"Yunduan is excellent. This is what a learned man should be like. Since you are all good friends, we should prepare some presents for them too!"
Qiao Xuan nodded and smiled. "You are right, Mom!"
They had a lot of space in the new house. They had a place to park the wagon and hold the horse. So, Qu Shan and the coachman spent the night at their house and left the following day.
Qiao Xuan and Ms. Fang shared the presents with Ms. Xu, Yang Xiaoni and Taotao, and they were all smiling and thanking Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan when they heard how they got the presents.
Ms. Xu was again feeling lucky not to have split hairs with Fifth Sister-in-law when she was first married. Otherwise she would never have enjoyed any of this.
Fresh mutton was the most delicious. For dinner, Qiao Xuan made pan-fried lamb chops, roasted lamb spine in sauce, and stewed mutton soup with yam.
The roast suckling pig was cut into half and served on the table. The skin was ruddy, crispy and the meat was tender, fat but not greasy. Every bite was a pleasure.
They all spoke highly of the main dish which Qiao Xuan liked too.
It was a big dish that was not easy to prepare, and it was not sold at ordinary restaurants. Only when regular customers in famous restaurants placed a deposit in advance and made a reservation would they cook it. It was a rare chance that this dish could be made.
But roast suckling pig might not be easy to get. They could use pork belly to make roast pork, same crispy in skin and tender in meat.
The following morning, Qiao Xuan had the presents prepared and asked Qu Shan to take them back with him.
The gifts included homemade smoked meat, sausage and smoked fish, fresh shiitake mushrooms, fungus, and white fungus picked from the fungus shed, as well as dried chestnuts and honey from the mountains. There were some dried vegetables such as winter bamboo shoots, dried radishes, and dried beans packed as well. All of them were home-produced.
Qu Shan accepted the presents with a smile. They left early in the morning with warm steamed buns stuffed with mutton and green onions.
The first section of the family was so friendly. They had steamed buns the night before, and heated them up early in the morning for them to eat on the road. They also boiled a few eggs, candies, sunflower seeds and other snacks for them to use on the road. Each of them were given red envelopes of two liang each.
So, they were never afraid of traveling this far. In fact, they looked forward to the trip here.
They always had good things to eat!
The steamed buns with filling and the lamb spine and ribs were all delicious.
Seeing wagons leaving and coming to the first section of the family, the villagers were all used to the scene. They could not take a look inside the wagons due to the big house the first section of the family were living in at the moment.
Second Uncle and Third Uncle did not dare to come to the door, since they offended Ms. Fang a while ago.
So, they could only make some complaints at home.
Widow Sun was even more jealous than them. Whenever she saw how the first section of the family got better than before, she felt more jealous.
If she had made her daughter marry Shao Yunduan, she would have a lot to show off now.
But now she could only watch as a spectator at this moment.
Widow Sun could not stand it any more. She met her lover on the sly, urging him to deal with the first section of the family.
"I hate Ms. Fang. She is so proud now. I am so annoyed. I really need to get it over with!"
Widow Sun's lover was very annoyed by her pestering. He nodded and said,
"Okay, okay, I will think of some way to deal with them. Don't worry about it!"
"Remember what you said, or I will not give you a good time!"
"Okay, okay I got it now, I do…"
Widow Sun stopped her complaining, and waited to see the show.
However two days later, Shao Xiaoqi set the trap in the mountains and caught a wild boar weighing almost 200 kgs, shocking the whole village.
Widow Sun got so sour. What kind of luck was that!
The first section of the family was so glad. They hired someone from the village to get the wild boar back, and shared several kilos with the helpers. They made a sumptuous lunch for them to enjoy where they could eat as much meat as they could.
They could even pack and take the leftover home.
Everyone was so happy about it.
The second and third section of the family were given only 5 kgs each respectively.
Ms. Niu had thought that they would be given at least 50 kgs, so they were shocked when seeing what they received.
Ms. Fang did not care about their displeasure. She smiled. "We need to make
smoked meat, and soon we will be taking gifts back to our natal families, especially the Qiao Family! A decent amount has been given to you. When we get rich, you will get more!"
