Cheng Yue blushed with joy as Qian Sangui praised her, happily saying to Qian Manjiang, "Brother Jiang, Father likes me too."
Qian Sangui's stern and thin face contorted slightly upon hearing this, and Qian Manxia giggled again.
Lady Wu stood up and inserted a small silver hairpin into Cheng Yue's hair, then sat down and softly said, "Serve your husband well and give our family descendants soon."
Cheng Yue touched the hairpin on her head and took the initiative to say, "Thank you, Mother."
Qian Manjiang knew that this was the only item of dowry Lady Wu had left, as all the others had been sold or pawned. He quickly said, "Mother, you should keep this hairpin for yourself. Yueyue doesn't deserve it, and it's easy to lose."
Lady Wu smiled and said, "Yueyue is your wife, and of course, Mother wants to give her the best things."
Cheng Yue, afraid to return the beautiful hairpin to Lady Wu, quickly said, "Yueyue isn't that foolish, I won't lose the hairpin."
Everyone in the room laughed. Even the deceased Qian Yixiu smiled; what comes in foolish doesn't go out wise, a truth universally acknowledged.
Having offered tea to the elders, Qian Manxia performed a curtsy before Cheng Yue, saying, "Sister-in-law, I hope you and brother have a hundred years of blissful marriage." These were the words Lady Wu had taught her earlier.
Cheng Yue called out, "Little sister-in-law," and handed Qian Manxia a red envelope containing five wen money, "For little sister-in-law to buy flowers to wear." This red envelope had been prepared by Qian Manjiang that morning, and the words were those Qian Manjiang had taught her beforehand.
Qian Manxia accepted the red envelope with a beaming smile and expressed her thanks.
Qian Yixiu, lurking in a corner of the wall, watched this scene and thought to herself how Yueyue must have done good deeds in her past life. Even though she had fallen from grace this life, she had ended up in such a good household. The Qian family was kind-hearted and treated her as one of their own without discrimination or bullying – if it were another household, her days would be miserable. Having been transported to this kind of family, though life may be a bit poor, as long as there is harmony in the home, everything will eventually improve.
Afterward, Lady Wu and Qian Manjiang went into the kitchen and brought food to the table. Cheng Yue naturally helped set up the bowls and chopsticks, having been taught by Qian Manxia in the days leading up to the meal. Breakfast consisted of coarse rice porridge cooked with leftover soup and leftover mixed flour buns. The porridge was oily, and the corn buns contained white flour – it was indeed a good breakfast.
While eating, Qian Manxia asked Cheng Yue, "Sister-in-law, did you encounter a ghost last night? Your screams scared everyone to death."
Qian Manjiang, his face reddening, scolded with a feigned anger, "How come with all this delicious food, your mouth still isn't full enough to stop talking nonsense?"
Qian Manxia, who had never been treated this way by her brother, pouted and was about to cry.
Lady Wu quickly consoled Qian Manxia, "Be good, Xiaxia, eat up. Last night, no one was shouting; you had a nightmare and wouldn't stop crying. It wasn't until Mother took you to the big bed that you calmed down."
Qian Manjiang also regretted speaking to his sister like that and gave her the only piece of fat, the size of a fingernail, from his bowl.
Cheng Yue, slow to react, was still pondering Qian Manxia's question and said innocently with wide, blank eyes, "It hurt, it hurt so much, that's why I..."
Hearing Cheng Yue's words, Qian Manjiang turned embarrassed beyond measure and quickly interrupted, "Yueyue..." His voice, being hasty, was slightly harsh.
It was the first time Cheng Yue had been treated so roughly by Qian Manjiang, and feeling both scared and wronged, she pouted. Tears welled up in her eyes but didn't fall, making her look even more pitiful.
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My dear mother is like a real White Lotus, so foolish, pure, and beautiful, that even Qian Yixiu had a hard time bearing her pitiful appearance.
Of course, my dear father felt even more distressed, and hurriedly coaxed Cheng Yue in a gentle voice.
Qian Sangui's face turned red, embarrassed to watch any longer, coughed twice, and picked up his cane to head to the bedroom. He was still having trouble walking, so Lady Wu got up to help him inside.
