He took a seat in Yu'er's room for a while, then went out. She planned to go to Old Madam Zhao's place to inquire about how Yu'er's dowry should be prepared. If it were up to He Shi herself, she wouldn't want to go. She knew that with Yu'er's situation this time, the mother-in-law would definitely not give her a pleasant look. Going over would just be asking for trouble, but since Dajiang told her to go, she couldn't refuse. She had no choice but to brace herself and go.

He Shi wandered around for quite a while but still didn't dare to go to Old Madam Zhao's courtyard alone. She just strolled around the village, telling everyone she met that her Yu'er was getting married, boasting about how good the Zhao family's young man was and how well-off their family was. She kept this up until Dajiang returned from the mountain ridge, and only then did she accompany Dajiang to Old Madam Zhao's house. Upon arriving, Old Madam Zhao, Old Man Lin, and Hongxia were all present. Seeing He Shi and her husband arrive, Old Madam Zhao didn't move but snorted through her nose. It was Hongxia who stood up and welcomed them inside. Seeing them enter the room, Old Madam Zhao said, "Oh, what brings you here? Yu'er is getting married, and to a scholar no less! Such good news, why didn't you shout it out a few more times before coming in?"

He Shi knew that Old Madam Zhao had found out about her boasting around the village today, and this was her way of showing displeasure. He Shi smiled and said, "Mother, isn't it just that Yu'er is getting married? Dajiang said we should come and discuss with you what would be appropriate for Yu'er's dowry. The young man's family offered two bolts of fine cotton, two bolts of silk, and two bolts of satin as a betrothal gift, along with a pair of jade bracelets and a hairpin for Yu'er, plus some small miscellaneous items and ten taels of silver. What do you think we should prepare for Yu'er's dowry?"

Old Madam Zhao was still angry about Yu'er's matter and said, "What, you remember me now? Does what I say still count? I absolutely would not agree to this matter concerning Yu'er. You two figure it out yourselves; you don't need to ask me."

Hearing Old Madam Zhao's words, He Shi really turned around as if to leave, but Dajiang held her back. Dajiang smiled and said to Old Madam Zhao, "Mother, please don't be angry. I've already disciplined her when we got back. If she dares to cross you again in the future, I'll have her pack her things and leave. Look, things have come to this point. Yu'er is your granddaughter too. I don't feel at ease letting her mother handle these matters; her mind is prone to confusion. We still rely on you to guide us. Please don't hold a grudge against us."

After Dajiang finished speaking, he nudged He Shi. He Shi rolled her eyes, but Dajiang's gaze was fixed on her, so she had no choice but to lower her head submissively and say to Old Madam Zhao, "Yes, Mother, I was wrong this time. I definitely won't do it again."

"There's a next time? Do you think you have so many daughters that you can treat them like this? I'm telling you, you'd better pray every day that Yu'er has a good life, or dying ten times wouldn't be enough for you," Old Madam Zhao scolded when she saw He Shi's defiant look.

"Yes, Eldest Sister-in-law, you really were too hasty about this matter. You should have at least discussed it with the family before deciding. To settle Yu'er's lifelong affair like this is truly going too far. For a woman, marrying well means a good life forever; marrying poorly ruins her whole life. Look at me now," Hongxia spoke her true feelings.

He Shi glanced at Hongxia, cursing inwardly, Can you even compare to my Yu'er? You married poorly yourself and are now jealous of others. What kind of person is she? Hongxia saw the look in He Shi's eyes and knew that saying anything more now was useless, so she closed her mouth and stopped talking. This Eldest Sister-in-law truly was someone who didn't know what was good for her.

"Old woman, stop saying all that nonsense. Dajiang is here, so lend a hand. Yu'er getting married is a big deal; don't hold onto your anger. If the rules and procedures aren't done properly later, it will only make the old Lin family a laughingstock," Old Man Lin spoke up from the side.

Once Old Man Lin spoke, everyone fell silent. After a moment, Old Madam Zhao asked from the side, "How are you planning the dowry? How much money have you prepared for Yu'er to put under the box?"

He Shi said, "We've prepared twenty taels of silver for under the box. I thought that amount was enough, but I don't know how to prepare the dowry itself. If it's too grand, we can't afford it; if it's too shabby, I'm afraid the in-laws will laugh at us. Mother, what do you think we should do?"

Old Madam Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Twenty taels of silver is indeed enough for the money. As for the dowry, let me think carefully about how to make it look presentable. You two go back first, and I'll deliberate tonight. I'll come find you tomorrow."

Dajiang and He Shi nodded and went back. On the way back, He Shi said to Dajiang, "Dajiang, what do you think Father and Mother will prepare as additional dowry items for our Yu'er? Over these years, Father and Mother must have saved quite a bit of money, right? When Yu'er gets married, they should surely give some decent things."

"Why do you care so much? Father and Mother's money is theirs; they can do whatever they want with it. Yu'er's dowry will certainly not be lacking," Dajiang replied.

He Shi felt she couldn't really say anything more to Dajiang about this, so she just followed him home.

At Old Madam Zhao's house, Old Madam Zhao asked, "Old man, what do you think we should add to Yu'er's dowry for her marriage? This is the first time we've married off a granddaughter."

"You handle it; I won't meddle in these matters. If you can't manage it well, talk with Hongxia and Erniu's family tomorrow. They will surely need to prepare some items to add to Yu'er's dowry as well," Old Man Lin said before lying down to sleep.

Old Madam Zhao figured that was true; it was best to discuss this matter together to see how it should be handled.

The next day, after finishing breakfast, Old Madam Zhao went to Lin He's courtyard. She arrived at just the right time; Hongyun, Hongxia, and Zhou Shi were all discussing this very matter. The courtyard was filled with people, chattering lively. Seeing Old Madam Zhao arrive, Huang Shi welcomed her in and invited her to sit. Old Madam Zhao asked, "Second Sister-in-law, what are you planning for Yu'er's added dowry?"

Erniu and Huang Shi had already discussed it the previous day. Although Eldest Sister-in-law wasn't a good person, Yu'er was still Erniu's niece, and considering the state of Eldest Brother's family, they surely wouldn't have a decent dowry. Erniu planned to have Lin He go to town to get a set of pure silver jewelry, not too heavy, just suitable for Yu'er to wear, costing around five or six taels of silver.

Before Old Madam Zhao could speak, Hongxia laughed and said, "Second Sister-in-law, if your family gives such a valuable addition to the dowry, what are we supposed to do? We won't be able to match it."

Huang Shi also said with a smile, "This is just a token of our sentiment. You all can arrange things according to your own means. Our family is slightly better off, and besides, Eldest Brother has helped us quite a bit in the past few years in our household; this is our way of thanking them. Erniu also said that from now on, the dowries for any niece or nephew marrying will follow this standard."