Those who were given meat from the first section of the family all nodded at this, saying that it was right!
"You are living separately, and that is all you should get!'
"True!"
"Shao Erlang and Shao Silang helped too and they both got 4 kgs respectively. Now you have 5 kgs more, that is already a lot to be given to a cousin! I would have been so glad if my cousins did this for me!"
Some smart ones, when seeing the first section of the family living a better life, defended the first section of the family, hoping that one day they could get some help from them.
All they needed to do was to defend them verbally.
Widow Sun and some others wanted to turn the family against each other, but they did not dare to.
By the end, everyone was defending the first section of the family.
Eldest Uncle did not dare to counter his wife in public, so he had to pretend as if he did not catch the helping look his brothers threw to him.
His brothers got so annoyed. Things were different now.
A short while later Second Uncle sneered. "Eldest Sister-in-law, you are looking down at us. Let's just wait and see. You should never come and beg us for help when you need it!"
Ms. Fang laughed. "We won't. If we need help, we will try to come up with solutions ourselves. After all, we all have a life to live, and we can't just turn to others for help all the time. We are all people who can work and live well,
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Second Uncle got even more annoyed after hearing this. He left the place with a sunken face.
Ms. Fang felt so happy to have vented her anger in this way.
When the crowd was gone, Ms. Fang, together with her daughters-in-law and sons, started to salt the wild boar meat, and clean the yard.
Soon, she proposed. "What about preparing the things to be taken to your mothers' families? We have enough time."
Ms. Xu nodded in agreement.
Ms. Fang said, "How about Ms. Xu and I go home tomorrow and Ms. Qiao the day after. What about you ?"
Yang Xiaoni said indifferently, "Mom, we will go and pay tribute to my deceased parents at their tombs after Minor New Year."
Ms. Fang did not object. "Okay, whichever you like."
Qiao Xuan agreed to go to the Qiao Family the day after tomorrow.
But she was not going to bring wild boar meat or any other precious things. She smiled at Ms. Fang. "Mom, don't save me a portion of wild boar meat. We only need two chickens, one basket of eggs and a few pastries bought from the street.."
She did not want the Qiao Family to know what she had at her home.
Chickens and eggs were okay, because villagers always had some chickens at home.
Ms. Fang had already learned how Qiao Xuan's life was at her own home, so she somehow disliked her parents. Hence, she nodded at Qiao Xuan's suggestion.
She smiled. "Sure, then I will give you 20 liang like I did last time, and you can do whatever you want."
Qiao Xuan thanked her and said, "I will give the remaining amount back to you, Mom!"
Ms. Fang laughed. "Just add it to your own savings! Yunduan needs money, and the expenses can be counted from the shared savings. After all, when
Yunduan becomes successful in the future, he will take care of his brothers. They can take care of him now!"
Qiao Xuan did not counter that, but nodded in agreement, smiling.
Her mother-in-law was such a nice lady!
So Ms. Fang and Ms. Xu prepared their stuff.
They had smoked meat, sausages, fish and ducks with them, as well as 10 kgs of wild boar for each family as two jars of wine. Qiao Xuan and Taotao also picked two baskets of fresh mushrooms for them to take along.
The Yuezheng Family had given a few melon seeds, peanuts, pine nuts, preserved fruit, peanut candy, walnut candy, osmanthus cakes, some of which were also put in their luggage.
If either of them needed to add something, they could buy the things with their own money.
Ms. Xu picked three garments, a few folk flowers and two bags of needles and threads. Apart from this, she was going to offer four liang to her mother.
On the day when they left, Ms. Xu dressed up her children whilst she herself had a silver hairpin on top of her hair as well. She was dressed in new clothes and left together with Ms. Fang, Eldest Uncle and Taotao.
They had a donkey cart and did not need to walk any more.
Shao Sanlang was driving the cart. He dropped Ms. Xu and Shao Dalang, and then Ms. Fang.
Ms. Xu's home was located in a village which wasn't big enough for the donkey cart to get in. They still needed to walk a few miles, but that already was much more convenient than before.
