Yang PeiMin watched Yang Peijun's retreating back, shaking her head. Whose idea was this request—his own, or that of his future sister-in-law?
After she left the kitchen, relatives like her grandma and uncles noticed her, so they pulled her into the main hall for a round of scrutiny. Her grandmother, her father's sister Zhang Minghua, among others, filled up the heated brick bed, with more seated around it.
"This is Minmin, isn't it? Wow, she's grown so much? Look, still as pretty as when she was little."
"That's for sure, kids grow like weeds, and we're all getting old."
"Indeed, now she's a young lady already."
"Can you believe the talk about this girl at her Grandma Pei Guo's? With looks like that, the doorstep must be worn down from all the suitors, right?"
Yang PeiMin's grandmother chuckled, the wrinkles on her face stiffening somewhat. She was beginning to regret letting her granddaughter come in—how should she approach this? She had always disapproved of the way her daughter raised her own—raising a good girl to be a lazy one, who would want her?
"Only her parents would know about that, as for us elderly, we just eat our fill and can't manage much else," Grandma deflected expertly.
"Yes, yes, at your age, you should be enjoying life, prosperity will come to the children and grandchildren."
Then, skipping past Grandma, they turned their focus onto Yang PeiMin.
Yang PeiMin was inwardly groaning.
"I don't know about that, you'll have to ask my parents; I listen to them," she followed her grandma's method, passing the buck to her parents, Yang Dahai and his wife.
"Our Minmin is still young; we can't just settle her down haphazardly. Minmin is our uncle's precious gem; she hasn't done a day's work since she was little. None of those village boys are good enough," Yang Peiyan said in a playful tone as she brought in hot water for the guests.
"What? She hasn't done any work?" A distant relative who hadn't visited for a long time muttered, then noticed someone next to her nodding almost imperceptibly. Ah, it seemed to be true.
Yang PeiMin suddenly felt several unusual gazes upon her.
Someone tried to ease the situation, "Which family doesn't pamper their daughters more than their daughters-in-law?"
Ma Lan, Yang PeiMin's second aunt, disagreed. Twisting her narrowed eyes, she retorted, "You can't just say that. It's not like she's the daughter of some old-time landlord—what girl doesn't work? This little niece of mine is stubborn. We, as her in-laws, have lectured her several times. How can a girl be raised so lazy? Who would want her as a bride?"
This second aunt was a troublemaker, always stirring up drama even when there was none to be found. The reason was simple: she had given birth to five girls before finally having a son. She felt humiliated from the days before she had a son, bowing and scraping in front of her in-laws and suffering many indignities. Then, as she took her frustrations out on her daughters, she was reprimanded and advised by the in-laws not to mistreat them. She had long harbored a grudge—what business was it of theirs how she treated her own daughters? Wasn't Zhang Minghua spoiling her daughters? Didn't she wish to do the same? If it wasn't for their disdain because she hadn't given birth to a son, would she ever need to punish them? After Ma Lan finally had a son, she felt she could straighten her back, and she was determined to reclaim the respect she felt she was owed from before.
"Enough of your nonsense, go out and lend a hand to your little aunt," Grandma scolded her.
"I'm speaking for the sake of the little aunt's well-being, so everyone hears what's right. Look how Minmin has been raised—languid and ignorant; still she needs her younger sister to bring food to her bed to coax her to eat. All the good food like eggs go into her mouth and it's never enough. She's always wanting new clothes and makeup; that's not raising a daughter but a golden doll! Even if mother scolds me today, I must speak out—the little aunt can't continue like this; it's ruining Min's entire life! Look at the other girls her age, haven't they all had matchmakers visit? Just look, isn't the quietness at our doorstep proof that no one dares to take Minmin as a bride?"
After Ma Lan spoke, Yang PeiMin felt an increase in the number of discreet stares.
Some elderly women couldn't hold back anymore. "I do say that Grandma Pei Guo should really speak up about this. Indulging a child is not like this; it's harming her."
"Aunt Two is good at teaching children," Yang PeiMin nodded, looking at Ma Lan earnestly, "My Aunt Two is also a mother to several children, and when it comes to child-rearing advice, she has a lot to offer. I have been a disappointment, dragging my parents into gossip, and I feel guilty and anxious. I'd like to ask Aunt Two for some guidance to make up for it."
Just as Ma Lan proudly puffed out her chest and was about to start lecturing, Yang PeiMin continued, "Aunt Two's daughter Zhaodi is the hardest working one. She started cooking at three, cutting pigweed at four, going out to work with adults at five. Everyone in the village praises her, and she's also incredibly filial. Even after getting married, she takes good care of her parental home, moving grain when there's grain, taking out money when there's money. She even brought back books and supplies for her younger brother Jin Bao, and when cleaning her mother-in-law's room, she even sorted out the money inside the trunks…"
Ma Lan's eldest daughter had married into a neighboring village, and at that time, there were many in-laws. Gossip could be heard through relatives about any significant event within ten miles or so. Moreover, entertainment was scarce then, and people's love for gossip was satisfied in this way. The matter of Zhang Zhaodi was not exactly a secret; she believed that at least half of those present had heard about it.
Ma Lan suddenly turned sullen, interrupting her, "What nonsense are you spouting? Has your conscience been eaten by a dog? Did your cousin Zhaodi offend you? Why speak of her in this way? Aren't you afraid that you'll incur bad karma and never get married?"
Ma Lan immediately lost the dignity befitting an elder.
Whether it was good or bad, only those who witnessed it would know.
Yang PeiMin blinked innocently, looking somewhat confused as to why Ma Lan suddenly lost her temper.
"Minmin, how did your mouth manage to upset your Aunt Two?" At just the right moment, Yang Peiqiong came in with more tea leaves, adding tea for everyone while admonishing Yang PeiMin, "Apologize to your Aunt right away. We shouldn't be saying things that only gossipy women would say."
"Look at this girl, how articulate and sensible she is! Minmin, you have more to learn than just housework; you need to learn how to speak without offending people," Ma Lan promptly reasserted herself.
"Is this Dajiang's daughter?"
"Indeed, it is. Heard she even got into a university, quite an achievement."
"I wonder if she badmouths others too?"
"Haven't heard anything about that."
The women's attention shifted back to Yang Peiqiong, who graciously served tea to everyone with an appropriate demeanor and gentle posture.
Some still bluntly compared Yang PeiMin to her, knocking her down a peg.
Yang PeiMin couldn't help but fall silent.
"Aunt is being too serious. Minmin doesn't need me to teach her; she's just a bit weak and not that capable of physical tasks, but her mind is sharper than anyone else's. She consistently ranks in the top three in school, and her teacher has praised her as a promising student," Yang Peiqiong explained to Ma Lan.
"Then why didn't she even get into a college?" Ma Lan sneered.
Yang PeiMin turned her face away, coming face to face with Ma Lan's disdainful and schadenfreude-filled gaze. She looked at Ma Lan expressionlessly, no longer wanting to stay in that place of true discord.
"Yang PeiMin, someone is looking for you outside!" Yang Peiyan, who had stepped out earlier, came back in and called to her.