Chapter 114: Discussing the Dowry and Wedding Date
Father Gu’s fierce favoritism toward his third son stemmed from a simple truth: Tingxiao looked the most like him.
The couple’s eldest daughter took entirely after her father’s side, sharing his rugged, boisterous temperament. But Tingxiao was different. Though he had chosen the path of a soldier, he was remarkably brave, highly resourceful, and had possessed a quiet, calculated composure since he was a young boy. Intellectually, he had fully inherited the brilliant mind of the Wen lineage, while carrying the unyielding grit of the Gu family. To be frank, if the boy hadn’t been so stubbornly determined to join the military, he would have made a phenomenal politician.
As for their youngest son, he was a delicate blend of his mother’s features and his father’s frame, resulting in a mild-mannered, steady temperament.
Old Master Gu, the family patriarch, doted on Tingxiao above all the others. The rest of the Gu clan could be rather loud, unpolished, and occasionally uncouth in their manners. How could the old general not be absolutely thrilled when a grandson who was both brave and deeply tactical was finally born into the line? All his life, the people the old patriarch admired most were scholars; he had a profound, lifelong weakness for a brilliant intellect.
Hearing Mother Gu layout the domestic arrangements, Mother Sheng smiled and nodded in deep satisfaction. Flawless, fair treatment across the siblings was the absolute best foundation they could hope for.
“In-law, you are incredibly thoughtful,” Mother Sheng praised warmly. “As for the betrothal gifts your family provides, our Yan’er will be taking every single cent of it with her into her new household!”
She paused, gesturing toward the courtyard. “We actually purchased a brand-new bicycle for Yan’er about half a year ago, so that bicycle will formally serve as her dowry. Additionally, our side will contribute exactly 666 yuan to cash the dowry, purely to ensure a harmonious, long-lasting blessing. As long as the two children support each other and build a good life together, we as elders will be completely content.”
Mother Gu was absolutely delighted by the terms. This future in-law was incredibly sensible, and her philosophy aligned perfectly with her own.
“Wonderful, that is wonderful,” Mother Gu beamed. “Since the children already possess a reliable bicycle, there is no sense in us purchasing an identical one. How about I convert the standard market cost of a bicycle into cold cash and hand it directly to the young couple?”
Mother Sheng nodded fervently. “That is definitely the most practical route. There’s absolutely no need to waste precious resources on an unnecessary duplicate.”
She figured they could simply find a trusted acquaintance traveling toward the northern military district to transport Wanyan’s current bicycle straight to the regiment.
“Perfect. Then I will increase the resettlement allowance to exactly 1,160 yuan,” Mother Gu finalized, her eyes flashing with executive authority. “I will lay out the numbers explicitly to the rest of the household back in the capital, ensuring no one creates a single difficulty for the young couple.”
Mother Gu was fully prepared to establish absolute clarity with the extended family, particularly her other two daughters-in-law. If either woman harbored a single silent objection over Wanyan receiving cash instead of a physical bicycle, Mother Gu would simply tell them to have their own maiden families furnish an appliance coupon first! If they still wanted to bicker, she could gladly return the standard bicycle from their own past betrothal ledgers and let them buy one out of pocket.
Ultimately, she was resolved to maintain absolute impartiality among her three sons, ensuring her third daughter-in-law would never feel a single drop of discomfort upon entering the clan.
“We will defer entirely to your arrangements, In-law,” Mother Sheng smiled gently. “From this day forward, our Yan’er will rely heavily on your tolerance and guidance.”
“Oh, what are you saying?” Mother Gu countered, gently squeezing her hand. “Yan’er is such an exceptional, lovely girl. I honestly cannot articulate how incredibly thrilled I am to claim her as my daughter-in-law. She is so breathtakingly beautiful, I secretly wish she could marry into our house this very afternoon so I can show her off to the entire capital!”
The two mothers dissolved into another round of enthusiastic boasting. Once the financial logistics of the bride price and dowry were neatly settled, the summit naturally shifted toward the most critical milestone: locking in the explicit wedding date.
Gu Tingxiao raised his eyelids, casting a steady, intense look across the table at his mother. Mother Gu, catching his gaze, privately felt a sudden, violent urge to swat her own son. This ungrateful brat was constantly treating his own mother like a subordinate officer on a high-stakes mission. Recalling his relentless, demanding tone during their recent long-distance phone calls, Mother Gu had to take a sharp, deep breath to steady her temper.
Forcing a flawless, elegant smile back onto her face, she turned her attention to the Sheng elders.
“My dear in-laws, our third son is already twenty-seven years old this year,” she began, her tone laced with maternal concern. “In most ordinary households, a man of twenty-seven is already navigating life with multiple children. Because Tingxiao is an active-duty officer, his annual leave is strictly capped. If we allow the months to simply drift by, he will cross the threshold of thirty before we know it.”
She let out a soft, dramatic sigh. “As his mother, I lose sleep worrying that his rigid lifestyle will cause him to end up old and isolated. I was wondering… perhaps we could select an auspicious date and officially place the wedding on the immediate agenda? What do you think, In-law?”
