She listened quietly, not asking any questions.
He continued, "At that time, the Xiao Family had three acres of paddy fields, worth forty-five taels of silver. When my parents were alive, they didn't leave much behind, just an old residence. Chuan and I paid for the three acres of paddy fields with the money we earned; Qinghe was still young then. The Liu Family asked for one hundred taels of silver as a betrothal gift, which I couldn't afford even if I sold everything I had. Besides, I couldn't sell the house left by my parents. Half of the paddy field belonged to Chuan as well. After spending all the silver taels on the fields, if I sold them, I would have at most twenty-something taels.
The Liu Family was extremely dissatisfied with the amount, urging me to gather more money. I had no other option but to plead with the Liu Family, promising to treat Haitang well and make up for the betrothal gift gradually in the future once I had money.
