Chapter 21: Proposal The Nan Family is Stunned by the Betrothal Gifts!!!

Nan Jinping was in a foul mood after being harassed by the villagers. He said to Miao Shi, "Mother, please arrange my marriage soon. If this continues and Bing Dalang changes his mind, my marriage prospects will be ruined for life."

Miao Shi also knew that if Jin Geer couldn't marry into the Bing family, he wouldn't even find a match as good as Bing Dalang in the future.

Miao Shi wept, "Jin Geer, I'm sorry!"

Finally, the marriage was agreed upon to avoid further complications and to prevent the villagers from coming with more insulting proposals. As soon as Miao Shi agreed, Nan Jinping immediately sought out Bing Wengu and asked him to propose.

Bing Wengu didn't mention the previous day's drama at all to Nan Jinping, just grinning from ear to ear and saying, "Jin Geer, don't worry, I will treat you well. I won't let you suffer or work hard."

Nan Jinping wasn't impressed. Given the state of the Bing family, how could he not suffer after marrying in? But he wasn't afraid of hardship; he had endured so much in his life that he was used to it.

Bing Wengu said with a silly grin, "Jin Geer, how about five taels of silver for the betrothal gift?"

Nan Jinping, who was already full of worries, was startled, "Five taels of silver? Where would you get that much? You're not thinking of borrowing money at high interest, are you? That's not acceptable. The interest would pile up, and it would be a bottomless pit, never to be filled."

"No," Bing Wengu quickly explained, fearing Nan Jinping's misunderstanding, "I won't touch high-interest loans. I plan to go deep into the mountains to see if I can find something valuable. Then I'll have the silver for the betrothal gift."

Bing Wengu's health had improved, and his energy had mostly recovered. He was planning to go deep into the mountains to find something to improve the Bing family's living conditions. Even without the marriage, he had planned to go into the mountains soon.

Nan Jinping thought of the wild game Bing Wengu had been sending over occasionally, and his expression changed immediately.

"You can't go into the deep mountains!" Nan Jinping said with a serious expression, "The mountains are too dangerous, especially the deep parts. There are wolves there. What if you encounter a wolf?"

Bing Wengu smiled and reassured him, "Jin Geer, don't be fooled by my thin appearance. I'm actually very strong. If I encounter a wolf, I'll kill one if it comes alone, and two if they come in pairs."

"Nonsense! Wolves are pack animals. Even if you're naturally strong, you can't fight off a whole pack."

This was true, but Bing Wengu wasn't just strong; he also had psychic abilities. His psychic energy could extend over a hundred miles, allowing him to avoid wolf packs.

Seeing that Bing Wengu wasn't taking it seriously, Nan Jinping said sharply, "Bing Dalang, you really can't go into the deep mountains. I'm scared. Since birth, I've had bad luck. My mother says misfortune always finds the unfortunate, and I'm one of them. I'm afraid that if you go into the mountains after getting engaged to me, my bad luck will cause you to encounter a wolf pack."

If Nan Jinping had used other arguments, Bing Wengu might have tried to persuade him. But after hearing this, Bing Wengu was left with nothing but heartache, as if his heart were being pierced by thousands of needles.

"Please just come and propose; don't wait," Nan Jinping pleaded, fearing that Bing Wengu might secretly go into the mountains. "The things the villagers are saying are too cruel. I can't take it anymore. Please send a matchmaker to my house today. Any elder from the village will do. It doesn't matter if there's no betrothal gift. I don't care about that, and my parents have agreed not to expect one."

"Alright," Bing Wengu could only agree, his heart aching with sympathy.

Bing Wengu went home and immediately urged Liang Shi to go to the Nan family to propose.

Liang Shi was deeply concerned, thinking about how poor the family was, "Isn't this too rushed? We haven't prepared anything. Even if the Nan family doesn't expect a betrothal gift, we should at least buy something. Otherwise, it would be too rude."

Normally, given how poor the Bing family was, they should worry about the other family rejecting the proposal. But with the Nan family, Liang Shi didn't have this concern. It wasn't that she looked down on Nan Jinping like the other villagers, but she had a feeling that her son and Nan Jinping might already have an understanding, and perhaps her son had already discussed the proposal with Nan Jinping before telling her.

Bing Wengu didn't tell Liang Shi that this was Nan Jinping's request, only saying, "Mother, the village gossip is too cruel. I can't stand it anymore. The sooner we settle this, the sooner the rumors will die down. As for the betrothal gift, if we don't have the money, it's fine. Didn't I hunt a roe deer the other day? Let's use that as the betrothal gift."

At the time, Bing Wengu had butchered the roe deer, planning to send part of it to Nan Jinping, eat some at home, and sell the rest in town.

But because the part for the Nan family wasn't delivered and he had a big fight with Bing Silang when he returned, no one was in the mood to cook the roe deer that night. So, the roe deer meat remained untouched and intact.

