The joy in Ji Xia's heart dissipated somewhat when she was pierced by those eyes that were filled with resentment and jealousy.
Upon closer inspection, the gaunt old woman looked somewhat familiar.
She thought for a moment, "Isn't this Lin Haodong's biological mother, Aunt Lin? How did she become so old, so frail, like an old woman?"
Actually, Lin's mother looked older than her age due to health reasons, but she was only in her early forties.
In later times, fashionable women in the city, even in their forties, can still look like young girls when they dress up.
Because she was well taken care of in her past life, Lin's mother didn't look old. Although her skin wasn't rosy, it was much whiter than that of an average village woman because she did little farm work.
Looking at her face and complexion now, you'd think she's under sixty.
However, she and Lin Haodong had broken up several months ago, so why was he looking at her like that? Was he resentful of the rich? Regretful? Let them regret it!
Ji Xia seemed a little dazed. Chen Jing quietly reached out and squeezed her palm. Ji Xia immediately understood, raised her eyes slightly, gave him a charming smile, and then obediently lowered her head, letting Chen Jing lead her back to the Chen family home.
Firecrackers crackled and popped, and the brazier roared with fire. A group of villagers praised Ji Xia's wedding dress and makeup, showering her with joyful words, which made Captain Chen and his wife beam with happiness.
Chen Jing helped Ji Xia carefully step over the brazier and escorted her to the new room in the west wing.
The new house was completely renovated. The wallpaper had been replaced, and the windows and doors were decorated with red double happiness patterns. The mosquito nets, quilts, and pillows were all new. The ancestral bucket, washbasin, wardrobe, and dowry items were all tied with red silk, creating a joyous and festive atmosphere.
Chen Jing escorted Ji Xia into the new house and immediately brought over snacks such as melon seeds, candy, biscuits, and fried dough twists, happily inviting the bridesmaids to eat.
The bridesmaids cheered and laughed. Chen Jing smiled and glanced at Ji Xia, then whispered, "Are you hungry? I'll bring you some when it's ready."
Ji Xia looked up at him with affection and smiled sweetly: "No rush, my sister-in-law already gave me two eggs and sweet soup when I was at home."
"Okay, if you get hungry, just tell Qiuyu and she'll come find me."
Chen Qiuyu laughed from the side: "Third brother, she's already married into the family, why are you still so clingy? Are you afraid your sister-in-law will run away?"
Several girls covered their mouths and giggled.
Chen Jing chuckled, turned around and pointed at Chen Qiuyu: "Okay, I'll remember that. I'll tease you about it when you get married."
"I'm not afraid of you at all!"
Chen Qiuyu made a face at Chen Jing, then sat down next to Ji Xia, hugging her arm and saying coquettishly, "Sister-in-law, let's teach him a lesson tonight and let him know who's in charge."
"You don't need to worry about it. In our family, of course your sister-in-law is in charge, and I listen to her."
With a broad smile, Chen Jing gave Ji Xia some more instructions before reluctantly going out to offer a toast.
As soon as Chen Jing left, Yang Cuiqin smiled enviously and said, "Xia has good taste. No one in the whole brigade has ever had a more dignified wedding than you."
"Of course, how can the wedding of an ordinary villager in the brigade compare to the wedding of my third brother and sister-in-law?"
As Chen Qiuyu spoke, he placed the plate of melon seeds and candies on the middle stool: "Come on, have some melon seeds. These fried dough sticks were fried yesterday, they smell so good."
The three girls each grabbed some sunflower seeds, munching on them while chatting. Zhang Lan looked around, then brought in a small wooden basin from outside and placed it among them.
"Put the sunflower seed shells and candy wrappers in the basin after you finish eating, so you don't get the floor dirty."
Ji Xia always keeps a wastepaper basket at home, whether in the living room or bedroom, to hold trash. Zhang Lan knows about this habit of hers.
The three girls were surprised to see this, but readily agreed and threw the sunflower seed shells into the small wooden basin.
"Little Blue is so thoughtful and considerate."
Zhang Lan smiled shyly, grabbed a few melon seeds, and slowly peeled them.
Ji Xia smiled gently at her: "Alan, you are a bridesmaid and a guest today, so you don't need to be so reserved. Just eat and drink as you please, and be a happy guest. You don't need to do any work."
"That's right, we're sisters today, so be a little bolder."
Chen Qiuyu patted her shoulder, grabbed a handful of candies and stuffed them into her pocket, winking at her: "Don't worry, my third brother is rich and generous, there's plenty of candy."
“Chen Jing is indeed generous, and it shows how much he values A-Xia, right? A-Xia was right to break off that engagement. You all don’t know, last time Liu Pianran got married, she bought a whole pound of wedding candy. We didn’t see a single piece in the new house, and we couldn’t even send enough children to the wedding.” Yang Cuiqin said.
Yang Cuiqin regretted it as soon as she finished speaking. Why did she have to say that on such a joyous day?
However, she felt ashamed, but the others didn't seem to care much.
Chen Qiuyu sneered contemptuously: "Compare him to him? That Lin Haodong is a freeloader. He takes advantage of Sister Xia's easygoing nature, asking his girlfriend for food and drinks, and he puts on such a high and mighty act. He's disgusting."
"Therefore, a blessed woman does not marry into an unblemished family, so it is a good thing that Ji Xia broke off the engagement."
Yang Cuiqin quickly agreed and handed Ji Xia a few fried dough sticks: "These are fried deliciously. They're filled with crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, and sugar. They're even tastier than the candies you buy outside."
The group chatted and laughed in the new house, while a banquet was already set up in the courtyard outside.
Chen Jing had made some money in the past few months and wanted to show off in the countryside, so he put on a very lavish banquet, setting up twenty-eight tables.
Half the villagers from the Ji family and half from the Chen family attended the banquet, and the Ji and Chen families invited all the villagers in the entire brigade.
A typical family banquet usually consists of two meat dishes, but Chen Jing had six large dishes served: large pieces of braised pork belly that were fried until crispy and tender, not greasy at all; golden and tender salt-baked chicken; braised carp; spicy rabbit pieces; braised pork ribs; and pheasant, pork belly, and mushroom soup.
The feast consisted of six meat dishes and six vegetable dishes, a total of twelve dishes, filling the large round table to the brim. A group of villagers praised the Chen family's banquet.
Upon seeing such an extravagant banquet, an elder of the Chen family couldn't help but say to Captain Chen, "Wanshan, this is going too far. If your third brother sets such a lavish banquet, what will happen when your fourth brother gets married next time?"
Another elder shook his head in disapproval: "How much would that cost? It'd be about ten yuan a table, wouldn't it?"
No, no.
Captain Chen waved his hand repeatedly while pouring wine for several elders: "It didn't cost much. These thirty tables, including cigarettes and alcohol, only cost about a hundred yuan."
"How is that possible? So much meat, chicken, pork, and even rabbit, and there are only two or three pieces on the whole table?"
Some people did the math and just couldn't believe it.
Captain Chen chuckled and shook his head: "The day before yesterday evening, Xiang Jun took A Jing and a few young men from the brigade, and they took two hunting rifles into the mountains."
"They killed a wild boar weighing about 200 pounds, a roe deer, a few pheasants and rabbits. As for the fish, Hou Fang and Ah Hu caught them in the ditch yesterday."
"Old Ji and I thought that if we divided the game between the two sides, we could invite all the villagers in the brigade to have a good meal together, which would be the same as sharing the meat. Our two families only received a few free-range chickens from the villagers and bought a few fish. The money spent on the banquet was mainly on cigarettes and alcohol."
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