The Farm Girl’s Charismatic Fortune
Chapter 264 - 260: An Age-old Title

Chapter 264: Chapter 260: An Age-old Title

Ruo Hai insisted on leaving the two boxes of gold, silver, and jewels for Ruo Xuan.

Without arguing with him, Ruo Xuan turned and delivered them to Sister He.

"Husband and wife cannot be of one mind if they do not share wealth," her mother said.

These were rewards from The Emperor, and so many people had seen it when her eldest uncle had given them to her before his wedding. After Sister He married into the family and learned of it, even if she didn’t mind, she would probably feel hurt, feeling that the eldest uncle was guarding against her.

Grandmother always said to her parents and to her second uncle and aunt, "When husband and wife are of one mind, their sharpness can cut through metal. When getting along, they must negotiate and compromise, and they cannot leave thorns in each other’s hearts. The more thorns are left, the more scars both will suffer, and the farther apart the couple will grow."

Therefore, she could not let these two boxes of jewels become a thorn between her eldest uncle and his wife.

Although she was very fond of gold, silver, and jewels, she could earn them by herself!

So, the next day, Ruo Xuan said to her father, "Father, my eldest uncle gave me two boxes of jewels last night. Please send them to Sister He Hua for me, and say that they are specially for her from my eldest uncle. They are not part of the dowry, but a gift for her."

Upon hearing this, Ruo Shui immediately understood the concern of his eldest brother, but it was indeed improper for him to do so.

Xuanbao had not yet gotten a clear handle on the situation!

He patted his precious daughter’s head, "Xuanbao is really sensible, Dad will send them right away."

Then Ruo Shui delivered the two boxes of jewels to the old house, and Ruo Xuan added a few bolts of fabric on top of them.

Only Mother He was in the old house, cooking breakfast, while He Xinghua, Father He, and Brother He had gone to work in the fields early in the morning.

Although the two families had agreed on the marriage, among all the long-term workers, the He Family of four was one of the most diligent.

They were very honest and feared that others would say they took advantage of the Ruo Family by receiving high wages without working.

Mother He, seeing Ruo Shui moving two boxes over, hurriedly greeted him, "Fourth Master, what is this?"

Ruo Shui smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, you will be my eldest brother’s future mother-in-law, so just call me Ruo Shui! These are gifts from my eldest brother to Miss He, which he asked me to bring over. He was afraid that you would not accept them if he brought them himself. These items and this fabric are all rewards from The Emperor for you, my future father-in-law, and brother Dalin to make some clothes."

Ruo Shui carried the two large boxes straight to the main room.

Mother He became anxious, "No, these items are too valuable, we cannot accept them! They are rewards from The Emperor, how can we be worthy to use them?"

Ruo Shui replied with a smile, "They are bestowed upon my eldest brother, and you are my eldest brother’s parents. As one family, how can you not use them! Mother-in-law, I need to hurry back to the city. Remember to lock the door."

After saying this, he hurriedly left as he indeed needed to rush back to the city.

The bookstore had already hired quite a few people. Although there was no need for him to be busy, he and his second brother had recently been reading books to prepare for the imperial examination.

In the village, villagers would come to find them every day or stop by for a chat, which was not as quiet as the city.

~

Mother He, looking at the two big boxes and the fabric piled up like a small hill in the room, felt as though they were hot potatoes, and was extremely anxious. She quickly closed the door, locked it, and ran to the herb fields to find her daughter.

Today, after running through several hills for his morning exercise, Ruo Hai still helped He Xinghua carry water to irrigate the herbs.

He Xinghua never expected that even after he had become a Fourth Rank, Great General, he would still come to help her fetch water.

When He’s mother saw Ruo Hai helping her daughter fetch water, she was also happy. She came to Ruo Hai, panting, and said, "Ruo Hai, all those items are imperial gifts; we can’t accept them! Please take them back!"

He Xinghua, not understanding, looked at her mother and then at Ruo Hai.

As soon as Ruo Hai heard this, he understood immediately. It must have been Xuanbao who had sent those two boxes of items to the He Family in his name. Now that it had come to this, he could only respond with a smile, "It’s fine, I don’t need those items; give them to Xinghua. Auntie, don’t mind it; they’re just material possessions. I’ll go ahead and fetch some water."

After saying this, Ruo Hai picked up a pair of empty buckets and continued to fetch water.

It was only after Ruo Hai had gone some distance that He Xinghua asked, "Mother, what imperial gifts are you talking about?"

He’s mother then told her about the two large boxes and several bolts of fabric that Ruo Shui had sent.

Yesteday, she had heard that the Emperor had bestowed upon Ruo Hai two large boxes of gold, silver, and jewels, but she hadn’t expected he would give them to her this morning.

"Those items are too valuable and are imperial gifts; we can’t possibly use them! Those two boxes were probably all given to you; the old lady, the second lady, and the fourth lady probably received nothing. How can we accept them? We have to return them!"

He Xinghua nodded, "They should be returned, but after all, it’s his way of indicating his feelings. We can’t return them now; after we get married, I’ll ask for his opinion and then distribute the items. I’ll go and have a look when I return!"

He Xinghua was a clear-minded person; she felt that Ruo Hai giving all those items to her was for several reasons: first, to show respect to her as his soon-to-be wife and signal that he intended to have a good life together with her. Second, those boxes were not wedding gifts but were given to her, to add to her dignity by making her dowry more substantial. Third, by giving them to her, it likely indicated that he had the intention of allowing her to allocate them.

Therefore, she couldn’t just reject his sentiment. She would accept it, but she also had to be tactful and not claim them for herself.

He also had a family, and she knew his past. He had been able to return to normalcy and become a Fourth Rank General because his family had never given up on him for so many years. Since he had given all the imperial gifts to her, she would be seen as cold-hearted if she kept them all to herself.

It would chill the hearts of the Ruo Family, as well as his heart.

As to how the items should be allocated, she would wait until after their marriage to ask for his opinion.

Truthfully, in her entire life, she had only wished to marry a responsible man, finding contentment if their marriage could be as loving as her parents’.

She never hoped for wealth or high status; those were beyond her aspirations.

So, marrying a Fourth Rank General was an unexpected delight, a surprise so immense that it made her uneasy.

She had merely prayed for a life of enough food and warm clothing; she had no idea how to handle the immense wealth and honor the heavens had bestowed upon her.

~

After fetching the water, Ruo Hai did not stay in the herbal field but headed straight home. Halfway there, he passed a carriage without paying much attention until a woman inside lifted the curtain and called out, "Brother Dahai."

Hearing the long-forgotten nickname, he glanced at the person, then emotionlessly shifted his gaze and continued on his way.

Mrs. Zhou hurriedly jumped down from the carriage, ran in front of him, trying to grab hold of him, but he avoided her, prompting her to kneel in front of him, "Brother Dahai, I know I was wrong. I’ve been regretting it all these years. But back then, I was forced into a corner; I had no choice! I have my reasons! Please listen to me..."

"Sorry, I don’t have time." Ruo Hai stepped around her and walked away briskly.

Mrs. Zhou tried to stop him, but he dodged her again. She quickly got up and followed, "Brother Dahai, for the sake of our eldest son, listen to me. I truly had no choice. If you don’t save me, I’ll die! You wouldn’t want our son to be without a mother, would you?"