Chapter 6: The Bride Price

Liu Tongsheng was so furious he nearly fainted!
All his life, he had been the smartest and proudest person in the village—when had he ever been subjected to such humiliation?
Was this still the same Shao Fatty girl who only knew how to swing a knife and hack at people?
When did she become so eloquent and articulate?
Two classmates and nearby villagers had gathered around. Shao Diandian’s words struck directly at the heart of the matter, her logic crystal clear. Even those previously unaware of the situation now understood the full story.
It turned out that this scholar had been deceived by a matchmaker and then backed out of the marriage on the wedding day, yet refused to return the bride price.
“Miss, how much bride price does he owe you?” someone asked.
“Twenty taels!” Shao Diandian replied.
A collective gasp arose!
Usually, marrying a bride required only two taels of silver, and even for a live-in son-in-law, the price rarely exceeded six taels. Considering he was a scholar and handsome, at most ten taels—no more.
But—
Everyone’s gaze fell on Shao Diandian’s plump figure, and they more or less understood why the price was so high.
Such a physique in the countryside… was indeed hard to find a husband for.
“Shao Fatty! Take a look in the mirror!” Liu Tongsheng shouted angrily.
Shao Diandian calmly responded, “Does how I look change the fact that you owe my family the bride price?”
Everyone nodded silently; this plump girl’s logic was impeccable, and she hadn’t been led astray by the scholar.
She insisted on the facts, clear and reasonable, while the scholar had been so enraged he lost all reason and publicly insulted a young girl.
The contrast between their intelligence and demeanor was clear as day.
At this moment, even Liu Tongsheng’s two classmates frowned at him.
More and more strange looks gathered around.
Liu Tongsheng grew desperate. “Maybe you and the matchmaker connived to trick me into coming here! Yes, that must be it!”
Shao Diandian nodded. “In that case, let’s bring this to the magistrate.”
With that, she turned and headed toward the government office.
If Liu Tongsheng thought this was just a threat, he was correct.
There was an unknown man at her home; she certainly wouldn’t alert the authorities to the Shao family without first confirming the man’s true identity.
But from the earlier conversation, Liu Tongsheng didn’t know she already had a husband.
Otherwise, with his temperament, he would have insulted her a dozen times over.
Liu Tongsheng was a scholar, and if this matter left a stain on his reputation, he might lose his chance at official success.
“Stop right there!” Liu Tongsheng threatened. “Your Shao family runs rampant in the village, causing all sorts of trouble. Do you really dare to go to the magistrate?”
Shao Diandian ignored him completely.
A psychological game? A foolish scholar was no match for her.
Sure enough, when she reached the corner, Liu Tongsheng gritted his teeth and reluctantly gave chase.

“Shao Fatty!”
Shao Diandian smiled. “Decided to repay the money?”
It was the same person, yet somehow, that smile made Liu Tongsheng momentarily stunned, as if Shao Fatty had suddenly become captivatingly charming.
He turned his face away and said condescendingly, “I can return half the money, and we’ll call it even.”
“You dropped something.” Shao Diandian looked at his feet.
“What?” He bent down to look.
“Your face.”
Liu Tongsheng was speechless.
“Officer!” Shao Diandian approached the constable who was drawing wine across the street.
Liu Tongsheng broke out in a sweat. “Ten… fifteen taels! Fifteen taels, is that enough?”
Shao Diandian seemed not to hear and continued toward the constable.
“Eighteen taels!” Liu Tongsheng raised the offer.
Shao Diandian had already reached the constable’s side.
“Can I help you?” the constable asked.
“I’ll pay!” Liu Tongsheng hurriedly shouted.
Shao Diandian smiled faintly. “Actually, I just wanted to ask Officer, how to get to Jin Ji.”
Shao Diandian received five taels from Liu Tongsheng and made him sign an IOU for the remaining fifteen, promising to repay within three days.
Afterward, she went to the clothing shop.
She hadn’t planned to buy clothes, as she only had two hundred wen left.
But now that she had silver, she wanted to buy some rural clothes for Wei Ting and the three little ones.
“Buying for your husband and children?” the shop owner’s wife asked warmly.
Shao Diandian merely smiled.
Leaving the shop, she had four taels left in hand.
She then went to the grain store, purchasing twenty jin of cornmeal, ten jin of white flour, and ten jin of rice.
By the time she went to buy meat, the butcher’s stall was about to close.
“How much for cured meat?” she asked.
“Fifty wen a jin, all good quality!” the vendor answered.
“That’s expensive.”
“This is already the cheapest! Go ask elsewhere, at least sixty wen!”
“What about fresh meat?” Shao Diandian inquired further.
“We’re closing soon. If you want, ten wen a jin,” the vendor said.
Salt was expensive in ancient times, making cured meat costly as well.
Shao Diandian decided to buy fresh ribs and pork belly to cook at home herself.
The vendor saw she had bought dozens of jin of meat and smiled. “Miss, I still have a set of pig offal. If you don’t mind, I’ll give it to you since I’m closing.”
Pig offal was a delicacy today but less popular in ancient times, mainly because people didn’t know how to cook it.
Still, it wasn’t completely unwanted—poor folks rarely ate meat all year, and pig offal was at least some kind of meat.
“Thank you.”
To make cured meat, salt and spices were essential.
By the time Shao Diandian finished shopping, it was already afternoon.
There was no way she could carry all this back alone.
Fortunately, she met Old Li, who was driving a cattle cart at the market entrance.
Old Li had just sold two old hens and bought two jin of brown sugar for his grandson and pregnant daughter-in-law, also carrying some New Year goods for the villagers.
“Uncle Li,” Shao Diandian greeted him.
Old Li was about to drive off!
Shao Diandian blocked his path.
“Uncle Li, I need to go back to the village. Could you give me a ride?”
The old Shao Fatty wouldn’t have been so polite before—she would call Old Li straight out by name without greeting and just hop on the cart.
If lucky, she wouldn’t pay; if unlucky, she’d even extort money from him.
Old Li cursed his luck silently; just yesterday he’d been cheated out of bride price, and today this!
He didn’t expect Shao Fatty’s politeness this time to mean she’d let him off.
Old Li was almost in tears, but what could he do?
Anger this little tyrant, and Shao’s family had two even tougher bullies!
With a bitter face, Old Li let Shao Diandian and her goods onto the cattle cart.
On the way back, three men stopped the cart.
They were three town ruffians, led by a young man known as Brother Knife, a few years younger than Shao Kang, recently released from the magistrate’s detention.
He twirled a knife in his hand, glanced at Shao Diandian, and smiled unexpectedly. “Hey, isn’t this Shao Ge’s daughter? What a coincidence.”
Old Li’s face changed.
This was trouble—they were in cahoots, and his whole load was at risk!
Unless Shao Fatty helped him—
But Shao Fatty wouldn’t help him!
Impossible...