Chapter 1 — The Engagement Ordeal

After completing my doctorate, my boyfriend brought me home to discuss our engagement. The moment his sister-in-law heard my family was asking for a dowry of eighty-eight thousand, her face darkened instantly. "Why was it only sixty-six thousand when I married in, but for her, it’s eighty-eight thousand? This is blatant favoritism!" My future mother-in-law, who had just been calling me "daughter" with such sweetness, suddenly did a complete about-face.

"You studied through university and master's for all those years—wasn't that all funded by my son? How dare you still ask for money?"

I stared at my boyfriend in stunned silence, but he only glared back at me. "Isn't that the truth?" It seemed this marriage was not meant to be.

1

Fang Wen and I had been together for ten years. After I earned my PhD, he brought me to his home to finalize our engagement. As soon as I stepped inside, I could feel that his family held me in high regard. The house was spotless, and a lavish meal was already set on the table. His mother was just as warm as she had been on social media, holding my hands and showering me with questions, her affection clearly etched on her face. His father, though quiet, wore a kind smile. Only his sister-in-law emanated a strange, uncomfortable energy from the moment I entered. Her scrutinizing gaze was unconcealed, filled with both haughtiness and jealousy. However, because his mother was so enthusiastic, I didn't pay much attention to that friction. After the meal, I offered to wash the dishes, wanting to see how they treated guests. His mother quickly pulled me away from the kitchen, insisting she would do it herself and refusing to let me lift a finger. She told me to sit and watch television with my boyfriend, his brother, and his sister-in-law. The sister-in-law—who had barely spoken to me all day—suddenly spoke up:

"How much did your family sell you for?"

I had never encountered such overt hostility in my life and was frozen in shock. Fang Wen lowered his voice, "Sister-in-law, what are you saying!" He turned to me, trying to defuse the tension. "My sister-in-law speaks her mind a bit too bluntly, don't take it to heart. She just wants to know what the dowry request is." The sister-in-law continued to mutter, "It’s just selling a daughter anyway, what did I say wrong?" Fang Wen had once told me she only finished middle school, so her logic was sometimes unconventional. I suppressed my irritation and turned to Fang Wen. "My parents aren't asking for much, just a symbolic eighty-eight thousand." In truth, Fang Wen and I were from the same region. In my hometown, the customary dowry was often one hundred and sixty-six thousand, or even more. If the dowry was low, the material conditions had to be high—a house, a car. My parents hadn't wanted me to date Fang Wen from the start. They felt his education level, only finishing high school, meant our values and lifestyles wouldn't align. But because we had been together for ten years, they eventually softened. They saw how attentive he was to me and accepted the match, telling me that since his family’s economic situation was poor, a symbolic dowry was enough. As long as he treated me well, that was all that mattered. I was even planning to mention that my parents were giving me two hundred thousand in dowry support. To my surprise, the sister-in-law’s face darkened again.

"You’re thirty years old already, and you still have the nerve to ask for eighty-eight thousand?"

"Do you think having a PhD means you're made of gold down there?"

With that, she turned and screamed toward the kitchen:

"Mom! Why was it only sixty-six thousand for me, but it has to be eighty-eight thousand for her? You’re being so biased!"

At this, my heart turned cold. I remembered how years ago, when Fang Wen failed his university entrance exams, I tried to convince him to retake them, but he refused. Later, I discovered that his sister-in-law was pregnant, forcing the family to marry them immediately with a dowry of sixty-six thousand. If they didn't marry, she threatened to sue Fang Wen’s brother for rape. His family was financially struggling, and that sixty-six thousand had been borrowed from everyone they knew. Besides, that was ten years ago. My parents had prepared two hundred thousand as a dowry for me; I felt eighty-eight thousand was entirely reasonable. Yet, his mother stormed out of the kitchen, her attitude having completely soured:

"My son funded your studies from university through your doctorate; what face do you have left to demand a dowry?"

2

The shift in attitude was too rapid for me to accept. I turned to look at Fang Wen. It was true that when I first started university, my family faced a bit of a rough patch. Fang Wen had told me, "Don't worry, just focus on your studies." He had promised to support me through college. The first month he worked, he sent me three thousand. Later, I learned his total salary that month was only thirty-five hundred. Even though my parents had managed to borrow money to send to me, I had sent that three thousand back to him. Still, his gesture had moved me for a long time. Later, my family overcame the hard times and was perfectly capable of covering my tuition and living expenses. Moreover, I was a top student and won various scholarships every year. Therefore, throughout the years I dated Fang Wen, I rarely spent his money. On the contrary, he often complained that his mother made him turn over his entire salary to save, so he had little left; often, I was the one helping him. Yet, coming from his mother’s mouth, it had become "he funded my education"? Fang Wen pulled me into a corner: "Ruijue, aren't we here to discuss the engagement? Can you ask your parents to lower the dowry?"

"Back then, my sister-in-law only had sixty-six thousand, and if you ask for eighty-eight, she certainly won't be happy."

"You know my family is struggling, and my parents have had a hard life. Don't make things difficult for them."

I looked at the man who had been by my side for ten years... Is the dowry the issue here? It is clear that his mother is claiming I was fed by his money! Besides, their family’s poverty is not my fault! A surge of unpleasant emotions rose in my chest, but I tried to remain calm to speak clearly with him.

"Fang Wen, let’s talk about the dowry later. First, you need to clarify with your mother that you did not fund my education."

