"You can choose the bracelets on your wrists and the hairpins in your hair yourselves. I'll pick one for my third son's wife," said Old Mrs. Qiao.
The women's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Before, when the family was poor, my mother-in-law would buy things for them whenever she had money.
"Mother, I appreciate your kind gesture, but I don't need mine. Let's wait until the house is built before we talk about it," Madam Feng declined.
She's been married into the Qiao family for so many years, her children are all grown up, and she's about to become a mother-in-law herself. Why would she care about these things?
"No, everyone has to choose. One silver bracelet and one silver hairpin are the basics. You can choose whatever style you like. If anyone doesn't choose, this old woman will make things difficult for her."
“We can build a house now. Once the rainy season is over, we’ll find a craftsman and buy some bracelets and hairpins without any problems.”
Old Mrs. Qiao was always a woman of her word, and the women, upon hearing this, silently swallowed their tears and went to choose jewelry.
"And what are you two standing there for?" Old Mrs. Qiao said, seeing Qiao Xi'er and Qiao Zhizhi standing there motionless, just staring longingly at the shelves displaying a dazzling array of jewelry.
Their eyes lit up: "Grandma, we have some too!"
“Of course we have. Xi’er, you’ve reached the age of marriage, so we’ll buy you a silver hairpin. Zhizhi, you haven’t reached the age of marriage yet, so we’ll buy you a silver hair ornament.”
The two of them happily went to choose.
The shop owner was delighted to see so many people coming to buy jewelry and began introducing the products to them.
Qiao Lian'er also bought herself two silver hairpins and a silver hair clip.
Seeing that Qiao Xier and Qiao Zhizhi had each taken only one item, she nudged them with her elbow: "Take more, or Grandma will be unhappy if you buy too little."
Although it was Old Lady Qiao who made the suggestion, the main breadwinner of the family was Qiao Lian'er, and the two of them happily picked out one or two more items.
Grandma Qiao couldn't help but wonder if her family members were a little afraid of her.
They're hesitant and timid when picking out anything.
Hmph, that old woman is very kind.
“Mom, why don’t you pick something out for yourself? We can’t just buy things for you and not the other way around,” Qiao Yunni said.
“Yes, Mother, all the women in the family wear silver jewelry, but you’re the only one who doesn’t. What if people say we daughters-in-law are unfilial?” said Madam Feng.
"Oh dear, I'm so old, why should I care about those things?" Old Mrs. Qiao had already picked out things for Mrs. Lü, and stood there watching everyone choose their items, feeling quite content.
“If Mother doesn’t buy it, then we won’t buy it either.” Madam Wan pretended to put down what she was holding.
"Alright, alright, I'll buy it. I'll pick out a bracelet too, so those old ladies in the village who used to laugh at me can see that I'm doing better than them now." Old Mrs. Qiao suddenly perked up when she thought about the ridicule she had suffered over the years.
In the end, the total cost of the items everyone selected amounted to twenty taels.
It seems like a lot, but thinking about it, it's only half of what I've been doing every day during this period.
Wearing silver bracelets and adorned with silver jewelry, the women of the Qiao family couldn't hide the joy on their faces.
They felt that this was the happiest moment of their lives.
Chatting and laughing, they arrived at Changqing Street and headed towards the carriage.
The women of the Song family, seeing them wearing silver hairpins, all felt a surge of envy and turned their gazes toward Old Madam Song.
"Don't look at me, I'm not going to buy it for you. What are you all daydreaming about? You'd better worry about whether you can make a profit tomorrow," Old Mrs. Song said mercilessly.
Looking at the smile on Qiao Yunni's face, she felt it was irritating, because Qiao Yunni had never seen such a smile when she was in the Song family.
It's as if to say that her marriage into the Song family was a mistake.
The Qiao family's carriage drove away, and as dusk approached, it began to get dark half an hour later.
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