In August, the crisp autumn season, the county magistrate's family and the Fu family celebrated a joyous occasion: the eldest son of the Fu family married the county magistrate's daughter. Madam Fu was busy with preparations, while Xichun sat in the women's area greeting the arriving relatives and female friends.
"Second Young Madam, please sit down. We'll sit here ourselves. How many months pregnant are you?" Everyone could see Xichun's prominently protruding belly.
"Hehe, it's been six months, Madam Wang. Please sit down. I'm quite pregnant, so please forgive me if I'm neglecting you in any way."
"Oh, don't be shy, just sit down and relax. We're all here to share in the joy." The group found their friends and sat down to chat.
"Changfeng's wife, are you pregnant? That's wonderful! Come, come, sit down. We can find a place to sit ourselves, there's no need for you to trouble yourself." Aunt Fu and the rest of the Fu family's direct descendants had all come. This was the eldest son's wedding, and they couldn't refuse to say they had things to do at home.
"This is your eldest aunt and second aunt. They weren't here last time, so you probably don't recognize them." She also introduced the two slightly arrogant women standing to the side to Xichun.
"Grandmother, eldest aunt, second aunt, fourth aunt, please sit down and rest." Xi Chun saw that the two women were clearly waiting for her to greet them, but Xi Chun was heavily pregnant and didn't want to indulge them. She put one hand on her waist and gestured for them to sit down with the other.
Everyone around is watching. If they dare to make things difficult for a pregnant woman in front of her, their entire family's character will probably be exposed to the public before tomorrow.
"I never imagined that my nephew's wife would look like a lady from a respectable family, not at all like a country woman. I heard that my eldest nephew's wife is the daughter of the county magistrate. I suppose she is even more beautiful and capable than my second nephew's wife?"
After sitting down, the second aunt remembered that her mother-in-law had been suppressed by Xichun when she first came here, and immediately wanted to belittle Xichun in front of everyone.
Hearing this, Wang, who lived in the village, knew that these people were not easy to deal with. She was also unhappy about being belittled like this. Just as she was about to say something, Aunt Zhang stopped her, shook her head, and signaled her not to do anything rash, and to let Xichun do what she wanted.
"Hehe, Auntie's words really make me feel ashamed. How can I compare to someone like my sister-in-law? They are from respectable noble families, while I am just a small business owner. How can I compare to them?"
However, my niece-in-law comes from the countryside and is used to being rough and undisciplined. She can't compare to my aunts-in-law, who live in the city. They are certainly more knowledgeable and virtuous than someone as uncouth as me. I still have a lot to learn from you.
Everyone here knows Xichun's background, so she doesn't think these few words can hurt her.
When the others heard Xichun's words, they burst out laughing. Xichun even said that they were virtuous and knowledgeable, and then she started to belittle her own people in front of everyone. How could she have the nerve to bear the title of "virtuous"?
"I think the people of the prefecture are not so virtuous. They are merchants themselves, but they look down on us country folk. I heard that in the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, farmers are ranked before merchants."
Aunt Zhang pretended to speak to Mrs. Wang in a low voice, but her voice was loud enough for everyone present to hear.
"Hehe, if Xichun's abilities aren't outstanding, then we've all misjudged her. What kind of aunt is this, making her two nieces-in-law compare each other and sow discord? I think they're not relatives, they're enemies!"
The other people were also quite loud, and their words made the group feel somewhat ashamed.
"If you can't speak properly, then shut up. You've really made a fool of yourself." When Madam Fu heard what others were saying, she originally wanted her daughters-in-law to stand up for her, but now she was too embarrassed to let her daughters-in-law continue, lest others start gossiping about their family's upbringing.
"Yes, second sister-in-law, please say less. Your niece is pregnant and can't take your provocation." The eldest aunt stepped forward to play the good guy, but Xichun didn't say anything and went to greet the other guests.
"Xichun, go and greet the guests. I'll take care of things here." Aunt Wu sent Xichun away, so that those people wouldn't have any other way to bully her.
"Xichun, did they give you any trouble? I just got away from something earlier and only now have time to come over. If they dare to say anything to bully you, just have someone call me and I'll teach them a lesson."
Madam Fu walked over from the front yard. She was also worried that Xichun would be bullied by the Fu family's direct descendants, so she hurried in when she heard the maid's report.
"Madam, the young mistress has already silenced them," the maid whispered.
"That's good. If they dare to make things difficult for you again, ignore them. I'll handle it myself." She was worried that Xichun would be upset by those people. She had been bullied by them in the same way before, and now that she had a daughter-in-law, she wouldn't spoil her like that.
"Mother, don't worry, they're no match for me. We still have to take care of our relatives and friends. You go ahead and do your work. I'll sit here and greet the guests." Xichun comforted her, seeing that she was sweating from walking so anxiously.
Seeing that they couldn't get away with it, the direct descendants stopped trying to make things difficult for themselves, and the marriage was successfully completed. At Xichun's suggestion, the management of the household was handed over to the eldest sister-in-law, Lu Qiuqin.
Xi Chun also resumed managing his restaurant. Now that the time was right and with the help of others, Xi Chun sent Qiangzi to Fucheng to prepare for opening a branch.
Qiangzi was naturally willing. Now that his child had been born, Zhou Xiaoxue had come to the county town to manage the chili business, while Uncle Zhang and the village chief managed the workshop in the village. In order for Qiangzi to better manage the people under him, Xichun directly bought manpower for important positions such as kitchen recipes. With the indenture, they would not dare to betray him easily.
An Wuji and Guo Xuewei got married in June of this year. He has now made a name for himself in the prefectural city. Guo's family thinks that An Wuji is a promising and capable person, so they are naturally willing to help him get married.
He is now in charge of the chili business in Fucheng, and is considered an important distributor under Xichun, making the relationship between the two companies even closer.
Just then, Taozi ran over to Xichun with good news: "Sister Xichun, the branch in Fucheng has officially opened. A lot of people came on the opening day, and they all praised the taste."
"That's great! With you all here, I can finally relax about the restaurant's business. Taozi, do your best. Once you're fully familiar with the business, I'll hand over the management of the restaurant in the county town to you."
"Really, Sister Xichun? What are you going to do? Aren't you going to take charge yourself?"
“Your brother-in-law is going to Yizhou to take the imperial examination next year, and I also want to go with him to broaden my horizons, so I won’t be able to focus my energy here. Therefore, you are the people I trust the most, and you must manage this restaurant well.”
"Sister Xichun, don't worry, I can definitely do it." Taozi is no longer the thirteen-year-old child he once was. After several years of training, he has developed his abilities. However, since Xichun usually goes to help him, he still has a sense of dependence on her.
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