In the afternoon, Wu Sheng took Su Li and Little Tang Mo to weave baskets.
Weaving small items was the truest test of one’s skill, and Wu Sheng, not being much of a professional, was eventually shooed aside by the master craftsman.
In the end, Su Li received several exquisitely crafted baskets of various sizes, perfect for holding all sorts of things, as well as a vase for dried flowers. Little Tang Mo also got two pen holders and a small, woven bamboo pillow.
Su Li loved them, so the craftsman, whose hands were impossibly nimble, wove another one for her.
They tried to pay him, but the craftsman refused to take any money, no matter what they said.
As Wu Sheng, Su Li, and Little Tang Mo headed home, their arms full, the sun slowly began to set.
Smoke began to rise from the chimneys of every house as families started cooking dinner. Watching this, Wu Sheng suddenly turned to Su Li.
"Su Li, when we’re old, let’s come back here to retire."
Su Li nodded without a second thought.
"Then it’s settled." Wu Sheng’s face split into a wide grin.
Little Tang Mo’s ears twitched, and he did a quick calculation. "If you two come here, what about me?"
’They’ll be old, but I won’t be.’
"Mommy, you can’t leave me behind."
Wu Sheng was speechless. ’You just have to stick your nose in everything, don’t you?’
Su Li was at a loss for words. "...We won’t."
But Little Tang Mo wasn’t easily fooled. "How old is ’old’? Uncle, you’re so much older than Mommy. By the time you’re old, Mommy won’t be yet."
Wu Sheng fell silent. ’So much older? How much is "so much"?! It’s only ten years!’
He gritted his teeth. "You’re old when you’re old."
Su Li desperately tried to hold back her laughter.
"Little Mo, ’old’ usually just means retirement age."
Little Tang Mo did the math. "If I retire early, I can retire with you guys too. We can all do it together."
Wu Sheng snorted. "I’ve never heard of a son retiring with his parents. By then, you’ll be married with your own kids and will have moved out long ago."
Little Tang Mo snorted back. "Just because you’ve never heard of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I like living with Great-Grandma and Grand-Auntie and all my cousin-uncles."
He then continued his serious rebuttal. "Uncle, you’re ten years older than Mommy and you can retire together, so why can’t I? Mommy is only thirteen years older than me."
Wu Sheng was speechless. ’It’s obviously twisted logic, so why does it somehow make so much sense?’
Su Li was speechless.
’Now that he mentions it, it’s kind of true... If I really do the math, I’m only thirteen years older than Little Tang Mo!’
"Little Point, that’s not the right way to calculate it..."
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Little Tang Mo and Wu Sheng continued to debate the appropriate age for retirement as they walked toward the Wu Family courtyard.
「The next morning」
Just as planned, Grandma Wu, Little Auntie, and Wu Qiu all put on new clothes for the visit to their future in-laws. The prospective in-laws lived in a village near town, so Grandma Wu and Little Auntie had to leave early with the matchmaker.
With Grandma Wu and Little Auntie gone, Su Li finally had the kitchen to herself and began to cook up a storm.
However, just after lunch, Grandma Wu and Little Auntie returned, even though they weren’t expected back until evening. They looked terribly upset.
One look was all it took to know something had gone wrong.
"What’s wrong, Grandma?" Wu Sheng asked in a low voice, quickly taking the bundle she was carrying on her back.
"It’s nothing," Grandma Wu said, forcing a smile.
Neither Little Auntie nor Wu Qiu wanted to say what had happened, but in the end, it was impossible to keep it a secret.
It was a problem with their future in-laws, the Fan Family.
Grandma Wu and Little Auntie had gone over in high spirits, carrying the gifts they had prepared long in advance, only to be met with a nasty shock the moment they walked in the door.
The Fan Family had suddenly gone back on their word, demanding the betrothal gift be raised from one hundred to one thousand.
A betrothal gift of one hundred was the established custom at the time. For the Fan Family to suddenly make such an exorbitant demand for one thousand was unheard of.
