The fact that no one was watching Xie Yushu was a relief. She didn't want to be surrounded by onlookers, and she certainly didn't want to steal the spotlight at Xie Tianlin's wedding. So she deliberately wore a light purple, inconspicuous jacket.
However, her outstanding temperament, flawless skin, and bright, lively eyes allowed her to stand out even in a crowd, and many people praised her to Madam Lu.
"The Xie family really knows how to raise children. Look at your kids, each one more outstanding than the last. I'd be secretly happy if my kids were even half as successful as yours!"
There are also some ways
"You only talk about how successful other people's children are, but you don't even look at how fair-skinned Sister-in-law Xie is. She works in the fields just like us, and look at her, she's even a shade fairer than us. Like mother, like child!"
“Your Yu Shu, oh no, I mean, she’s the village head now. I’ve always thought she was a promising child, both filial and hardworking. See, she’s exactly what I was talking about!”
"Get lost, you're just being a Monday morning quarterback!"
"Everything I said is true!"
The remaining women chatted and laughed for a while longer. A few of them, who felt they were on good terms with Madam Lu, mustered up the courage to say a few words to Xie Yushu, addressing her as "Xiangjun" (a term of endearment for a lady from the countryside).
Xie Yushu felt somewhat helpless. She pretended to be aloof in front of outsiders to avoid trouble. But this aunt, who usually got along well with Madam Lu, was also acting so formally, which made her feel a little embarrassed. Madam Lu also felt awkward, but she didn't say anything.
Seeing that they were really reserved, Xie Yushu said
"Aunties and elders, please don't stand on ceremony. Just do things the way they always have. Yesterday we were all outsiders, and those rules were just for outsiders. You can just treat us the same as before!"
The aunties and older women relaxed a bit and then asked Xie Yushu about planting medicinal herbs.
Meanwhile, Xie Tianlin's wedding went very smoothly. Liu Village was only two villages away from Xie Village, about twelve or thirteen miles away. The news that Xie Yushu had become the village head had already spread far and wide. People used to laugh at Liu Laosan for marrying his daughter to a family with a divorced aunt.
Now that he knows that someone else's daughter has become the village lord's sister-in-law, he is so envious that he slaps himself, regretting that he didn't have foresight. He should have married his own daughter to Xie Tianlin!
However, although she wasn't betrothed to Xie Tianlin, the Xie family still has two unmarried sons!
Moreover, these two also have jobs!
The women and mothers-in-law of Xiejia Village then turned their attention to Xie Tianqi and Xie Tianming's masters. Some of the bolder women even flirted with Xie Tianqi and Xie Tianming and stuffed handkerchiefs into their hands, making the two men so ashamed that they almost ran away halfway.
Xie Tianlin's father-in-law was also overjoyed. He thought his son had good judgment in choosing a good husband for his daughter. Look at this grand occasion; no one in the surrounding villages had married as well as his daughter.
Although the Xie family's standards have suddenly risen, Xie Tianlin and his family are honest people. Moreover, as the old saying goes, "When marrying off a daughter, one should look up; when taking a wife, one should look down." Since their daughter, whom they have raised for more than ten years, has been taken away by their family, they still have to show the proper attitude.
Because Xie Yushu had suddenly been granted the title of Township Lady, Xie Tianlin's betrothal gifts should have been longer to make it more respectable. However, since the betrothal gifts had already been paid, Xie Yushu gave Xie Tianlin another five taels of silver to give to his father-in-law as money for drinks, which was considered to save face for both families.
As expected, the moment Xie Tianlin announced the payment for the drinks, a collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
"Five taels of silver for the wine!"
Wow! Old Liu's daughter's marriage has provided him with enough money for a lifetime of drinking!
The Liu couple were overjoyed.
Liu Qiaomei felt a warmth in her heart.