Liang Shi then remembered that Bing Wengu had initially wanted to offer five taels of silver as a betrothal gift. Now that they were saving on the betrothal gift by offering a whole roe deer, it didn't seem so surprising after all.

A roe deer yields about 50-60 pounds of meat, and the current market price is about 30-40 coins per pound. A whole roe deer would be worth about 1500-2400 coins, which is nearly two to three taels of silver. This was no small amount.

Thinking this way, Liang Shi no longer found anything to be shocked about and quickly regained her composure.

Bing Wengu did not hide the matter of the betrothal gifts from the rest of the Bing family. Except for Qian Shi, who was in confinement after childbirth, all other members of the Bing family were present. This was to prevent anyone from feeling that he had given too much in betrothal gifts, causing the family a loss, and then stirring up trouble after Nan Jinping joined the household.

Honestly, none of the Bing family members were okay with Bing Wengu shelling out so much for his marriage gifts, but they dared not speak up. Previously, Bing Silang had the courage to resist, nearly getting himself killed by Bing Wengu's actions.

Moreover, this silly roe deer was hunted by Bing Wengu himself, so strictly speaking, it wasn't money from the family's common funds. Their own weddings had all been paid for from the family's shared funds, so no one dared to speak out.

Even Bing Silang, who had been the loudest opponent, had now fallen silent. Bing Silang's earlier opposition wasn't against Bing Wengu getting married, but because he had thought Wang Wuniang would marry him. With limited family funds, if Bing Wengu got married, he wouldn't be able to.

Now that Wang Wuniang was unwilling to marry him, and Bing Wengu was funding his own marriage, Bing Silang, though reluctant due to the family's financial difficulties, did not oppose.

Bing Wengu scanned the room, reading the family's thoughts from their faces.

"Don't worry about the family losing out. Your betrothal gifts were only one tael of silver, while mine is a whole roe deer," he said frankly, to prevent any future trouble after Nan Jinping married into the family. He was marrying Nan Jinping to spoil her and ensure her comfort, not to make her endure hardship. "After all, this roe deer was hunted by me, and your weddings were funded by the family. By this logic, I'm the one losing out."

Bing Sanlang and Bing Silang didn't seem to care. Bing Silang directly said, "That's true, but things aren't calculated that way. How much did Second Brother and Third Brother spend on their weddings? And how much have you spent on your studies over the years?"

Bing Wengu nodded, "That's true, so I will clear the family's debts myself, and I will also build six large brick houses for the family. All the expenses for building the houses will be borne by me, but they will be under our parents' names."

The ownership of the houses was a big deal. If they were under Bing Wengu's name, after his parents passed away, the houses would belong solely to him, and his brothers would have to move out.

But if they were under his parents' names, after they passed, the houses would be split equally among the brothers, giving each a share.

With this promise, Bing Wengu was on the hook for at least a dozen taels of silver.

A dozen taels of silver was a huge amount for the current Bing family, yet instead of being overjoyed, the family members all showed complex expressions.

Bing Silang let out a mocking laugh, sneering, "Bing Dalang, you're not much of a scholar, but you sure know how to talk big. Luckily, our family doesn't have any cows, or they'd be floating in the sky from your boasting. Anyone from afar would know it's you bragging again."

Bing Sanlang originally didn't want to speak, as Bing Silang was already leading the charge, but Bing Wengu's boasting was too much today, and Bing Sanlang couldn't hold back.

"Big Brother, some things shouldn't be said so casually. Whether you continue with the imperial exams or not, you're still a scholar, and you should speak more realistically," Bing Sanlang said, no longer hopeful about Bing Wengu's exam prospects, doubting he'd pass even if he tried this year.

Bing Erlang and his wife were the most silent, rarely voicing their opinions, but even they couldn't help but speak up this time.

Bing Erlang said, "Big Brother, the family's debts aren't all your responsibility. You don't have to bear them alone; we'll all help repay them. Don't put so much pressure on yourself."

The implication was clear: Bing Wengu was stressed out and spouting nonsense.

Bing Erlang's wife, Zhou Shi, who was not good with words, simply nodded in agreement with her husband.

Bing Silang's laughter boomed, clutching his stomach as if he might burst from laughing so hard.

"Oh my, this is too funny. Your boasting is so outrageous that even our usually quiet Second Brother, who never says anything, couldn't stand it and had to speak up."

"No, that's not what I meant," Bing Erlang, not good with words, tried to explain but didn't know how, his face turning red.

Bing Silang just kept laughing loudly, not listening to Bing Erlang at all.

Liang Shi kept a close eye on Bing Wengu's face, fearing he might snap and drown Bing Silang again, and hurriedly said, "Bing Silang, shut your mouth!"

Bing's father also thought his fourth son was playing with fire and worried he'd keep pushing, leading to disaster, so he quickly said, "Enough, all of you, stop this nonsense. What kind of behavior is this? Your Big Brother isn't wrong. If he passes the exams this year, what he said isn't a big deal."

