Chapter 10: The Dowry Chest

Chapter 10: The Dowry Chests

Zhan Zeye looked at the dowry chests that Tang Qiyue had dismantled into pieces, his expression extremely strange.

He knew the Tang family was wealthy, but he hadn't expected them to play tricks with Tang Qiyue’s dowry chests, especially in such a simple and straightforward manner.

"Is your father mentally ill?"

It was no wonder Zhan Zeye spoke so disparagingly of Father Tang; after all, no normal person would think to play games with dowry chests, and the key was that they didn't even inform the owner of the dowry.

Tang Qiyue nodded. "His brain is indeed sick. I’ve always wondered why he and my stepmother, who hate me so much, would give me so much dowry. The point is, I looked at the things in the dowry last night, and they really were just for show—completely impractical."

Tang’s mother had run a clothing store, so familiarity with fabrics was an instinct. Having grown up under her mother’s influence, Tang Qiyue couldn't say she knew every fabric inside and out, but she definitely understood them well enough. She hadn't expected her dowry chests to be filled with low-end fabrics.

Of course, it wasn't all fabric; there were also pots, bowls, and ladles—normal items for a daughter’s dowry in an ordinary family. But for such lackluster dowry items, they had used very thick, heavy chests. Father Tang had even bragged that they were made of the hardest and heaviest rosewood.

Rosewood!

Using large rosewood chests to hold junk—was he crazy?

It fit Father Tang’s character of valuing appearances over substance, but Tang Qiyue wasn't stupid. She always felt that Father Tang’s insistence on marrying his daughter off to a poor soldier was suspicious in itself.

Zhan Zeye did have a military rank, and even if he had an old superior pulling strings behind the scenes, that superior was just a connection, not Zhan Zeye’s own father.

Some things only required a little careful thought to reveal the problems. Tang Qiyue hadn't thought much about it before, and the large rosewood chests were indeed very heavy.

But she had tapped on the chests and always felt the sound was off. However, because Zhan Zeye had returned suddenly, Tang Qiyue hadn't had time to dwell on it.

It was only a flash of inspiration just now that made her want to dismantle the chests to take a look.

"You really didn't know these dowry chests were cast with gold?"

Zhan Zeye’s expression was now very serious; he didn't even care about the wound on his waist and abdomen as he squatted on the ground to inspect them.

Tang Qiyue hadn't dismantled all the dowry chests, but Zhan Zeye could tell that none of these chests were likely solid.

Tang Qiyue gave a bitter smile. "If I had known, do you think I would have told you?"

She had thought her father might hide some gold and silver treasures in the chests, but she hadn't expected such a grand gesture.

There were twelve dowry chests in total, almost blocking one wall of the room. If they hadn't been dismantled by force, no one would have guessed they were hollowed out.

How much gold was this?

The Tang family must have emptied their inventory to cast this much, right?

"There was no mention of this in the dowry list my father gave me, nor did he give me any verbal warning!"

Tang Qiyue hadn't understood at first whether Father Tang was being generous or what, but Zhan Zeye remarked, "Your father is truly shrewd. He tells you nothing. If one day he needs these things, he only needs to ask to borrow a dowry chest from you—could you really refuse?"

Although the dowry chests were part of the dowry for a daughter marrying out, they were just chests after all. It was unlikely many women would treat them as treasures.

The key was that they were made of rosewood, so Tang Qiyue certainly wouldn't throw them away. And because they were dowry, the husband’s family wouldn't covet them; at most, they would just be placed in the house to be used as storage.

Although Father Tang was taking a gamble, he had certainly figured out human nature.

The corners of Tang Qiyue’s mouth curled up, but her expression showed no joy, only sarcasm.

If she had discovered these issues quietly, she could have used the trading system to exchange everything. But now that Zhan Zeye had seen them, she couldn't hide them away.

"Since my father is just gambling, then I’ll donate the entire dowry. He’ll just have to swallow his bitterness—he won't be able to complain!"

Tang Qiyue was not a hesitant person. Since she had said she would donate, she would donate—and donate everything.

Zhan Zeye was stunned. He really hadn't expected Tang Qiyue to be so decisive.

"Are you sure? This is not a small amount; it’s enough for your Tang family to live very well in the future!"

Wealth moves the heart. Even with his firm willpower, Zhan Zeye had felt a stir in his mind when he first saw the gold.

Tang Qiyue nodded. "I will only donate it to your unit. These gold pieces, once exchanged for money, can only be controlled by you. Whether you use them for food or equipment, it’s up to you—but it must be used by you!"

She was clearly just a young woman, yet she made Zhan Zeye afraid to underestimate her. She knew how to bind him, certain that he wouldn't embezzle these things.

"If you insist, I will arrange it. Just don't regret it after the things are moved away!"

Zhan Zeye couldn't afford to rest. If these things stayed in the house, people would be visiting every day, and it would be troublesome if someone saw them. They had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

He leaned toward Tang Qiyue, bending slightly to look her in the eye. It was clearly a question, but also a scrutiny.

Tang Qiyue clenched her hands. "I won't regret it. But can you give me a little bit after you exchange it for money? The money I extorted from my father was all given to Xiaoyuan. I have no money on me, and if I follow you to the military base, I need to purchase some supplies!"

This was something Zhan Zeye hadn't expected. He stared at Tang Qiyue for a long time before taking a stack of money from his jacket pocket and handing it to her.

"This is my advanced salary. I had intended to give it to Mother, but now that we’ve separated the household, she certainly won't want it. You can use it as you see fit!"

Even if she wasn't the wife he had wanted to marry, his mother had accepted her, and he couldn't just send her back. Coupled with the room full of gold chests, Zhan Zeye really couldn't bring himself to talk about annulling the marriage.

Whoever he married, he married. Handing over his salary was a man’s responsibility.

Zhan Zeye was a straightforward person. Seeing Tang Qiyue didn't move, he shoved the money directly into her hand.

"I’m going to make a call to my old superior. There are two comrades who accompanied me back to visit their families. I will deal with these chests tonight!"

Zhan Zeye told Tang Qiyue to hide the dismantled chests before he opened the door and left.

Sitting on the bed, Tang Qiyue looked at the money in her hand. It took her a long time to react, and she counted it one by one—there was over 180 yuan.

One had to know that at this time, an ordinary worker’s monthly salary was only about 30 yuan. While 180 wasn't a huge fortune, it was half a year’s income for many families.

It was clear that Zhan Zeye had drawn three months of his salary in advance.

Tang Qiyue stuffed the money into her pocket and let out a heavy breath. Only then did she turn her gaze to the chests, unable to help but let out a bitter laugh.

Using so much gold to exchange for her younger brother and mother’s stable life—that was something that scumbag father of hers deserved to pay.

After comforting herself, Tang Qiyue began to think about what she could take if she followed him to the military base. She had to organize the things in the dowry chests properly.

Just as she rolled up her sleeves to get to work, the system suddenly popped up to remind her that there were items available for trade.