Time Travel: The Noble Family

Chapter 134: Chapter 56: Ma Peng Makes a Decision_4

Zhuang Changhe said cheerfully, “Sister, don’t be anxious. Father has already agreed that, in addition to the forty thousand taels of silver provided by the government, he will privately add another twenty thousand taels to your dowry. I believe that with such a generous dowry, it won’t be the top one in the Capital City, but it will still rank quite high. With it, Sister, you will be able to walk horizontally in the Ma Family.”

All things considered, the dowry totaled around one hundred ten thousand taels of silver.

Zhuang Changhe couldn’t support his sister in other matters. The only thing he could do was to prepare a generous dowry for her.

Ruo Lan laughed, “I don’t need this dowry to stand firm in the Ma Family.” Ma Peng is very honest, and honest people are easy to control, unlike her father who is more educated than others and very astute. He married her mother, who had the backing of the Duke Mansion, but didn’t treat her well in the end, leading to her mother’s death from depression.

Ruo Lan originally intended to split the dowry in half, but considering her brother’s kind intentions, she thought about it and didn’t argue further with him. The fate of sons differs from that of daughters; sons should earn their own fortunes. For daughters, a dowry is not only the foundation of establishing oneself but also a future reliance: “Since you have already spoken to Father about it, I won’t be overly modest. However, you should still pick a few items as a keepsake.”

Zhuang Changhe, seeing that his sister didn’t decline, was overjoyed, “Alright, Sister, whatever you say goes.”

Ruo Lan said with a smile, “I don’t decline because I am pleased that my brother Changhe has grown up and understands responsibility. If my brother hadn’t approached Father with this, I would certainly have refused it. But since he has made the decision first and informed later, it would be wrong to refuse now and upset him with my ingratitude.”

After Changhe left, Ruo Lan looked at the list of the dowry and then thought about the Zhuang Residence providing sixty thousand taels for her dowry, and she couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Next year, when her brother gets engaged and married, he will surely need to spend thirty or forty thousand taels. At that time, Ruo Lan couldn’t help but laugh unkindly. She believed that not only would Madam Bao be losing sleep every night, but even her grandmother, upon learning about her taking such a large dowry to the Ma Family, must be feeling like vomiting blood internally.

Ruo Lan’s personal maid said with a laugh, “Miss, with such a generous dowry, it’s certainly one of the top in the Capital City.”

Ruo Lan nodded with a smile, “Mhm.” Having a large dowry is naturally good. Everything else is vanity, having money in hand is what matters most. With money in hand, the heart is at ease.

In the evening, Yueyao went out to greet Ma Chengteng and Ma Peng at the Begonia Garden with a beaming face, “Congratulations to Big Cousin for setting such a fine marriage.”

Ma Chengteng looked at his son with a smile. Although the Eldest Miss Zhuang had a bit of a fiery temperament, her upbringing was flawless, and he was very satisfied.

Ma Peng was the most surprised of all, feeling as though he was in a dream. It was just a matter of lending a helping hand to someone during an exam, which landed him such a wonderful marriage.

When Ma Peng visited the Zhuang Family, he saw Ruo Lan. Although it was just a brief encounter in the corridor, lasting no more than two minutes, it was enough for him to get a clear look at Ruo Lan’s appearance. The Eldest Miss Zhuang was indeed his ideal wife—graceful and elegant, with extraordinary beauty. As for the rumors about his fiancee’s fiery nature, he didn’t mind at all. Hearing is deceptive, seeing is believing. His eldest brother-in-law had said that all of this was created by a stepmother, and thinking about his own stepmother, all stepmothers around the world are similarly wicked.

Ma Chengteng felt somewhat guilty for leaving his niece out in the yard while he entertained guests inside, “Yueyao, you’ve been waiting here for such a long time.” He shouldn’t have asked Yueyao to come, but he really hoped that she would, even if she couldn’t go out, just sitting in the yard would be nice.

Yueyao smiled and shook her head, “Uncle, I have filial duties and cannot go out, otherwise people will talk. Don’t worry, Uncle, I can feel the joyous atmosphere from within the mansion, and I am truly happy for Brother Zheng.”

Ma Chengteng glanced at his son.

Ma Teng immediately bowed to Yueyao, “Cousin, my success in the examination is all thanks to you. Without your suggestion, Father wouldn’t have taken me out to relax, and I wouldn’t have been able to take the exam without pressure, ultimately passing unexpectedly. So, Ma Peng is sincerely grateful to Yueyao.”

Yueyao sidestepped the bow. She firmly said, “Brother, you are mistaken. My suggestion was only meant to help you relax. The most important thing is your own solid foundation. If you had not diligently studied on a regular basis and truly understood your studies, my words would have been useless.” She had originally made the suggestion thinking that, since he would probably not pass the examination, there was no need for undue stress. But who could have foreseen that he would actually pass? Of course, even though he passed, Yueyao didn’t see it as her own merit. It only proved that Brother had learned well, coupled with a bit of luck. Without genuine knowledge and ability, he would not have passed.

Upon hearing this, Ma Peng felt even more moved, “Cousin, you must accept this bow,” changing from a simple bow to a gesture of gratitude.

As for the gesture of gratitude, Yueyao did not demur and accepted it graciously. Although the fundamental reason was Ma Peng’s solid learning, without her advice, he might not have passed. Although her suggestion was made without any expectation of success, it indirectly led to a positive outcome.

After discussing this matter, Yueyao spoke in front of Ma Peng, “Uncle, there are two things I would like to ask of you.”

Ma Chengteng nodded, “Girl, just say it. As long as your uncle is able to help, I definitely will.” Ma Chengteng thought Yueyao might have been mistreated again at the Lian Mansion.

Yueyao repeated her previous request for a tutor.

Ma Chengteng found it a bit tricky but still nodded, “Alright, I will have someone look into it, and once I have found a suitable person, I will send you a message.” It wasn’t that Ma Chengteng was unwilling to help; he had been searching, but finding someone who met Yueyao’s requirements was very difficult. Not only did they need to be sufficiently knowledgeable, but also of good character and extremely patient. It really wasn’t an easy task.

The second matter Yueyao brought up was about registering Brother Zheng in the family lineage, “Uncle, Tingzheng is still called by that name in the Lian Mansion, and his name has not been officially recorded. I would like, during the ancestral worship over New Year, to have Tingzheng listed under Mother’s name. What do you think, Uncle?”

Ma Chengteng naturally nodded in agreement. With the sister gone, although Tingzheng’s birth mother was of humble origin, Tingzheng was her brother-in-law’s only heir, and Yueyao’s only sibling to rely on. Moreover, he would be the one to offer incense for her sister in the future, “Discuss this matter with your grandmother first. If the people of the Lian family refuse, your uncle will bring it up.” He did this for Yueyao’s sake. Otherwise, if she relied solely on her uncle and didn’t communicate with the family elders, it wouldn’t be appropriate for Yueyao.

Yueyao nodded repeatedly, “I will talk to Grandmother when I return.” Yueyao could not possibly tell her grandmother that it was her own idea, as it would seem as if she did not trust the Lian family at all.