Chapter 288 The Eldest Sister-in-Law is Like a Mother
On the rectangular red paper was Cao Yingying's given name and birth date, followed by a fortune telling and compatibility analysis.
Even if the wedding preparations for the villagers of Dahe Village are simple, this step is still indispensable. The bride's birth date and time are placed on the table in the ancestral hall, and the clan elder is asked to calculate an auspicious day. If no bad things happen within three days, the matter can be settled by visiting the bride's family.
After these matters were settled, Cheng Wanwan called her eldest daughter-in-law, Wu Huiniang, into the room.
These past two days, Wu Huiniang has been tasting dishes every day. The main dishes have been decided long ago, and now she is finalizing some side dishes, snacks, soups, and porridges... Because she is busy in the kitchen every day, the family eats different kinds of dishes almost every meal, and the children have visibly gained a little weight.
Cheng Wanwan asked her to sit down and said gently, "You have to take care of Zhuzhu every day and also research recipes. It's too hard for you."
"It's not hard work at all," Wu Huiniang quickly waved her hand. "Zhuzhu is very obedient. She sleeps as soon as she's full, and Chunhua helps out too."
Cheng Wanwan took a box out of the cabinet.
This is a set of headdress jewelry. A few days ago, when she was preparing the betrothal gifts, she specially bought a set for her eldest daughter-in-law as well.
We didn't have the means before, but now that we have money, we should make up for everything we didn't have before.
When the dressing box was opened, it glittered with gold and contained a set of gold and jade headdress jewelry, two hairpins, a hair ornament, and a pair of earrings.
Wu Huiniang gasped, "Mother, what is this...?"
“When Dashan married you before, he didn’t give you a betrothal gift, which I’ve always regretted. Now I can make up for it,” Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. “Here’s a box of rouge and two bolts of cloth. You can figure out how to make a few outfits for yourself.”
"No, no!" Wu Huiniang stood up anxiously. "I'm just a village woman, how could I be worthy of such fine things? Mother, take all of this as a betrothal gift for Yingying! She's the eldest daughter of the Cao family, with a wealthy background. If the betrothal gift is too small, people will gossip about Er Gou behind his back..."
Cheng Wanwan sighed inwardly.
The saying "the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother" is truly accurate. When Hui Niang looks at anything, she never weighs the gains and losses of herself and Da Shan's branch of the family, but rather considers the issue from the perspective of the whole family. Although this eldest daughter-in-law's family background is not as good as Ying Ying's, she is the second pillar of the family. Si Dan and the other boys like this sister-in-law very much.
“Mother, I know what you mean. Yingying has so much betrothal gift, but I had nothing back then. You're afraid I'll hold a grudge, right?” Wu Huiniang laughed. “But I didn't have a dowry when I married into this family either. If you give me the betrothal gift now, where am I supposed to get a dowry to make up for it? Aren't you putting me in a difficult position?”
"You," Cheng Wanwan patted her hand, "I'll keep these things for Xiaozhuzhu, to be our eldest granddaughter's dowry in the future."
Three days later, the divination concluded, and the result was very auspicious.
Cheng Wanwan and Zhao Ergou, accompanied by their matchmaker, formally visited the bride's home to discuss the betrothal and the wedding date. This step required them to bring betrothal gifts with them on their visit.
Zhao Dashan and Zhao Sanniu kept stuffing betrothal gifts into the carriage, which had already attracted the attention of many people in the workshop.
Everyone was wondering what they were going to do next.
Just then, Hunter Zhao came in carrying a wild goose: "Sister-in-law Zhao, take a look at this wild goose, is it alright?"
In ancient times, wild geese were indispensable for weddings because they symbolized punctuality and trustworthiness, and represented fidelity in marital love.
There are places in the city that specialize in selling geese, and Cheng Wanwan plans to buy another one when she gets there.
"This is something that Grandpa Dashan told me to do a few days ago." Hunter Zhao scratched his neck. "I caught one a few days ago, but Uncle Zhao thought it was sickly. This one is very strong and almost escaped from my hands."
