Chapter 561: How Much Silver Was Spent

Qiao Xiaomai had already prepared food for Yang Ye and placed it in her kitchen. The rooms in the old courtyard of the Tong family were not as comfortable as the new ones, so Yang’s banquet was set up in Tong Sanlang’s room.

“Wow, is this your new room with Tong Sanlang?!”

Yang Ye exaggeratedly exclaimed the moment he stepped through the door.

“It’s akin to a slum!”

Following behind him, Qiao Xiaomai silently curled her lip at his comment, “My lord, today is a day of great joy for Sanlang and I, could you please mind your words?”

“Oh wow, you’ve even dropped the ‘brother’ from ‘Brother Sanlang’, just calling him ‘Sanlang’ gives me the goosebumps.” Yang Ye dramatically rubbed his arm and took a seat in front of Tong Sanlang’s desk.

Qiao Xiaomai glanced at the yard outside.

The tables were arranged and the guests had all been seated. The chef from the local diner, Jiwaiju, had instructed the young waiter to start serving dishes.

Tong Tiehu was playing the host in the courtyard, and given that everyone else was either seated or occupied, nobody was paying any attention to their side of the house. She pressed her lips together, turned to look at Yang Ye, and asked in a low voice, “My lord, how many silver taels did that all cost?”

Yang Ye was flipping through the books on the desk when he heard her question. He cast her a sideways glance, “Why?”

“To pay you back, of course! My marriage was arranged in such haste that I didn’t even have time to get the essential documents sorted, let alone prepare a dowry. Thank you for going through all the trouble to arrange everything for me, I need to repay you, I can’t let you bear all the expenses and workload!”

At her words, Yang Ye raised an eyebrow, clicking his tongue lightly, “Miss Qiao Xiaomai, it was gifted dowry, understand?”

“No, no, no, it was a dowry that you took time out of your busy schedule to arrange for me, I am truly grateful. I absolutely have to pay you back this silver.” Xiaomai insisted unwaveringly.

If she were to accept this extravagant gift lightly, Tong Sanlang would surely be discontent for quite some time.

“It’s just a bit of silver, why do you want to make it so clear-cut?” An unhappy expression crossed Yang Ye’s handsome face.

“Of course, you should know my principles, my Lord. Even if it’s a congratulatory gift, it shouldn’t be too lavish. Your additional dowry – I really can’t accept that.” A sincere look spread across Xiaomai’s face.

Hearing this, Yang Ye snorted, “Are you worried Tong Sanlang will be unhappy?”

“What does he have to be unhappy about? The dowry should be my responsibility, it has nothing to do with him.”

“Hmph, it sounds nice.” Yang Ye gave her a skeptical look, raising a hand to point around the room, “You’ve witnessed my Grandpa Emperor’s restrained opulence, and you’ve seen more of the world than a simple country girl. Why are you compromising so much?”

“I’m not compromising myself. As long as I have Tong Sanlang, even a broken grass hut can feel warm and inviting. I’m perfectly content living here.”

Yang Ye, “…”

Seeing Xiaomai so serious about it, he couldn’t help but raise a hand to rub his face.

What a fool!

Why couldn’t he ever meet such a fool?

Being around Xiaomai made him seriously consider marrying a young princess to tease and play with every day…

“My lord, how much silver did this dowry cost in the end?” Seeing Yang Ye fall silent, Xiaomai asked again.

Yang Ye waved a finger in the air, “Under ten thousand taels.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The good things available in Huai’an County and Bailu Town were limited, but he had managed to collate the very best of everything for his gift.