The first confrontation with the mother-in-law
The next day, An Hongdou woke up early, contrary to her usual behavior.
After sobering up, Li Zeli regained his composure and helped her prepare her clothes for the upcoming meeting while introducing her to the relatives she had visited that day.
At this moment, Dongxue brought in water and placed it on the shelf for the two of them to wash up.
An Hongdou asked, "Has Linglong gotten up yet?"
Dongxue replied, "I'm up. She's the one who sent me to deliver water. She also asked me to tell Miss and Son-in-law that she'll come to find you first after she's all ready, and then we'll go see our relatives together."
Ordinary families don't have as many wedding customs, but the Li family is wealthy, and the An and Wu families are scholarly families that value proper etiquette, so they follow the customs of wealthy families. The wedding day is for the newlyweds to pay respects to their elders and get to know their relatives, and the third day is for the bride to return to her parents' home, all of which are highly valued.
An Hongdou asked Dongxue to check the gifts to be given to her in-laws later. After everything was ready, she went out with Li Zeli.
"Hongdou, come here quickly!" Wu Linglong waved to her as soon as she saw her leave.
An Hongdou quickly went over and casually took Wu Linglong's arm, and the two whispered to each other.
The two brothers, Li Zeli and Li Zeren, walked together tacitly, leaving space for each other.
"Why are you up so early today?" An Hongdou asked curiously. In the past, Wu Linglong and she were frequent visitors to the bathroom, often not getting up until late morning, which often earned them a scolding from their mother.
"Don't even mention it. All that nervousness and anticipation I put in all night waiting for him was for nothing," Wu Linglong complained softly. "But when he came in, he was so drunk he couldn't even tell the difference between one and two. I had to lift the veil myself."
"Did you drink the nuptial wine?"
"Then why drink? He just fell asleep as soon as he lay down. If it weren't for our wedding night, I wouldn't even have given him a bed. I would have made him sleep on the floor to teach him a lesson."
After saying that, Wu Linglong asked her, "Judging from the time you left today, were you two last night?"
An Hongdou interrupted, "Nothing happened. Zeli was drunk last night too."
"I guessed it. The two brothers got married together, and there were no adult brothers in the house to help them fend off the drinking. They must have been forced to drink a lot yesterday," Wu Linglong said helplessly.
"Fortunately, we were assigned to a side courtyard and became neighbors, which makes things convenient," An Hongdou comforted her.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the main courtyard of the Li family.
An Hongdou released Wu Linglong's arm, and the two Li brothers stepped forward and pulled their respective wives over.
Following the order of seniority, Li Zeren led Wu Linglong into the courtyard first, followed by Li Zeli and An Hongdou.
Looking through the door, Grandma Li and Li Haikuo were sitting in the main seats. Stepmother Chen Zaoting was sitting on the left with two girls. Behind them, a nanny was holding a boy in her arms, who looked like her younger brother Li Zexin.
Two girls were sitting on the right. The first one had her hair styled like a married woman's, and An Hongdou guessed that she might be the eldest sister, Li Zehan.
The two newlywed couples served tea to their grandmothers, fathers, and mothers in turn.
Grandma nodded with satisfaction, handed over the gift, and introduced the two women: "On the left is your mother, and also your fourth sister Pan'er and fifth sister Lai'er. On the right are your eldest sister Zehan and your youngest sister Zeying. Zeren and Zeli's birth mother passed away early, and the eldest sister is like a mother to them. Zehan was worried that you two might not be used to the new family, so she came back to take care of you. If you don't understand anything, just ask her."
An Hongdou and the other person quickly agreed.
Grandma got up with help. "This old woman is too old to sit still. You two continue your conversation, I'm going back to rest now."
As everyone watched, Grandma left, leaning on her cane with one hand and supporting her maid with the other.
As everyone turned their attention back to the room, Chen Zaoting had somehow taken up the seat of honor.
"If you ask me, the old lady is in poor health and should stay at home to rest. Why is she getting involved in this commotion?" she said. "Zehan, you too, a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. It's not proper for you to come to the Li family's wedding. You're just giving your in-laws something to talk about. If word gets out, how will Lai'er and Pan'er discuss marriage?"