"I don't want her to misunderstand that I am the kind of person who..."

Before I could finish, Fang Wen loudly interrupted: "What do you mean? Is it not true that I supported you through university?"

"Back then, your family didn't have money. The first month I worked, I sent you three thousand. Now that you’re done with school, you’re just washing your hands of everything?"

His eyes were filled with contempt, and he smiled coldly: "Just as people say, the higher one studies, the more heartless one becomes!"

3

I was stunned. How could Fang Wen think like that? His voice grew louder, drawing the whole family to surround me. On the surface, it looked like they were speaking to me in a civil manner, but in reality, everyone was cutting in, and I couldn't get a word in edgewise. It felt like being tried by a mob.

"Ruijue, how can a young woman like you have no conscience? Since you entered university, Fang Wen’s family has been scrimping and saving to pay for your education. Are you refusing to admit it now?"

"Look at how many years you studied; Fang Wen worked for just as long. Because he was worried about you, he hasn't been able to save a cent all these years. Don't be so ungrateful!"

"Ruijue, I know you’re highly educated, and your family doesn't like Fang Wen’s family. Asking for such a high dowry is just to put pressure on us so we’ll withdraw."

"But our family isn't like yours; we aren't so pragmatic. You two have been in love for years; I don't have the heart to break you up."

"So it’s eighty-eight thousand? Even if we have to sell the house or smash our pots to borrow the money, our family will come up with it!"

"But even though we are poor, we have our own dignity. I can pay the eighty-eight thousand, but you’re already thirty—who knows if you can still bear children?"

"How about this: you and Fang Wen start trying for a child now. If you get pregnant, we will pay the eighty-eight thousand immediately. Otherwise... we can't marry a hen that doesn't lay eggs, right?"

"That settles it. You don't have to go back. Stay here and focus on getting pregnant with Fang Wen."

"Oh, and he said you studied so much you’ve become stupid and don't know how to do chores. I’ll teach you."

"After you’re married, you have to know how to take care of Fang Wen!"

I felt like I had fallen into a bazaar, being openly valued in front of everyone. I had never encountered a situation so ridiculous, and I was so shocked I didn't know how to react. What kind of feudal, backwards family was this? They were even putting the blame on my parents! Before I could open my mouth, Fang Wen’s sister-in-law jumped up:

"Why does everyone agree to pay eighty-eight thousand for a thirty-year-old woman? I don't agree!"

I could only smile coldly in my heart. What a family of "special" characters. Fang Wen’s brother—Fang Qiang—tried to dissuade his wife, but his words were filled with sarcasm:

"Zhou Ting, if you had managed to earn a university degree, you’d be just as valuable. You are different from her; stop making a scene."

"I don't agree regardless. Either pay me an extra twenty-two thousand, or she only gets sixty-six thousand too!"

Fang Qiang sneered as he stood by: "What can you do if you don't agree? It’s because our family only favors the youngest!" Fang Wen’s father began to lose his temper and spoke up to refute them. They argued that for the past few years, they had only been paying off their own old wedding debts and hadn't helped Fang Wen with a single penny. The whole family started bickering about money, and I, the person directly involved, couldn't get a word in. Fang Wen had previously mentioned that Zhou Ting had a younger brother, and whatever dowry she received back then was funneled to him. After marriage, whenever Fang Qiang earned any money, it was always taken back to her parents' home. Now, asking for another twenty-two thousand was likely to keep supporting her brother. But… that was not my concern. I grabbed Fang Wen’s arm, intending to address each issue clearly: "Fang Wen, let’s speak calmly." With the faces and attitudes of his family, I truly had no intention of marrying him anymore. However, after ten years of history, I still wanted to end things cleanly. Unexpectedly, Fang Wen looked at me with hostile eyes, and in a split second, he slapped me hard across the face.

"What are you still pulling me for? Now you want to talk calmly? You’ve thrown the whole house into chaos; are you satisfied now?"

"Hurry up and apologize to your sister-in-law!"

4

The slap made my head ring. I couldn't believe this was Fang Wen’s action. For ten years, he had never spoken a harsh word to me, and now he dared to raise his hand against me.

"Fang Wen, you dared to hit me?" I clutched my face, glaring at him in interrogation.

A flicker of confusion crossed his face. "It’s all because you were the one causing trouble. My sister-in-law is pregnant; you agitated her like that. If something happens to the baby, can you take responsibility?" Zhou Ting had been pregnant before her wedding years ago, but the baby was lost. It had taken years for her to conceive again. Fang Wen’s mother also chimed in to mediate: "Ruijue, it’s normal for a man to hit a woman; don't make such a big deal out of it."

"If you don't make Fang Wen angry in the future, he won't hit you. Listen to me and go apologize to your sister-in-law."

Me… irrational? I threw the house into chaos? From beginning to end, I had only spoken two sentences. But this family was truly skilled at shifting blame. Earlier, I only thought they were old-fashioned, backward, and strange. Now, I realized—this was not a decent family at all. I would not marry into this, no matter what! I looked straight at Fang Wen and swung my hand, slapping him back. "Fang Wen, listen clearly: between us—this ends here!"

5

My slap caused the family, which had been warring within itself, to fall silent instantly. They immediately united to "defend against the foreign invader." And the foreigner—was me. Fang Wen’s initial look of surprise quickly shifted into rage. The anger on his face became increasingly vivid, and I began to feel a genuine sense of fear.