"She wouldn’t abandon me to return to the city like the other Educated Youth might, but I never expected that Cuihua’s family would suddenly demand a higher dowry," Da Li said.
Fang Chaoyang had never met the woman named Cuihua.
But he had heard Da Li mention her.
He said his fiancée wasn’t very pretty but was exceptionally hardworking, and she would be able to work the fields with him, unlike his sister-in-law, who could only be pampered at home.
Back then, when he talked about his fiancée, there was a sparkle in his eyes.
Even when they were away from home for a month, Da Li talked about what to buy for his Cuihua, what might make her happy.
Seeing Third Brother selling lipsticks, he secretly bought one, saying he would give it to Cuihua, and that she would definitely like it.
But the person before him now had lost that sparkle in his eyes, replaced only with sadness.
"Da Li, could it be that something has happened at her home? Otherwise, they wouldn’t suddenly demand such a large amount of money," Chaoyang reasoned.
Even girls from the city wouldn’t dare to ask for such a large dowry.
Besides, when Da Li and Cuihua first met, there was even a matchmaker present.
"I don’t know." Cao Dali scratched his head again. They had already discussed the wedding date, so why did things change?
There was no way his parents would agree to such a large sum of money and so many gifts.
"Let’s go, we’ll find out from Matchmaker Liu," Fang Chaoyang proposed, observing Cao Dali’s listless state and deciding to inquire with the matchmaker, the one who had brought the two together initially.
"Chaoyang, I..." Da Li faltered.
"Don’t you want to clear things up? Let’s hurry. If Third Brother wasn’t helping Xiao He, he would come to inquire about the situation too."
Cao Dali, not wanting to hurt Fang Chaoyang, allowed himself to be led to Matchmaker Liu’s house.
Matchmaker Liu was well-known for arranging marriages within ten miles. Her home was made partly of brick and tile and partly of yellow earth.
Matchmaker Liu, a woman in her fifties, knew their purpose as soon as she saw Cao Dali and Fang Chaoyang.
She was so irritated by what Li Laosan’s family had done that she felt like cursing; this was damaging her reputation, after all.
A country girl daring to demand such a high price.
Who had given her family such confidence?
Despite having seen hundreds, if not thousands of young women, Cuihua was only average at best. If not for her ability to work both inside and outside the home, which added to her value, how could she possibly find a decent match?
Yet now she had become arrogant. Not only did she want a dowry of two hundred, but she also demanded "three turns and a sound". She wasn’t an extraordinary beauty to be acting so boldly at the time of setting the date, putting the matchmaker in an awkward position.
Sighing deeply, Matchmaker Liu said, "Da Li, don’t worry, I’ll find someone else for you. With your qualifications, you’ll definitely get a better match. As for Cuihua, just let her go!"
Why would Matchmaker Liu say this?
Carrying his doubts, Fang Chaoyang asked, "Matchmaker Liu, what exactly happened to her family?"
Originally, Matchmaker Liu didn’t want to get involved, but Cuihua’s family suddenly demanded an exorbitant dowry without giving her prior notice, shaming her in front of the Cao Family.
"Li Laosan’s family has had trouble. His elder brother slept with a widow and was caught by the widow’s family, who demanded compensation. Laosan’s family didn’t have that kind of money. Hearing that Da Li was earning money, they started demanding the sky. Not many knew about it, but one of my fellow matchmakers learned of these matters and told me."
Cao Dali looked at Matchmaker Liu in shock. He had met this ’eldest uncle’ of his, who seemed to him a very honest and upright man. How could he have done such a thing?