Chapter 11: A Promise of One Month

“You… you… Du Yun, you’ve always seemed like such a sensible child—how can you be so unreasonable now? This is the kind of good match you couldn’t find with a lantern in broad daylight. Don’t throw away a lifetime of happiness just because things aren’t perfect right now.” Aunt Dong was even more confident this marriage would happen after the Dong family raised the bride price, but seeing that Du Yun still wouldn’t relent, her temper flared.

“Who’s being unreasonable? Marriage is about two people’s willingness. If you all think it’s such a good deal, then you should be the ones to marry into their family. I just don’t like Dong Yuejin and don’t want to marry him. Why can’t that be?” Du Yun, angered by Aunt Dong’s domineering attitude, flushed bright red.

“What’s wrong with Dong Yuejin? The Dong family is rich, the wealthiest in the village. Others would do anything just to catch up halfway! If you marry into the Dong family and give birth to their eldest grandson, wouldn’t all that wealth end up in your hands?” Aunt Dong, noticing Du Yun’s stubbornness, began to waver and turned to persuade Du Yun’s grandmother.

In truth, Aunt Dong knew Dong Yuejin wasn’t a good man—he was unattractive and lecherous—but the Dong family’s fortune was hard to ignore. Being a household with ten thousand yuan was a huge deal; most families in the village would consider themselves well-off with just a hundred or so. The Dong family’s savings probably equaled those of half the village combined.

“It’s true, the Dong family’s prospects are excellent,” Du Yun’s grandmother nodded, growing more convinced. She imagined that if Du Yun could get her hands on that kind of money, even a little slipping through her fingers would greatly improve their own household’s lot, and her face couldn’t help but break into a smile.

“Grandma, don’t believe her. The Dong family is rich and we’re poor—wouldn’t they look down on me? Even if I married in, I’d be nothing more than a servant in their house. I’d never be the one in charge, never have access to their money!” Du Yun, seeing her grandmother’s resolve waver, hurriedly tried to persuade her.

“And as for Dong Yuejin himself, you, Grandma, know better than anyone—whatever the Dong family has was earned by his grandfather. Now that the old man is gone, his parents aren’t much good at making money, and as for Dong Yuejin, he spends ten for every one he earns. Being a ‘ten-thousand-yuan household’ sounds nice, but no amount of money can stand up to spending like that. In a few years, it might all be gone!”

“What!” Du Yun’s grandmother’s face tightened at the prospect of Dong Yuejin squandering the family fortune. If he had no money, he wasn’t worthy of her lovely granddaughter.

Seeing her grandmother’s reaction, Du Yun was secretly delighted and pressed her advantage, her mind racing for another way to undermine her grandmother’s resolve. She understood well enough that her grandmother cared about two things when it came to this marriage: her own future happiness, and how much benefit the marriage could bring to the family. Du Yun was under no illusions that these two things always aligned; if the marriage promised enormous benefit to the family, her own happiness could easily be sacrificed.

With this in mind, Du Yun knew that now that the Dong family had offered three hundred yuan as a bride price, if she wanted to hold out, she’d have to show that refusing the match would bring even greater benefit.

“Grandma, just think—Dong Yuejin can’t earn money or manage a household. How could I, as a daughter-in-law, ever be in charge there? Even as the wife of a wealthy family’s son, the money wouldn’t be in my hands. It’d all be for nothing.”

“Grandma, I’ve already graduated. After studying for so many years, I can’t just stay home and farm. We can’t count on the Dong family’s money—it’s not ours. Once I start working and earning, I’ll be sure to bring home good things for you…” Du Yun pleaded on and on, her mouth dry, but her grandmother remained noncommittal. Clutching her grandmother’s sleeve, she gazed at her with pitiful eyes.

“All right, I hear you, but you know our family’s situation. Your eldest brother and your cousin—both of them are of marrying age now. If you don’t get married and bring back a bride price, where will we get money for their weddings?” Her grandmother’s tone was helpless; with so many mouths to feed and the famine only just behind them, every day was a struggle to keep everyone fed, let alone build new houses and pay for weddings.

“Yun, don’t blame your grandmother. I have no choice. Your brothers are growing up, but none of them seem set on making money, and I can’t let them stay bachelors forever!” The old woman’s burdens were heavy and she had no way to earn more; watching her grandsons grow up day by day, she’d come up with this one solution to their problems.

“Grandma, I understand. Don’t worry—I’ll find a way to earn some money. Give me two months—no, one month—and I’ll bring something back.” Looking at her grandmother’s aged face, lined with bitterness and resignation, Du Yun blurted out the words without thinking.

“One month? I know you’re educated, better than anyone else in this family, but money’s not so easy to come by these days.” Her grandmother frowned, but she didn’t shut the door. If Du Yun could find happiness and still help her grandsons marry, that would truly be the best outcome.

“Don’t worry, Grandma, I’ll do my best. But in this one month, you mustn’t agree to anything with the Dong family,” Du Yun insisted anxiously.

“I know what to do. One month—if there’s still no word, don’t blame me for taking things into my own hands.” Her grandmother’s tone was stern. As the matriarch, she allowed Du Yun to bargain only because she doted on her; if it were the other granddaughter, she wouldn’t even ask before deciding.

Her grandmother was a practical woman. People’s hearts change easily, and while her granddaughter was one of the prettiest in the village, no one could say for certain whether a better-off family would take a liking to her. If this rare opportunity slipped by, there might not be another.

“All right, you have my word,” Du Yun replied through gritted teeth, her heart still uneasy. She knew the Dong family’s offer was tempting, and if she didn’t secure this month, Aunt Dong would only have to visit a couple more times before her grandmother agreed.

I will never marry that repulsive man! Du Yun clenched her fists and made this silent vow.