Li Zhengguo and Li Liguo walked in amidst the silence.
The brothers asked in unison what was wrong.
Mother Li explained the dilemma regarding the betrothal gifts and bride price.
Li Zhengguo pondered, "This matter, we'll decide after I and Eldest Brother talk to Hao Hao and Yan Yan."
"Xiao Fu is right, Xiao Bo's marriage is a bit different. Xiao Bo already promised the Yu family, so we can only be high-profile and give Xiao Bo face."
Li Min breathed a sigh of relief. Although she had fallen into her eldest daughter-in-law's trap, as long as Hao Hao and Yan Yan's bride price could be kept down, it would be fine.
Li Zhengguo glanced at his sister and said, "Your brain. From now on, if something is mentioned because someone else brought it up, you must name that person. You don't sell others, others have already sold you."
"Hmph!" Li Min snorted heavily, "Wasn't Lin Hua'er agreed upon by you people?"
Ouyang Meihua's mouth was quicker than anyone's: "Didn't your Xiao Fu fancy her first? Have you ever seen a parent who could resist an adult child?"
"Are we supposed to let you and Xiao Fu quarrel? If you win, Xiao Fu hates you; if you lose, the matter will definitely spread, and Hua'er will hate you. Who are we doing this for?"
Li Min paused, then apologized to Li Zhengguo, "Little Brother, I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Li Zhengguo waved his hand. "People change. From now on, handle Hua'er's matters through Xiao Fu."
Li Min nodded, "Understood."
...
Li Wanting and her sister planned to share a room. Li Weihao and Li Weiyan exchanged glances and separated the sisters.
Li Weiyan's reason was: "If you two share a room, and we come to find you, we can only wait outside. How can we have a private chat then?"
So the sisters ended up in adjacent rooms.
After settling the sisters, they were told to rest and that they would be called for dinner.
Back in the living room, the cousins were called into the west side room for a meeting.
Li Weiyan had no objections: "The betrothal gifts and bride price will be according to our family's situation. Our family can't compare to Uncle and Aunt's wealth."
"Don't try to match them. We can't let Uncle and Aunt hold back their spending, nor can we let you and Mother put on a false front."
Li Liguo looked at his elder son with satisfaction. Although his elder son was a bit of a rascal, he was more pragmatic than his younger son.
Li Weihao thought for a moment, "Let's halve it. After all, Wanting and her sister are coming together. If Eldest Uncle has to bite the bullet and keep up this time, with Xiao Yu's personality, even if the wife he finds isn't a top-tier strong woman, he won't be willing to be outdone by Yan Yan."
Li Zhengguo calculated. Xiao Bo's bride price was 500,000, plus 100,000 for the wedding dress, and 160,000 for the betrothal gift. Halving it would be 380,000.
He looked at his elder brother, "For two children, it's about 400,000 each. Can Eldest Brother afford it?"
"Yes," Li Liguo nodded. "We haven't touched the dividends from the scenic area. What we spend is from the rent of the hot spring valley and the new village stores."
Li Weiyan stood in front of his father and bowed, "Thank you, Father. I also have quite a bit..."
Li Liguo waved his hand, interrupting his elder son, "Keep your money for yourself. As your Aunt said, that's money you earned with your lives, and it pains us to spend it."
"The money you and Xiao Yu earn belongs to yourselves. Once your marriages are settled, your mother and I will save money for ourselves to spend."
Li Weiyan nodded, but felt a pang of sadness in his heart. By the time Father and Mother save money again, they'll be old. How much can they still spend?
Dinner was very sumptuous.
All the local specialties from Kushan were on the table, along with braised pork and dried fish chunks that had been cured and half-dried this year.
Mother Li urged the sisters Li Wanting to eat, Li Wanting, having served in the army, was somewhat reserved but ate more heartily than Yu Ziyu.
Mother Li was very satisfied. This Li Wanting didn't talk much, but she had a quality that made people trust and entrust her with their feelings.
Li Wanzhen was a bit more reserved.
Li Weiyan picked up a piece of braised pork for her, "Try it. Once you're conquered by the deliciousness, your reserve will fly away."
Li Wanzhen blushed and nodded.
