Chapter 522: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 522: Dust Settles (3)
Upon hearing about Mo Yonglu's actions, Mo Yan merely raised an eyebrow, thinking that the only person who could possibly save the old Mo family was probably him!
Seeing that the timing was about right, Mo Yan secretly made some arrangements. Soon, the two matchmakers who had arranged the marriage for Tie Tou and Mo Yongxi came successively to the old Mo family, urging them to quickly finalize the marriage. Whether it was the brothel girl or the wealthy man from the city, both wanted the wedding done before the autumn harvest.
It was already late June now, less than two months away from the autumn harvest, and with six rituals to go through, time was running short.
Mo Yongxi had sought this marriage herself, and no one knew the specifics. Since it was a wealthy man from the city, it was generally unlikely for him to marry a girl from a peasant background unless she had exceptional qualities. But Mo Yongxi lacked talent and family background, carried a reputation for malice and misconduct, yet managed to attract the interest of a household enough to send matchmakers. Anyone who believed there was no trickery involved would be a fool!
However, that household had also stipulated that if the old Mo family couldn't provide a dowry of fifty taels of silver, they wouldn't agree to the marriage. Their reasoning was that marrying a country girl was embarrassing enough in front of relatives and friends; if the bride entered with nothing, their face would be trampled in the dirt.
Because of this, Mo Hong Shi, for Mo Yongxi's fifty taels of silver dowry, found a former courtesan who had married well. In other words, for Mo Yongxi's "good" marriage to proceed, they first had to secure Tie Tou, then obtain the one hundred taels of silver from the former courtesan to purchase the dowry.
Now Tie Tou was being stubborn, and the pressure from both families was mounting. Mo Hong Shi had no choice but to directly approach the former courtesan, shamelessly claiming that they would soon be family, and since the old Mo family was facing difficulties, she asked the former courtesan to advance them the one hundred taels of silver. Otherwise, the marriage would have to be called off.
The former courtesan was named Liu Qingqing. After learning about the old Mo family's plight, for reasons unknown, she actually agreed. She had someone write a promissory note for Mo Hong Shi to sign, then happily handed over the one hundred taels of silver.
Mo Hong Shi had initially been unwilling, but in order to get her hands on the silver, she had no choice but to press her handprint on the promissory note. As soon as she received the silver ticket and confirmed its authenticity at the money exchange, she tightly held onto the silver ticket and hurried back home.
With money in hand, things went smoothly. Within two days, Mo Yongxi successfully became engaged to the wealthy household in the city.
It was said that on the day of the engagement ceremony, both families exchanged tokens. The old Mo family presented a plain jade pendant, albeit costing five taels of silver. When she bought it, Mo Hong Shi was heartbroken, but in order to save face for her daughter-in-law when she entered her in-laws' home, she gritted her teeth and bought it anyway!
The Fang family gave a pair of glittering gold-carved bracelets, weighing a total of three taels. It seemed like they highly valued Mo Yongxi as their daughter-in-law, which delighted Old Mo and Mo Hong Shi while they flattered and pleased them with words that didn't cost a penny, making the matchmakers nearby feel embarrassed.
After the Fang family left, Mo Hong Shi couldn't wait to show off the pair of bracelets around the village.
Although most villagers disliked Mo Hong Shi, they still envied the pair of gold bracelets worth dozens of taels. Those envious looks made Mo Hong Shi swell with pride, feeling like she had won a battle, and she returned home with her head held high.
Little did she know, there was a creditor waiting for her at home, who had waited for ten days but never received the marriage contract. Liu Qingqing, holding the previously signed promissory note and the matchmaker, came together to collect the debt.
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