Everyone wanted a good spot, but Han Xuri's entourage all carried knives. One glare from him was enough to scare away anyone trying to push forward.
After the person was seen off, a villager said,
"That official was terrifying; my legs went weak with just one look at him."
I'm really worried that if I take another step forward, he'll draw his knife and attack me.
"It turns out that officials look quite different from us."
Putting aside their appearance, their fair skin alone is something we peasants can't compare to.
Look at our faces and hands, they're all black, from a distance they look like we haven't taken a bath.
Look at these grown men, oh my, so fair-skinned, they're practically like little girls.
In reality, very few of these people didn't actually see what the others looked like; carriages could enter the Zhao family courtyard.
When Han Xuri and his entourage left, the carriage pulled up directly to the entrance of the main house before they boarded separately.
Once the curtain is drawn, who can see anything?
Even so, the villagers' gossip-loving nature only increased.
The more the Zhao family listened, the more they felt something was amiss. Finally, it was Zhao Qianci who stepped forward to speak.
"Dear fellow villagers, today is a joyous occasion for me, Zhao, and my children and grandchildren. Please forgive any shortcomings in my conduct."
We have some distinguished guests today, as you all know without me saying more.
There is one thing I need to remind everyone of: ordinary people must not speak ill of the government, members of the royal family, or officials.
At best, they'll be punished with a beating; at worst, they'll be beheaded. Let this serve as a warning to everyone.
The most important thing today is to eat and drink well. To express my gratitude for everyone's presence, I would like to propose a toast.
I'll finish mine, everyone else can do as they please.
No sooner had Zhao Qianci finished speaking than someone handed him a wine glass. It was a young man named Hu Zi.
When the villagers saw Zhao Qianci drink it all in one gulp, they all clapped and cheered.
Just as the Zhao family was about to turn back into the house,
Liu Xiaohua's mother was overjoyed to see her daughter and immediately let out a long, drawn-out cry, attracting everyone's attention.
"Little Flower, my daughter, I've missed you so much."
It rushed straight towards Liu Xiaohua like a gust of wind.
Zhao Qingshan reacted quickly, blocking his mother-in-law before she could pounce on Liu Xiaohua.
"Mother-in-law, Xiaohua is pregnant and can't withstand any physical contact. You should be careful, Mother-in-law."
After hearing her son-in-law's words, Liu's mother felt somewhat embarrassed.
I was so focused on figuring out what benefits I could get from Liu Xiaohua today that I completely forgot my daughter is pregnant.
Indeed, Liu Xiaohua's pregnancy has been very healthy, and because she eats well, she doesn't look haggard at all; on the contrary, she looks even more radiant.
The skirt has also been modified, changing the traditional waist-cinching skirt into a high-waisted skirt.
A belt cinched below the chest creates a look that is both feminine and not bulky.
It's easy to miss if you don't look closely; this person is almost eight months old.
Wang Caixia smiled and said.
"Our in-laws have arrived. Have you eaten yet? Please come inside. Tiger, serve this lady some tea."
After giving the instructions, he turned to look at Zhang Cuicui.
"Second brother's wife, go with Qingling and see if your family has arrived yet."
If you come, please invite you to the main room so we can catch up.
What I mean is, you can go see your parents first, and once you've had your chat, you can come see us.
After all, he only has two daughters-in-law, and he knows very well what kind of people their families are.
Granny Liu called out to the Zhao family,
The Liu family members were still eating at the banquet. The men didn't move, so Xiuzhi quickly stuffed a few more mouthfuls of food into her mouth, chewed hard, and stood up.
Feeling the oil on her lips, Xiuzhi wiped them with her sleeve. While chewing her food, she went over and took her mother-in-law's arm.
He struggled to swallow the food in his mouth before calling out to anyone.
The Zhao family nodded in acknowledgment and said, "Let's go inside."
Once inside, someone cleared away all the cups, plates, and bowls from the man's table. The group then settled into the living room.
The living room in the main house was designed by Zhao Qingyan according to the habits of people from the previous generation. There was a long wooden bench with many cushions and pillows on it.
A solid wood coffee table was placed in front of the bench, with two two-seater wooden chairs on either side of the table. Both chairs featured cushions and throw pillows.
Tiger and the others brought out tea and placed it in front of Liu's mother and daughter-in-law.
After Huang and Zhao Qian bid each other farewell and said goodbye to the Liu family, they went upstairs together, leaving Wang Caixia alone to entertain her in-laws.
Wang Caixia sat in the main seat, while Zhao Qingshan helped his wife to sit in a double chair on one side of the coffee table.
Seeing this, Liu's mother and daughter-in-law sat down at the other end of the coffee table.
“My dear in-laws, how have you been? It’s been several years since we last met,” Wang Caixia said.
It's been years since we last met. When Liu Xiaohua was growing up, Granny Liu came over three days ago.
They brought their whole family and had a big meal, not to mention...
They also stole Liu Xiaohua's savings, plus a piece of fabric they had prepared to make clothes for Daya.
At that time, Liu Xiaohua was alone in the room with her child, while Zhao Qingshan was busy outside.
I thought my mother-in-law wanted to talk to my daughter-in-law, so I didn't stay by her side all the time.
This gave Granny Liu an opportunity. Taking advantage of her daughter's weakness, she rummaged through the basket, stuffed the money and cloth into it, and then turned and left.
Liu Xiaohua didn't dare to shout loudly, partly because she was afraid of waking the child, and partly because it would be embarrassing.
Since marrying into the Zhao family, she has almost never talked about her life back in her parents' home.
Her parents cared about their son, but at least they didn't sell her off. For that debt of gratitude for giving birth to and raising her, she wouldn't speak ill of her own family.
But what Mother said today was really awful.
"Hehe, you little hussy, don't think that just because you're married you can live a life of luxury and ignore your parents' family."
You'd better watch out, because you'll still need your brothers from your mother's side to support you in the future.
What's wrong with me taking a little money from you? Raising you all these years, doesn't it cost money?
You are so unfilial. Compared to your brother and younger brother, I would have been better off giving birth to a piece of barbecued pork than to you.
Besides, you just had a son who's a money-loser, does he even deserve to wear such fine fabric? I'll take this back and make an undergarment for your nephew."
After a barrage of threats and beatings, what a master of brainwashing! In the end, Liu Xiaohua could only watch helplessly as her money and her daughter's cloth disappeared.
Liu Xiaohua cried alone in her room until the Liu family left.
When Zhao Qingshan returned to his room, he found that his wife was crying so hard she was almost fainting.
Since then, the Zhao family's attitude toward the Liu family has changed.
It's best to avoid associating with families that have questionable values.
Ever since Liu Xiaohua gave birth to Daya, Granny Liu has never visited the Zhao family again.
The Liu family came to offer their congratulations today, which was neither surprising nor unexpected to the Zhao family, so they invited them into the main house's living room.
As for wanting to go into the couple's room, forget it.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Wang Caixia instructed Liu Xiaohua to prepare the return gifts for her family. Then she kept Liu's mother and daughter-in-law chatting in the living room.
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