Chapter 466: Betrothal Gifts and Dowry
Well, once the talk started, things got a whole lot simpler.
At first, the father-in-law, Zhang Quanzhi, was a bit awkward, calling Young Master Sang in a stuttering manner as if he was about to drop his tea.
But as Young Master Sang kept grinning and loudly agreeing, the father-in-law gradually relaxed.
Meanwhile, Mother Wei Fen finally mustered the courage to have a heart-to-heart chat with her daughter about the events of the past days.
Master Yu Xia was busy instructing the carriage driver to unload each piece of the betrothal gifts from the carriage.
Everyone was bustling around, and before they knew it, night had fallen.
That evening in the Zhang household’s kitchen.
“Little Ying,” Wei Fen said, her face turning red as she looked at a few bundles of green onions, some tofu, a bit of pickled vegetables, and dried meat. She cautiously asked, “Is this really all we have left? Your dad bought two chickens in the backyard, but it’s a bit… shabby, don’t you think?”
“Tell Young Master Sang not to feel looked down upon by our family. We don’t want him to take it to heart!”
“Come on, Mom!” Zhang Xiaoying rolled up her sleeves, half laughing and half annoyed, “Husband isn’t that picky!”
Wei Fen sighed, “I just don’t know what those celestial beings usually eat. I want to prepare something, but I have no idea what!”
“We usually eat just simple food like everyone else.”
Zhang Xiaoying’s beautiful eyes blinked lightly, her mind rippling with thoughts.
Young Master Sang was indeed very frugal.
That was a habit he had developed when he was just a little clerk.
Zhang Xiaoying still remembered when Young Master Sang was a lowly clerk in the Punishment Department, and she was just one of his maids.
Back then, he was a total workaholic, working overtime everywhere and taking on all kinds of tasks. He would give her almost all his pay to keep safe while barely spending a dime on himself.
Sometimes, feeling sorry for him working so hard, she would try to use her cooking skills, but when that flopped, she thought about buying decent meals from the tavern in town.
Young Master Sang would express gratitude while secretly cringing at how much the food cost.
…Only a husband who worries about meal money would be so stingy, Zhang Xiaoying chuckled to herself.
Watching her daughter’s rosy cheeks and smiling lips, Wei Fen felt an inexplicable sense of calm.
It seemed that her daughter really liked this husband.
Across the room, Young Master Sang was nervously discussing the wedding with his father-in-law.
“Should we have the wedding in Jingzhou or at our Demon Cult’s place?”
“Well, we don’t really mind. Just do what you young people want.”
Young Master Sang let out a sigh of relief, “Alright then, I’ll stick to our plan.”
Zhang Quanzhi’s face turned slightly red, and after a long pause, he finally managed to blurt out, “Uh, Young Sang…”
“I don’t know how much betrothal gift you plan on giving…”
Young Master Sang felt a jolt of panic and quickly pulled out a list of betrothal gifts from behind him.
…Actually, when he came here, Bai Ming had prepped three versions of the betrothal gift list for him.
One list was a luxury proposal—millions of spirit stones, thousands of acres of fertile land, numerous grand mansions, thousands of servants, and countless rare treasures.
The second was based on Earth’s customs—a set of three gold items, a hundred thousand spirit stones as compensation, plus a lavish house in a bustling part of Lingzhou.
And the last one was the standard for common folk.
A few nice pieces of gold and silver jewelry, jade artifacts, silk and satin fabrics, and some miscellaneous furniture and bedding.
Even for someone as frugal as Young Master Sang, he thought that the third option was too bare-bones and almost dismissed it.
But Bai Ming stubbornly insisted he bring it and advised him:
“Gauge what kind of people your in-laws are, and based on your judgment, choose which betrothal gift to present.”
“If they’re very welcoming, then go with the first list. It’s enough to make them comparable to some old famous cultivation families.”
“If they prefer simplicity and don’t want too much fuss, then use the second list. That will ensure they live comfortably for life.”
“If you really can’t tell, start with the third list, and if your father-in-law isn’t satisfied, you can always add more.”
However, now, sitting in front of his father-in-law, all Young Master Sang felt was anxiety; he couldn’t figure out which list his father-in-law would prefer.
Should he start with the third list, as Bai Ming suggested?
What if it turned out to be too shabby and upset his father-in-law?
Maybe he should just go for the most extravagant one? But would that scare his father-in-law?
In the end, he decided to trust Bai Ming, trembling hands as he handed over the third betrothal gift list.
Then he was surprised to find his father-in-law’s hands shaking too as he took the list.
…How much dowry should he prepare?
From the moment Zhang Quanzhi sat down, his mind had been wrestling with this issue.
After all, the other party was a high-ranking demon cultivator who clearly adored his daughter.
The betrothal gift expected from the other side was something a mere mortal like him could scarcely conceive.
Yet, despite preparing for his daughter’s dowry since before she was born, by now he had barely saved up just over a hundred taels of silver.
Would such a meager sum lead to an angry son-in-law who would regret the marriage?
According to their folk traditions, if the dowry was less than 50% of the betrothal gift, it would be seen as a disgrace, and the daughter would have a hard time holding her head high among the concubines.
Just thinking about how his inadequacy as a father might lead to his daughter facing ridicule among favored concubines made Zhang Quanzhi feel utterly disheartened.
Thus, when he received the betrothal gift list, he trembled with his whole body.
He dreaded seeing a long list of things he had never even heard of, treasures worth a billion times more than he could ever amass in his life.
However, once he understood the contents of the betrothal gift list, Zhang Quanzhi suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders; he let out a long breath and slumped back in his chair.
…This is affordable.
If it’s this betrothal gift, then they could absolutely manage the dowry.
Thank goodness. He looked at Young Master Sang with a bright smile.
Young Master Sang was left confused.
What happened? Why did his father-in-law suddenly look pleased?
“Uh, Father-in-law, these are just a draft. Just say the word and I’ll add more—”
“No, no, no! No adding, no adding!” Zhang Quanzhi quickly waved his hands, “This is enough! It’s more than sufficient! Even the wealthy families don’t offer more than this for concubines!”
“With this, we can grandly marry our Little Ying!”
Zhang Quanzhi beamed with joy and couldn’t help but want to rush and share the good news with his wife, his excitement reminiscent of a child.
Although Young Master Sang had no idea why his father-in-law was so thrilled, he knew that Bai Ming, who had always been a source of annoyance, had finally done something useful.
Thank you, Bai Ming. Young Master Sang expressed his gratitude in his heart.
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