"That much? How dare they ask for so much?" Fang Lan couldn't help but exclaim.
There were plenty of weddings in the villages around here.
But Fang Lan had never heard of anyone asking for such a high betrothal gift just to marry off a daughter.
It's not like they're some wealthy landlord. Who has that kind of money?
During the famines a few years back, you could buy a servant girl for just three taels of silver.
"Indeed. This marriage is looking unlikely."
Ms. Chen felt her enthusiasm wane, but she was also unwilling to let it go.
She had seen the eldest daughter of the Zhou Family from the neighboring village. The girl was pretty, with wide hips—a good pelvis. You could tell just by looking at her that she'd be good for bearing children.
A girl like that would make for a worry-free marriage.
She just couldn't understand it. Everything had been going so smoothly at first. Why did they suddenly raise the bride price by so much now?
What family could afford that? The engagement was surely off.
But maybe it was for the best. With the Zhou Family pulling a stunt like this, it revealed their true colors. It was better to find out now than to deal with their nonsense after the wedding.
'When she thought about it that way, the Zhou Family's daughter wasn't a good match after all.'
"Mother, I'm home."
Just then, a familiar voice called out.
Ms. Chen quickly turned to look and saw her younger son standing right outside the door.
He looked weather-beaten and a little tanner.
No, he even looked a bit thinner.
"My dear Zhi'Er, you've suffered so much."
Ms. Chen immediately dropped the decorative knot she was tying. She rushed over to Fang Yue in a few quick strides and grabbed him by the shoulders.
She looked him over from left to right, stopping just short of giving him a full-body inspection.
"Zhi'Er, have you eaten? You must be starving. I'll go make you something. What do you want to eat today? We still have two eggs, I'll boil them for you."
Then, looking flustered, Ms. Chen turned to bustle about and prepare a meal for Fang Yue.
"Mother, I've already eaten."
Fang Yue stopped Ms. Chen and then shrugged the bundle off his back.
"Mother, look at this. We're having meat tonight."
He opened the bundle, revealing a large, processed slab of tiger meat. Fang Yue had another, similar bundle with him.
The two cuts of tiger meat were about the same size, weighing over two hundred pounds combined.
It wasn't that they didn't want to take more. The young tiger's body had yielded a full two to three thousand pounds of meat.
If they had brought it all back, it would have been enough to eat for a long, long time.
But the same problem remained: in winter, the low temperatures would have preserved the meat for some time.
But even though it was already autumn, the weather was still warm. Fresh meat would spoil in a single day and was impossible to keep.
In those days, the most practical methods for preserving meat were salting it or drying it into jerky.
Because they hadn't expected to encounter a young tiger on their journey, they hadn't brought much salt. They only managed to cure a little over three hundred pounds of tiger meat, while the remaining thousand-plus pounds were roasted and dehydrated.
Fang Yue brought back over two hundred pounds, while Fang Hu naturally took the remaining thousand or so pounds of tiger meat with him.
"What kind of meat is this? Why is there so much? Where did you get it?"
When Ms. Chen saw the cured meat and jerky spilling out of the two bundles in Fang Yue's hands, she was instantly stunned.
She had never seen, let alone eaten, this much meat in her entire life.
As a simple village woman, Ms. Chen had seen little of the world and was habitually cautious.
Seeing so much meat in Fang Yue's hands, she immediately flew into a panic.
'Zhi'Er, he didn't... he didn't rob the butcher, did he?!'
'The Village Chief, the village elders... they aren't going to send men to arrest my Zhi'Er, are they?'
And just at that moment, Ms. Chen's gaze drifted toward the door. In the distance, she saw several burly men walking down the road, headed right for their house.
'They're... they're really here to arrest Zhi'Er!'
"Zhi'Er, you have to run! Quick!" Ms. Chen shoved at Fang Yue, trying to make him flee.
"Mother, Mother, what is this all about? Why should I run?" Fang Yue didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had just gotten home; what was there to run from?
He hadn't broken any laws, so there was no need to run.
"Go! You stole someone's meat, and now they've come for you!" Ms. Chen babbled, shoving at Fang Yue.
Fang Yue's mind reeled at her words.
'Stole someone else's meat?'
'Where did that even come from? Did someone really lose their meat today? Who in Da Liushu Village would even butcher this much meat at one time?'
"This is tiger meat. Mr. Fang Hu and I ran into a young tiger on the way back, and he gave me a share," Fang Yue hurriedly explained.
"Fang Hu gave it to you? You should have said so earlier! Are you sure it was from Fang Hu? Oh, then I'm relieved."
After asking him to confirm it several times, Ms. Chen finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Then, as if remembering something, Ms. Chen said urgently:
"Quick, give me the meat. We need to put it away. It wouldn't be good if anyone saw it."
In the countryside, resources were scarce, and every household lived on the edge of hunger.
A family that could afford a single meal with meat would be envied. A family that ate meat every day would be resented.
These people wouldn't dare vent their frustrations on the wealthy landlords, so they would direct them toward their own neighbors.
It was nothing more than the simple fact that people couldn't stand to see others doing better than themselves.
In short, one should not flaunt their wealth.
"Right."
Fang Yue nodded, but instead of handing the meat to Ms. Chen, he carried it into the kitchen himself.
The two cuts of meat didn't look that large, but they were deceptively heavy.
He had just finished putting it away when a voice called out from outside the door.
"Wife of Fang Mu, is your Zhi'Er home?"
"Well now, if it isn't Steward Liu. What business do you have with my Zhi'Er?" Ms. Chen replied, recognizing the voice.
Steward Liu was the steward for Wealth Master Liu's household.
He was normally a very imposing figure at Master Liu's estate, keeping a close eye on the hired help, like her.
'I wonder what he's here for today?'
And judging by his friendly and pleasant expression, he was nothing like the stern-faced man who usually looked like everyone owed him two taels of silver.
Although Ms. Chen hadn't seen much of the world, she knew that when a man like him showed up at her door with such an attitude, something was definitely up.
"I hear your Zhi'Er has been taken in by Fang Hu, and even followed him to Xiahe County Town these past few days. Is that so?" Steward Liu chuckled.
"Yes, that's right," Ms. Chen replied.
"Excellent. In that case, these are a small token of our master's esteem, a gift for your Zhi'Er."
Steward Liu immediately ordered the household servants behind him to carry in several boxes.
"Ah, Steward Liu, this... we absolutely cannot accept this! I can't take these things."
Ms. Chen's eyes widened at the boxes of gifts—there was silk fabric, pastries, and many things she would never even dare to dream of on an ordinary day.
But now, they were laid out right in front of her.
'Her Zhi'Er only went on a trip to Xiahe County Town with Fang Hu. Why on earth would Wealth Master Liu be sending their family gifts?!!'