Upon arriving at Shangqing Village, he inquired along the way and finally learned where his daughter and son-in-law lived, as well as that his adopted granddaughter was named Shen Danru.
Zhou Zheng, the second uncle, immediately recognized Shen Danru from her demeanor and appearance as his niece, Ru'er.
Children who grow up in a noble family are bound to be extraordinary.
“Mom, I’m not lying to you. Look at the silver bracelet I’m wearing. It was a gift from the children. We’ve also built a new house. I’ll take you to see it in a bit.”
She thought her daughter was just being stubborn and trying to save face in front of her mother, but when she saw the silver bracelet on Zhou's wrist, she realized it was quite heavy and the carving was very intricate. She knew it couldn't be bought for less than thirty or forty taels of silver, so she finally believed it.
Thinking back to when I came in, I saw chicks and ducklings. If I can't even fill my stomach, how can I afford to buy them?
Concern can cloud judgment. I thought they would be living a miserable life, but it turns out they're doing quite well.
"That Chen family is something else. I'm going to settle accounts with them."
Tan was a shrew, and after repeatedly questioning Zhou, Zhou had no choice but to tell her mother everything that had happened in the past few days.
Zhou Qiaoqiao was the youngest daughter of the Tan family, and she was the apple of their eye as she grew up. Her three older brothers also doted on her. Although the family was not well-off, they never mistreated her.
This also fostered Zhou's kind and gentle nature.
After a chance encounter with Shen Cheng, she fell in love with him, but her feelings were opposed by the Zhou family.
The reason was not that she married far away, but rather that it was related to Chen.
After only one meeting, Tan knew that Chen was cunning, unreasonable, and prone to shrewish behavior; she was also mean-spirited. She even said that she was willing to marry Chen Cheng, but her family wouldn't offer a single penny as a dowry; it was a matter of take it or leave it.
It's easy to see how a mother-in-law like that would mold her gentle nature.
But Zhou Qiaoqiao was determined to marry Shen Cheng, and in the end she still married him.
Fearing their daughter would suffer losses, the Zhou family prepared a relatively generous dowry for her when they got married, using all of their savings of over ten taels of silver for her dowry.
In the end, they were all taken by the Chen family.
The Zhou family would occasionally help their daughter, but each time the money was swallowed up by Chen.
In the end, they had no choice but to wait until their daughter returned to her parents' home to prepare some good nourishing food for her, and they never dared to let her bring good things back to her husband's home again.
"Mother, don't be angry. We've already cut ties with them, and they've learned their lesson. I'm sure they won't dare to mess with us again."
"How dare you say that? If you had even half a mother's kindness, you wouldn't be bullied like this."
"Mom, please don't scold me while I'm talking to the child."
Madam Tan glanced at Shen Danru and Shen Yuyan before her anger subsided.
The more Madam Tan looked at Shen Danru, the more she liked him, so she smiled and said, "Come, child, come to your grandmother's side. When can we go to your grandmother's house for a couple of days? I'll have your cousins take you to Ningzhou City. You haven't been to Ningzhou City before, have you?"
Shen Danru stepped forward and said obediently, "I passed through Ningzhou City on my way back, but I didn't get to explore it. I will definitely visit my maternal grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins when I have the chance."
Madam Tan was very satisfied. She spoke with grace and poise, neither servile nor arrogant. She was not spoiled by the Marquis's household, nor was she like her own daughter Qiaofeng, who was timid and coy and had been manipulated by others her whole life.
He is so much better than Yu Qing, that child.
Seeing Shen Danru with her face bare, I felt a pang of pain in my heart. Life had changed drastically since she came back, and I wondered if she could adapt.
She placed the loose silver in her hand into Shen Danru's hand: "This is a gift from your grandmother. Keep it and buy some flowers to wear."
"Grandma, I have money. You should take this money back to Grandpa to help him recover. I can't accept it."
“Just accept it. It’s from your grandma. If you don’t accept it, she’ll get angry.”
Mrs. Tan said with a smile.
Seeing her grandmother forcefully stuff the loose silver into her hand, she had no choice but to accept it.
The love from her elders made Chen Danru feel warm and comforted.
Shen Yuyan pouted and teased, "Grandma, you're being unfair. I want to buy flowers to wear too."
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.
Second Uncle Zhou Zheng said, "Yu Yan, you've been naughty since you were little. Your father just said, 'You're in school now, how come you're still so mischievous?'"
The family chatted and laughed, and seeing that it wasn't as rumored, the elderly couple and the uncle finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Having not seen her daughter for so long, Shen Danru let her parents talk to her mother first, while she went to the kitchen to cook, with Shen Xiaohua and Qingtan helping out.
"Your lives are a little better now, but you can't be so wasteful. Just because your father, mother, and second brother are here, don't cook so much good meat and dishes. What will you do for the next meal?"
Mrs. Tan couldn't help but nag.
"Grandma, don't worry, even if you, Grandpa, and Uncle don't come, we'll still have meat for every meal."
"You didn't lie to Grandma? You didn't just say that to put her mind at ease?"
Shen Yuyan said, "Grandma, really not. Look, I've already started studying. Although I don't have tuition fees, the cost of ink, paper, and inkstones is not a small amount. We've also built a new house. What else could Grandma possibly worry about? You don't know how capable my second sister is. She's the one who earns all the money in the family."
Shen Yuyan is very proud of this. Now when he plays with his friends in the village, he always refers to her as "Second Sister".
The two elders exchanged a glance and immediately understood.
After leaving the Shen family, the daughter's life got better and better, all thanks to Ru'er.
After the meal, Grandpa Zhou and Zhou Zheng were about to leave, but Madam Tan stayed behind. Her daughter was moving, so she wanted to stay and help her with some chores.
Shen Danru instructed Qingtan and Shen Xiaohua to load thirty catties of braised meat and twenty catties of pickled fish onto the carriage.
"Grandpa, Second Uncle, we're having a banquet at home the day after tomorrow. I've asked Qingtan to pick you up tomorrow afternoon. When you get back, please tell your eldest and third uncles, as well as your aunt, cousins, and other relatives. I hope everyone can come."
Upon hearing this, Madam Tan immediately refused: "With so many people, we'll eat our family out of house and home. I'll represent everyone, so none of you need to come."
Shen Danru smiled and said, "Grandma, don't worry, the family won't go broke so easily. I should have visited Grandpa and Grandma first after I came back, but I was delayed by some things. Now that Grandpa, Grandma and Second Uncle have come, I haven't met the other relatives yet. Does Grandma not want my uncles, aunts, and cousins to recognize me?"
Upon hearing this, Ms. Tan agreed, realizing that the child's words made sense.
Qingtan drove the carriage to take Old Master Zhou and Zhou Zheng. They wanted to refuse, but Zhou Shi and Shen Cheng pushed them onto the carriage.
"Father, Second Brother, we have a carriage. How can we let you walk back? Get in the carriage quickly."
Grandpa Zhou puffed out his chest: "Alright, let's ride in our daughter's carriage for a while. We can brag about it when we get back to the village. Those who laughed at us for pushing our daughter into the fire..."
"Oh my, why is there so much braised meat on this carriage?"
As soon as Grandpa Zhou went up, he noticed several baskets filled to the brim, and the smell was unmistakably that of braised meat.
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