The wedding banquet lasted for nearly an hour, and the plates on every table were clean, without even a drop of soup left.
In this situation, on the one hand, the food cooked by Xia Jinxiu is really delicious, and on the other hand, the people are not well off. Usually, I eat pickles with relish, let alone more than a dozen dishes, and there is also meat, which is so greasy and fragrant that I can't bear to miss a drop.
In the words of Old Mrs. Xia, it was cleaner than something licked by a dog, but she didn't mean to despise it. It was just a few days of good life, and she was like this before.
Most of the villagers have left. The only distant relatives are Cheng Han's parents from her mother's side. Old Mrs. Xia, who is even more distant, doesn't have many relatives from her mother's side. As for the relatives of the Xia family, there are only the two aunts, and now this family has arrived.
Cheng's parents went to see their daughter for a while. Fearing that she would suffer any loss, they secretly gave her some money.
Cheng Han smiled and refused, "Dad, Mom, you guys should keep it for yourselves. I have everything to eat and wear at home, and it doesn't cost much. When the baby is born, I will help my second sister-in-law, and I can also make money on my own."
Old Man Cheng was smoking his pipe and had just lit it when he remembered what the little girl from the Xia family said, that one should not smoke in front of a pregnant woman because it was bad for the baby in the belly, so he immediately put it out.
He felt a little guilty, but more regretful. He wondered if his daughter's weak body was also caused by him smoking this thing. Just thinking about it made him want to slap himself twice. If he had known this would happen, he would have quit.
When I was young, I did a lot of hard work. When I was tired, I would smoke a bag to relieve fatigue. I didn’t know there were so many.
Mrs. Cheng held her daughter's hand and said, "Xiao Han, you married into a good family. How could such a big thing happen to a daughter-in-law who is hiding in the house and having nothing to do? Your mother-in-law even let you rest. Put yourself in her shoes. You must be filial to her."
Cheng Han smiled and nodded, "Mom, is there any need to say this? Your daughter is not an ignorant person. My family members are all very kind to me. Today, I am grateful to Zhiliao!"
Cheng Han told the old couple about how she almost got knocked down. They were shocked and scared, but also relieved. Their son-in-law defended their daughter in public, which meant he held their daughter at the top of his heart.
"Take this money and buy some food and drinks for Zhiliao. You and your child are fine thanks to that girl."
"Mom, if anyone wants to buy something, I should be the one to do it. I'm already married, how can I still use your money?" Cheng Han said with a wry smile.
"You are pregnant, how can you make money on your own?" Mrs. Cheng Wang glared at her, "Won't your parents' money be yours in the future?"
"Mom, there's really no need. Your son-in-law can make money."
"Your mother gave it to you, so just accept it." said Old Man Cheng.
Cheng Han smiled and imitated his tone, "Just take it back when I told you to."
After several refusals, the old couple of the Cheng family could not persuade their daughter and had to take the money back, but they thought that they would make a gold locket and send it to their grandson when he was born.
"Why does it have to be a grandson? A granddaughter is fine too. As long as she is born by Xiaohan, she is my treasure." Mrs. Cheng Wang said.
"Well... that being said, wouldn't it be easier for a daughter to have a son by her side?"
"Nonsense, my mother-in-law is not that kind of person. Didn't you see how much she loves that girl Zhiliao? She loved her even though she couldn't speak before. If you ask me, it's good for our daughter to have a girl. I think my mother-in-law loves girls."
Old Man Cheng chuckled and didn't argue with her. "Whatever you say is what it is. As long as the baby is born safely and grows up without any disease or disaster, everything is fine!"
Cheng Wang nodded proudly, "Of course."
The hustle and bustle in the Xia family's yard faded and it became much quieter. The only people left were the few people who had followed Xia Jinxiu to prepare banquets for others. They were now helping to clean up the tables, chairs, and benches, which were all borrowed from fellow villagers in the village and would have to be returned according to the marks later.
Of course, you don’t go back empty-handed. You can bring back some leftover vegetables and rice at home to add some joy to others.
Even though they are leftovers, no one will complain about them.
But Old Mrs. Xia had already prepared these things. She didn't plan to leave any leftovers, so she asked Xia Jinxiu to make some delicious food and send it over.
"Auntie Xia, you are so generous that you even made it fresh. But it's also true that Sister Jinxiu cooks delicious food. There are no leftovers at all." The woman said with a smile.
Old Madam Xia pursed her lips and didn't say anything. Mrs. Zhao beside her lowered her voice and said, "Aunt, I agree. It's just for show. I see there is some leftovers. Why not use that and save the meat and fish. We can eat for several days."
Old Madam Xia glanced at her coldly, "Knowing that our Xia family was going to have a wedding, they sent over tables and chairs early in the morning, so we didn't even have to go get them. How could they be so kind? We just gave them some leftovers? A distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor!"
Zhao understood the meaning of the last sentence and her face turned red and white.
Xia Jinxiu put the dishes she had just prepared into the bowls to be returned and told the workers to be careful. She happened to see Zhao standing there talking, but did not see her husband.
"Why don't you leave? Are you planning to stay at our house? No wonder you don't let me deliver food to them. It seems like you want to save it for you!"
Xia Jinxiu was not polite at all. She was as sarcastic and mean as she could be. This is how you have to deal with people like her.
Zhao was not embarrassed either. She probably had prepared herself mentally before coming. "Cousin, I saw that there was still work to do at home, so I thought of staying to help sort it out. You've all been tired for a few days..."
"You know we've been tired for a few days, but you're still here. There were a lot of people here before, and my fourth brother is getting married, so I'm going to let you have a meal. Even if a beggar comes, my mother is kind and will keep you. Why don't you get out after you've finished eating? What do you want to do?"
"Cousin... Cousin, you misunderstood. I... I don't know what happened before. What... What happened? We are real relatives!"
"Why are you pretending? You look quite old, and you've been married to the Feng family for more than ten years, and you don't know how to lie? Your mother-in-law said it herself that after your brother died, your sister-in-law had nothing to do with her anymore, and she couldn't tell whether she was dead or alive. So what's the matter with you today?"
Xia Jinxiu kept asking questions. She had been suppressing her anger for a long time, otherwise she would have asked questions when she saw the couple.
She was still in her womb when her father died, so she naturally had never seen this scene. But after listening to her mother and brothers, she knew how desperate the orphan and widow were at that time.
"Cousin... is there such a thing? I really didn't know. That's all because my old lady didn't know better. Aunt, if she really told me, I'll apologize to you!"
"No thanks!" How could Old Lady Xia be fooled by her? "Whether you know it or not, don't call me that. Beggars know to leave after eating and not to cause trouble for the host family. Are you Feng family members not as sensible as beggars?"
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