Chen Zaoting's words were somewhat harsh. An Hongdou and Wu Linglong exchanged a glance.
Before the two could react, Li Zehan spoke up: "Father, is Mother gossiping about Grandmother behind her back?"
Chen Zaoting's eyes flashed fiercely as she glared at her, saying, "Master, you know I used to have a hard life, and I'm not as educated as our daughter. My words may be rough, but the reasoning is sound. I'm thinking of my mother and children!"
"Besides, Zeying hasn't even discussed marriage yet!" Her tone carried a hint of threat.
Mr. Li looked at this and that, and tried to smooth things over: "Alright, how can a grown man argue with a child? If you know you can't speak properly, then say less. Your family has seen your good intentions and efforts, and I have never mistreated you."
“Zehan, you too, you should respect your elders. I know you’re worried about your family, and I’m very touched. But your mother is right. You have your own family now, and your grandson is still young and needs you. Try to come back less often. Now there are two new wives in the family who can help with the household.”
Seeing that the topic had turned to the two of them, Wu Linglong gestured for Qiu Yu and Dong Xue to present their gifts.
An Hongdou's mother was the daughter of a rouge shop owner, a well-known cold beauty in the neighborhood. Although her family's shop wasn't large, its products were quite famous. The women of local high-ranking and wealthy families regularly came to pick up their orders.
The two had discussed it and decided that since the Li family had many younger sisters, they would send one rouge and the other lipstick, both of which would be obtained from An Hongdou's mother's family.
After receiving the gift, Chen Zaoting gave Li Pan'er and her sister a wink.
Li Pan'er understood and pulled Li Lai'er aside, saying, "This rouge that Second Sister-in-law gave me, it probably isn't from Dianyun's family, is it?"
“Exactly,” Wu Linglong replied.
"Second sister-in-law is so generous. Dianyun's rouge is good and the price is even better. I begged Mother for a long time before, but she wouldn't buy it for us. Mother is the only one in the whole family who has one jar. I went to see it before, and it looks exactly like this one," Li Lai'er chimed in.
"That's right, Third Sister-in-law, I heard you and Second Sister-in-law are best friends? How come Second Sister-in-law is so generous, but you gave her some unknown brand of lip rouge? Although our Li family isn't very wealthy, we wouldn't dare use face products that aren't from a reputable brand!" She changed the subject and pointed the finger at An Hongdou.
An Hongdou, who was daydreaming while waiting for her meal, was stunned and momentarily forgot to react.
Seeing this, Li Pan'er assumed the sisters had guessed correctly. She covered her mouth and smiled, saying to Li Lai'er, "Sister, how can you talk to Third Sister-in-law like that? Third Sister-in-law meant well. Second Sister-in-law's father is the vice-principal of the academy, so his family is naturally much wealthier. Third Sister-in-law's father is just an ordinary teacher at the academy. Maybe she uses this lip rouge every day!"
These words were sarcastic and insinuating. An Hongdou understood that they were meant to sow discord between her and Wu Linglong.
She held back Li Zeli, who was about to speak. With his new bride on one side and his stepsister on the other, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to step forward; he would most likely end up playing both sides. That wasn't the outcome she wanted.
An Hongdou spoke first: "My sister is right about one thing, this lip rouge is indeed for Linglong and me to use."
Hearing that Wu Linglong was mentioned in her words, Li Lai'er confirmed, "Second sister-in-law, your lip rouge was also a gift from third sister-in-law, right? You're a kind person, and you accepted it because you were afraid that some people would lose face if you refused. But you probably haven't used it before, have you?"
Wu Linglong seized the opportunity and said, "You're so good at guessing, anyone who didn't know better would think you lived under my bed!"
Two brides entered the household on the same day. Even if their relationship was good before marriage, they couldn't help but quarrel after marriage because of their own interests. The Li sisters had extended an olive branch early on, thinking that Wu Linglong would join them in dealing with An Hongdou, win their mother's favor, and thus compete for control of the household in the future. Unexpectedly, Wu Linglong not only did not cooperate, but also opposed them.
