Chapter 232: Sky-high Bride Price
Hearing Lin Fengying heaving sighs, Si Chen furrowed his brows and asked, "What does Boyi want to do?" When it comes to matters of marriage, the opinion of the individuals involved should be considered.
Lin Fengying shared her dilemma: "Boyi likes Lijuan and does want to get married, but he doesn’t have the money to do so. I only have a little over two hundred yuan on me, which is not nearly enough." Her indirect message was that she hoped her elder son would willingly offer to help his younger brother.
Now that Tong Yao has opened a shop in Li City, she earns at least a thousand yuan a month. It’s also said that she has opened another shop in Kyoto, where the revenue should be even more than in Li City.
If her elder son was willing to help, Chen Jinlan’s demands wouldn’t appear all that significant.
Standing next to Si Chen, Tong Yao also picked up on Lin Fengying’s hint. She thought Si Chen would readily agree, but instead, he asked seriously, "What are their demands?"
"A betrothal gift of 101 yuan, symbolizing she’s ’one in a hundred’, as well as a sewing machine, wristwatch, and a bicycle." Lin Fengying pinched her lips together and uneasily continued, "Her family specifically requested a black and white television. It’s all my fault. If only I could take care of these things myself, Boyi wouldn’t have to worry so much about getting married."
Everything seemed reasonable until the black and white television was mentioned. So, this was Lin Fengying’s real predicament. At present, a black and white television costs about 500 yuan. It’s unheard of for any rural family to make such demanding conditions for a marriage.
A sewing machine, wristwatch, and bicycle are already considered high-level betrothal gifts with two being the usual limit. The Zhang Family however, was asking for all three along with a hundred yuan and a black and white television. Were they treating Si Chen and Tong Yao like pigs for slaughter?