Chapter 1839: Chapter 1828: Clicking Their Tongues in Wonder

Lin Daniu was initially a bit taken aback, standing there for a while without saying anything.

The person who approached became anxious, stomped his foot, and pulled a girl with thick eyebrows and big eyes over, pushing her towards Lin Daniu: "This is my daughter, isn’t she quite pretty? She’s only eighteen this year, and she’s the most honest and dutiful girl! She does all kinds of work, and we don’t demand much for the dowry, just like any typical family!"

"As for the dowry, except for accompanying two quilts, at most, at most we’ll add in a wooden chest, but nothing more! If you find it suitable, you can take her away today!"

The speaker was a somewhat elder-looking man with a face that seemed honest and straightforward; saying these words made his old face blush with embarrassment, but he still endured the shame and faced Lin Daniu.

Lin Daniu glanced at He Dachui, who was grinning beside him, and then looked at the courtyard previously quiet as a chicken, just about to speak, when a figure dressed in a red wedding gown darted out from inside.

"You... you can’t marry her! Didn’t you promise to marry me? If you marry her, how will I live in the future? Wouldn’t that force me to die?" the woman cried out tearfully.

Lin Daniu recognized the voice as the girl he fancied the other day, hesitated a moment before saying: "Then what do you suggest?"

The new bride quickly responded, "I beg you, for my sake, just give this respect silver, okay? My parents raised me, and it’s such a simple request; how could I refuse as their daughter?"

"Big Brother Lin, after I marry into your family, I’ll be a part of your family. I’ll take good care of you, give you several big, fat boys, and continue the Lin Family lineage; isn’t that more important than some silver? Moreover, I also heard that for this wedding, the Magistrate’s Lady is providing twenty taels of Settlement Silver!"

"Our family isn’t asking for much; even if you give half of it, it won’t affect anything, right? Big Brother Lin, look at my family. If I get married, there are still two brothers at home who aren’t married. If you don’t help them, won’t they remain single all their lives? We’re going to be one family, aren’t you sympathetic?"

As she spoke, she reached out to grab Lin Daniu’s clothes.

Initially a bit swayed, Lin Daniu hurriedly stepped back several paces, sneering: "Pah! So you plan to take me for a patsy! What’s it to me about your parents and your two brothers? I’m not accepting this marriage! You can marry whomever you damn well please!"

Turning around, he bowed to the man who thought all was lost and hung his head: "Father-in-law—"

At this shout, the man’s face instantly broke into smiles.

The girl with thick eyebrows and big eyes also smiled slightly, her cheeks blushing as she looked over.

Lin Daniu, heart aflutter, rubbed his hands and stepped forward to scoop up the girl, heading for the flower palanquin, comforting as he walked: "Don’t worry, though I’m a rough man, I know how to cherish my wife! If you’re sincerely marrying me, my life and everything are yours!"

The girl with thick eyebrows and big eyes bashfully nodded.

What happened next need not be said; He Dachui and Lin Daniu took this bride who joined midway, and returned with much fanfare to avoid missing the auspicious time.

Leaving behind the two families who thought they could play coy and get some silver, but both daughters ended up losing out, looking at each other in dismay.

The daughters of those two families only realized at that moment and regretted it, but it was too late.

Unwilling, they chased a few steps, but with people outside pointing and mocking, they couldn’t bear it and went back inside crying.

Meanwhile, Jian Huaifeng, having heard the news, already prepared two extra sets of the bride’s red wedding gowns, letting the two brides change beforehand in the side room, joining the ceremony without delay.

As the granny spoke, Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu couldn’t help but laugh, surprised there could be such incidents?

Old Granny Zhang, intrigued, simply instructed to bring the two brides for a visit another day, wanting to see which family’s daughters were bold enough.

After a bout of laughter, Old Granny Zhang became angry again, saying those two families were foolish, as the conditions showed they were poor, marrying these guards while not entering a den of fortune, at least they wouldn’t worry about food and clothing in the future, right?

Many wish for such luck but don’t get it; if not for giving face to those officials’ families, they wouldn’t even have this chance, yet they played coy.

If, before the wedding, you openly discussed the dowry conditions, you might be seen in a better light.

Doing this on the wedding day is utterly disgusting!

Those two girls seemed alright at first, or they wouldn’t be chosen, but unexpectedly, they were foolish inside.