Li Lai'er was dumbfounded: "How could you say such awful things, Second Sister-in-law!"
"You think I'm being mean? Why don't you think you're being mean too? Look at you, so petty, you're like a wild boar that can't handle fine food!" Wu Linglong was straightforward and didn't hold back.
"It's not your fault for being naive, but it's wrong of you to keep babbling on and on without asking any questions! I told you that the lip rouge was for our own use, but instead of asking where it came from, you tried to sow discord between us. It seems you're not quite right in the head!"
Feeling embarrassed, Li Lai'er nudged Li Pan'er beside her for help.
Although Li Pan'er is only one year older than Li Lai'er, as the eldest daughter and granddaughter in a family that favors sons over daughters, she has experienced more and is much more mature.
"Second sister-in-law, calm down. I was just naive and made a hasty conclusion. I apologize to you first. You are broad-minded, so I don't think you'll hold a grudge against us petty people." Li Pan'er was flexible and knew when to back down. She immediately showed weakness when she saw that things were not going well, making it difficult for Wu Linglong to hold a grudge.
"Could you two sisters-in-law please enlighten our younger sisters?" Li Pan'er changed the subject.
This lip rouge also came from An Hongdou's mother's family shop. It would be a bit presumptuous for her to introduce it, so Wu Linglong took the liberty of doing so.
“Speaking of this lip rouge, you really don’t know its value. This is the secret recipe of Dianyun family. It has a natural fragrance, doesn’t fade easily, and needs to be wiped off with special honey after use,” Wu Linglong explained.
Li Pan'er took the lipstick box in her hand and examined it closely. She asked in confusion, "This box is elegant and does look like something from Dianyun. But I can't find any engravings. Usually, items from Dianyun would have the shop's name engraved on the box."
An Hongdou said, "This one is exclusively for VIPs and is not seen by ordinary guests. Families of status value inner luxury and outer simplicity. The inscription on this lip rouge is inside, so you can see it when it's almost used up."
Li Pan'er gave an awkward laugh and said nothing more.
An Hongdou should be forgiving and considerate of her sisters who are living under someone else's roof, probably because they were forced to stand up for their mother-in-law.
Li Haikuo was a typical patriarch, never getting involved in the girls' overt or covert struggles. Seeing that it was almost time, he asked, "Mrs. Li, is there anything else you want to say? After you've said that, it's time to go eat."
Chen Zaoting rolled her eyes at her two good-for-nothing daughters and said, "Now that you've entered the family as brides, I, as your mother, would like to give you a few more words of advice. First, Zeren and Zeli should focus on their studies right now, so you don't need to worry about things at home. Just take good care of your husbands and try to help them pass the imperial examinations as soon as possible. Second, it is a bride's duty to have children, so I hope you two will give the Li family grandchildren soon."
There was nothing wrong with what they said, although it didn't align with An Hongdou and Wu Linglong's views, but the two could only agree to it for the time being.
The Li family was large and prosperous, and when the weather was nice, they would set up a table outdoors in the main courtyard. If it was a cloudy or rainy day, they would set up the meal indoors in the reception room.
The family sat down at the table and waited for Mr. Li to start eating.
The Li family were, after all, peasants, and they didn't adhere to the strict rules of not speaking while eating or sleeping. During the meal, Master Li didn't forget to give Zeren and Zeli some instructions, urging them to study diligently.
An Hongdou ate quickly and then boredly tugged at her handkerchief afterward.
Finally, everyone put down their chopsticks. Just as she was about to signal Li Zeli to find a way to leave, her mother-in-law Chen Zaoting spoke up again: "My two daughters-in-law, I remember that you both have younger brothers of marriageable age?"
An Hongdou's heart skipped a beat, wondering what kind of trouble she was going to cause this time.
"Your fourth and fifth sisters are both of marriageable age and still don't have suitable partners. How about we strengthen our family ties through marriage?"
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