The next morning, Grandpa Bai put on a white shirt and suit pants, and his uncle and Bai Yajing also changed their clothes.
The car parked at the entrance was left here yesterday by my uncle's men for their convenience.
The three drove to the Xu family's house, where many relatives and friends had already arrived.
Although we can't have a big celebration, it's still a joyous occasion like our wedding, so it's perfectly acceptable to have a low-key meal with relatives and friends.
Throughout the courtyard, there were many red paper cutouts of the character "囍" (double happiness).
As soon as the three arrived at the door, the head of the Xu family immediately came over to greet them with a smile.
"Oh my, Uncle-in-law! You've really made my humble abode shine! Please come in, please come in!"
Fourth cousin, it's been a long time since we last saw each other. Let's have a good drink together later!
This must be my cousin's daughter, right? Wow, she's so pretty! Your older cousin is in her room right now; you can go chat with her if you're bored…”
One shouldn't hit a smiling face, so Bai Yajing greeted him with a sweet smile, "Hello, Uncle."
"Oh, okay, okay!"
The old man and his uncle chatted with him all the way, and he escorted them to the main hall.
"Alright, you're very busy today, so go and greet the other guests! We can just sit here and have some tea."
The head of the Xu family smiled like a Buddha, his fat belly jiggling. In this day and age, to be able to eat like that, one could tell how comfortable his life was.
"Alright, Uncle, Fourth Cousin, and Cousin's daughter, please have a seat. Let me know if you need anything! I'll go out and greet our guests now!"
Grandpa Bai and the two of them greeted and introduced themselves to everyone present.
Bai Yajing secretly observed everyone and noticed an old woman looking at them with disdain, exuding an air of arrogance and condescension towards ordinary people.
His face was so shrewish and mean that it practically screamed disdain.
From this, she knew who the old woman was.
She had slanted eyes, high cheekbones, and downturned lips, giving her an unapproachable look. She looked completely different from the photos of her grandmother she'd seen. Could they really be sisters?
When no one was looking, she nudged her uncle with her elbow, signaling him to look over there, and quietly asked him, "Uncle, is that old witch over there my great-aunt?"
Hearing her describe her great-aunt like that, Bai Yunshu couldn't help but smile and nod slightly, indicating that she had guessed correctly.
He knew more about his mother's relatives than Bai Yajing did, and he knew more inside information. He had no objection to describing this so-called great-aunt as an old witch.
When he was a child, when his maternal grandparents and uncles were still alive, his mother would bring him to pay New Year's visits, and every time it would end in unpleasantness.
A major reason is the elders' favoritism. They all favored the younger daughter, causing the mother to suffer a lot of grievances from a young age. This also made the aunt even more arrogant, treating the mother very badly and showing no respect whatsoever for the older sister.
She believed that all the pampering in the family should belong to her, and she was used to being lawless. She didn't even respect her eldest uncle. When her mother got married, she didn't receive much blessing from the family, let alone a dowry.
If it weren't for her mother's grandmother protecting her and giving her dignity, this family wouldn't even have given her the basics. They said that since the marriage was arranged for her, they should compensate her more with the dowry.
They all thought it best for their youngest daughter, the favored one, to fulfill this marriage agreement. They never considered that the old man's initial choice was actually the mother. If it had been someone else, the marriage agreement would have been void.
He had witnessed many moments of his mother's frustration firsthand, which is why he had never been close to his relatives on this side of the family. His mother's deteriorating health was undoubtedly partly due to the pent-up emotions she carried.
Later, the old man simply used the excuse that his mother was too unwell and needed to rest to stop her from coming over, and instead he would go to her house himself to deliver a gift and leave.
Just as I was thinking this, we arrived in front of Aunt Xu.
The old man's attitude instantly turned cold.
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