Shao Sanlang spent one night with Ms. Fang at his grandparents' place, and returned home the next day. Then he picked up Ms. Xu and her family so they could head home together.
When they were gone, the house seemed so quiet.
Especially since the two children were not at home, making some noise.
They had nothing else to do but think about what to eat.
Yang Xiaoni and Qiao Xuan were talking about how to make the claypot rice, which Qiao Xuan had decided to make for dinner.
Shao Xiaoqi offered to help too.
Yang Xiaoni was proficient in making the preparations. She washed the pot, and Qi prepared the fire and stove.
Qiao Xuan picked some cabbage and garlic sprouts from the garden.
When the claypot rice was almost cooked, she spread the sliced sausage and
smoked duck on top, poured over the prepared sauce, added the blanched lettuce, and sprinkled the chopped garlic leaves when it was almost ready. A delicious and wonderful portion of claypot rice would be served.
Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni chatted happily in the open, bright kitchen.
When the claypot rice was just on the stove and the side dishes were about to be put in, a very loud female voice arose at the door. "Where is everyone?
Shao Xiaoqi shouted loudly. "Cousin, Third Sister-in-law and Fifth Sister-in-law are cooking in the kitchen!"
Qi wasn't that glad when he made the announcement.
Cousin? Yang Xiaoni and Qiao Xuan exchanged a look. Qiao Xuan thought for a while and said, "Shao Meizhi, I believe? The daughter of Third Uncle. She might have gone to her parents' house to deliver presents."
Yang Xiaoni pursed her lips. "She isn't very nice.. She was not here at our wedding, did she come over when you got married?"
Qiao Xuan shook her head. "Don't think so. Never heard of her before."
Yang Xiaoni tutted. "Wonder what she is doing here?"
Qiao Xuan chuckled. "No idea, let's go and check it out."
"Okay!"
The two walked out of the kitchen and saw Shao Meizhi and Shao Xiaozhi standing in the main hall.
Shao Xiaozhi had been here before, but Shao Meizhi looked so greedy as she looked around. She sized both Yang Xiaoni and Qiao Xuan up from head to feet, rolling her eyes and sat down on the chair. "So you are Ms. Qiao and Ms. Yang? Serve me some tea and melon seeds! I am your relative, so I don't care about your foolishness. Shame on you that you don't know how to serve people."
Shao Xiaozhi sneered too.
Qiao Xuan looked confused and blinked. "Third Sister-in-law, who is this woman coming to our home to show off. What is wrong with her?"
Yang Xiaoni laughed. "I don't know who it is. But she seems to think that this is her home. Tut, tut, how shameless!"
Shao Xiaozhi threw them a weird look. "This is my elder sister!"
Shao Meizhi shouted loudly. "What are you talking about?"
Before Shao Meizhi got married, the first section of the family had no standing in front of the second and third section of the family. Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma kept bad mouthing the first section of the family. Shao Meizhi had heard a lot of stories, and watched a lot of shows, so she never thought that the first section of the family was worth much.
In her eyes, she believed that her family was better than the first section of the family, who were just their laborers.
She was living at Jiangjia Village, very far from Shaoding Village. The distance would require a whole day trip.
But that was not very far, after all.
Shao Meizhi said that it was too far for her to go home, so she only came over before or after Chinese New Year every year, not otherwise.
She did not want to give red packets to Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni when they got married, so she ignored the invitations.
But when she came home this time, she heard about Ms. Ma and Shao Xiaozhi's cribbing about the first section of the family.
Shao Meizhi got so annoyed that she wanted to teach them a lesson.
Since this day, Eldest Uncle, Ms. Fang, and even Shao Dalang, Ms. Xu and Shao Sanlang were all gone, Shao Meizhi decided to teach the others a lesson.
Shao Xiaozhi led her here. But she did not believe that the first section of the family would have built a really big house.
Villagers always saved some money for a new house, and that was not a rare thing. Yes they had a new house, so what?
But when they came to the yard of the first section of the family, Shao Meizhi felt jealousy burning inside her heart.
How ridiculous!
Then she turned furious!