So Xie Baoshu and Wang Shi took advantage of the atmosphere and showered each other with compliments, praising the parents for their good upbringing and the daughter for being beautiful, diligent, and intelligent.
They praised the couple so much they were practically drooling before finally letting Xie Tianlin and Qiaomei kowtow to their father-in-law and mother-in-law, and then take their bride home.
Back home, Xie Baotian and Liu Qiang started setting off firecrackers as soon as they heard the gongs and drums. At that time, firecrackers were not as advanced as they are in later generations. Firecrackers only had one bang, and firecrackers had about two hundred bangs. The sound was not loud, but the atmosphere was there.
Two strings of firecrackers and sixty firecrackers.
As the wedding procession approached, the villagers who had come to help and those who were eating at the feast each lit a firecracker. After the firecrackers were lit, Xie Baoshu drove the donkey cart to the door. Xie Tianlin helped the bride down and led her into the courtyard to perform the wedding ceremony. After the ceremony, the bride was taken back to the bridal chamber, where Xie Yumin and Chu Jinyu accompanied her to sit and pray.
At the same time, everyone began to eat at the banquet.
Xie Tianlin and his male relatives greeted the new bride and guests, while Madam Lü and Madam Wang ate with the bride.
After a busy day, the Xie family finally saw off the last group of helpful guests and then closed the door to begin the family reunion!
There were no such customs in the village as serving tea in the morning. When everyone gathered together for dinner in the evening, Xie Tianlin introduced each person to Liu Qiaomei. Liu Qiaomei then called out to everyone and gave each person a gift.
The gift given to Madam Lü was a pair of cotton shoes and a hat; the gift given to Xie Baotian and his wife was a jacket; and the gift given to the others was a pair of shoes. The stitches were neat and fine, and the soles were thick, showing that care had been put into them.
Xie Yushu and the others thanked her one after another and brought out their own gifts. Xie Tianlin gave a tea set, Xie Tianqi gave a pair of gall-shaped vases, and Xie Yushu gave four sets of pillowcases and quilt covers. However, she received another sum of money, so she added two bolts of imperial brocade.
The others were fine, and although Liu Qiaomei thought they were valuable, she accepted them. But she dared not take the imperial brocade. Good heavens, it was a gift from the emperor! Just thinking about it made her heart pound.
Xie Yushu said
"It's alright, sister-in-law. The other jewelry and such have the mark of the Imperial Household Department, so I can't just give them away casually, but the material is still quite good!"
Liu Qiaomei was an honest person and declined.
"Even if the Emperor doesn't blame us, we commoners can't bear to wear such fine fabric!"
My younger sister is quite capable; she might need to go out and see the world someday. You should keep it for yourself!
"Since you say I'm capable, I'll earn more later. Keep these two bolts of silk and use them to make two sets of clothes for you two brothers. Any left over can be used to make clothes for your future children!"
It's not just the two of you who have it; everyone in the family has it.
After Xie Yushu finished speaking, she immediately ordered Nanxing to bring over eight more horses.
The Lü family received a bolt of grayish-brown brocade; Xie Baotian and his wife each received a bolt of brocade, one in lake blue and one in black; Xie Baoshu and his wife each received a bolt of brocade, one in gray and one in gray; Xie Yumin received a bolt of pink brocade; and Xie Tianming and Xie Tianqi each received a bolt of navy blue.
When everyone heard that the fabric was acceptable, they were both delighted and carefully wrapped it up, even touching it with reluctance, afraid that their rough hands would damage the satin.
While watching with interest for a while, Madam Lu said...
"This was bestowed by the Emperor! Why wear it? We can keep it as a family heirloom. We have several new outfits made for us, we can't bear to waste this!"
After saying that, he ignored Xie Yushu's advice to use the materials as they were needed, and to lock them in the cabinet if there were any left.
Others naturally followed suit and put their own materials away.
Xie Yujiao didn't care anymore. Anyway, there would be more good things in the future, and they would naturally be willing to use them.
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