’Isn’t this just what Mom called "pre-wedding jitters"?’

’Since there’s a term for it, I can’t be the only one who gets anxious before their wedding. Why is Mom teasing me about it?’

That being said, Chen Wanqing ultimately took the cloth and the measurements her mother gave her and returned to her room to make clothes for Zhao Jing.

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed, and it was time for the Chen family to deliver the dowry to the Zhao family.

Xu Suying had finally gotten Chen Wanqing’s dowry ready over the past two days.

As for the betrothal gifts from Zhao Jing’s family, everything was being returned except for the bolt of cyan silk, which had been used to make clothes for Zhao Jing. The three-piece set of gold jewelry the Zhao Family had given for the engagement was also being returned in its entirety.

Then there was the dowry prepared by the Chen family.

Six cotton quilts, two redwood chests, two of each of the following: washbasins, wooden buckets, combs, towels, and chamber pots; six new outfits for the bride, a pair of gold bracelets, two acres of farmland, and the county town shop, Qingxiang House, were all included in the dowry for Chen Wanqing to take to her husband’s family.

When this dowry was put on display, it startled nearly all the residents of the Zhao Village, who had been holed up at home for the winter, right out of their houses!

Everyone had already heard that Xu Suying would be including gold bracelets in the dowry; the women who had been helping make quilts at the Chen family home had spread the news early on.

There had also long been rumors that she would include fertile farmland.

That promise had been made by Xu Suying after Chen Wanqing finished mourning Meng Jintang for a year, when matchmakers came calling, in her effort to find a good family for her daughter.

But who had taken it seriously? 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Who would have dared to take it seriously!

Common country folk treated their land as their very lifeline. No one would sell land unless they were at a dead end; to do so would make you an unfilial descendant! It was tantamount to cutting off your own family’s escape route!

As for giving fertile land as part of a daughter’s dowry, that was something that had never happened before.

Daughters were considered a drain on resources; once married, they belonged to another family.

Many families would rack their brains for ways to scheme over their daughter’s betrothal gifts, wishing they could empty out the groom’s family coffers.

They would try by any means necessary to keep the betrothal gifts to subsidize the sons and grandsons of their own family.

They would never think of giving a daughter a large dowry so she could hold her head high in her husband’s family.

A family that didn’t skim from their daughter’s betrothal gifts and was even willing to part with two redwood chests, a few sets of clothes, and several quilts was already considered a good family that doted on their daughter.

But look at the Chen family marrying off their daughter—hadn’t they practically emptied their entire family fortune?

Never mind all the miscellaneous items for daily life—there were gold bracelets, fertile land, and even a shop!!!

That shop was an asset that could be passed down for generations!

If it was managed well, it would provide a stable monthly income. What a comfortable life that would be! And yet, they had included even this cash-cow of a shop in their daughter’s dowry.

Mrs. Zhao felt her head spin a little as she looked at the dowry list.

Earlier, when her family had specifically given six bolts of silk as a betrothal gift, a clan elder had spoken to her with a hint of spite, "That eldest daughter of the Chen family is getting on in years. She must be secretly overjoyed to have landed such a good match with our Jing. You shouldn’t be so naive. Just keeping up appearances is enough, so why are you picking out all your best things to give away? Wouldn’t it be better to keep that gold for your own retirement than to give it to a daughter-in-law who hasn’t even married into the family yet?"

"Since you’ve already given it, I won’t tell you to ask for it back. But since their side has already sent word that the engagement gifts will count as the betrothal gifts, you shouldn’t send any more. If our family seems too eager, won’t it look like we value that bride too much? When the new daughter-in-law marries in, won’t she just walk all over you?"

"Besides, that girl has two younger brothers, and both are students, which is a huge expense. The Chen family only has Chen Song’s meager salary to rely on, so their lives are probably quite hard. Who’s to say they won’t just pocket the things our family sends over to subsidize their sons? You need to be on your guard against the Chen family. If you’re not the least bit calculating, your life will be difficult later on."

Mrs. Zhao just kept her head down and smiled softly, but she didn’t state her position, nor did she have any intention of skimping on the betrothal gifts.

Her personality might have been timid, but she was no fool.

’The Chen family’s life is hard?’

’That’s not true at all.’

Although Jing hadn’t told her much, he had mentioned upon returning home that day that the Chen family had bought a two-courtyard residence in the county town, and a row of three rooms in the back was being reserved entirely for him and Qing’er.

Mrs. Zhao knew what was what, and she was even more clear about the character of Xu Suying and Chen Song.

The two of them seemed amiable on the surface, but they actually had a great deal of pride. They were upright people who truly doted on their daughter. She couldn’t say whether they would empty their entire fortune for their daughter’s dowry, but she knew they would absolutely never pocket their daughter’s engagement and betrothal gifts.

Of this, she was absolutely certain.

But while Mrs. Zhao had expected that the couple, Xu Suying and Chen Song, would provide their daughter with a generous dowry, she had never imagined that her future daughter-in-law’s dowry would be this lavish.