Ruyan's birth date and time were placed on a piece of red paper. Liang Shuyan wanted someone to go to a nearby temple to have her and Sanwang's fortunes analyzed.
People in Daling Village have this custom: for a second marriage, even if the birth dates and times are correct, they still need to check if the compatibility is auspicious. If it is auspicious, it means that they are indeed a suitable couple.
After confirming that the two people's birth dates and times were correct, the next step was to deal with some household chores.
Zhang walked in wearing an apron. She told her mother-in-law the menu she had planned. Although it couldn't compare to the dishes at Jinzhou Hotel, in Daling Village, who could afford such a grand banquet when getting married?
"You really are working hard, coming back from the restaurant and then continuing to work at home. How about this, you don't need to participate in the rest of the work. Mother will instruct a few people to follow the recipe you gave us step by step."
“Mother, we are still young, this is nothing. It’s Sanwang’s wedding, so it’s only right that I, as his sister-in-law, do something. Besides, don’t we have my aunt and Chunyan to help us?”
To make Zhang look more presentable, Liang Shuyan took out a set of clothes from the wardrobe and placed them in front of Zhang.
This was when she took Ruyan shopping for clothes, and she also prepared a set for her eldest daughter-in-law. In her opinion as a mother-in-law, she didn't know what to do if the family didn't have the help of her eldest daughter-in-law.
In the past, when the family had no money, it didn't matter that she wore patched clothes. Now that the family has money and she has become a concubine, wouldn't it be embarrassing for her family to let her eldest daughter-in-law dress so poorly and show her face in public?
Zhang opened the box and found a pale yellow long dress with a glowing belt around the waist, as well as a vermilion bracelet, which looked particularly exquisite.
Zhang's eyes reddened: "Mother, what are you doing? I... I should do whatever I'm supposed to do."
"Nonsense. You're the manager of the Jinzhou Restaurant now, so you can't be without this attire. Besides, when you first married into our Jin family, we were penniless. Things are different now. Our business is gradually improving, and your mother has been granted the title of Lady by the Emperor. Naturally, you need to dress more respectably so that people won't gossip that I, as your mother-in-law, am too stingy or miserly."
“Mother, how can this be? Besides, apart from Sanwang’s wife who hasn’t been married yet, there are only two of us, my second son’s wife and I. If I make an exception for her, how can you be a good mother-in-law? A daughter-in-law shouldn’t make things difficult for her mother-in-law. Why don’t you give this outfit to my second son’s wife?”
Zhang always thought of others and rarely considered herself, which made Liang Shuyan sigh.
Since marrying into the family, Zhang has always worked diligently without complaint. Among her brothers, she is like a sensible child, always thinking of others first when there is food, rarely putting herself first. Now that the third son is getting married, she, as the eldest sister-in-law, is happier than anyone else.
"Mother, this is about marrying Ruyan, not me. What's the point? Let's wait until Sanwang is married and the family is rich before considering these things, okay? We can't just settle for Sanwang's marriage now. I bet not only people from the village will be coming to our house, but also some big shots from the town."
Liang Shuyan really had no way to deal with her eldest daughter-in-law, so she temporarily put the clothes away and would give them to her when she had the chance.
Liang Shuyan, along with Sanwang, prepared some pork and wine. According to custom, they should have gone to the in-laws' house to propose marriage, but since Granny Liu was at Liang Shuyan's house, this step was omitted.
Seeing Liang Shuyan's family bustling about, the workers had no idea what was going on. Meanwhile, Zhang was managing things in the workshop and the kitchen at home.
"Oh dear, what's going on here? Hurry up, everyone tidy up these things. There absolutely can't be anything like this in the house, especially these next few days. We need to make sure everything is in order, we have guests coming."
"What kind of guest is this? Is there some happy occasion in your family?"
“Our Sanwang is getting married, and naturally, all our relatives will be coming. We must pay special attention to the cleanliness of the workshop, both inside and out.”
"Oh my, is that Sister Ruyan? Sister Ruyan is so lucky to be Madam's daughter-in-law!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang hurriedly said, "Please stop calling my mother that. Actually, my mother prefers you to call her 'Mountain Mother'."
Several workers at the workshop entrance were discussing Sanwang's marriage. While some envied Sanwang and Ruyan, others couldn't help but admire Liang Shuyan's abilities.
“Grandma Dashan is truly remarkable. Look at some families in our village where only one son can't find a wife, but look at Grandma Dashan, all three of her sons are married. Now her family owns both a teahouse and a restaurant. What other village woman can have such abilities?”
“What village woman? My husband said that Aunt Dashan’s official rank is the same as that of a county magistrate. We have to greet the county magistrate when we see him, but we don’t bow to Aunt Dashan.”
"Alright, everyone get back to work. When Sanwang gets married, I'll give everyone a day off in advance to attend Sanwang's wedding banquet. I need to go to town right now to take care of some things."
The workers then fell silent, and Liang Shuyan led Sanwang and the others away from Daling Village.
"Da Shan's wife was clever. Back then, she didn't care about the things that were in the house, and she saved herself the trouble of making a fuss."
"When it came to the second son's wife, she could be carried back by a mule, which was considered quite good. But when it came to the third son's wife, there were more customs and a bigger show."
"Oh dear, it's really unfair to Dashan and his wife. Dashan's mother is quite biased."
As they approached, the plump auntie saw her daughter-in-law stirring up trouble and her anger flared up: "What? You actually have such thoughts? Who gave you the guts to talk about Da Shan's family affairs? If Da Shan's mother finds out, are you still going to stay here?"
The plump aunt clenched her fists tightly, aiming them at her daughter-in-law.
“Mother, I’m right. This woman from the mountains is a fool. She’s so carefree every day, busy with all sorts of things. If I were her, I wouldn’t do anything. Let whoever wants to do it do it.”
The plump aunt slapped her daughter-in-law across the face: "Let me tell you, if you don't want to work at the teahouse, don't try to mess with me. I still want to work here. How dare you interfere in Aunt Dashan's family affairs?"
After being indirectly criticized by the fat aunt for a while, the workers who had been watching all went home.
Zhang glanced at the plump aunt and whispered, "Auntie, there's really no need for that. We're all neighbors, I don't care."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com