Mother Li didn't mind Li Wanzhen's reserve.
After Li Wanting was born, when the entire Li family was hoping for a boy, Li Wanzhen's birth was not welcomed by many in the Li family.
Her introverted personality was a result of her environment. It wasn't a big deal, and it would complement the straightforward personalities of the eldest daughter-in-law and the second grandson.
The meal concluded in joy.
Li Wanzhen wanted to help clear the table, but Ouyang Meihua pushed her towards her elder son. How could guests be expected to do chores?
"If you want to do something, there will be plenty of opportunities later. You can either go out for a walk or watch TV in the living room."
Li Wanting had already been pulled out of the kitchen by Li Weihao, "Come on, I'll take you for a walk under the streetlights."
Seeing that Hao Hao and the other two had gone out, Li Weiyan also took Li Wanzhen and followed.
Only then did Li Zhengguo relay Hao Hao and Yan Yan's words to the family.
Ouyang Meihua looked at Tian Jing, "What are your thoughts?"
Tian Jing pondered, "Betrothal gift of 50,000, bride price of 300,000, and wedding dress fee of 50,000."
Ouyang Meihua nodded, "Let's set it like this for now. After the betrothal gift is given, we'll see if the Li family has any further requests."
Li Min sighed, "I can't afford 400,000."
Mother Li patted her daughter's head, "An'an hasn't found a partner yet. Aren't you going to keep saving? By the time Ran Ran gets married, things might change again. This is because Wanting and Wanzhen are cousins with Ziyu, and their weddings are close together."
Li Min grumbled, "It will only get higher."
Mother Li threw the dishcloth in her hand at her daughter, "Your child has the surname Chen."
Li Min caught the dishcloth and wiped the table, "Raising sons is so tiring. I need to remind Xiao Fu to start saving money early."
Mother Li retorted, "Raising you was even more tiring."
...
Ouyang Meihua and Li Min's families returned, and Chen Fu and Lin Hua'er also took their child home.
Li Wanting and Li Wanzhen were sent to the backyard by Li Weihao and Li Weiyan.
Tian Jing sent a text message asking her eldest son to come find her later.
Li Weihao sat with Li Wanting for a while, then told her to rest early and that he would take her to the county town tomorrow.
He then knocked on the adjacent door and called Li Weiyan away.
Just as he was about to get intimate, he was interrupted. Li Weiyan was about to question Li Weihao when Li Weihao pushed him out of the quadrangle, "Go back and spend time with Eldest Uncle and the others. We'll go to the county town tomorrow morning."
Without waiting for Li Weiyan to speak, he closed the quadrangle gate.
Li Weiyan was speechless.
Li Weihao went to the west side room again.
Tian Jing already felt guilty towards her elder son, and this time her elder son had willingly conceded, making her feel very uneasy.
"Hao Hao, this time, because Yan Yan found Wanting's biological sister, you had to step back."
Seeing her elder son about to speak, Tian Jing waved her hand, "Listen to me."
"You conceded, but Mom doesn't want you and Wanting to feel wronged."
"The betrothal gift for the Wanting sisters has been set at 50,000. If the Li family has no objections and you two can continue, then for the engagement, the bride price will be 300,000, and the wedding dress fee will be 50,000."
"Compared to Xiao Bo, the cash amount is half. Xiao Bo's villa and renovation cost 1.5 million, plus a seven-seater car."
"When you get married, I will give you an additional 2 million. Don't let your Uncle and Aunt know about this 2 million, and tell Wanting not to tell Wanzhen. You can use it to buy a house or collect gold."
"This is compensation in secret. On the surface, Wanting will still be misunderstood by others. Overall, you have been wronged, so Mom is giving you compensation, please don't refuse."
Li Weihao understood his mother's guilt, so he smiled and accepted, "Okay, Mom, however much you give, I won't find it too much."
Actually, he had intended to discuss the bride price with his parents. The bride price for the Yu family was high, but the dowry from the Yu family was also substantial.
However, with those two aunts in the Li family, the bride price and dowry were a big issue, and the less, the better. "The bride price can be 200,000."
Tian Jing nodded, "That's fine too. It will reduce some pressure on your Uncle."