In truth, Mother Gu felt slightly embarrassed pushing the timeline so aggressively. If her stubborn blockhead of a son hadn’t literally given her a script over the telephone lines, she would never have abandoned traditional modesty to speak so bluntly. Her son was truly born to test her patience; she privately mused that giving birth to a slab of savory barbecued pork would have been infinitely more useful—at least the pork would have filled her stomach.
Father and Mother Sheng exchanged a long, quiet glance. Beside them, Gu Tingxiao pursed his lips, his dark eyes locked onto his future in-laws as he waited in absolute silence for their verdict.
“In-law, I understand your position completely,” Mother Sheng replied softly, her features softening. “My own Wanze is a soldier, so I understand the constant undertone of maternal worry better than anyone.”
Hearing the opening, Mother Gu’s heart leaped with hope, and Gu Tingxiao’s tightly clenched fists under the table finally began to relax a fraction.
“However…” Mother Sheng paused.
However what?! Just speak your mind! Gu Tingxiao screamed silently in his head.
“However, you’ve seen our domestic layout,” Mother Sheng explained tentatively. “Wanyan is our only daughter, and we had sincerely hoped to keep her close to our side for just a little while longer.”
“In-law, I understand your reluctance completely!” Mother Gu countered smoothly, pivoting into strategy. She secretly validated Mother Sheng’s hesitation; after all, her son was in a desperate, frantic rush to lock down the marriage contract! If they didn’t finalize the bounds immediately, what would they do if this spectacular girl realized she could do infinitely better and ran away?
Mother Gu harbored a genuine fear of losing a daughter-in-law this magnificent. Her third son walked around with a cold, intimidating expression every single day, rarely uttering more than three sentences at a time. He lacked any natural softness or superficial charm, his face constantly looking as though the world owed him a massive debt. What sensible girl wouldn’t run in the opposite direction after analyzing his temperament? Now that a truly brilliant woman had miraculously chosen to love him, the Gu family needed to anchor her to their line immediately.
“In-law, Yan’er is such a phenomenal, rare treasure,” Mother Gu empathized deeply. “If she were my biological daughter, I wouldn’t be willing to surrender her to another household so easily either!”
Deploying absolute empathy, Mother Gu systematically began to dismantle Mother Sheng’s maternal defenses. Sure enough, Mother Sheng found herself deeply moved by the shared sentiment.
“Our Yan’er is twenty-one now, so she is legally and culturally ready to establish a home of her own,” Mother Sheng sighed, ceding the point. “My only hope is that your household will treat my daughter with absolute kindness in the future.”
Realizing the Sheng family had officially granted their consent, Mother Gu immediately leaned forward, capturing Mother Sheng’s hands to deliver her absolute, ironclad guarantee. “In-law, please put your heart at total rest. I will cherish Yan’er with everything I have. The moment she crosses our threshold, she is a true daughter of the Gu name, and we will love her exactly as our own flesh and blood.”
“Hearing you say that, I am entirely at peace,” Mother Sheng smiled, though a faint ache lingered in her chest. Her little girl had truly grown up, and keeping her sequestered at home out of pure selfishness would only sabotage her ultimate happiness.
Fortunately, Grandpa Sheng had already consulted the lunar calendars, selecting three pristine, highly auspicious windows: dates within June, August, and November were all exceptionally favorable.
“How about we finalize the wedding date for June 16th?” Grandpa Sheng proposed. “And we can arrange to hold formal banquets for the relatives on both sides.”
The moment the suggestion left his lips, Mother Sheng firmly rejected the idea of a double banquet. The majority of their relatives in the Sichuan region were entrenched in the countryside, and those relationships were profoundly strained and toxic. Staging a local wedding feast would only invite petty gossip, bitter squabbles, and unnecessary chaos. She understood the true colors of those rural relatives all too well; she refused to let a single drop of their malice taint her daughter’s milestone or give the prominent Gu family any reason to look down on her child’s background.
It was infinitely smarter to bypass a local banquet entirely. Let the provincial gossips assume the daughter’s new in-laws occupied a status so unimaginably elite that ordinary country folk weren’t even permitted to cross the threshold! Staging it that way would permanently insulate them from future harassment; if those greedy relatives ever tried to extort the city branch for financial favors down the line, they would have to think twice before crossing a powerful the Capital clan. This tactical omission would save her an immense amount of future headache, particularly from her own maiden family, who wanted nothing more than to bleed her resources dry.
“Our household maintains virtually zero communication with the extended relatives here in Chengdu,” Mother Sheng stated firmly. “We should focus the entire wedding celebration exclusively at your family’s estate in the capital.”
Mother Gu nodded understandingly. “That is perfectly fine. We will defer entirely to your preferences on the matter.”
“In that case, we will execute a magnificent wedding banquet back in the Capital,” Mother Gu smiled brilliantly, her eyes sweeping the table. “Grandfather, Grandma, In-law, and Father-in-law—every single one of you must travel north to anchor the head table!”
