Overcoming dowry challenges :Three Jin and Three Liang of Love
Looking at the bankbook in his hand, Xiao Zhang finally smiled. The bankbook showed 30,000 yuan, the dowry money he had saved to marry his beloved. Xiao Lan’s parents had told him that as long as he could gather 30,000 yuan for the dowry, they would let Xiao Lan marry him.
Xiao Zhang’s family was very poor, but to marry Xiao Lan, he decided to meet her parents’ demands. From then on, he worked two jobs every day, never spending a penny unnecessarily, saving all his earnings. After two years of such frugal living, he finally saved up 30,000 yuan.
However, plans cannot keep up with changes. Recently, a new custom had become popular: the dowry should not be a fixed amount but should be calculated by weight. The dowry needed to weigh three jin and three liang (approximately 1.65 kilograms) and must be in hundred-yuan notes.
Xiao Zhang secretly asked around and found out that three jin and three liang of hundred-yuan notes would be about 130,000 yuan, which worried him greatly. The 30,000 yuan he had now had taken two years of frugal living to save up. If he needed 130,000 yuan, it would take him many more years.
Xiao Zhang couldn’t wait even ten months. Feeling desperate, Xiao Zhang began to seek help from anyone he could. He first asked his relatives and friends for money, but who had that much to lend him? Eventually, he thought of his childhood friend, Da Peng.
Xiao Zhang and Da Peng had been good friends since childhood. In school, Da Peng always topped the class, but after graduation, he didn’t go to a prestigious university. Instead, he stayed home dealing in antiques and calligraphy. But there weren’t many genuine antiques circulating in the market. Although Da Peng’s family was better off than Xiao Zhang’s, they weren’t wealthy either. Actually, Da Peng dealt in fake antiques.
Hearing that dealing in fake antiques was profitable, Xiao Zhang rushed to Da Peng’s house that night. Xiao Zhang’s knocking startled Da Peng, who initially thought the police had come to bust him. But upon hearing Xiao Zhang’s voice, he felt relieved.
After a brief chat, Xiao Zhang explained his purpose. Being childhood friends, Da Peng wanted to help Xiao Zhang, but dealing in fake antiques wasn’t as profitable as people thought, and Da Peng didn’t have that much money on hand. However, seeing Xiao Zhang’s worried face, Da Peng couldn’t bear to refuse. He then noticed a painting he was faking on the table and suddenly had an idea.
Da Peng asked Xiao Zhang how much money he had. Xiao Zhang told him the truth. So Da Peng asked Xiao Zhang to withdraw all the money, saying he could make it “increase” to 130,000 yuan overnight. Xiao Zhang rushed home to retrieve the 30,000 yuan hidden under his pillow and gave it to Da Peng. Da Peng took the money and told Xiao Zhang to come back the next day at noon.
After leaving Da Peng’s house, Xiao Zhang felt increasingly uneasy. Da Peng was smart, but how could he turn 30,000 yuan into 130,000 overnight? Also, they hadn’t kept in touch much in recent years due to Xiao Zhang’s busy work life. Was Da Peng still the same good friend from childhood? Would he run off with his 30,000 yuan? Unable to sit still, Xiao Zhang hurried back to Da Peng’s house.
When he arrived, he saw the lights on and Da Peng’s figure moving around inside. He was probably busy with Xiao Zhang’s matter. Seeing this, Xiao Zhang felt embarrassed to knock again but couldn’t leave with peace of mind. So he sat outside Da Peng’s door all night.
The next morning, Da Peng opened the door to get breakfast and found Xiao Zhang asleep against the door. Seeing Xiao Zhang curled up, Da Peng guessed his concerns, smiled, and gently woke him up.
Awakened, Xiao Zhang felt embarrassed in front of Da Peng. Seeing this, Da Peng changed the subject and invited Xiao Zhang inside.
On the table were three stacks of RMB, the same money Xiao Zhang had brought the night before. Da Peng motioned for Xiao Zhang to take it. Xiao Zhang was puzzled; the money was the same amount. Was Da Peng disappointed by his mistrust and unwilling to help? Feeling awkward, Xiao Zhang went to take the money and leave.
As soon as he picked up the money, he was shocked. The three stacks of bills felt much heavier than before. Seeing Xiao Zhang’s expression, Da Peng smiled and motioned for him to weigh the money on an electronic scale. Xiao Zhang complied, and the weight of the 30,000 yuan was exactly three jin and three liang.
Thus, Xiao Zhang was able to use the three jin and three liang of dowry money to marry Xiao Lan. Though Xiao Lan’s parents found the 30,000 yuan suspicious, the weight was correct and the bills were genuine, so they couldn’t say much and agreed to the marriage.
After the wedding, Xiao Zhang and Xiao Lan visited Da Peng to thank him and asked about the three jin and three liang of money. Da Peng laughed and revealed his simple method to “increase” the money’s weight.
In his fake antique business, Da Peng often encountered new paintings that needed to look old. He used chemical solutions to age them, altering the paper and ink’s molecular structure to appear ancient. Among these solutions, one could increase paper weight. Da Peng used this to make the 30,000 yuan weigh three jin and three liang.
Excited by the revelation, Xiao Zhang shared the story while drinking with colleagues. Soon, several people asked Xiao Zhang to help them get Da Peng to “increase” their money’s weight.
Initially annoyed by the requests, Da Peng then saw a new opportunity. Helping others “increase” their money’s weight and charging a fee could be profitable, effortless, legal, and helpful for many young couples struggling with dowry demands. So, Da Peng quit dealing in fake antiques and became a full-time “money weight increaser.” His income in a few months surpassed that of several years in his old business. Seeing couples marry with his “heavy dowry” filled him with joy.
One day, Xiao Zhang visited Da Peng and found him studying a chemistry book and experimenting with test tubes. Curious, he asked what Da Peng was doing.
With a serious face, Da Peng said that although he could easily “increase” money’s weight now, customs might change, requiring heavier dowries in the future. He needed to be prepared for such changes and improve his skills to handle any unexpected demands. Saying this, Da Peng turned back to his “scientific research.”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
