"So you're using ancestral teachings to coerce us now? Why not mention that your granddaughter was pregnant out of wedlock? Back in the old days, she'd be thrown into the river for that!"
"In-law, that's not fair," Ye Binyi said slowly, deliberately, with precision. "When Sangsang came to our family, did you give her a dowry? Not a single penny. Since there was no dowry from your side and no betrothal gifts from ours, we're even. As for the wedding, you're aware that Jinghuai is in the military—he's barely home a couple of times a year, so there's no way to hold a grand ceremony. Besides, you don't understand. Here in the city, it's not like in the countryside where weddings require extravagant banquets, gold necklaces, and gold bracelets for show. Times are tough now; even our superiors are watching closely. Weddings need to be modest and simple, without too much fanfare."
