The two parties had similar thoughts. If their mother and sister knew that they were discussing separation and that the marriage would end if one of them regretted it, their mother and sister would probably be worried.
After Jiang Hehe divorced and left home, she returned to her parents' home first. Now her brother Jiang Zheng has passed away, and she only lives with her sister-in-law, two sons, daughters-in-law and grandson.
The aunt and sister-in-law have always gotten along well. Although half of Jiang He's dowry was converted into banknotes when she came back this time, there were still eight or nine large boxes of clothes, shoes, hats, hairpins, rings and other items, which were transported in two horse-drawn carriages. It was obvious that this was not a simple visit to relatives.
Jiang He told her sister-in-law that they had divorced, and her sister-in-law hurriedly asked the maids to help her pack up and settle down.
But when the two sons came back, the situation changed. The two sons said they came to visit their aunt, but in fact their words were a witty remark, meaning that if they only wanted to stay for a short time, then there would be no problem.
But if she has to live here in her old age, it would not be right. My aunt has her own children and she is not a widower. It is not their turn to take care of her in her old age and see her to the end of her life.
Although Jiang He felt disappointed, she also felt that there was some truth in this, as she had never given birth to them. So she took out her dowry banknotes and showed them to the two of them, saying that after she died, the money would belong to them and they could ask the elders of the clan to sign a document.
When the two men looked at the banknote, Jiang He felt that they had even estimated in their minds how long she could live. After realizing that the value of the banknote was far higher, they left in embarrassment.
But she came back not long after. It turned out that the eldest daughter-in-law was now the housekeeper, and she had the list of the dowry in her hands. After listening to her husband talk about the amount of the silver bills, she roughly calculated it and found out that it was only half of the original dowry.
Then he said, "My aunt has returned and asked us to take care of her in her old age and see her to the end. However, we only gave out half of the dowry we originally brought out of the house.
Regardless of whether the other half is intended to be left to biological children or has already been left to biological children, they will all get half of the money. Then why should we take care of them in their old age and take care of their birth, old age, sickness and death?
Her own children took the money and left the burden to us."
So the eldest son and his wife came back and roughly told him what they meant.
Jiang He was stunned when he heard this, and then he asked, "Then what should we do according to your opinion?"
The couple said, "When my aunt divorced, she should have thought of a place to go instead of forcing us to continue now that she has nowhere to go.
If we don't continue, it would seem like we've committed the most heinous crime, but you didn't send any notice to our residence before you did this, right?"
Jiang He was so blocked that she couldn't say a word. At this moment, her sister-in-law had received the news and rushed over. She scolded her son and daughter-in-law and asked Jiang He to stay there peacefully.
But after all, she was the eldest daughter-in-law who was in charge of the household, so Jiang He stayed there only because of her sister-in-law's order.
Daily life was filled with inconveniences, and there were difficulties with both big and small matters. Later, the kitchen didn't even deliver meals on time, and Jiang He's own maid had to endure the cold shoulder from the kitchen before she could bring the food to him.
My sister-in-law seemed to be worried that Jiang He was having an inconvenience living here, so she would come to Jiang He's room from time to time to have meals with her. Every time she did so, the kitchen would provide meals and snacks according to the time and quantity.
Jiang He felt that this was not a long-term solution, so he invited his eldest son and his wife to come over and said to them, "I am sorry for not thinking carefully and causing you trouble.
I'm already looking for a place to rent or buy, and I'm trying to move out as soon as possible. I've found some options now, and I'll probably move out in about two weeks once the housing procedures are completed."
After hearing this, at least she no longer had to worry about her daily diet.
The house formalities were completed a few days faster than expected, and Jiang He moved out three days early. The sister-in-law understood what was happening and felt quite sad. She kept holding Jiang He and saying she was sorry for her.
But the son and daughter-in-law behind my sister-in-law were rolling their eyes, clearly saying, "What are you sorry for? Haven't you been living here for almost two months?"
After being together for so long, they either became assimilated or went to extremes. Because Lu Shiqing always spent money lavishly, Jiang He was especially careful with her spending, always worried that it wouldn't be enough in the future and she wouldn't have it when she needed it.
In fact, the money she had was enough to buy a bigger and better house and live comfortably for the rest of her life.
But she just wanted the broker to find her a small, cheap one. So the broker spent a lot of effort to find a small house at the price she wanted.
She was shocked when she saw it; the neighborhood she'd lived in before was always rich. The middleman didn't hide the truth from her, telling her that this area was inhabited by merchants. Even when it was still dark, barely dawn, the street would be bustling with activity: slaughtering pigs and sheep, hauling goods, pulling carts, lighting fires, cooking, the sounds of people and horses. While the daytime was relatively quiet, the street had that distinct feel to it; once you got used to it, it would become more comfortable.
Jiang He had no choice but to raise the price again before he found the house he lives in now.
Jiang He's original four maids who came with her as a dowry had all been sent out to get married. Later, Jiang He saw that the servants in Rongguo Mansion all received their monthly wages from their parents-in-law, and their servant contracts were never handed over to her, even though she was the housekeeper.
What was there for the housekeeper to do if she didn't care about other people? Besides, the money accounts in the Rongguo Mansion had long been a mess, so she didn't pay much attention to it.
She just bought two little girls, Chuntao and Dongzao, who had been with her for several years. This time, she left Chuntao with Lu Shiqing, mainly to take care of the two children.
Now she only has a maid named Dongzao by her side. After moving into this house, Jiang He didn't know whether Dongzao was really worried about her or angry with her.
Dongzao went to the kitchen to light a fire and boil water. After she succeeded, she could hear her laughing: "Apart from being a little small, there's nothing wrong with the stove. It works."
If it rains, the girl will prepare the pots and pans first, and when she sees no leaks after waiting for a long time, she will be happy again: "Except that it's a little small, there's nothing wrong with it. It won't leak."
I was hanging clothes on a rope in the yard, but I realized it was just blocking the way for people coming in. I was quite happy: "Except it's a little small, there's nothing wrong with it. It faces south."
The news of Shen Zhaoming's wedding to Sui Qingshang, the daughter of the head of the Shazhou County family, spread throughout the streets and alleys.
On the day of their wedding, Jiang He sat in the small courtyard and listened to the neighbors on the street running past her door with their children to watch the ceremony and grab the wedding money and cakes.
Listening to them discussing the grand occasion, they talked about how handsome Shen Zhaoming, dressed in red, was when he rode to greet the bride. The moment the elegant young man appeared, the streets and alleys were completely silent for a long time...
They said the red carpet stretched from the Yongding Marquis's residence all the way to the Sui family's grand residence in Kyoto. They said Sui Qingshang's brothers had all arrived, taking turns carrying her on their backs. They said the groom was, after all, the top scholar in the imperial examination, so the gate-blocking questions wouldn't be a problem for him...
Jiang He sat quietly. The sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy had married, and she wanted to see him in red. Her brother Jiang Zheng had once teased Shen Zhaoming and her, saying that they needed a teacher to write the door-blocking question, saying that he would carry his sister on his back to marry her...
She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she seemed to be able to hear stringed instruments, gongs, drums and firecrackers, and see the joy... She sat there, listening to the people who had gone to watch on the street coming back one after another, and hearing their words.
It was late at night, and she was still sitting there. Dong Zao persuaded her countless times, put a cloak on her, and put a heater in her hands. Dong Zao, who could not bear it any longer, fell asleep in a daze.
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