Immediately, Evelina put on an even more dramatic show, "Oh, how unfortunate I am! Isn’t it said that a daughter is her mother’s greatest comfort? Yet here my daughter is, getting married, and I didn’t even know about it. Some people, once they climb up high, forget their roots and only care about enjoying themselves, cutting all ties with the family!"
Mabel looked at her mother’s performance coldly, her heart growing even colder, "Kyle and I are getting married. If, Mom, you want to come to the wedding, you are of course welcome."
"What do you mean, attend the wedding? For such a big thing like your marriage, you think you’ve just got to open your mouth and it’s done? I raised my daughter only to give her away to someone else? You’re young and don’t understand this principle, but does Mr. Kinston not understand it either? At least he should come to our house to discuss the dowry. Or is such a prominent figure as Mr. Kinston going to marry you without even a dowry?" Evelina shouted, hoping to solidify the matter, maybe even get it into the news, forcing Kyle to provide a dowry.
By then, she could really make a heavy demand, and wouldn’t that money end up in her pocket?
Evelina’s wishful thinking was loud and clear, but how could Mabel not see through it, "So, you came to me just to ask for money?"
"What money? It’s a dowry, a traditional custom. Do you actually not want to follow the traditions of our ancestors? The Kinston Family is well-respected, surely they wouldn’t be so stingy as to not offer a dowry?" Evelina said.
"The ones getting married are Kyle and me. I don’t have a dowry, so I don’t need a dowry in return," Mabel said.
"What do you mean you don’t need it? Did you grow up drinking the northwest wind? I raised you so you could get married, so shouldn’t I, as your mother, ask for a dowry? Besides, me asking for a dowry is for your own good, to give you more security," Evelina posed as if she was thinking only of her daughter’s welfare, like she only regretted that her daughter didn’t understand her intentions.
Mabel said calmly, "Since it’s customary, in our city J, there’s also a custom that if the man gives a dowry, the woman provides a dowry too. Mom, what dowry do you plan to prepare for me?"
"Well... Mom will of course prepare a dowry for you, but our family is small and doesn’t have much savings. When you get married, Mom will buy you a few more quilts, some gold jewelry, and I’ll give you ten thousand dollars. You can buy whatever you want with it. You know, I worked hard to raise you and your brother, so where do I have a lot of money?"
"True enough." Mabel nodded, "Then, what kind of dowry does Mom want? I’ll go back and discuss it with Kyle."
"Well... maybe you could come over to the house and discuss this later on." Evelina did not want to talk about this in public.
"Let’s talk about it here. My studio colleagues can be witnesses. Otherwise, if the amount ends up too little, it would be hard to justify later," Mabel said. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Evelina thought it over and agreed, "It wasn’t easy raising you. Our house is so small, if the Kinston Family wants to marry you, shouldn’t they at least give us a villa? That way when you come back, you’ll have somewhere to stay for a few nights. And your brother hasn’t married yet, so they should buy him a villa too. Best if both villas are in the same neighborhood. Our family doesn’t have a car, and I’m getting older, so let the Kinston Family buy two luxury cars for us, one for me and one for your brother. I’ll need a driver, but your brother can learn to drive himself. As for cash, let them give us 88.88 million, for good luck. The higher the dowry, the more it signifies a woman’s worth, and the more a man will cherish you in the future!"