"Hah, him?" Bing Silang scoffed, "Expecting him to pass is like expecting pies to fall from the sky."

"Bing Silang, if you can't speak properly, then shut your mouth," Liang Shi also doubted Bing Wengu could pass, but it was bad luck to voice such thoughts.

Bing Wengu brushed off the family's skepticism and casually said, "What if I can pull it off?"

"If you can pull that off, I'll eat my hat!" Bing Silang shouted.

Bing Sanlang wasn't as extreme, saying, "If you can do it, I'll listen to you from now on. If you tell me to chase a dog, I won’t go after a chicken."

Bing Wengu then looked at Bing's father and Liang Shi. They were somewhat angry, as they had been trying to save face for Bing Wengu, but he kept pushing the issue, which displeased the elders.

Liang Shi said, "Your dad and I feel the same way. If you can really do it, not only will the rest of the family listen to you, but so will your father and I. From then on, you’ll be in charge of this family."

"Good," Bing Wengu turned and asked Bing Erlang and his wife, "Second brother, what do you and your wife think?"

Bing Erlang said, "I’m with everyone else on this."

Bing Wengu didn't even spare the youngest, Bing Wulang and Bing Sanniang, asking for their opinions.

Even though Bing Wulang and Bing Sanniang were just seven, kids from poor families grow up fast and already understood what Bing Wengu was talking about. They figured Bing Wengu was just blowing smoke.

Bing Wulang pouted and said, "If big brother can really pull it off, I’ll do whatever he says—heck, I’ll even marry a chicken or a pig!"

Liang Shi scolded, "Stop talking nonsense."

Bing Sanniang chimed in crisply, "I’m with fifth brother on this."

Bing Sanniang even rolled her eyes at Bing Wengu behind his back.

Liang Shi scolded, "Sanniang, you're still young. Don’t pick up such nonsense from your fifth brother."

"Yeah, yeah," Bing Sanniang replied dismissively.

Once everyone who could talk had spoken, and those who hadn’t were just children who couldn’t articulate well, Bing Wengu was satisfied.

Bing Wengu nodded, "It’s good to have everyone on board."

Bing Wengu didn’t say another word. He called Liang Shi, grabbed the roe deer meat, and headed to the Nan family to propose.

The moment Bing Wengu left, Bing Sanlang joked about it with Qian Shi.

Qian Shi, after hearing it, indeed laughed heartily. Since giving birth to her son, she had been in a very good mood. While playing with the little one, she smiled and said, "Does big brother even know how much that is? It’s got to be at least ten taels of silver. If he can cough up that much, I’d even call him mom and dad!"

The Nan family, having heard from Nan Jinping that the Bing family would soon come to propose, stayed. Sure enough, not long after, Liang Shi, a village woman, and Bing Wengu arrived.

"Brother Nan, sister-in-law, I’ve got good news!" The woman's loud voice was heard even before she entered the yard.

Even though the Nan family wasn’t thrilled about the Bing family’s proposal, since it had come to this, they decided to accept it and quickly adjusted their expressions to show smiles.

Miao Shi, suppressing her depression, forced a smile and said, "Oh, it’s sister-in-law Bing. Please, come in."

The woman smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, brother, we’ve come to propose to your family. This is Bing Dalang, a scholar who’s literate and taking the exam this year. If he passes, you’ll be the in-laws of a scholar."

Everyone in the village knew Bing Dalang’s true level. No one in the village thought he could pass.

Of course, at this time, Nan's father and mother wouldn't say anything discouraging, only thinking to themselves, 'The matchmaker’s tongue is slippery—she can make the dead seem alive.'

Nan's father and mother nodded with a smile.

Bing Wengu then put down the willow basket he was carrying, glanced at Nan Jinping standing beside Nan's father and mother, who hadn't looked at him since he entered, and then sincerely said, "This is my betrothal gift. I hope you won’t find it too meager."

What’s this nonsense about son-in-law and in-laws? This is downright shameless!

Just as Nan's father and mother were about to say something, they heard the matchmaker’s exclamation, then they looked down at the roe deer meat on the table and nearly gasped in surprise.

This is an entire roe deer, worth nearly three taels of silver!

For a villager to marry a young woman, one tael of betrothal gift is usually enough, and for a skilled young woman, three taels would be more than sufficient.

As for marrying a Xiao Geer (a young man), one tael of silver isn't even necessary; a few hundred copper coins would suffice. Offering one tael would be considered exorbitant, showing that the husband's family highly values the marriage.

But now, the Bing family has actually offered a whole roe deer!!!

The Nan parents had prepared themselves for the Bing family to offer nothing, or perhaps just a few dozen copper coins. They never expected the Bing family to offer so much, and in their shock, they forgot to take issue with Bing Wengu's presumptuous use of "father-in-law" and "mother-in-law," terms that imply a formal and respectful familial relationship in Chinese society.