lcionline Chapter 25 Getting married
Chapter 25 Getting married
"Dividing the family property? It seems that Old Master Lin agreed to the division of the family property! It was when they heard that I owed 100 taels that they couldn't wait to kick our whole family out. They pushed us out when there was trouble, but now that they hear there's no trouble, they want to call us back to take advantage of us?"
"Are there really any parents like this in the world?" Lin Yan laughed sarcastically.
"That's right. Back then, it was Old Mrs. Lin who was willing to divide the family property. It wasn't just about dividing it; it meant leaving nothing to Lin the eldest son, cutting off all ties." Those in the village who knew the situation also spoke up for Lin's family.
"As for what you said about me not respecting my elders! If I didn't respect them, why would I listen to their orders every day and do this and that at home! If my father is unfilial, he would give all the money he has earned over the years to my parents and not keep a single penny for himself, not even enough to save his wife and daughters' lives." Lin Yan's eyes reddened as she spoke, tears welling up in them, making everyone who saw her feel sorry for her.
"Yes, I often see Lin Yan washing her family's clothes by herself by the river."
"That's right, that Lin He Rui does absolutely nothing all day!"
"What can you do? Lin Guifang spoils her!"
"She doesn't love her own son, but only dotes on her daughter who's about to get married. I really don't know what she's thinking!"
"Lin Xiaoxiao, I know you and your aunt are good friends, but you can't just listen to her and be fooled by her!" Lin Yan said, looking like she was doing it for her own good, but her face was full of grievance.
"You, you all..." Lin Xiaoxiao was so angry that she couldn't speak when she saw that no one was helping her and they were all on Lin Yan's side.
Just then, Ge Liu's wife came out and, seeing everyone gathered around, asked, "What's going on here?"
Upon seeing the guests arrive, Lin Xiaoxiao quickly said, "Aunt Ge, I said that Lin Yan's family is unfilial and shouldn't have come here to disrupt the festive atmosphere!"
Ge Liu's wife squinted at her. "Shouldn't she have come? What are you doing here?"
Lin Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Of course I'm here to congratulate Brother Chuanjia on his marriage!"
Ge Liu's wife snorted coldly: "I don't need your congratulations, you're not welcome!"
Lin Xiaoxiao exclaimed in surprise, "Why?!"
"Why? Didn't you even ask Lin Guifang and the others what they did? Their whole family is too ashamed to come to my banquet. Since you're so close to them, why did you come here?!" Ge Liu's wife was still furious whenever the topic came up.
Everyone asked in surprise, "Why is that?"
"Li Ping and Lin Guifang let Lin Fang take over Lin Laoda's work and asked me to do carpentry. As a result, they made a complete mess of it. Fortunately, Lin Hai's family has good craftsmanship, which saved my rosewood!"
“Of course they have no face to come here!” Ge Liu’s wife flung her sleeves.
"Wow, is that so!"
"Kicking the eldest son out of the house and then taking his job—that's inhuman!"
"I've never heard of Lin Lao Er being good at carpentry. How dare he mess around with such expensive materials?"
"Hey, Ge Liu's family, how did they manage to save that fabric?"
"Exactly! Let us see!"
Ge Liu's wife smiled and said, "We're in the new house now, so you can't see it! If you're curious, go ask Lin Hai!"
He then looked at Lin Xiaoxiao and said, "I invited Lin Hai's family. If anyone is dissatisfied with them, then they can only ask her to leave."
Lin Xiaoxiao was completely stunned, not knowing how things had turned out this way. "I..."
Just as everyone was about to surround Lin Yan to ask about the furniture,
Just then, the sound of music came from afar, drawing everyone's attention away.
"She's here! She's here! The bride's here!" The crowd shouted and gathered around to watch the excitement.
"Did you know? This bride is the daughter of the Zhangjiawan clan chief!"
"Yes, Zhangjiawan is the richest village in the surrounding area. The Ge family is really lucky to have such a good match."
