Demanding the Dowry

After calmly delivering her threat, Yu Li bid them farewell. Suddenly remembering something, she turned back and said to Old Madame Yu, "Oh right, when I married this time, you didn't prepare a dowry for me."

When the original host married into the Fu family, she had only worn old clothes and carried a simple bundle. Inside the bundle was only an old change of clothes, and nothing else.

Even poor families in the countryside tried their best to prepare a dowry when marrying off their daughters. The Yu family was not that poor, so acting this way was truly unsightly.

They had even received twenty taels of silver as a bride price from the Fu family.

According to Aunt Guihua, even if the Yu family kept the bride price, they should have given her a small dowry to take with her; that was only proper.

Although Yu Li was not well-versed in the ways of the world, she felt Aunt Guihua's words made a lot of sense.

Yes, Aunt Guihua wasn't actually as annoying as Aunt Feng made her out to be; after all, many of the things she said made sense. In the future, if she had time, she could listen to Aunt Guihua more.

Old Madame Yu was startled. She actually dared to demand a dowry? She was someone sold to ward off ill luck; on what grounds did she demand a dowry? Although the Old Madame desperately wanted to say this, she didn't dare. Her aged face turned blue from holding back, looking as if she might faint.

The others didn't look pleased either, but no one dared to object in front of Yu Li.

Fortunately, Yu Li was in no hurry to demand the dowry immediately. She said, "Prepare it first. In a few days, bring it to the Second Branch for me, and I will come back to collect it then."

Having said this, and feeling there was nothing else needed, Yu Li left the Yu family home.

By the time she left, she wasn't worried at all about the Yu family mistreating the Second Branch. As the saying goes, they married within the same village—one in the east, one in the west, only a ten to twenty-minute walk. She could return to check on them at any time. They surely wouldn't dare do anything to the Second Branch.

The night was as dark as ink, the full moon high above pale and casting a weak light that made the scenery look bleak.

Yu Li suffered from night blindness, making the walk even more difficult. However, because she was accustomed to traveling at night in her previous life, even though her eyes couldn't see clearly, she could still follow her memories to walk toward the Fu family home.

From afar, she saw a flickering oil lamp ahead. Though the light was faint, in the silent night, it stood out as if guiding her way.

Looking at that light, her mood gradually eased.

When she arrived at the Fu home, she knocked lightly on the door, and Madame Chu came to open it.

"Li-niang, you're back!" Madame Chu said with a smile. "Come inside. Have you eaten dinner yet?"

Yu Li replied softly, "I have eaten." She asked if they had eaten, then handed the basket in her hand to Madame Chu, saying it was a return gift from the Yu family.

Madame Chu was startled. That stingy Old Madame Yu actually returned a gift? It was truly hard to believe. Madame Chu knew Old Madame Yu's reputation in the village well; could she be different from what she thought?

"Little Aunt is back!"

Fu Yanhui and Fu Yansheng, the brother and sister, ran over hand-in-hand, happily welcoming Yu Li.

They liked her very much; eating together over the past few days had forged a close bond. Whenever they saw her eat, they felt the food tasted even better, and the more they ate, the more they enjoyed it.

Yu Li smiled, patted the two children's heads, and pulled two boiled eggs from her pocket. "Here, you two eat these."

"It's eggs!"

The siblings cheered in joy, their eyes shining with gratitude as they looked at her. Little Aunt was so good, even giving them eggs.

Madame Chu also received an egg and asked in wonder, "Where did you get these?"

"I boiled them at the Yu family home," Yu Li replied calmly. "Everyone had some, even I ate one."

Madame Chu was surprised. Her daughter-in-law actually remembered to bring eggs back for them? It was unexpected, but it was certainly a good sign.