Xiaohua, I just saw that the Supreme Court released some typical cases regarding bride price disputes. One case involved a woman who got married multiple times in a short period just to collect large sums of bride price. The court ruled that she must return the money.

What? Isn't this a marriage scam? No wonder the court had to intervene. The bride price is meant to show sincerity, but she turned it into a money-making scheme.

Exactly. The court ruled that she was ‘using marriage to obtain financial gain’ because she not only got married and divorced multiple times within a short period but also received substantial bride prices each time and didn’t even live with her spouses after marriage.

This shows that in some places, the bride price has really lost its original meaning and has even become a form of transaction. No wonder the government has been working to regulate excessive bride prices.

Right. The court also emphasized that marriage should be based on genuine emotions, not on exploiting someone’s expectations for financial gain. In cases of obvious marriage fraud, the law supports returning the bride price.

What about in regular relationships? Some people give gifts during dating, then regret it after breaking up. Can they demand a refund too?

That depends. If it was a normal gift given during a relationship, it usually doesn’t have to be returned. But if one party was clearly using the relationship to gain financial benefits, such as constantly demanding money without any intention of getting married, then the court may rule it as a marriage scam and order the money to be returned.

It seems the law tries to be fair when handling bride price disputes. But ultimately, people need to have the right mindset about marriage and not let money dominate their relationships.

Exactly. Marriage is not a transaction but a commitment to mutual support. Hopefully, people will approach the bride price with reason, ensuring that marriage is truly built on love, not money.