Chapter 7 Which Side Does the Elbow Stand On?: Sure enough, before Shen Wanqing could say anything more, Fu Xuan preemptively attacked her: "Today..."

Sure enough, before Shen Wanqing could say anything more, Fu Xuan took the initiative to attack her: "Today, Alang's wife sent some fabric to my place. It's some fresh material, but I don't know if it's new or leftover from last year."

This Aunt Fu didn't show up in the morning, but she still gave us gifts: two bolts of Guang silk, two bolts of Persian gold-embroidered silk, a pair of coral earrings, and a fan with tortoiseshell ribs.

To say that their manners were not up to par would be against their conscience. Even this morning, Madam Tongjia was quite pleased with the gifts the Shen family had prepared for her youngest daughter. Now, seeing her youngest daughter suddenly cause trouble, the old lady was stunned.

"What new or old? The tributes from Fuzhou and Guangzhou haven't even arrived yet, so where would we get new goods? It's a rare occasion for the whole family to eat together today, so don't bother your nephew's wife."

Her husband and eldest son passed away one after another, and her eldest daughter married and moved to Shengjing. Although her second son, who stayed by her side, was reliable, she could only see him during the morning greetings.

Niohuru and Shumulu stayed home every day, but the two daughters-in-law had become increasingly at odds in the past two years. Even Niohuru, a quiet and reserved woman, would occasionally try to provoke Shumulu.

Tongjia was afraid that if the two of them got along, they would start fighting in front of her, and then the last fig leaf would be torn off, and she would be wrong to side with either of them.

Normally, she doesn't allow the two daughters-in-law to stay near her when there's nothing going on. If she doesn't see them, she doesn't know them. If she doesn't know them, even if the two daughters-in-law fight, it's none of her business.

As a result, the one who spent the most time with Tongjia was her youngest daughter, Fuxuan. In addition, since Fuxuan had not yet been engaged, it was understandable that her mother favored her younger daughter.

Knowing full well that Fu Xuan was just picking a fight, she only scolded her daughter a couple of times in a half-joking tone, intending to brush the matter off.

When Shen Wanqing saw Tongjia's state, her first reaction was to go see Niohuru. It was true that she had lost her husband and future prospects, but if she just stood by and watched her sister-in-law shove shit on her new daughter-in-law without doing anything about it, then that person probably had something wrong with their head.

Fortunately, despite her coldness, Niohuru was not a fool. Before Shen Wanqing could speak, and even less did she let Tongjia try to gloss over the matter, she took up Fuxuan's words and asked her a question in return.

"What's this about new or old? What's wrong with new or old? Second sister, you need to make things clear, otherwise Lang-ge's wife might be in a difficult position next time. This is a matter of greeting and giving gifts, and it's caused trouble. Mother, what should we do?"

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to make things difficult for Mother. Mother is protecting me. We are mother and daughter, and there's nothing wrong with that. If you ask, I'll just say it. It's fine as it is with new people. New people bring new things, that's just how it is."

If it were old stock, I'd ask Alang's wife, "Who in this family is considered an old hand? Why did everyone else receive something, but the fabric sent to me is from last year? Was this unintentional, or is it that the new bride is looking down on me, this old maid who can't get married?"

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If there were a speech bubble above her head, Shen Wanqing would be typing a screen full of question marks. What the hell? The things prepared for her aunt Fuxuan are silk fabrics, because the Shen family thinks she will eventually get married and these things can be stored away. Do they really think Persian brocade is everywhere?

"What you said, aunt, is quite interesting. This brocade did indeed arrive in Hong Kong last year. But if this is considered secondhand, then the amber in the old lady's string of amber prayer beads must be ancient, dating back countless years."

There's also the Liaoning sea cucumber I prepared for my mother, a thirty-year-old ginseng; this year's new harvest probably hasn't even matured yet. And the waist knife I prepared for my second uncle isn't newly forged this year either. According to my aunt's logic, all of these items are old, so there's no real distinction between new and old.

Shen Wanqing wasn't particularly angry, mainly because Fu Xuan was someone who couldn't even find fault. Even if Fu Xuan used the excuse of being a new bride to make her stand from beginning to end, serving tea and water to her aunt, she would still be perfectly justified in doing so.

Or she could use her family background to intimidate others. After all, the upper three banners of the Manchu Eight Banners were the elite. It would be much better for her to use her status to put pressure on me, a Han Chinese bannerman who married into the Hesheli family, than to nitpick over the silk I gave her.

Shen Wanqing couldn't really get angry at someone who didn't even know how to light a cannon. If she had to sum it up in three words, it would be simply that she looked down on him.

"Auntie, if you don't like the things, I'll send someone to get them back later. It's not a big deal, there's no need to make things difficult for my wife."

Shen Wanqing silently muttered "I don't like it" to herself, when Yu Lang's clear yet slightly raspy voice came from behind her. Perhaps there was some dissatisfaction, even though it was directed at his aunt Fu Xuan, there was a hint of anger in his tone.