This goose was very beautiful, with bright eyes and great strength. Cheng Wanwan couldn't hold it at all, so Zhao Ergou quickly took it from her.
As soon as the goose arrived, everyone in the village understood what was going on and immediately gathered around.
"Good heavens, which family's girl has Er Gou set his sights on!"
"Aunt Dashan is really good at getting things done quietly. We only found out that Er Gou was getting married when the betrothal ceremony was already underway."
"Tell me quickly, whose daughter is she!"
Generally speaking, if the woman provides her name and birth date at the "asking for a name" stage, the marriage is considered settled, and there's no fear of damaging one's reputation by announcing it at this point.
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "Speaking of which, everyone knows her; she's Yingying."
"My God, Miss Cao!"
"The Cao family is very wealthy. They built such a big house in the village, all made of blue bricks. The eldest daughter of the Cao family must have a lot of dowry!"
“Look at this, Aunt Dashan has prepared quite a lot of betrothal gifts; the carriage can’t even hold them all.”
"From now on, things will really be different at Aunt Dashan's house!"
Cheng Wanwan said, "We'll invite everyone to the wedding banquet. Right now, we need to hurry to Hekou County."
The crowd parted to make way for them.
The carriage slowly disappeared down the main road of Dahe Village.
"I still remember when Dashan got married, he was so poor, he had nothing at all." After the carriage left, Granny Zhang said quietly, "Dashan is the eldest son, and you, Huiniang, are the eldest daughter-in-law, but what happened? The dowry was nowhere near as good as Ergou's wife's. When Ergou's wife comes into the family, won't you, Huiniang, as the eldest sister-in-law, be inferior?"
"You foul-mouthed little whore!" Old Mrs. Zhao launched into a tirade. "Even that little scoundrel Zhang Dagang has become diligent and honest, but you, an adult, are still so gossipy! What does the Zhao family's business have to do with you Zhangs? If you dare say another word, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
No one dared to underestimate Old Mrs. Zhao's fighting prowess. Granny Zhang curled her lip, but ultimately dared not say anything and slunk away.
The old lady waved her hand: "The excitement is over, everyone hurry back to work. Anyone who slacks off will have one penny deducted from their wages!"
The crowd dispersed in an instant.
The old woman turned around and looked at Wu Huiniang, saying, "Dashan's wife, don't take Zhang Po's words to heart..."
"Grandma, I know," Wu Huiniang said with a smile. "Mother was afraid I would worry, so she has already made it up to me. You can rest assured."
Grandma Zhao was finally relieved.
What she fears most is that the family will not be united. Once someone in the family has a different mindset, the family will fall apart sooner or later, and no matter how much money she earns, it will be useless.
Among the crowd, a slender figure lingered, unwilling to leave.
It was Sun Shuiqin, Zhao Shagen's wife.
Ever since Cheng Wanwan was granted the title of Lady Sui, she has spent almost every day and night in regret, and has lost a lot of weight.
Now, watching Zhao Ergou arrive with a cartload of betrothal gifts to propose marriage, her regret reached its peak.
Regret turned into pain, like a tidal wave, engulfing her completely.
At this time, Cheng Wanwan and her group had already arrived in Hekou County.
Outside the city, nothing was visible, but once the carriage entered, it became very clear that there were many more begging vagrants on the streets. These vagrants were mostly families, young couples with their elderly parents or young children, dressed in rags and emaciated, who would surround passersby to beg.
Judging by sight, there are at least fifty or sixty people begging on the street.
In other words, the refugees have gradually started to flow in this direction. In a few days, as the number of refugees continues to increase and the city of Hekou cannot accommodate them all, the city gates should be closed.
After the city gates are closed, these refugees will migrate to nearby counties and towns.
The streets of Ping'an County will probably soon look like this too.
Zhao Ergou sat outside driving the carriage. Because it was in the city, the carriage was moving very slowly, about the same speed as walking.
At this moment, a woman with a sallow complexion suddenly rushed towards the front of the carriage, holding a three- or four-year-old child in her arms.
"My child hasn't eaten for three days, please save my son, please..."
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