that.

Could it be a grudge from a past life?

In fact.

It really is so.

Shazhu's resentment toward the Jia Family and Qin Huairu really is those grudges from a past life, except Qin Huairu is unaware.

Outside the courtyard.

Jia Zhangshi continued her ideological work on Shazhu.

"Shazhu, this old woman wants to reconcile with you; from now on, our two families will become one."

"Jia Granny, wait a moment before speaking; I want to ask, what does 'becoming one family' mean?" Shazhu countered Jia Zhangshi, "It wouldn't have anything to do with my son, would it?"

Shazhu, who has lived two lives.

He is all too aware of the Jia Family's greed.

Every one of them is the type who won't get up early unless there's profit.

Even after taking a few slaps, he still rushes up to curry favor.

It is clear that the value of this benefit far outweighs the pain of a few slaps.

"Shazhu, this matter really turned out as you said." Jia Zhangshi looked at Shazhu, speaking word by word: "I, the old lady, just want to arrange a marriage for your son."

"Granny Jia, you're crazy, but I'm not—my son is only thirteen this year; what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Shazhu, I, the old lady, am not farting—I'm speaking the truth. I feel that our two families have lived in the same siheyuan for years, which is a kind of fate, so I thought we could become even more closely related by marriage. I want to match Huaihua with Wei Guo as his wife."

To facilitate this marriage.

Jia Zhangshi insincerely praised Wei Guo's various excellences.

"Wei Guo, this child—I've watched him grow up since he was little; he's truly a well-known good kid, polite, caring for his younger siblings. Our Huaihua is three or four years older than Wei Guo, and as the old saying goes, an older woman knows how to cherish others. You've seen Huaihua's looks—she's young yet already blossoming lovely. If Huaihua marries Wei Guo, I, the old lady, will be at ease, and Huairu will be too; though they're still too young to wed, they can first get engaged."

Having come to this point in the conversation.

How could Shazhu fail to see what Jia Zhangshi is scheming?

Under the banner of discussing marriage.

Engaging in the business of selling sons and daughters.

Indeed, typical of the Jia family.

They do no good deeds.

Yet they grab wicked deeds by the handful.

They deliberately pick out the things Jia Zhangshi doesn't want to hear and say them.

"Aunt Jia, Huaihua is a child you and Qin Huairu raised with great effort; I'll give her to our Wei Guo without asking for a single betrothal gift. Although this new society discourages child engagements, out of respect for you, Aunt Jia, I'll go ahead and take care of this marriage."

I had just finished saying the word "I", and the two characters "agree" were still turning in Shazhu's mouth when Jia Zhangshi, sensing something amiss, hastily cut him off.

Jia Zhangshi's ears aren't deaf; hearing Shazhu's words about not wanting a single betrothal gift, she instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

What good thing could she be thinking of?

Still not wanting even a single one.

I scoff.

Only then did Jia Zhangshi realize why Shazhu had been speaking so agreeably and at length with her—he was just spouting nonsense—and she became even more willing to go along with her matchmaking suggestion.

It turned out he was planning to take Huaihua as a wife without any betrothal gift.

Qin Huairu raised Huaihua from a foot tall to over a meter, spending who knows how much money and grain, and you, with just one sentence about taking her for free, really know how to scheme.

Take Huaihua as a wife without betrothal.

Can the Jia family still hold onto their house?

Bangeng has returned—what will he use to kick out the widow and marry a young maiden?

Some say, why doesn't Jia Zhangshi just go along with this marriage? Although no betrothal gift is given, there's no rule that Huaihua can't subsidize the Jia family after marriage.

It's not that Jia Zhangshi hasn't thought of this.

Rather, Jia Zhangshi doesn't trust Huaihua; after Xiao Dang's betrayal, she trusts Huaihua even less—so much that even Qin Huairu and Jia Dongxu's daughter could abandon Jia Zhangshi to marry someone else, let alone Huaihua, an outsider with no blood ties to the Jia family.

If Xiao Dang is considered an outsider, then Huaihua is a stranger even more alien than an outsider.

Jia Zhangshi measures a gentleman's heart with her own petty mind, worrying that after Huaihua marries Wei Guo, she will ignore Jia Zhangshi and also pay no heed to Bangeng.

As for Qin Huairu, being Huaihua's mother, that bond is something Huaihua cannot abandon.

Based on the principle that she herself must not gain advantage and Qin Huairu must not profit, Jia Zhangshi hurriedly cut off Shazhu's words, lest he continue and end up letting Huaihua truly marry Wei Guo for free.

"Shazhu, you kid, always joking with the aunt—daughters are parents' treasures; how could there be any sense in letting someone take a wife for free?" Jia Zhangshi used moral blackmail to coax Shazhu: "You're the canteen chief at the steel mill, the most capable person in our siheyuan; if you take our Huaihua without spending a penny, I, the old lady, would be willing, but outsiders wouldn't like it—they'd think you, Shazhu, are throwing your weight around and forcibly taking our Huaihua, which is unacceptable."