Lady Wu did the dishes, as Manjiang offered to have Cheng Yue do it, but Lady Wu shook her head, "Forget it, what a pity it would be if she broke one."
Manjiang then taught Cheng Yue to sweep the floor and arrange the stools. After tidying up the main room, they cleaned the courtyard. Even though mother was slow to respond, she was obedient and quite diligent, but she walked with some difficulty.
Qian Manxia asked again, "Sister-in-law, why do you walk like that?"
Cheng Yue blinked her big eyes and pouted, "My butt hurts..."
"Your butt hurts? My mother also hits me on the butt. So, it was Brother Jiang who spanked you, no wonder you screamed so miserably." Qian Manxia really liked this pretty sister-in-law and scolded Manjiang loudly, "Brother, how could you hit sister-in-law? She's so pitiful, so thin, and she got separated from her family. You don't treat her well and even spank her. No, starting today, sister-in-law will sleep with me."
Cheng Yue hastily said, "Brother Jiang didn't hit me."
Manjiang felt both embarrassed and annoyed, swiftly interjecting, "Xiaxia, did you hear mother calling for help? Go quickly and help mother clean the kitchen."
Qian Manxia wanted to continue, but seeing that her brother was getting upset, she reluctantly stopped talking and went to the kitchen. Still puzzled, she complained to Lady Wu about how pitiful sister-in-law was. Lady Wu, with a flush of embarrassment, chided her, "Silly girl, why do you talk so much? Don't ever ask about your brother and sister-in-law's matters again, it's too embarrassing."
Once everything was tidied up, Qian Sangui came out holding several red envelopes and a cloth bag. He placed them on the table and had everyone gather around to sit.
He gave Lady Wu a meaningful glance to prompt her to speak.
Lady Wu began, "These gifts are all from relatives who congratulated Manjiang on his wedding. Your uncle, auntie, and your fourth uncle all said that the one guan of money and five hundred wen they lent us last time should be regarded as a wedding gift for Manjiang. This is a significant gift, and you all must remember this kindness. However, your uncle specifically said not to let his wife know about this matter, Xiaxia, you especially need to be careful with your words. This time, your little aunt also sent five yards of cloth, and your fourth uncle gave twenty wen. Both your uncle and second uncle sent fifty wen each, and Second Grandpa gave fifty wen as well, others gave twenty wen or brought gifts."
While speaking, she opened a red envelope and poured out a few pieces of silver, telling Manjiang, "Your grandparents went to town to exchange one guan seven hundred wen into silver, saying it would be more convenient for you to use in the military, and to ensure you don't shortchange yourself. They also said this was all the money they had saved for their old age, and to not let others know, as it would seem they were playing favorites." She wiped away tears with her sleeve after finishing.
Qian Sangui's eyes also reddened as he said, "Manjiang, Dad thinks we shouldn't take grandparents' retirement money, let's return it to them. Dad's illness has drained all their savings, they don't even have enough left for a coffin, we can't use their money. The remaining two hundred and some wen, you take it all to use in the military."
Lady Wu also said, "Your dad is right, this money is what your grandparents have saved over the years, we haven't even been able to properly honor them, so we can't accept this money. If your auntie finds out, there will be more trouble."
Manjiang, with tear-filled eyes, said, "Dad, Mom, I don't want to return grandparents' money," seeing Qian Sangui's face darken, he quickly added, "Don't worry, Dad, let me explain. I am not only hoping to return safely from this journey, but I also hope to have a minor official position when I come back. By then, the money to honor grandparents would be far more than just a couple of taels of silver. Of course, this is just my wish. If I happen to die out there, it would be my fate."
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Thank you to Qian Yi Yi Ren Yan and 'Even If Not Strong, Pretend to Be Strong' Purse for their tips, thank you to Hera@Qian Lin for the reward, and thanks to the readers for their comments and recommendations. Wenwen entered the top ten in the new book list yesterday morning but was kicked far off by the afternoon. Once again asking for clicks, recommendations, favorites, and for everyone's support.
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