Looking closely, I saw my maternal grandmother, my eldest uncle's wife, my aunt, and my own mother-in-law sitting in the bedroom chatting.
The fan on the roof beam whirred, bringing a cool breeze. Jiang Shuya, seeing it was hot outside, sat on the outer side of the bedroom with Tangtang in her arms. The conversation from the inner bedroom kept coming to her ears: "Qingqing's parents are truly rare and wonderful in-laws. They are open-minded and reasonable. They promised on the spot that they wouldn't take a single penny of the 60,000 yuan dowry and would give it all back to Qingqing. They even gave an extra 20,000 yuan as a dowry. They really made us proud. So we bought the three gold pieces they asked for earlier. I thought since their family is so sensible, we would agree to it without hesitation. We will still have to visit each other in the future, so we can't be awkward. This is a win-win situation. The unpleasantness from before has been forgotten."
The voice came from her aunt. She was very excited today. Now that her son was getting married, she couldn't hide her excitement and blurted out what she had discussed with her in-laws some time ago.
At this moment, Grandma sighed: "Who says it isn't? Finding a good in-law is certainly not easy. As the saying goes, when choosing a wife, one should choose a virtuous one. How can one only look at her appearance? Can beauty fill an empty stomach? One should find someone who is reliable and good at managing the household. Some chores can't be expected to be done by one person alone. Qingqing is a filial and considerate child. Every time she comes, she brings me something to show her respect, food and drink. It's clear that she has a kind heart."
At this moment, the mother-in-law slapped her thigh, somewhat annoyed: "My wife is already a fait accompli, and that girl is the kind who wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle. She expects me to cook every day, and I'm busy with everything at home and outside, but she really doesn't care at all. She hasn't said a word of concern. Now that Hao Hao is back, I was planning to make him get a divorce, but that kid said that his grandfather wouldn't agree. I'm his biological mother, and he only listens to his grandfather. It makes me so angry."
It was her mother-in-law's voice. Jiang Shuya suddenly stood up and looked at the bedroom curtain. The person inside had indeed not noticed her presence.
She panicked for a moment. She had no intention of eavesdropping, but she overheard the most truthful words.
Then I heard my grandmother's voice: "If Hao Hao doesn't like her because of the 60,000 yuan dowry, then he should pay it back before talking about divorce. After all, it was his grandfather who paid the money, so he has the confidence to disagree. When your daughter-in-law was clinging to Hao Hao, why didn't you stop her? It takes two to tango. She held a knife to your throat. Hao Hao couldn't control himself and couldn't resist the temptation. Who can you blame? Look for the reasons within yourself first."
Jiang Shuya was somewhat dazed, her heart trembling. She realized so many people disliked her; standing here was a joke. She swallowed back her choked tears, looking at Tangtang in her arms with a tearless expression. Tangtang's innocent eyes saw her mother's expression and sensed something was wrong. Just as she was about to burst into tears, she hurriedly picked up Tangtang and walked outside. She saw Zhang Xiaohui coming from the back room and, noticing her unease, Zhang Xiaohui followed her.
She ran all the way from the back house to a wasteland. There were many towering trees in this area, and grape trellises in the distance. Tangtang in her arms kept crying. When she got tired, she stopped under a pine tree, squatted down, and burst into tears.
The two, one big and one small, burst into tears, as if in a contest, with no clear winner. Zhang Xiaohui, who was standing behind them, walked over slowly, patted Jiang Shuya's back, and said softly, "Did you hear something bad? Tell me, or... is something wrong?" She handed her a tissue.
Jiang Shuya continued to sob, wiping away her tears: "Sister Xiaohui, I can't hold on any longer. I can't stay in this house for another second. I didn't even know so many people disliked me. I think I should leave."
Seeing the person hiding so many secrets, Zhang Xiaohui felt sorry for her. Although she had never told her anything, she knew the nature of Xiaoya's in-laws. She knew about the dislike from the people at the door, the gossip, and what she had seen. How could she not know?
Seeing her sad look, he took the candy from her arms, helped her up, and gently scolded her, "The people who don't like you are all the same kind of people. They are family, so they are naturally one. You didn't do anything wrong, so why are you sad here? Since we are not perfect, how can we please everyone?"
Jiang Shuya bit her lip, her eyes turning red and swollen like peaches. Zhang Xiaohui wiped away her tears and continued, "You're so wonderful. I envy you so much often. I envy your competence, your beauty, and your resources. Sometimes I even think you're an angel sent by heaven to help me. If you're an angel, how can you shed tears so easily? Let's go eat. After you've eaten, go home and get some sleep. It's not a big deal."
Although these words were exaggerated, they still made her laugh. Jiang Shuya walked to the river and washed her face with cool water, then followed behind. She couldn't leave yet, at least not now. Leaving would be equivalent to giving up. Just think of the house built on that ridge, the property certificate, and the undrafted agreement.
Upon arriving at her aunt's house, several round tables had already been set up in the courtyard, and cold dishes were served. After the elders took their seats, everyone else found their own places to sit down. Jiang Shuya, holding Tangtang, did not sit at the same table as her mother-in-law, but instead sat next to a stranger.
At this moment, her mother-in-law came over and whispered in her ear, "When you and Hao Hao got married, Zhang Qing and Liu Kai bought you a few bouquets of flowers, which are the plastic flowers that are now on the coffee table in the living room upstairs. You have to return the favor. Don't buy the same things again. Tomorrow is the wedding day. You can give me 500 yuan as a gift. You can give it to me and I will give it to Liu Kai for you, or you can give it to him yourself."
Jiang Shuya raised her eyes and said, "I didn't bring any money with me today. Why don't you ask Huang Minghao if he has any on him and have him give it to Liu Kai directly? If he doesn't have any, I can give it to Zhang Qing tomorrow."
After hearing this, her mother-in-law's expression changed slightly, turning red and white in turns. Seeing that there were many people present, she couldn't make a scene, so she left through gritted teeth.
Various dishes were served one after another. Zhang Xiaohui kindly served her a bowl of rice, and asked for the baby food pack that Jiang Shuya had brought. She found a bowl and cooked a bowl of noodles for Tangtang. The noodles were very soft and flavorful. Tangtang couldn't finish a bite and started whimpering. She waved her little hands and started to reach for the noodles, which made the people at the table laugh.
While feeding Tangtang, Jiang Shuya disregarded the formalities and pleasantries at the dinner table, and ate heartily. Seeing this, the others stopped making small talk and started eating casually.
At the next round table, most of the guests were men: my maternal grandfather, my eldest uncle, my second uncle, Huang Minghao, Liu Kai, and a few other elders from the same village whom I wasn't very familiar with. They were toasting each other and exchanging pleasantries. Huang Minghao's humor kept his uncles laughing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
