Mr. Zhang is from a small town where his father is a high school teacher and his mother runs a maternity shop. Mr. Zhang studied sports education in college and has struggled to find a suitable job after graduation. He eventually became a fitness instructor with a monthly salary of around 6000. Although the salary is not high, it is considered good for a small town.

Three years ago, Mr. Zhang met a quiet and gentle girl named Miss Ye through a family introduction. Miss Ye works as a customer service representative in a telecommunications company and has a similar family background to Mr. Zhang. Mr. Zhang is a gentle and caring person, and he treats Miss Ye very well. Although Miss Ye works in customer service, she is a quiet person in her personal life. The two have similar personalities and quickly became a couple.

A year later, Miss Ye moved into the house that Mr. Zhang’s parents bought for him. Over the past three years, Mr. Zhang and Miss Ye have had a good relationship without any arguments. As Mr. Zhang gets older, they began to discuss getting married.

Miss Ye requested that her name be added to the house deed, and Mr. Zhang discussed this with his parents. His parents agreed, as they wanted to give Miss Ye a sense of security after she married into their family. However, when Miss Ye requested a dowry of 1.888 million yuan, Mr. Zhang’s parents were shocked. They had already spent a lot of money on buying and renovating the house, as well as purchasing furniture and other items. Additionally, they needed to pay for the wedding, banquet, jewelry, car, and other expenses, which would add up to a significant amount of money.

Although the amount is not large, it is still a lot of money for Mr. Zhang’s parents. Mr. Zhang tried to negotiate with Miss Ye’s parents, but they insisted on the dowry, as it is an auspicious number and cannot be changed. Mr. Zhang hoped that Miss Ye would persuade her parents, but she refused to do so.

Feeling helpless, Mr. Zhang considered borrowing the money from his friends. However, after careful calculation, he realized that he did not have enough money to pay back the loan after the dowry was paid. Miss Ye’s parents were adamant about the dowry, and Mr. Zhang’s parents were unwilling to pay such a large sum of money.

On the wedding day, Mr. Zhang and his bride, Miss Ye, were stopped by her relatives who demanded a road toll of 100 yuan per person. Although Mr. Zhang was angry, he paid the money to avoid any further trouble. When they arrived at his home, Miss Ye demanded another 90,000 yuan for the wedding car fare, which was supposed to symbolize a long-lasting marriage.

Mr. Zhang was furious and refused to give her the money. However, Miss Ye threatened to leave if he didn’t comply. In the end, Mrs. Zhang took off her ring and handed it to Mr. Zhang, who gave it to Miss Ye. But when they got out of the car, Miss Ye’s relatives demanded that Mr. Zhang apologize to her.

Feeling humiliated, Mr. Zhang canceled the wedding and took his friends to a restaurant for dinner, leaving Miss Ye and her relatives behind. He later blocked all communication with Miss Ye, who sent him a message expressing her regret for the failed marriage.

Mr. Zhang’s experience shows that dowry can lead to unnecessary conflicts and disputes, and can even ruin a marriage.

It is never a good idea to use marriage as a tool for gambling or bargaining. A long-lasting marriage should be based on mutual respect and understanding, rather than materialistic considerations.