Chapter 100
Shu Wanxiu found that life after marrying into the Xun family was much better than before.
Money is earned, firewood is gathered, water is fetched, vegetables are planted, and even rice is cooked.
Most importantly, there's someone to discuss things with when problems arise.
They prepared gifts for the bride's return visit the day after their wedding, and walked directly from the village entrance to Wuli Village the day after.
At a glance, Shu Yanrong could tell that Shu Wanxiu and her companion were living quite well in the Xun family.
Why? Because Shu Shouyi returned on a big horse.
"Uncle!" Ascending on Xun Yi's shoulders, Shu Shouyi saw Shu Yanrong from several feet away.
He was so excited, waving his little hands and calling out to people with his mouth full of candy, his voice even sweeter than usual.
Xun Yi and Shu Wanxiu also called out one after the other, "Uncle."
Shu Yanrong broke into a rare, wide smile, "Hey! Hey!"
"You're all back? Come inside and sit down."
Although it was nominally a niece returning home, Shu Yanrong and Xu Zhen prepared it as if it were their own daughter.
Not only did the couple not work in the fields today, but they also prepared tea and melon seeds at home, which were brought over as soon as the three of them sat down.
Xu Zhen didn't see Shu Shouyi riding a horse, but she observed Shu Wanxiu's expression and saw that her face was rosy and her eyes were relaxed, so she could guess that she was living a comfortable life after getting married.
The new son-in-law was accompanied by Shu Yanrong, and Xu Zhen said a few words to Shu Wanxiu. Then she shouted around the house and called out Shu Tingyi, who was hiding somewhere.
Her tone was reproachful, her brows furrowed tightly, "Where have you been hiding?! Don't you even remember what day it is today! Go to the main room and greet your brother-in-law, and call all your nephews and nieces over to recognize them."
Since she was shirking her duties, she should be prepared to be scolded. Shu Wanyi obediently agreed, not only ignoring her mother's harsh tone but also quickly bringing the children who were playing wildly at other people's houses back home.
Shu Yanrong's family is quite large. On the day of the wedding, Xun Yi didn't recognize anyone and didn't feel much. But today, with a string of radishes lined up in front of him, he finally realized this.
"Uncle-in-law." A little girl who hadn't even grown all her teeth was the first to step forward and timidly called out to Xun Yi.
They were all of the same generation as Shu Shouyi, and this little girl was even shorter than Shu Shouyi.
Xu Zhen introduced her, saying that this was Shu Chengsen's youngest daughter, a few months younger than Shu Shouyi, and what her name was.
Xun Yi listened attentively while lovingly tidying up her braids, which were tied with strips of coarse cloth, and handed her two light red hair ties.
"My dear mother, you're so good. From now on, use these two red strings to tie your little braids."
The little girl walked away with the hair tie in her hands, full of surprise.
The little boy stepped forward, and Xun Yi gave him a shuttlecock.
One by one, they distributed gifts to everyone, which made Xu Zhen feel a little embarrassed.
In rural areas, it's not customary to exchange gifts when meeting someone.
Xu Zhen asked them to greet the elders out of courtesy.
Although these things can be bought for a few coins and are not particularly valuable, the sentiment behind them is rare and precious!
Shu Tingyi stood at the very back supervising discipline, and seeing that everyone had received a gift, she had no idea whether she would receive one as well.
When it was her turn, Xu Zhen introduced, "This is my youngest daughter, Wanxiu's sister, named Tingyi."
Shu Tingyi greeted him politely as "brother-in-law".
She and Shu Wanxiu were not much different in age. To avoid suspicion, the gift was chosen by Shu Wanxiu in the county town yesterday and given to Shu Tingyi instead—a beautiful paper kite shaped like a swallow.
!!
Shu Wanyi jumped up on the spot, her voice louder than a gong: "Thank you, Sister Wanxiu! Thank you, Brother-in-law!"
A gift that touches the heart brings joy to both the recipient and the giver.
Shu Wanxiu and Xun Yi exchanged a glance and smiled simultaneously.
Xu Zhen found her naive and unsophisticated appearance embarrassing, so she patted her back twice in annoyance, but ultimately didn't say anything harsh to her own flesh and blood.
"Put your things away properly and take your sister Wanxiu to her room for a while."
"Okay~"
Shu Tingyi was unusually attentive.
As lunchtime approached, the two couples, Shu Chenglin and Shu Chengsen, who had been working in the fields all morning, returned home together.
Lunch was prepared entirely by Xu Zhen, and included meat, fish, and vegetables, with fragrant white rice as the staple food.
One table couldn't hold all the dishes or all the people, so Shu Yanrong borrowed a table from someone else and simply set up separate tables for men and women.
However, with both tables set up in the main room, the lively atmosphere remained undiminished.
After finishing her meal, Shu Wanxiu sat for a while, drank a cup of tea, and then took her leave.
Since it was a return visit to the bride's parents' home, they left shortly after lunch, which seemed a bit rushed.
Xun Yi thought she didn't want to delay Shu Yanrong from getting out of bed.
When I got home, I realized there was another reason on my part.
Shu Wanxiu went to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables, and he followed behind, holding Shu Shouyi's hand, chuckling softly, "How did you find out?"
"Having eaten and lived together for two days, it would be hard not to notice, wouldn't it?" During the meal, Xun Yi only served himself rice once, while Shu Wanxiu, at another table, kept a close eye on him.
Xun Yi said there was no need to cook another meal, "I didn't do any work today, so it's okay to eat less."
It's less than half the usual amount; you can't call it eating less, you should call it starving.
Shu Wanxiu could bet that he would be starving in less than two hours.
But what's the point of just saying it out loud? She put her hands on her hips and issued a direct order: "I'm willing to do it, and you, absolutely, must, eat it!"
The sun was scorching, the sunlight dazzling. Standing in his own vegetable garden, Xun Yi thought that being ordered around by his wife wasn't so bad.
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Author's Note: After much thought, I still want to announce something in this chapter: This story is coming to an end! There's no such thing as cutting the outline and ending it; this was originally intended to be a short story of about 200,000 words.
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