Chapter 209: Betrothal Gift

The old madam stood at the doorway, her face purple with rage. ’What a disgrace, what a complete disgrace!’

The eldest aunt hurried forward to pull Ms. Qian away, shouting sharply, "That’s enough! Stop hitting her. Are you really going to beat her to death?"

Meanwhile, Gu Zhang saw Gu Zhong’s fists raining down on Shanzimama. This was getting out of hand. He went over and grabbed Gu Zhong. "Brother, you’ve let off some steam. That’s enough. Any more and you’ll kill someone."

"We should be thinking about how to solve this."

Gu Zhong released his grip and stood there, panting. He was tired from the beating and had no strength left.

Shanzimama clung to Shanzi, crying incessantly.

The courtyard was now packed with people, from the oldest to the youngest. Not a single person was missing—the gossip was just too juicy.

Gu Fei sighed. ’If this were the modern era, what happened to Xing’er would be no big deal at all.’

’But in this day and age, things are much harder on women than on men.’

’This incident won’t affect Shanzi much, but Xing’er’s reputation is completely ruined.’

’The best possible outcome would be for them to get married immediately. After a few years, when everyone has forgotten about it, it won’t matter anymore.’

Aunt Liu tried to mediate from the side. "Gu the Second is right. What’s the use in fighting? You need to think about how to resolve this. Luckily, we’re all neighbors here. No one’s going to spread this around outside the village."

Ms. Qian charged over and grabbed Shanzimama. "You tell me! Tell me right now, what does your family plan to do about this?"

Shanzimama’s face was ashen. No matter how much she disliked Xing’er, she knew her son had to marry her now. There was no way out of it.

She said in a low voice, "Tomorrow, I’ll find a matchmaker and come to your house with a marriage proposal."

"We should get it done quickly, lest—"

She didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.

They were afraid she might be pregnant, and a quick marriage would cover up the scandal.

Xing’er wanted to defend herself, but as a young woman, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. Besides, there was no way to explain it clearly.

She stared daggers at Shanzi, her eyes filled with nothing but hatred.

Shanzi looked back at Xing’er. He understood the hatred in her gaze, but he didn’t care. He believed he had done this for their own good.

’See? Now we can get married, can’t we?’

Ms. Qian spat fiercely. "Easy for you to say. A proposal? How much of a betrothal gift does your family plan to give?"

"Don’t even think about marrying Xing’er unless you can offer thirty taels of silver."

Shanzimama gave Ms. Qian an indifferent look. "I’m willing to offer five taels of silver as the betrothal gift. No matter who you ask, that’s not an unfair amount for your daughter. Any more than that, my family simply doesn’t have it. Everyone knows we still owe Young Master Su silver."

"If you refuse, then there’s nothing I can do."

With Xing’er’s reputation in tatters, who else could she possibly marry but Shanzi?

She certainly wasn’t the one who should be panicking!

Aunt Liu tried to smooth things over. "I think that’s fine. Five taels of silver isn’t a small amount."

Ms. Qian shrieked, "No! Thirty taels of silver, not one big coin less!"

Shanzimama said coolly, "My son did something wrong, and we admit it. We’re willing to marry your daughter into our family. But it wasn’t entirely his fault. It takes two to tango. It’s not as if my Shanzi forced your daughter."

"Even if you killed me right now, I couldn’t produce that much silver. Besides, no family pays thirty taels for a bride. As you all can see, it’s not that my family lacks sincerity. It’s her family that’s trying to make things difficult."

If she weren’t mindful that almost everyone present was from the Gu Family, Shanzimama would have added another sentence. ’You think your daughter is plated in gold?’

’Pah! Just some damaged goods my son has had his fun with!’

At this, Shanzi understood his mother’s intentions and obediently let her pull him away.

’Either way, Xing’er has no choice but to marry him now. He wasn’t afraid.’

Xing’er stared daggers at Shanzi and ground out through her teeth, "I won’t marry him!"