At home.
The air was a little tense.
"Bride price?"
"What about the bride price?"
"What demands did their family make?"
Han Jing and Ci Lifen immediately pressed for answers.
Xie Guoliang, Xia Yanzhen, and Xie Ran sat on the sofa without speaking for a while. It was clear that the Fang family must have made some excessive demands. Otherwise, such a happy occasion would not have left them like this. Even Xie Ran, who had been the most excited earlier, had fallen silent.
For families like the Xie family or the Fang family, marriages and unions between political families were generally driven by political needs and alliances. Financial matters were of little consequence. A token bride price and dowry were enough, as long as neither side lost face or breached propriety. No one would fuss over it, because the greatest gifts and benefits had already been gained politically; there was no need to make up for anything with money. But the relationship between the Xie and Fang families was rather complicated. This was not a traditional political marriage, after all. The two families had been bitter enemies for generations. The two younger people were the ones most eager for the marriage, not their families, and many of the elders had agreed only reluctantly. So naturally, problems arose. The Fang family clearly did not want Xiao Ling to marry into the Xie family for nothing and become a daughter-in-law who would suffer grievances. Though they had grudgingly agreed to the marriage, they had stirred up trouble over the bride price, apparently intending to make things difficult for Xie Ran.
"Guoliang."
"What exactly happened?"
Han Jing and Ci Lifen were deeply concerned.
In the end, Xia Yanzhen said, "This morning, our two families met at Qianmen Restaurant. At first, everyone chatted