Chapter 14 Interlude: My older sister is the best!
Having waited so long, and with the Pei family watching the matter, Village Chief Yu Zhengde, who had been suppressing his anger for half a day, could no longer hold back. With a stern face, he coughed heavily and adopted the authority of an elder: "Chenglu! What's going on! The tenth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China is a solemn occasion, and you've dragged it out until now? Making the whole family wait for you! Don't you have any manners?!"
As soon as Madam Li helped Old Mrs. Yu off the train and made sure she was steady, a smooth smile immediately spread across her face. She first subtly squeezed her mother-in-law's arm, signaling her to be quiet, then stepped forward and gave the village chief a slight curtsy. Her voice was crisp and clear, carrying just the right amount of apology: "Uncle Zhengde, please calm down and don't be angry. There was really a reason for the delay."
She paused, a perfectly measured look of worry on her face, her gaze seemingly sweeping over the tense Yu Chengfu. She raised her voice slightly, making sure everyone around could hear her: "As you know, Fangyu has been very busy since she married into the Chen family. She recently returned home with her son-in-law. Shouldn't we take good care of her?"
"But these past few days, Mother's health has been a bit off. We were worried about her, so Fangyu and her husband stayed a few more days to take care of her at her bedside. This morning, we helped Mother take her medicine, and she looked a little better. She's a filial daughter, and she was originally planning to come and pay her respects, but the Second Young Master Chen sent a lot of things from the prefecture, and the Chen family sent someone to invite them, so they went back to the county to pack up first. That's why we rushed over here."
Yu Fangyu was Li's first daughter, two years older than Yu Man. Four years ago, she married into the Chen family in the county as the second wife of the eldest son of the Chen family. The Chen family managed the Fengyu Grain Store, and the second son of the Chen family was even more promising. After passing the imperial examination, he took a position in the prefecture. They were a wealthy family. With the Yu family able to make such a marriage alliance, Li felt more confident.
She spoke with great skill, first mentioning her daughter's official background, implying that her family was now in a different position, then pointing out that her mother was ill and that her daughter and son-in-law were taking care of her at her bedside, and finally lightly sarcastically remarking to Yu Chengfu's family: "I suppose my elder brother's family lives far away and probably hasn't received the news yet, so he doesn't know that Mother is unwell. Otherwise, he would have gone to visit her long ago."
Upon hearing this, Yu Zhengde's expression softened somewhat. Although he was the village chief and respected clan rules, he was also well-versed in human relationships. If the clan could establish such a connection, it would benefit the entire village. He stroked his beard, hummed in agreement, and did not continue to reprimand, but simply said, "Since that's the case, it's good that you've come. Hurry up and prepare, lest you miss the auspicious time."
Yu Chengfu stood aside, his face ashen. He completely ignored Li Shi's barbed words, his gaze passing over her and landing on his old mother, who was being supported by Li Shi and had no expression on her face. His throat was a little dry, but he still called out, "Mother."
Then he looked at his third brother, Yu Chenglu, who had been standing behind Li Shi with his usual smile on his face, and said in a harsh voice: "Since you're here, hurry up and come in. It's disrespectful to your father if you miss the appointed time."
Compared to his elder brother Yu Chengfu, Yu Chenglu looked much more shrewd, his eyes darting around quickly, and he was also good at maintaining a facade. Upon hearing this, he immediately smiled and replied, as if his earlier lateness and embarrassment had never existed: "Oh, alright! Elder brother is right, we are late, let's go in, let's go in!" He stepped forward and gently supported his mother's other arm, appearing like a filial son.
Throughout, no one made a point of responding to Li's words, as if her explanations and veiled sarcasm had been met with nothing. Li's smooth smile remained unchanged, as if she didn't care at all. She simply straightened the already neat collar of Old Madam Yu's clothes with even greater care, her movements gentle.
As Grandma Yu sensed her daughter-in-law's actions, she gently patted the back of Li's hand with her wrinkled hand, indicating that she understood.
The time could not be delayed any longer. Yu Zhengde solemnly stepped forward, stood at the very front of the offering table, cleared his throat, and began to chant the sacrificial text: "With this offering of sacrificial animals, I humbly pray that you may enjoy eternal happiness and prosperity for your descendants."
After the chanting was finished, people began to kowtow in turn.
As the eldest son, Yu Chengfu stepped forward first, carefully helping the indifferent-looking old lady Yu to kneel on the prayer mat in front of her father's memorial tablet, solemnly performing the three kneelings and nine kowtows. Following him, her third uncle Yu Chenglu and second aunt Yu Chengxiu took turns bowing.
Next came the women and their husbands. Deng Sanniang, Li Shi, and her second aunt's husband, Wang Zhiyi, stepped forward and knelt down to kowtow.
Finally, it was the grandchildren's turn. Yu Man, holding Xiu Xiu's hand, was about to step forward with her cousin Wang Xing'er when the old lady Yu, who had been sitting silently on the wooden chair on the left after bowing, suddenly spoke up: "Wait."
Everyone turned to look at her.
Grandma Yu's cloudy eyes swept over her grandchildren, finally settling on Li's robust-looking son, Yu Hanlin, who was the same age as Xiuxiu. She said to the village chief, "Brother Zhengde, according to the rules, among the grandchildren, the males are the most important. Jinbao is Chenglu's only son and also our Yu family's only grandson right now, so he should kowtow first." Jinbao was Yu Hanlin's nickname.
Upon hearing this, Yu Chengfu frowned immediately. Aman was the eldest daughter of the eldest son's family, intelligent from a young age, and the grandchildren her father loved most and often took care of and taught. By all accounts, she should be the most outstanding among the grandchildren. He opened his mouth, wanting to refute his mother's obviously biased words.
