Chapter 1338: Chapter 1316: Dowry Part Two (Added for book fan “Yan Wei who loves gnawing on books”)

“It’s no problem,” Junior Ms. Qian said with a laugh. “When the time comes, I’ll help you run the place. You just need to provide food and lodging.”

“No way. Lichong and the others will get jealous,” Manbao shook her head. “I don’t want to argue with Lichong and them.”

“They wouldn’t dare!”

“See, you yourself said ‘dare,’ instead of ‘want to,’ which proves it’s still not a good idea.”

Junior Ms. Qian found her difficult to deal with and seemed unwilling to give the shop to Daya. She frowned slightly and asked, “Why did you suddenly bring this up?”

Manbao replied, “Yesterday, Mother was holding me and said that all of us are now running around outside. If it weren’t for Eldest Brother and Third Brother always staying home, she and Father wouldn’t even have anyone to talk to.”

“So, I thought, Father and Mother have Eldest Brother and Third Brother to accompany them, but Eldest Sister-in-law, who will accompany you in the future?” Manbao added, “The restaurant over in the capital is doing pretty well. This year, Fifth Brother almost couldn’t spare the time to come back. He said if he goes to the capital again after the new year, he will definitely take Fifth Sister-in-law and their family along.”

Junior Ms. Qian, surprised at this, opened her mouth wide. “But isn’t it said that staying in the capital is really expensive?”

“It is very expensive, but traveling back and forth every year also costs quite a bit. Thinking of it this way, it’s better to live in the capital so the family can see each other more often,” Manbao leaned against Junior Ms. Qian’s lap and said, “How old is Lichong now? In the next twenty years, it’ll still be his prime years. He definitely won’t come back to the village to farm permanently. Could you really bear to keep them at home, just working the fields?”

Of course, she couldn’t. Farming was too tough. While other kinds of work were also hard, the hardship of farming was different.

In the past few years, Junior Ms. Qian had seen more of the world while running a restaurant in the county town and had begun to understand. The effort put into other jobs usually yielded significant returns, making the hardship worthwhile.

But farming was different. In addition to hard labor, it also depended on the whims of the heavens.

Over the past few years, the heavens had been kind, with favorable weather. But if there were floods or droughts like in previous years, it could spell disaster.

The Bai Family in the village, and families like those of Old Master Zhang and Old Master Liu in the county town, not only owned large amounts of farmland tended by hired laborers but also ran businesses outside. Even if the harvest was poor, their shops would still generate income, so they wouldn’t be reduced to selling children to survive like families such as theirs might during major disasters.

“And Lixue,” Manbao continued, “He’s good at studying. I want to take him out this time to find a good academy so he can attend and learn. If he manages to pass the imperial exams, that’s ideal. Even if he doesn’t, he’ll still be equipped with skills to do many things.”

“Eldest Sister-in-law, look, I’m already so capable, Lichong has knowledge, and Lixue has education. But what does Daya have?” Manbao said softly, “Among the other kids in the family, Liwei and Lijun are already out. Lixue can go too, let alone the younger ones like Sanya and Sitou. But only Daya hasn’t traveled far or had chances to learn anything else. Mother always says the head of the household must treat everyone fairly, but you also have to take care of the less fortunate ones. That’s why Mother secretly helps Third Brother. Because he’s honest and doesn’t have other opportunities, she quietly supports them financially…”

Junior Ms. Qian: … Why is she telling me about Mother secretly supporting Third Brother?

Manbao, oblivious, continued, “I understand it’s hard to treat sons and daughters completely fairly. Still, now that Lichong and Lixue have brighter futures, can’t you quietly help Daya? That wouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Junior Ms. Qian stayed silent and said nothing. Manbao then shook her gently and said, “Don’t think about making me dowry. I’m not your daughter, but you’ve raised me all the same. Since I was little, Datou and Daya were the ones who took me to play. In my heart, you’re just like Mother. Just think of yourself as having four children. That shop is yours. Whether you choose to be fair or biased, who do you want to give it to?”

Junior Ms. Qian pondered the matter.

Manbao knew her words had moved her.

Leaning on Junior Ms. Qian’s lap, Manbao tilted her head to look at her and said, “Eldest Sister-in-law, Lichong isn’t at home. After the new year, I’ll take Lixue away to study. That leaves only Daya to stay by your side and take care of you and Eldest Brother.”

Hearing this, Junior Ms. Qian’s eyes reddened. She reached out to softly touch Manbao’s hair, thought for a while, and nodded, “Alright, I’ll discuss it with your Eldest Brother.”

Manbao beamed with a smile, rubbed against her, and said, “Eldest Sister-in-law, if Father doesn’t agree, I’ll ask Mother to talk to him.”

Junior Ms. Qian poked her nose lightly, “You little clever rascal! Better watch out or Father will get mad at you.”

Manbao replied, “Our family is doing well now. Father and Mother’s matters are settled. There won’t be any particularly big expenses going forward. Everyone has their own work to do, so a shop as dowry isn’t too much, right? Why not give it?”

Junior Ms. Qian said softly, “When your elder sister married, the family didn’t provide anything like this.”

“That was because we didn’t have it back then.”

Seeing her unease, Manbao couldn’t resist saying, “Eldest Sister-in-law, stop worrying. Do you know how much those two rolls of fine silk I gave Daya are worth?”

Junior Ms. Qian casually asked, “How much?”

“At least 80 or 100 taels per roll.”

Junior Ms. Qian was stunned, her eyes wide as she looked at Manbao. Her fingers trembled as she pointed towards Manbao’s room. “Then those rolls you gave me…”

“They’re even more expensive. Those are brocade gifted by the Empress herself. Honestly, I don’t even know how much a roll costs. Erya sold two or three rolls before, and she said selling them to shops wasn’t worth it. Those wealthy families wouldn’t buy from us either, so we should keep them for ourselves. Worst case, we can use them as money in the future.”

Gold wasn’t abundant, and silver was rarely used outside. Most common folks relied on copper coins, but larger transactions often involved trading fabrics like brocade and silk when gold and silver weren’t enough.

Junior Ms. Qian knew the fabrics Manbao had brought back were valuable, but she never expected them to be this pricey. A single roll could be worth as much as an entire shop?

Still in shock, Manbao darted off. By the time Junior Ms. Qian recovered and went looking for her, she’d already run off to the Bai Family.

Junior Ms. Qian had no choice but to call Ms. Qian and the other sisters-in-law together, explain the situation, and then start rummaging through the children’s rooms to gather up all the fabric rolls and bring them back to the main house.

Actually, it wasn’t a lot. The fine silk was mainly given to Daya and Sanya, with a few pieces for the five sisters-in-law.

Looking at the brocade and silk carefully laid out on the bed, Ms. Qian couldn’t help but gulp. She turned to ask Zhou Wulang, who had been summoned back temporarily, “Fifth, be honest with me. How much are these fabrics worth?”

Zhou Wulang hesitated, “…How should I put it?”

Ms. Qian snapped, “Be truthful!”

Zhou Wulang replied, “Truthfully? Among these, a few are just ordinary silk. Outside, they’d cost eight taels of silver, or perhaps eleven or twelve taels per roll. The quality varies, so prices differ.”

He continued, “Buying them costs this much. However, if we sell them to a fabric shop, they’d only give us five or six taels per roll, since they also need to make a profit.”