"It's not just the Ge family that benefits; as the two villages interact more in the future, we'll all benefit too!"
"Look how magnificent it is!"
The wedding procession came along, led by a band of musicians, with Ge Chuanjia walking behind, his face beaming with joy. Next came a sedan chair carried by four men, followed by several strong men carrying five chests of dowry: bedding, clothes, deerskin, and a chest full of copper coins. Bringing up the rear were Zhangjiawan's family members.
The villagers of Gezhuang had never seen anything like it and were astonished. Li Xiaocao's mouth dropped open. "That must be fifty strings of cash!" Fifty strings of cash is fifty taels of silver.
Lin Yan's eyes lit up. "Almost there!" It seems Zhangjiawan really lives up to its reputation; there's money to be made!
Everyone happily welcomed the bride into the main room, where she paid respects to heaven and earth and completed the formalities. Outside, tables were set up for the banquet.
Lin Yan found her parents and they all sat down to eat together.
…………
Meanwhile, in the new house, the bride Zhang Yuxin, who had just finished the wedding ceremony, was eating something to fill her stomach. Her younger sister Zhang Peixin was by her side. As soon as she entered the house, she noticed that the furniture was different from what she usually saw.
"Hey, sister, look at these pieces of furniture, they're quite nice. They must be expensive, especially this cabinet, it's made of huanghuali wood, the workmanship is excellent, and the design is beautiful. It must have cost a lot of money. It seems the Ge family has put a lot of thought into this!"
"However, they had to put in a lot of effort to marry my sister! I'm glad they knew what was good for them."
Listening to her sister's ramblings and looking at the furniture in the room, Zhang Yuxin felt satisfied and sweet. "It really is quite nice!"
"Hey, sis, look at this chair, it's kind of weird, it can be folded up!" Zhang Peixin picked up a chair and showed it to her sister.
Zhang Yuxin also found it novel, and the two sisters began to study it together.
"It really is! And it's not hard at all, it feels so comfortable!"
"Wow, this table can be folded up too! How amazing!"
"Hey, Peixin, keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear you." Zhang Yuxin felt that it wasn't good for the bride to be screaming so loudly in the room.
"Sis, ask your husband where he bought this. I'd like to buy one like this too."
“Okay, I’ll ask him.” Zhang Yuxin agreed, then lowered her head shyly, remembering what happened tonight.
"Let's start the wedding night festivities!" came shouts from outside.
"Sister, the party's over! Hurry!" Zhang Peixin listened near the door and urged her sister to pack up.
The two sisters tidied the table, covered Zhang Yuxin's head with the veil, and sat upright by the bed. Their hearts were pounding wildly.
…………
Lin Yan thought that it was Ge Chuanjia's wedding night, so she decided not to join in the festivities and said goodbye to Ge's family with her parents before going home.
On the way, Lin's mother also mentioned the dowry of Zhang's daughter, saying, "This shows that they are well-off; the house is very grand."
As she spoke, she thought of her own family and couldn't help but feel guilty towards Lin Yan. She didn't have such great abilities and probably couldn't give her daughter such confidence.
Lin Yan quickly took her mother's arm and comforted her, "Mom, don't think like that! If a daughter's happiness were determined solely by her family's wealth, how many people in the world would be truly happy? Parents always try their best to provide the best for their daughters; love has nothing to do with quantity. You love me so much, how could I be unhappy? Life will only get better, so don't worry too much."
"Besides, even if a man marries me because of my family's financial situation, I wouldn't even look at him."
"Father, Mother, don't worry, when I grow up I will earn money to save up for my sister's dowry!" Lin Yu strode forward, patted his chest, and assured the three of them.
"Hahahaha!" Lin's father patted his son's shoulder with satisfaction. "You're a little man now!" Lin's mother smiled with satisfaction as well. "That's right, he can protect his sister now."
Lin Yan, supporting her mother, laughed and bent over: "Then don't renege on your promise when you grow up, I'm counting on you!"
Lin Yu looked up at his sister and said, "Don't worry!"