Before he could speak, Madam Li smiled and took over the conversation: "Mother is right. Jinbao is a boy, so he should be born first. But... Jinbao wasn't even born before Father passed away. Everyone knows that Father loved Aman the most."
The words were not biased, but if you look closely, the underlying meaning was that his own son was now more important than Aman.
These words left Yu Chengfu feeling suffocated, yet he was momentarily at a loss for words. The atmosphere in the ancestral hall instantly became somewhat tense. Village Chief Yu Zhengde stroked his beard, glanced at the stern-faced Yu Chengfu, then at the smiling Li Shi and the expressionless Old Madam Yu, and weighed his options. He recalled Li Shi's earlier words: the Chen family was powerful, and it was best not to offend them.
He cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "The old lady is right. Since he is a male, let Hanlin go first. Aman, you are the eldest sister, so lead your younger sisters and follow behind Jinbao."
Yu Man felt the apologetic and helpless look in her father's eyes, as well as the tense body of Deng San Niang beside her and the uneasy gazes of her second aunt's family.
However, she did not move.
Without even glancing at Old Madam Yu's expression, he calmly turned his gaze to Li Shi, whose smile had slightly stiffened, and said clearly, "Third Aunt, the order of today's ceremony was carefully discussed and decided by Father and Grandpa Zhengde a few days ago. Every step is in accordance with etiquette and has been recorded on the memorial list. Grandpa Zhengde just presided over the ceremony according to the list."
"Grandpa Village Chief, don't you think so?"
She then turned to look at Yu Zhengde and addressed him differently.
Upon hearing the word "village chief," Yu Zhengde caught a glimpse of the figure in blue robes in the next room and suddenly realized his mistake. He cursed himself for being senile. The established procedures were set by him, the "village chief." If he changed them arbitrarily, what would happen to his reputation? Would anyone still listen to him? Besides, the Pei family was watching. So he coughed lightly and said with certainty, "That's right! Chengfu and I discussed it carefully, and I've reviewed the sacrificial document. This is the arrangement! Old Madam, Chenglu's wife, let's proceed according to the document and not miss the auspicious time!"
Grandma Yu was speechless at his contradictory behavior. She opened her mouth, looked at the village chief's dignified face, and ultimately remained silent, though her expression grew even more unpleasant.
Inwardly cursing Yu Man for her sharp tongue, Li Shi maintained her smile, but her gaze shifted to Yu Chengfu, her tone carrying exaggerated surprise and disapproval: "Brother, this ancestral rites are such a solemn occasion, concerning the Yu family's reputation and the peace of our ancestors. How... how could you leave it all to a junior like A-Man to arrange and decide? I know you love her, but this... isn't it spoiling her a bit too much?" She paused deliberately, as if recalling something, bringing up an old topic, "Just like back then, you insisted on having Man's name recorded in the family genealogy despite the pressure, and now you're letting her interfere in important family matters..."
Yu Chengfu was already seething with anger because of his mother's favoritism and Li's刁难 (difficulties/obstruction). Now, hearing her mention the old family genealogy, he was reminded of the promise he had made to his deceased wife. His face darkened, and his voice hardened: "Aman's mother passed away early. She has been sensible since she was a child, helping to manage the household. She has taken care of everything perfectly, inside and out. There is nothing in this family that she cannot arrange or decide! I trust her!"
That's exactly what Li wanted to hear! She immediately turned her gaze to Deng San Niang, who had been silent all along, as if she had seized some leverage, and said with feigned sigh, "Sister-in-law, listen to what my brother is saying... If you know him, you'll say he loves his daughter, but if you don't, you'll think that no one else can interfere in our family affairs."
Her words were quite scathing. If Yu Man were to handle everything, what would Deng San Niang, the later daughter-in-law, be?
In an instant, their gazes turned to Deng San Niang. Even her second aunt, Yu Chengxiu, glanced at her sister-in-law with concern.
Deng San Niang wasn't stupid. She had been observing the family with a cold eye, not saying much, just to see what kind of people they were. Now that she saw what was going on, she understood perfectly—weren't they just like her own shameless relatives who wanted to take advantage of others while spouting platitudes about morality?
Far from showing any sign of grievance or dissatisfaction as Li Shi had hoped, she laughed heartily, a laugh tinged with nonchalance. Without even glancing at Li Shi, she walked straight to Yu Man, pulled her behind her, and said loudly, "Third Aunt, you're mistaken. Aman is sensible and capable; I trust her completely! I'm more than happy to entrust these matters to her! Not only me, but I often tell Xiuxiu that she should learn from her older sister, to learn her understanding, composure, and competence!"
“Mother is right! My elder sister is the best.” Xiuxiu immediately said, her voice crisp and bright. Grabbing Yu Man’s hand, she deliberately snorted loudly in Li Shi’s direction.
Deng Sanniang patted her head as if to scold her, her gaze sweeping over Li's son, who was clearly spoiled and impatient from being ignored, with a half-smile. She added meaningfully, "This child, being so young, should learn good things from good people. If he has bad eyesight and follows those wicked people to learn dirty thoughts, then he'll be like corn in the field... growing crooked, and there'll be no way to straighten him out!"
Her words were like a silent slap across Li's face.
Li's smile froze completely, her face turning red and then white, her chest heaving violently, but due to the occasion and the presence of the village chief, she couldn't let it out. In the end, she forced herself into a stiff smile.
"Sister-in-law is so kind-hearted..."
A note from the author:
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More tomorrow! [rainbow praise]
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