The family of six sat around the table, including Zhang Mei. Zhang Mei went back inside and carefully considered what Aunt Lin had said. Although Aunt Lin's tone wasn't kind, she had only meant well for her.
Thinking that perhaps Aunt Lin was unwilling to accept her age and didn't want her to take care of her, which was why she said those things, and that some elderly people in the village were like that, she felt much relieved and decided that she would just stop talking about taking care of Aunt Lin in the future.
If Song Anxin knew that Zhang Mei was secretly comparing her to an old man, she would probably be furious.
"Mom, why did you cook so much? Are you going to save it for lunch?" Lin Fengnian asked honestly.
Song Anxin not only cooked a lot but also brought several extra bowls, saying with a smile, "No, that's not it."
Just as she was about to explain, Sister-in-law Lin came in from the courtyard entrance with Lin Erxi and Dongzi.
Song Anxin thought it was just in time and hurriedly greeted, "Sister-in-law, Erxi and Dongzi, come and have breakfast."
Song Anxin knew that people in Linjia Village didn't have the habit of eating breakfast, and that Sister-in-law Lin must have missed breakfast when she came to help. So she cooked extra food, including a pound of millet, enough for more than a dozen people, and a dozen or so dark brown pancakes, to make sure everyone had enough to eat.
When Sister-in-law Lin saw so much food, her eyes widened: "Second son's wife, are you trying to ruin your family? Even if the second son's pension is coming soon, you can't be so wasteful. We still have to make a living. You need to harvest a few more so that he can get married in the future."
Song Anxin knew that Sister Lin meant well and didn't blame her. She said, "You came to our house to help make pancakes, so we can't just not treat you to a meal. I used to argue with you all the time, but you never held it against me and were still willing to help our family like this. Consider this meal my apology to you."
Yesterday Song Anxin was trying to make amends and today she's backing down. Lin's resentment towards Song Anxin has dissipated. She said, "Sister-in-law, we're a family, so we have to help each other. Besides, I'm the eldest sister-in-law. I've long forgotten about what happened before. As long as you live a good life and wait for the good harvest, that's enough for them."
Upon hearing that they were calling her "sister-in-law," Song Anxin felt the distance between her and Sister-in-law Lin's family had been broken down, and happily said, "Where's my brother? Why isn't he here? Let's invite him to eat together!"
Song Anxin genuinely wanted to get closer to the Lin family's eldest brother and sister-in-law. The couple was a good match, and as the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative, especially since these neighbors were her own brother and sister-in-law. It was always good to maintain a good relationship.
Hearing Song Anxin say this, Sister-in-law Lin didn't stand on ceremony. She was a straightforward person herself, and she sat down at the table and said, "He went to the fields early this morning. I don't know what there is to see in the fields all day long. What can we do if God doesn't send rain? Dongzi, go and call your father."
Song Anxin wasn't particularly knowledgeable about farming, so she didn't say anything and simply told Sister-in-law Lin to sit down.
Lin Dongzi quickly agreed and went to call someone.
Lin Erxi kept whispering with Lin Fengnian and his four brothers, occasionally letting out a surprised exclamation: "Really!?"
Song Anxin knew without even thinking that they were talking about what happened last night. Fine, she would let Lin Erxi tell everyone that she had changed.
Soon Brother Lin arrived, and everyone began to eat breakfast together in a lively atmosphere.
Brother Lin was completely bewildered. How long had it been since they had eaten together at the same table since the family split up? And when had his wife ever been able to chat and laugh with his second son's wife like this?
Lin Erxi saw his father covering his mouth and secretly laughing, holding a pancake in his hand and whispering something in his father's ear. Lin's eldest brother looked like he suddenly realized, "Why doesn't Erzhu give his eldest brother a dream?"
Everyone was satisfied with the breakfast. Lin Erxi, with his belly full, said, "Oh my, this is much more filling than what I eat at home. Auntie, why didn't you get better sooner? No, I should blame my second uncle for not appearing in my dreams sooner."
Sister-in-law Lin slapped her on the back of the head: "You child, you're talking nonsense! Even eating can't shut you up." Then she smiled sheepishly at Song Anxin.
Song Anxin just smiled; she didn't care. She actually quite liked Lin Erxi's personality—direct and lively.
After everyone finished cleaning up the dishes, Song Anxin and Sister-in-law Lin started making wedding cakes. Lin Erxi and the two little ones, Fenghe and Fengyao, also helped out, while Lin Fengshou chopped firewood, started a fire, and did other chores.
Zhang Mei and Lin Fengnian originally wanted to help, but Song Anxin kicked them out, telling Lin Fengnian to spend more time talking to Zhang Mei. Although the two had already expressed their feelings for each other, the total time they actually spent together was no more than two days.
Although arranged marriages were common in ancient times, it was always good to cultivate feelings for each other beforehand.
The wedding cakes were almost finished, covered in sugar, and had a red dot in the center, making them look very festive.
Song Anxin specially asked Sister-in-law Lin to make wedding cakes that were larger than usual. Sister-in-law Lin initially disagreed, but when she saw Song Anxin take out more than 20 kilograms of white flour, she let her have her way. This was the first happy event for her younger brother and sister-in-law's family, and since their second son had passed away, they couldn't let people look down on them.
It's already Chen Shi (7-9 AM), around 8 or 9 AM. Today is still a sunny and beautiful day.
Villagers have started coming to Song Anxin's house one after another to offer their congratulations. It's not common to give money as gifts in the village; instead, people usually bring eggs, scraps of cloth, and other necessities for the household.
The women in the village were received by Song Anxin and Sister-in-law Lin, while the men were received by Brother Lin and Lin Fengshou. Lin Fengnian was to stay in the new house with the bride.
Song Anxin specially gave the new couple the clean, not-too-worn bedding from her own room.
Sister-in-law Lin also specially brought over the red double happiness symbol that Lin Daxi had pasted up when she got married and pasted it in the room. With this decoration, it looked a bit like a bridal chamber.
Song Anxin would give a wedding cake to everyone who came, including the children, while Sister-in-law Lin would collect the gifts.
When everyone received the wedding cakes, they saw that Sister-in-law Lin was very generous. The cakes were not only large, but also covered with precious white sugar. Everyone was all smiles, feeling that their gift was well worth the price.
At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if Sister-in-law Lin's family and Sister-in-law Lin's family had gotten together.
On second thought, it makes sense. Even if they've separated, they're still brothers. Blood is thicker than water.
It was already past Chenshiwei (7-9 AM), and Song Anxin saw that most of the guests had arrived.
Some were chatting with Brother Lin. The village head of Linjia Village was also there. He was the head of the village and the head of the clan. Whenever a family in the village had a happy occasion, they would invite him.
Others gathered together to chat about everyday life. Lin Erxi, along with the two younger children Lin Fenghe and Feng Yao, were pouring tea for the guests. However, farmers certainly didn't have such a luxury as tea; they just used ordinary boiled water. The women and children mostly stayed in the bridal chamber to watch the bride.
Song Anxin and Sister-in-law Lin entered the new house, which was bustling with activity. The village was bored, and it was a rare occasion for someone to have a happy event, so everyone who wanted to join in the fun came. Some of the women were teasing the young couple.
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