With this commotion, both families became a laughingstock and the two girls’ reputations were ruined, their futures probably tough!

Truly idiotic!

If they knew that after marrying the guards, Wang Yongzhu planned to arrange some work for these families to increase their income and supplement household expenses, they’d probably regret it to death.

Wang Yongzhu could only sigh at how clueless and hopeless these two girls were.

However, this reminded her that there was indeed a problem with the selection process. Most of the people involved were recommended by local officials’ families, thinking that as locals with extensive connections, they would know the candidates well.

Who knew such an incident would occur?

At that moment, she asked, "Who was responsible for selecting those two families?"

Gu Yu, standing by, leaned in and whispered a few words, and Wang Yongzhu suddenly understood.

The next day, the officials’ wives who selected those two girls came to plead guilty. She was busy the day before and didn’t visit, only sending a congratulatory gift.

Unexpectedly, she heard this news in the evening, and it gave her a cold sweat. Ironically, those two families shamelessly brought the girls who didn’t get on the sedan chair that day, crying and fussing to see her.

They said things like they needed her to stand up for them, or else they’d be too ashamed to live.

The officials’ wife was so angry she cursed on the spot, telling them if they were too ashamed to live, they should just go home and die, to avoid dirtying her place.

She originally did it as a favor for relatives, knowing their family wasn’t up to standard, but squeezed them in anyway, repeatedly stressing that they should treat such a good match with caution because once they missed this opportunity, there wouldn’t be another.

Who would have thought that the brains of these two families were just wasted? They really were cautious, cautious about asking for money! And during the wedding procession! It’s disgraceful! 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

She was also thinking that her husband had been wanting to move up for years, but the clever people around the County Magistrate blocked any chance he had.

Taking this opportunity for those two relatives’ girls to marry over, they’d at least be considered relatives, and might say good things about her husband to the County Magistrate. Maybe there would be hope then.

Now look, never mind promotion, she’s afraid even the current position is at risk.

The officials’ wife was so angry she scolded them fiercely and chased them out with a big stick. She couldn’t sleep all night, staring at her swollen eyes, rushing to plead guilty first thing in the morning.

Wang Yongzhu knew it was just human nature; who doesn’t have a bit of selfishness? But it’s fine to be selfish if you handle things well. If you’re selfish but have poor judgment and encounter such idiotic allies, then it’s just bad luck for yourself.

She too assumed that this official’s wife handled matters appropriately in the past, which is why she believed her this time. It turns out she can make mistakes in judging people too.

She casually said a few words, saying it was fine as long as the auspicious time wasn’t missed.

But after this incident, that official’s wife was too ashamed to face Wang Yongzhu anymore, and that was another story.

As for He Dachui and Lin Daniu, on the second day after the wedding, they took a bunch of brothers and a list of dowries, storming back in like wolves and tigers to reclaim all the bridal gifts they had sent out. For those that had been sold or used, they forced them to be converted back to silver.

Except for the two red wedding dresses, they found those to be unlucky and didn’t want them back.

Then these two arranged the bridal gifts in order, added a lot more, and sent them with great enthusiasm to their freshly minted father-in-law’s home.

For a while, this became the talk of Chicheng County and a big joke among the townsfolk.

The girls from those two families were also seen once by Old Granny Zhang. After asking around, she learned that the bride from He Dachui’s side was upset that her daughter didn’t get the first spot, and wasn’t satisfied. The day the wedding changed, she quickly pushed her own daughter forward to seize the match, and now she’s quite comfortable at home. Every so often, she goes near the house of the girl whose match she took to sicken them.

As for the one from Lin Daniu’s family, it was even more interesting. It turned out the girl already had feelings for Lin Daniu. Lin Daniu once helped her, although he didn’t remember, but she kept it in her heart and fell for him.

When she heard the Magistrate’s Lady was selecting matches for the guards, she wanted to be chosen but didn’t have a connection. Later she heard Lin Daniu picked another girl from that family, and she cried at home for several days.

On the wedding day, she just wanted to see Lin Daniu get married and give up, but who would have thought she’d encounter such an incident and see someone else cut in at He Dachui’s side.

She didn’t care anymore, shamelessly begged her father to recommend her, and finally fulfilled her wish.

Even Wang Yongzhu couldn’t help but click her tongue in amazement, and she gave those two families additional silver and the two new brides some jewelry, as a form of compensation.