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If her daughter had married into a good family, Mrs. Su An wouldn't be worried, but her son-in-law was nothing but a farmer—how could he protect her precious daughter! In her heart, Mrs. Su An resented Master Su for stubbornly adhering to some foolish agreement, completely disregarding his daughter's happiness and marrying her off to such a man. What sort of good life could she expect in the future? She always claimed to love Lady Yue the most, but in the end, it was the concubine's daughters of lower status who somehow married well. Thinking about this made her feel suffocated with frustration.
Nevertheless, now that her daughter was to be married off, Mrs. An ensured that everything possible was arranged for her daughter. Although Su Wenyue's dowry appeared to be just a few boxes of items, looking somewhat humble—and some even speculated whether she fell out of favor at home—the truth beneath was another story.
What most saw was merely the surface. The illegitimate daughters had an ostentatious wedding, with one dowry chest after another, yet the contents were standard fabrics, porcelain, and the like, nothing particularly valuable.
In contrast, Su Wenyue's few boxes, though seeming modest, were filled with treasures. Mrs. An had almost emptied the family's stores to fill these chests with items such as premium medicinal materials rarely found on the market, ancient antiques, the most fashionable and beautiful cloths, including some contributed to the court, and several sets of gold and silver jewelry made in the Capital City's finest Silver Store, all exquisitely beautiful. Though her daughter's current status rendered such items unnecessary, it was good to be prepared, and with that, she nearly filled several large chests.
To avoid drawing too much attention, Mrs. An had to convert the rest into banknotes. Originally planning to give Su Wenyue a couple thousand silver coins for the bottom of her box, she later reconsidered her daughter's naive nature with money, fearing it would either be quickly squandered or swindled away.
After discussing with Master Su, they decided to leave only one thousand taels of silver for Su Wenyue's dowry and used the rest to buy a Zhuangzi for her. The Zhuangzi wasn't far from the Town so it would be convenient to manage if Su Wenyue and her husband moved there. Fearing his daughter's ignorance with farm affairs, and to prevent the staff from deceiving her, Master Su assigned a loyal old servant to manage the Zhuangzi on her behalf, ensuring not only that she wouldn't squander the property but also guaranteeing an annual income.
In her previous life, Su Wenyue, resentful towards her parents, had not even wanted to look at her dowry, carelessly using it when needed and even gifting much away, cheapening her parents' heartfelt efforts. Back then, she had been raised too naively, with little understanding of money, oblivious to the richness of her familial support. Reflecting now, she felt a blend of gratitude and guilt.
When Han Yu returned home in the evening, his hunt was fruitful. Not only had he caught a muntjac weighing over twenty pounds, but his traps in the mountains also captured several pheasants and hares, a bountiful harvest indeed. Thinking it over on the way back, he only brought the pheasants and hares home, leaving the muntjac at his good brother Chen Shuang's place halfway up the mountain, planning to retrieve it the next day. Chen Shuang, orphaned from birth and unmarried, was tight-lipped, so there was no worry about leaks.
Han Yu didn't want concerns over his daughter-in-law's return to her mother's family to upset his household. After all, such game could fetch a decent sum of silver if sold at the Town's restaurant. His sister-in-law and third sister-in-law would surely be envious. It wasn't that he cared much, but he didn't want Mrs. Yang to feel uncomfortable, possibly leading to resentment towards his daughter-in-law.
Han Yu understood his mother well. Though she seemed kind to his daughter-in-law now, it was only for certain reasons. They hadn't been together long enough for true family bonds to form, and if she felt her son sided too much with his wife, forgetting his own family, she would certainly stop being so agreeable.
How had Han Yu, in his previous life, risen from a humble farmer to a high-ranking official? Although he appeared cold and stern, his thoughts were meticulous and he was adept at gauging others' hearts. Currently willing to consider everything for his daughter-in-law, he had managed to arrange everything so well that even the unmentionable content was harmonized.
By the time Han Yu arrived home, Su Wenyue was still organizing her boxes, categorizing the trousseau contents according to the list, separating the needed from the unneeded. Previously, such tasks were handled by servant girls, but now she had to sort through it all herself, which was no easy task. Luckily, Mrs. Li had come home early today, so she didn't have to prepare dinner, allowing her to focus on sorting these items.
Mrs. Li had come home early at Mrs. Yang's suggestion. Firstly, before Su Wenyue was married into the Han Family, she agreed with her wife's parents' home that Su Wenyue need not be involved in such work. Additionally, while the family wasn't prosperous, and although they weren't lacking basic needs, life was tight. Everything from oil and salt to rice and flour was calculated daily. Although the daughter-in-law was skilled in making delicious meals, they were also costly. A jar of oil intended for several days was almost depleted by Su Wenyue after just two meals, and the rice and flour were also noticeably lessened. The household couldn't afford such extravagance.
Actually, that was Su Wenyue being conservative, considering the Han Family's situation. Mrs. Yang was too embarrassed to voice her thoughts directly to Su Wenyue—who had married into a more affluent family, had been lenient about many things, and surely could not be begrudged a little oil and rice flour. So Mrs. Yang decided it was better to have the daughter-in-law cook less often. With several daughters-in-law at home, it was enough for the youngest to teach the children and embroider.
While Su Wenyue had suffered much in her previous life, she never had to be thrifty with such essential items. No Wealthy Family ever lacked such basics, and even when she was begrudged, it was never in this manner, which is why she never noticed Mrs. Yang's thoughts.
Han Yu, upon hearing that Mrs. Li had come home specially to cook and putting the pieces together, somewhat understood the situation and found it amusing. Yet, he felt this arrangement to be favorable—his wife, with her delicate skin, should be taken care of. She had not been married to him long enough to have her worn down by hardships. Thus, even with his clear understanding, he didn't reveal his insights, allowing his wife to think it was her mother-in-law's consideration—a nice misunderstanding.
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