Where did the first section of the family get this much money? They built a new house but never helped their family. How dare Eldest Uncle keep saying that he would take care of the second and third section of the family all the time?
They were all liars!
Shao Meizhi finally understood why her mother and sister were so angry.
She pushed the door open and walked into the yard. Shao Meizhi felt more than sour. She was shocked.
As she walked into the main hall and saw the fresh furniture as well as beautiful, crystal-clear glazed windows… Shao Meizhi wished that she had them all for herself.
Note: She is just a small role, only in the story for a few chapters..
Shao Meizhi made up her mind that she was going to teach these two newly-wedded daughters-in-law an unforgettable lesson. She was going to tell her Eldest Uncle about what she wanted.
She was going to force the Eldest Uncle to give her everything she wanted!
That was what she used to do earlier.
However, Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni did not care about her at all. They sneered at the woman in front of them.
Shao Meizhi got so annoyed.
Hearing what Shao Meizhi asked, Qiao Xuan smiled. "We don't know you!'
Yang Xiaoni said, "Who are you? Why are you making a fuss at our home? How ridiculous!"
"How dare you!'
Shao Xiaozhi shouted. "She is my sister, my elder sister!"
Yang Xiaoni said, "We don't know your sister, nor is she a part of our family!"
Shao Meizhi was almost speechless. "How dare you treat me like this! I am going to tell Eldest Uncle about it when he comes back. He will teach all of you a lesson!"
Qiao Xuan said coldly, "Be my guest, we will wait and see. You are the crazy one that comes to our home and makes a scene. Shame on you for reporting us! Are you more noble than anyone else?"
Yang Xiaoni sized her up roughly. "So… you are Shao Meizhi? Instead of calling me Third Sister-in-law out of politeness, you are trying to teach me? You don't have any rules!"
Qiao Xuan raised her eyebrows and snorted with her chin up. "My father is an officer in the county, you want me to bow to you?
Shao Meizhi's face twisted. "You are… bullying me!"
Yang Xiaoni suddenly let out a scream, startling Shao Meizhi and Shao Xiaozhi. She held Qiao Xuan's wrist. "Fifth Sister-in-law, please, go to the kitchen and check our claypot rice! We must not let it get ruined!"
Qiao Xuan laughed out loud. Her Third Sister-in-law was really a devoted foodie!
Honestly!
"And here…
"I can deal with it here!" Yang Xiaoni pursed her lips. "We are making food, they can't stop us!'
"Okay, then I will deal with the rice!" Qiao Xuan was totally amused by Yang Xiaoni, and returned to the kitchen.
She must not ruin the delicious claypot rice for such people! It would be such a shame.
Shao Meizhi got extremely irritated. How dare they ignore her like this!
"Just wait!" Shao Meizhi stood up angrily. "I will tell Eldest Uncle about this!
How can his daughters-in-law be so cruel!"
Yang Xiaoni stood up too. She had her hands over her waist. "So what? You are the one who bullied us here! You are married and are not part of our family!"
Shao Meizhi was shivering.
She was so angry.
She had never believed that anyone from the first section of the family would ever counter her. In her opinion, these newly-wedded daughters-in-law should be too timid to counter her. Look at Ms. Xu, for example. She never dared to say any words to counter her.
But she felt so stricken when she was blocked by Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni.
Shao Meizhi glared at Yang Xiaoni. "We are leaving now! You two, just wait and see!"
Yang Xiaoni smiled. "Alright then!"
Shao Meizhi staggered and almost tripped herself.
The two sisters had just walked out to the yard, when they smelled something that made them drool..
The two sisters could not help but pause in their footsteps. They took in the smell, and sensed the special combination of smoked meat and the delicious rice. It made them drool even more.
Shao Xiaozhi asked Shao Xiaoqi. "Brother Qi, what are you cooking?"
Shao Meizhi did not say a word, but she also pricked up her ears for the reply.
Shao Xiaoqi said lazily, "Smoked meat!"
Every household made smoked meat, so did the second and third section of the family, though they did not make this much like the first section of the family.
Shao Xiaozhi pursed her lips. "I did not know that it was smoked meat, but how can it smell so different?"
Shao Xiaoqi ignored her.
