Back home, Chen Tiejun didn't tell his family about the unpleasantness in the front yard. Instead, he pretended nothing was wrong and helped Qin Yalan and her daughter count Chen Shuning's dowry.
Chen Shuning's eyes lit up when she saw the antique-style furniture piled up in the room where the dowry was displayed. The whole set of mahogany furniture did not look like antiques, but rather like new craftsmanship.
Noticing his sister's excited expression, Chen Jiandang straightened his small frame, patted his chest, and said with a proud look, "How about it, sister? I specially went to the countryside and spent more than a month searching for the wood to gather."
I also asked my master to find an old craftsman to rush the production of all the furniture, which was made entirely according to the craftsmanship of our ancestors.
"Sis, do you like it?"
As Chen Shuning reached out and touched the exquisite carvings on the furniture, her heart skipped a beat.
Her fingers gently brushed against the magnificent peony, feeling the softness and delicacy of the petals, as if she could smell its faint fragrance.
Her gaze then fell upon the clusters of crabapple blossoms, their delicate beauty seemingly swaying gently in the breeze.
The lifelike ruyi (a traditional Chinese ornament symbolizing good fortune) amazed her; its lines were smooth, and every detail was handled exceptionally well, making it seem like a work of art.
There are also round and plump gourds, which are carved so lifelike that they convey the auspicious meaning of good fortune and prosperity.
Chen Shuning's gaze finally settled on the children playing and frolicking on the bunk bed.
She carefully observed each child's expression and movements, as if she could hear their laughter and playful sounds.
The children were sculpted so realistically that Chen Shuning could almost picture them playing on the bunk beds, which made her feel incredibly warm and touched.
Chen Shuning's eyes were filled with delight; her heart was brimming with love and appreciation for this piece of furniture.
She knew that this piece of furniture was not just an object, but a work of art, embodying the maker's dedication and skill, and carrying on the essence of traditional Chinese culture.
She gently stroked the carvings on the furniture, feeling the beautiful meanings and blessings they conveyed, her heart filled with gratitude and awe.
Looking back at her younger brother, she simply couldn't reconcile the boy, who was now half a head taller than her, with the little brat she remembered who used to follow her around with snotty noses and ask her to take him ice skating.
Regardless of how much money the young man spent on these pieces of furniture, the sentiment behind them moved Chen Shuning to tears.
She patted Chen Jiandang on the shoulder and said, "I won't say thank you, but I'll give you something nice later."
"By the way, Mom said you've almost filled up that little yard? How about I buy you a yard sometime?"
Chen Shuning said it smoothly because she was not short of money. The best courtyards she could buy now cost three to five thousand yuan, while the worst ones cost a few hundred yuan. Even with the cost of renovations, it wasn't much.
She can earn that much money from just one shipment.
Qin Yalan, who was standing to the side, was startled when she heard this. She hadn't even paid off the money for the house she bought a while ago. If she had to buy another house and buy a yard for Xiao Si, then she and Lao Chen would not be able to do anything but pay off the house for the past ten years.
So he quickly reached out and slapped Chen Shuning, scolding, "You can't just squander money like this. You better be more careful with your spending."
And you don't like to listen when I talk to you on the phone. After we got married, you promptly stopped all your ways of making money and even went to the black market to buy antiques. Do you think that's something a first-time girl should do?
"Once you're married, you'd better stop this relationship as soon as possible. Chaoyang is a soldier, and your in-laws are that kind of family. If you marry into that kind of family, you need to be even more careful in your actions. Don't cause them any trouble, you hear me?"
Chen Shuning probably understood Qin Yalan's thoughts and didn't say anything more, but he had already made up his mind to buy a courtyard for his younger brother when he had the chance.
Qin Yalan's reminder wasn't without reason. A family like the He family, and He Chaoyang reaching his current position at such a young age, must have many people who envy and resent them. She really needs to be more careful when going to the black market in the future.
The family chatted for a while longer before going back to sleep.
The next morning, Chen Shuning was still sound asleep when he was woken up by voices coming from the courtyard.
Reluctantly leaving her warm bed, she got dressed and sleepily stepped out of the room. There she saw her fourth aunt, Wang Qingmei, standing in the yard, talking to Qin Yalan.
A surge of dissatisfaction welled up in Chen Shuning's heart. She knew her fourth aunt well; she was always arrogant and haughty.
She used to be so dismissive of her mother that she wouldn't even bother to greet her first. Before she went to the countryside, the two of them had a falling out for some reason and would want to argue whenever they met.
Most importantly, her mother also disapproved of her fourth aunt's behavior. The two of them were chatting enthusiastically early in the morning, which seemed rather strange.
However, Chen Shuning had misunderstood her mother about this matter. Qin Yalan also didn't want to talk to Wang Qingmei, especially after hearing those words before going to bed last night, Qin Yalan was even more annoyed with this sister-in-law.
She was just thinking that her daughter was getting married soon and didn't want anything bad to happen at this crucial moment. If it got back to the He family, it would damage her daughter's reputation.
But since they were all relatives, she didn't want things to get too ugly, which is why she didn't kick Wang Qingmei out the moment she entered the room.
So he chatted casually with Wang Qingmei for a few minutes, making it seem like a polite exchange.
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