“Very well,” the advisor nodded, “Let’s go to Qingfeng Temple.”
"The officials have important business to attend to, and I dare not linger any longer," she said, beckoning Xiao Si over. "You two, see the two officials out."
"you……"
The advisor snorted coldly and turned to leave.
He had never seen anyone so unreasonable. He was a secretary, the head of Ping'an County, and this woman not only didn't try to please him, but also tried to make him leave.
"Master," after they stepped outside, Inspector Niu whispered, "Madam Jiang has always been straightforward, don't take it to heart."
"What do you mean by straightforward?" the advisor muttered in dissatisfaction. "She's clearly using us so we won't dare to do anything to her."
Knowing he wouldn't do anything to her, he didn't even bother to pretend to be respectful. This wasn't straightforwardness; he was clearly a worldly-wise old witch.
“Jiang Niangzi is different from those who ask us for favors,” Inspector Niu explained helplessly. “She doesn’t flatter us, nor does she try to please us.”
Since they don't need to ask them for favors, there's no need for them to fawn over them.
Not everyone is willing to speak on their knees; it's just that people are often praised so much that they develop a misconception.
So much so that they all forgot that although the clerks were well-paid, their status was actually not as high as that of the farmers.
“That’s true,” the advisor nodded. “Farmers are different from merchants; they do have some integrity.”
They make a living off the land, and apart from taxes, there's not much else we deal with them. We really don't need to... cater to them.
After figuring things out, the clerk's expression improved considerably. Noticing this, Inspector Niu quickly asked, "Clerk, what do you think of Madam Jiang?"
This is very important.
After several interactions, he had already categorized Jiang Nuan as someone he could befriend. If his superior disliked her, he would have to keep her out of sight.
"He is indeed intelligent," the advisor said objectively, "but whether he has great talent remains to be seen."
The Huang family.
"Mother," Xie asked in confusion, "what are those two constables doing at our house?"
Regarding the matter at Qingfeng Temple, Jiang Nuan shook her head. "They said the higher-ups have taken notice. How could this possibly be related to an ordinary family like ours? We shouldn't worry about it."
Even if Qingfeng Temple really has problems, so what? That level of affairs is not something farmers like them can get involved in, and the government wouldn't want ordinary people to get involved.
Anyway, the crisis in Huangjiakou is over for the time being, and the government will handle the rest.
"I see," Xie said, putting the matter aside and sharing the gossip she had heard. "Mother, tomorrow is Qingming Festival, and my eldest uncle said he won't let my cousin go."
“Of course, he was injured…” Jiang Nuan reacted and asked in surprise, “What did you mean by what you just said? Did your uncle strip your cousin of his right to perform ancestral rites?”
"right!"
"Not because he was injured?"
“No,” Xie said through gritted teeth, leaning closer to whisper, “the whole village is in an uproar over this.”
The same result can have different meanings and represent different implications.
Not having the right to go is completely different from not going yourself.
"What's all the noise about?"
“They said that what my uncle did was against the rules and there was no reason for it. He couldn’t stop my cousin from worshipping the ancestors, as it would greatly affect his future authority. But my uncle insisted on his opinion.”
“It seems your uncle is determined to teach your cousin a lesson this time,” Jiang Nuan said thoughtfully.
This ancestral worship ceremony was the first major event for the second branch of the family as clan head, and its significance was extraordinary.
Huang Shan, as the eldest son, was not allowed to worship his ancestors. This was an official denial, which was extremely damaging, no wonder the villagers reacted so strongly.
After calming down, Jiang Nuan continued, "Did your uncle say anything else?"
"How did Mother guess?" Xie Shi cleared her throat before speaking. "My eldest uncle said that my cousin is selfish and irresponsible. If such a person becomes the clan leader, he will sooner or later ruin the whole village. This kind of scoundrel must first learn to be a good person. Otherwise, even if he dies, he will not pass the clan leader position to my cousin."
Although Xie did not repeat every word, he extracted the core content and added his own personal feelings, perfectly recreating Huang Shi's angry and annoyed state at the time.
"Your cousin really needs to learn a lesson this time. Hopefully, he will learn something from this experience."
"But isn't it going too far to forbid ancestral worship? Only the eldest branch of the Huang family was excluded because they committed a serious mistake..."
“No,” Jiang Nuan shook her head. “Don’t worry, your uncle wouldn’t harm his own son. He’s doing this for your cousin’s own good.”
After this, the matter of Qingfeng Temple can be completely resolved, and the stumbling block under my nephew's feet can be completely cleared away.
“Oh right,” Xie patted her mouth, “I almost forgot to mention the important matter, Mother, you also need to go to the ancestral hall to offer incense tomorrow.”
"Me too? What would I do there?"
When did Huangjiakou become so open that even a widow like her can pay respects to her ancestors during Qingming Festival?
“Everyone has approved this,” Xie said with a smile. “They said that Mother has done great things for Huangjiakou and is qualified to offer incense. Among all the women in the village, only Mother is qualified.”
Such a prestigious matter made Xie stand ramrod straight as she spoke.
She felt that a woman should be respected like her mother-in-law, who was respected not only by her family but also by those in the village who looked up to the heavens.
When Xie first heard Huang Shi mention this, she thought it was definitely impossible. After all, some people are really stubborn and look at women as if they were dirty things.
To everyone's surprise, no one objected.
"My uncle secretly said that Mother must go to the ancestral worship ceremony this time. As long as she goes, even if Father-in-law is not there, no one in our family will dare to look down on us. Even if he is dead, we will not have to worry about being bullied."
“Yes, I understand your uncle’s good intentions,” Jiang Nuan said with mixed feelings. “I won’t refuse, don’t worry.”
Jiang, the genuine daughter-in-law of the Huang family, didn't go, but this imposter is going to worship the ancestors. Her feelings are truly complicated and hard to describe.
"That's good," Xie Shi said, glancing at Jiang Nuan furtively. "I was worried that Mother wouldn't agree."
“This is good for our family. Mother wouldn’t be that stupid,” Jiang Nuan said, then asked with a puzzled look, “By the way, why would your uncle say such heartfelt things to you?”
That last sentence is clearly a personal opinion.
Shouldn't we tell the boys?
Upon hearing this, Xie glanced guiltily outside, "My husband told me, and I rushed over to tell my mother as soon as I heard it."
“The second brother is really…” Jiang Nuan rubbed her forehead. “Forget it, that’s just how you guys are. You can’t control your personalities anyway. Let it be.”
Jiang Nuan was somewhat envious of the young couple. Their trust was pure and untainted, as strong as an impenetrable wall of copper and iron.
The son doesn't even hide his own savings from his wife, and he always asks for her opinion before buying her a small gift.
Although it's a bit cowardly, lacking in romance, and not very promising, these days of entrusting everything to someone are still enviable.
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