Fortunately, the man spoke with a slight trailing tone, subtly conveying a hint of laziness. It was as if he were questioning Fu Xuan, "Are you really going to make such a fuss?" or saying, "Do whatever you want, I'm not serious about this." Even if there was anger, it wasn't so obvious.

"What do you mean by difficult or not difficult? A child like you doesn't know what difficult is. When a family talks, who takes a ruler and measures every word? I haven't even asked you where you went today, or why you left your wife alone in the house. It's fine if you go out and play at other times, but what kind of occasion is this that you have to go out these days?"

Well, he only said one sarcastic remark to Fuxuan, and the old lady has already launched into such a tirade. Yulang raised his hand and patted his forehead, then simply fell silent.

Fu Xuan, on the other hand, who was just now being aggressive and wanted to find fault with Shen Wanqing from head to toe, became obedient when she saw Yu Lang return. She even reached out to tug at Tong Jia's sleeve, telling her to stop nagging her nephew.

They were both reckless and unruly, and they were both equally dear to Tongjia. In Tongjia's eyes, there was no need to distinguish right from wrong in this matter; it was better to suppress it and not mention it.

Shen Wanqing disliked this way of doing things, but that didn't stop her from keeping quiet.

The saying "When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head" became clear to Shen Wanqing after she worked for a month and tried to get a result for something that wasn't her fault, only to be fired in the end.

After a minor commotion, the family sat down for dinner in harmony again. Shen Wanqing, the new bride, served soup to each of the elders before Yu Lang pulled her by the wrist and made her sit down next to him.

Returning late, Yu Lang felt guilty and was exceptionally attentive during the meal. He even took the initiative to respond to his aunt Shu Mulu's teasing remarks about the young couple. Shen Wanqing, on the other hand, focused solely on her meal. She was ready to get angry at anyone who tried to spoil her enjoyment!

After dinner, the family sat together drinking tea and chatting, and soon dispersed. The young couple lagged behind, and just as they stepped out of the main courtyard gate, Fu Xuan, who hurriedly caught up from behind, called them back.

"Ah Lang! Ah Lang! Wait a minute."

"Is there anything else, Auntie? Do you need my wife to send someone to your place to get those old things back?"

"Speak to me properly, why are you being sarcastic?"

No longer in front of the whole family, Shen Wanqing could tell that the relationship between Yulang and Fuxuan, the aunt and nephew, was not bad. At least Fuxuan's attitude was very close to Yulang, her eldest nephew.

"Are you stupid? Don't you know why I'm picking on your wife? Second brother is the same. There are so many families in the Upper Three Banners, why do you have to pick on the Han Banner?"

"Auntie, my wife is still here. You're saying this in front of her. Aren't you afraid I'll really turn against you?"

Yu Lang seemed to really like saying "my wife," saying it so naturally that Shen Wanqing couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart. Although she knew that she was indeed his wife now, she couldn't understand why he could be so self-righteous about talking about being a wife.

"Don't worry, my second brother and sister-in-law know perfectly well who I'm targeting in terms of etiquette. Besides, given her background, what's wrong with me saying a few words about her marrying into our family?"

Previously, Fu Xuan used her unmarried status as a pretext to attack Shen Wanqing, who thought that Fu Xuan was really eager to get married and that she was too sensitive to any provocation.

It seems this old lady really does have a sharp tongue; she dares to say anything, like a big sieve. And her thought process is so different from normal people; where can you even reason with her?

"Alright, alright, I won't say any more to you. Just remember that your aunt is on your side. Be careful of the second branch of the family. You're married now, and your wife is your own. Don't think that just because your second brother arranged this marriage, she's any different. After all, you're family. You need to know which side to take."

These words were clearly meant for Shen Wanqing, but Shen Wanqing simply stood aside and listened silently, giving Fu Xuan no reaction whatsoever. You can't follow this kind of person's train of thought; if you really listen to her, you might be led astray in the next second.

"Alright, alright, sister-in-law, stop talking. According to you, you're an outsider, and my husband and I are the family. If I'm going to side with anyone, it'll be with my wife. So please stop worrying about it."

"you!"

Speechless with her own words, Fu Xuan's face turned a deep shade of liver from anger at Yu Lang. But despite her anger, she called out to the two of them again when she saw Yu Lang turn to leave.

"I don't care which side you take, but you have to remember, even after you get married, you can't leave me out of the picture. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, you have to find me a good family, and you can't let the second wife interfere, nor can you just find any family to settle me down, understand?"

"I understand, I understand. Everyone in this family can be a good match, I promise I won't dare to force my aunt's marriage. Is that settled?"

Yu Lang really didn't want to argue with Fu Xuan about this, but in front of Shen Wanqing, he had no choice but to agree first.

"That's more like it. You said it yourself, so don't forget it and don't delay."

Fu Xuan's fussing ultimately boils down to her own marriage. Whether she uses Shen Wanqing as an excuse to bring up her unmarried status, or she drags Yu Lang into criticizing the second wife's family, or she uses He Yi's marriage of Yu Lang to a Han Bannerwoman to vent her dissatisfaction, it's all the same in essence.