One thousand!
That was ten times the original amount—they just added a zero.
It was completely unprecedented.
"One thousand for the betrothal gift, not a penny less. Otherwise, the marriage is off."
"Not customary? Your family isn’t like other families. Aren’t your grandson and his wife in the Imperial City? They’re so successful, a thousand is nothing to them!"
Those were Old Man Fan’s exact words.
No matter what the matchmaker said, the Fan Family wouldn’t budge.
It wasn’t that Grandma Wu and the others couldn’t come up with a thousand, but that money had been given to them by Wu Sheng and Su Li, and they had never planned on touching it.
They were hardworking, but their income was limited. This sum was far beyond what they could bear on their own.
They had returned without even sitting down for a moment.
Wu Qiu looked absolutely devastated. "This marriage," he said, forcing the words out. "Our family can’t go through with it."
He had known the Fan Family’s daughter since junior high, and they were both very happy with each other, much more so than with any other potential matches.
The Fan Family’s daughter wasn’t stunningly beautiful, but she was hardworking and kind. Who would have thought...
Grandma Wu and Little Auntie remained silent. Even if Wu Qiu didn’t say it, they could see how much he liked the Fan Family’s daughter.
They had been very pleased with her as well. She had been crying her eyes out when they left today. But her father’s demand was simply too outrageous.
After hearing the whole story, Wu Sheng and Su Li exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them.
’A thousand isn’t a small sum,’ they both thought, ’but if it means he can marry a good woman and ensure a harmonious family, it’s worth it.’
Wu Sheng was just about to speak, but Grandma Wu knew what he was going to say without even looking up.
"Wu Sheng, you stay out of this. I know you’re about to say, ’if it’s a thousand, then it’s a thousand,’ but it’s not that simple. They’re making an outrageous demand today. If we give in, who knows what they’ll ask for in the future."
Grandma Wu looked up at Wu Sheng. "Don’t you interfere. We’ll handle this ourselves."
Wu Sheng rubbed his nose. "Grandma, I haven’t even said anything yet. Besides... if they want to try asking for more a second time, we’ll see if they have the nerve."
Little Auntie shot him a glare. "We told you to stay out of it, so stay out of it."
She took a deep breath to calm herself. "After I eat, I’m going back there. This matter can’t be left like this."
After the meal, a calmer Little Auntie and Wu Qiu set off again. They couldn’t win the argument with Wu Sheng, and in the end, Su Li went along with them.
On the way, the matchmaker told them what she had managed to find out.
"There’s a reason the Fan Family is suddenly making such an outrageous demand. Their son has taken a fancy to a girl from the city, and her family demanded a bride price of one thousand, hoping to scare them off."
"But the Fan Family’s son is dead set on that girl. He’s been raising hell about it, and so..."
Su Li’s mouth twitched as she listened.
It was just as the matchmaker had said. The Fan Family felt backed into a corner and decided to use their daughter to solve the problem.
Even though sons and daughters are both supposed to be treasures, the son was still considered more important than the daughter.
So they planned to use their daughter’s betrothal gift to pay for their son’s bride.
This kind of thing has happened countless times throughout history; the Wu Family was just unlucky enough to encounter it.
When they arrived at the Fan residence, Su Li’s eyes were opened to a whole new world of drama.
This new knowledge came courtesy of Uncle Fan.
Uncle Fan had a wife, but there was another woman living in his house who was, for all intents and purposes, a mistress—though not officially a concubine or a second wife.
The idea of demanding a higher betrothal gift from the Wu Family had come from her.
This woman, named Juhua, had her own husband and children, but she was rarely home. She ate, slept, and worked at Uncle Fan’s house.
Well... in other words, she was openly cheating on her husband and living with Uncle Fan.
Both Uncle Fan and Juhua were in their forties or fifties. He looked like an ordinary farmer, while Juhua... looked a bit unkempt.
They both had the appearance of being exceptionally simple and honest country folk; you would never be able to guess their relationship just by looking at them.