Da Jiang heard his daughter speaking and ceased his own utterances, only letting out a sigh as he said, "That child's mother, you tidy up these things and see how much silver we still have left. We must make Yu'er's dowry presentable. I'm going over to Er Niu's place to talk to him; tell him not to demand repayment of the last few months' debt. Let this money go towards securing some fine things for Yu'er's dowry. You, Mother, and Second Sister-in-law, discuss these matters among yourselves; stop acting unilaterally. If anything like this happens again without consultation, don't blame me for the consequences."

Madam He hurriedly nodded, saying she understood; for these coming months, even if the household ate nothing and drank nothing, Yu'er would not be slighted. She then turned to Qingshan and said, "Later, call those two from your own household to come over. With Yu'er getting married, you, as the elder brother and sister-in-law, certainly have an obligation to contribute. For the past few years, the money your father earned working at your Second Uncle's place has all gone to cover your debts. Your household life has been relatively comfortable; you keep the money you earn for yourselves. Since you aren't relying on us for necessities, we, as your parents, won't quibble over too much. But now your sister is marrying out; you absolutely cannot hold us back."

Qingshan felt a pang of difficulty upon hearing his mother’s words. It wasn't that he was unwilling to contribute, but he genuinely possessed no silver. All the household funds were controlled by Song Yuemei, and Yuemei's relationship with Yu'er and Madam He had always been poor. Extracting money from her grasp now would likely prove troublesome. Madam He noticed the troubled look on Qingshan's face and pressed him, "What? Am I wrong? Your sister is getting married, and you don't want to contribute money?"

Qingshan opened his mouth to explain, "Mother, it's not that I don't want to contribute, it’s that I truly have no money. Yuemei hoards all the household funds. I usually have to ask her for spending money, and you know her..."

"What use are you, a grown man, if all the affairs of this house are controlled by a woman? Why did I give birth to such a useless son? Call Yuemei and Dongyu here; I'll speak to them." Madam He instructed Qingshan.

Da Jiang remained silent from the side, conceding internally that his wife was correct. Qingshan had managed the household finances these past few years, and by local custom, he ought to put forth some silver for Yu'er's wedding. Furthermore, since Qingshan had been raising fish these years, he should have accumulated some savings.

Qingshan had no choice but to head home. As he entered the door, Song Yuemei and Dongyu were already arguing in the courtyard. Qingshan felt a throbbing headache. He used to find the bliss of having two women enjoyable, but now he desperately wished neither were present; they argued and clamored endlessly, making it impossible to stay put for even a moment.

Dongyu stopped speaking when she saw Qingshan enter and asked, "Qingshan, you're back? How did the discussions about Yu'er's marriage go? Is the groom's family really that good?"

"As if! If they were that good, what kind of maiden couldn't they marry? Why would they settle for Yu'er? What's so great about Yu'er? She’s not much to look at, and she can’t manage household affairs," Song Yuemei interjected dismissively.

Qingshan frowned upon hearing Song Yuemei’s words and said, "What are you saying? Yu'er is my sister, no matter what. How can you, as a sister-in-law, speak like that? I tell you, that groom's family is indeed quite good. Maybe our Yu'er will become an official's wife someday. Don't be envious when that happens."

"Your Lin family doesn't have the fate for that kind of fortune. I know your Lin family well enough; there isn't a single decent one among you," Song Yuemei’s tone grew increasingly sharp and malicious.

"If our Old Lin family has no good people, then what about your Song family? How come, after so many years, your several older brothers are still bachelors, unable to even find a wife? And you dare criticize our family?" Qingshan retorted.

"Exactly! If the Lin family has no good people, why did you marry into the Lin family? It seems you aren't much of a catch yourself," Dongyu chimed in, supporting Qingshan.

"I may not be a catch, but at least I can bear children, unlike some people who can't even birth one. I wonder what sort of goods they are," Song Yuemei said with a smile.

Dongyu was most sensitive about being reminded of childbirth, especially when Song Yuemei brought it up this way. Dongyu lunged forward, ready to fight her desperately, but Qingshan managed to restrain her. Qingshan exclaimed, "Stop quarreling! You argue all day; it's maddening! Mother wants to see you both; she said she has something to discuss with you. Hurry up and get ready to go."

"Why does Mother want us to come over?" Dongyu asked.

"What else? It must be because Yu'er is getting married, so naturally, she wants us to contribute money and effort. Is there any other good news floating around?" Song Yuemei speculated.

"Qingshan, you should let her go handle this. All the household money is with her; I don't have any," Dongyu immediately spoke up upon hearing the talk of money.

"That's right, Yuemei, all the household money is indeed with you. Take out some silver. Yu'er is my sister; she's marrying out, and I, as the elder brother, must contribute something. When we get to Mother's place, whatever amount Mother asks you to provide—if the household can afford it—don't argue with her; just agree," Qingshan instructed Song Yuemei.

"Qingshan, give me a straight answer: exactly how much is needed? If it’s too much, I won’t have any left," Song Yuemei inquired.

"Why do you need to know so much? We’ll find out when we get there," Qingshan replied impatiently.

So, Dongyu and Song Yuemei brought Maomao along to Madam He's house. Madam He was already waiting in the courtyard. Yu'er and Da Jiang were seated on the other side of the yard. As soon as Song Yuemei entered, she acted as if she were extremely affectionate toward Yu'er, saying, "Little Sister Yu'er, you've found a fine family; congratulations. You'll have good days ahead of you now, unlike us, who have to scheme just to get through life day by day."

Song Yuemei's words displeased Madam He greatly. Madam He called out, "Sit down, everyone. I have something to tell you."

Qingshan’s family members all took their seats. Madam He began, "Yu'er is getting married, as you all know. I was thinking that you, as her elder sisters-in-law, should pool some silver together to supplement Yu'er's dowry. She is my only daughter; I certainly don't want to treat her unfairly."

"Mother, how much betrothal money did the groom's family bring? Why don't we use the bride price to add to Yu'er's dowry?" Song Yuemei interjected.

"The bride price stays untouched. I was planning to add twenty taels of silver as a nest-egg for Yu'er. The initial gift money was ten taels, so we are short ten. I think we should contribute five taels, and you contribute five taels. Additionally, besides these five taels of silver, each of you elder sisters-in-law should sew some clothing, handkerchiefs, or pouches for Yu'er as supplementary gifts," Madam He stated directly.

"Five taels? Mother, do you know how much five taels of silver is? That’s almost enough to buy two acres of land! Even if we sold everything in our house, we might not scrape together five taels. Where am I supposed to find that for you?" Song Yuemei exclaimed.

"Song Yuemei, a person must have a conscience. The money Yu'er earned from embroidery over these years surely amounts to more than that. Although you separated yourselves these last few years, you lived together in the early years, and you certainly benefited from that. Moreover, you know exactly how much property and silver you took when you split off the family. I'm not asking for too much now; five taels—you can manage that," Madam He said, looking at Song Yuemei.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.