"So, you still want some payment?" Shazhu said in a businesslike tone, looking at Jia Zhangshi: "Just state your terms directly."

"Shazhu, I, the old lady, have set a condition—not that I'm making an exorbitant demand, but because your status differs from ours; you're now a leader at the steel mill."

Jia Zhangshi struck a pose as if she had just presented her condition.

And she spoke in a tone as if she were considering Shazhu's best interests.

"To show how much you value our Huaihua and so she won't suffer after marrying in, I, the old lady, think this way—I don't want much, just give me one thousand yuan as betrothal money."

Jia Zhangshi raised a single finger.

I truly don't know who gave Jia Zhangshi the courage to speak so recklessly—demanding one thousand yuan, which would require the siheyuan's neighbors to save up their salaries for twenty-four or twenty-five months without eating or drinking.

At this time and age.

The family that asks for the highest betrothal gift.

At most, it's only three or four hundred yuan—about four or five months' wages for a person.

Jia Zhangshi outright demanded one thousand yuan.

Really daring to speak up.

One after another, the sound of people sucking in cold breath could be heard.

Everyone was frightened.

They had thought it would be just one thousand yuan.

As it turned out, after Jia Zhangshi threw out the one-thousand-yuan betrothal gift, she then brought up a demand for a house.

"Bangeng will be back soon, and the Jia family has only one room; although I'm Bangeng's grandmother and Huairu is his mother, sharing a room with him is very inconvenient. You've just bought several people's houses, haven't you? The old lady thinks this way."

"Anyway, leaving the house vacant is wasteful; once Huaihua marries Wei Guo, the Jia and He families will become one, and one family doesn't speak of two houses—so give this room to our Bangeng so he can marry; I think Yi Zhonghai's house is fine, with an extra small suite where Bangeng's future children could live—you can't possibly let Wei Guo's elder brother go without a house to get married, can you?"

"If you give the house to our Jia family, outsiders will surely praise you, Shazhu, as a good person; with that reputation, you might even become the factory director of the steel mill."

"Shazhu, do you think what the old lady says makes sense or not?"

Jia Zhangshi gazed eagerly at Shazhu.

She considered herself to have performed beyond her usual level.

These words.

Even Jia Zhangshi herself was moved.

Facing Jia Zhangshi's eager gaze, Shazhu chuckled, then shook his head.

When idle, teasing Laoqianpo isn't bad.

"Shazhu, what do you mean?"

"It's nothing, I just feel this business isn't easy to run and would lose money." Shazhu's expression was very serious: "Only a fool would run a losing business."

"Shazhu, your idea is wrong—how can this be a business? It's about two families becoming one."

"A thousand dollars in betrothal gifts, plus two houses—what else is this if not a business?" Shazhu pointed at the onlookers around him, "Everyone's here; ask them—whose family pays a thousand dollars as betrothal gifts when taking a wife?"

Anytime.

There's never a shortage of people flattering others.

Shazhu is now the only leader in the Siheyuan, and the neighbors all hope he can help them solve their children's job problems.

This opportunity.

In the neighbors' eyes.

That is, it's an opportunity to rush to get closer to Shazhu.

Each one pulled out all the stops.

They chimed in.

"Jia Zhangshi, what Master He said makes sense—even if you married a heavenly fairy, there's no reason to demand a thousand dollars in betrothal gifts, and asking for two houses is simply outrageous."

"When Dong Yong married the Seven Fairies he didn't spend a penny—can your Huaihua really be more precious than the Seven Fairies? Asking for a thousand dollars, Jia Zhangshi, you're just selling your granddaughter."

"You've forgotten the lesson from Xiao Dang's experience—if you hadn't insisted on giving Xiao Dang a man over ten years older despite her feelings, she wouldn't have had to go to the countryside alone; you're forcing Huaihua to become another Xiao Dang."

"What does Huaihua have to do with you, Jia Zhangshi? Why should you be the one to decide her match?"

Not a few elderly people.

Only then did they remember.

Huaihua's father.

Is Yi Zhonghai.

Her mother is Qin Huairu.

She has no relation to Jia Zhangshi whatsoever.

"It's the Yi family's child—what right do you, a Jia, have to make decisions for them? Qin Huairu coming to Shazhu with demands would be about the same."

"Even if Qin Huairu came, she couldn't ask Shazhu for a thousand dollars in betrothal money."

"Jia Zhangshi, you've gone too far."

"Aunt Jia, you heard what the neighbors said—it's not that I disagree, but you're being too harsh; I think you'd be better off putting that energy into figuring out how to raise money to save your Jia family's house, otherwise you might end up without even a doghouse, scattered and ruined."