Shao Meizhi came to cause them trouble, and Shao Xiaoqi hated it when Shao Xiaozhi followed suit.
The smell seemed to tempt them so much!
Shao Xiaozhi could not resist it anymore. She swallowed her saliva. "I will go and have a look at it." She rushed to the kitchen.
Shao Meizhi was a little hesitant before she finally gave up. She followed them.
Shao Xiaoqi and Yang Xiaoni exchanged a look. Yang Xiaoni summoned him, and told him to join them.
When Qiao Xuan made a pot, she made two sets of several casserole pots of different sizes. Now, on the three stoves, two small pots were for one person, and the other was for two people, namely Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan.
At this moment, the lid was lifted, and Qiao Xuan was pouring the seasoning sauce, cracking the eggs, and preparing to add vegetables. It smelt so good.
It was a nice scene. Neat slices of dark red sausage, oily and textured smoked duck pieces, fresh and tender lettuce, oily and translucent rice grains, plump sauce, embellished with minced garlic, small pieces of garlic leaves, and yellow and white eggs could be seen. It looked just too delicious.
They could not stand it any more.
Shao Xiaozhi could not help but lick her lips. "I want to eat it too!"
Shao Meizhi snorted. She wanted to eat more! She and her husband had traveled all the way here and not eaten a thing. This delicious-looking dish almost killed her.
She did not utter a sound but believed that if Shao Xiaozhi could be offered a portion, she would be given one too. They were together!
Yang Xiaoni defended her food, and said, "This is our dinner, just enough for us! See, it is smoked meat with egg and rice, that is all. You can make it at home too. Please leave now, we are going to eat our dinner soon." Shao Xiaozhi was very disappointed and annoyed. "You are so stingy!'
Yang Xiaoni said, "This is my dinner, of course you can't have any!'
Shao Meizhi snorted. "With the Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt away, you cooked so much food. You are ruining food and wasting money! We don't need lazy and greedy daughters-in-law like you here!"
Shao Xiaoqi immediately said, "Cousin, we always eat this even when parents are here."
Yang Xiaoni smiled. "Qi, your cousin knows nothing, so she misunderstands us. And cousins, we don't care what kind of daughters-in-law are at your home. But now, you are at our home, and it is none of your business how we live. You are welcome to report us to our parents-in-law when they are back."
Shao Meizhi.
She became crazy after hearing this..
Shao Meizhi thought that if she threatened them, Yang Xiaoni and Qiao Xuan would stuff her with good food as a bribe. But they, unexpectedly, countered her.
When done with work, Qiao Xuan looked at Shao Meizhi. "Cousin, the second and third sections of the family kept forcing us to work for you guys. Do you think that we are the same as before?
"That is history now. Such behavior will never happen again! It already stopped half a year ago. Second and Third Uncles are already used to this change, and I believe that you should get used to this too. Stop acting as if you are the host of this house! No one buys that any more!"
"That is not what happens in any house in the village. If you are not convinced, just try it out!"
Yang Xiaoni snorted. "Fifth Sister-in-law is right!"
As the claypot rice was almost ready, she just could not wait and said impatiently, "Just leave now, we can talk about this tomorrow, we are ready to eat dinner soon!"
Shao Meizhi was starving but she could not stand what Yang Xiaoni and Qiao Xuan said to her. She threw a fierce glare at them, and grabbed Shao Xiaozhi away.
Shao Xiaoqi followed up and shut the door.
Shao Xiaozhi licked her lips. "Sister, I really want to eat that smoked sausage rice, it smells so good!"
Shao Meizhi could not help but swallow her saliva. With teeth clenched, she said, "We can go home now, and tell Eldest Uncle tomorrow. She will have to make the food for us!"
Shao Xiaozhi eyes sparkled. "Yeah, you are so smart, Sister, haha!"
Shao Meizhi was panicking. What Qiao Xuan said to her at last was making her feel anxious. She had no way to counter that.
It was not a regular practice in the village. But Eldest Uncle promised to take care of his brothers, and that he would definitely help if his brothers needed him.
That was what had been happening all these years.
Why did they stop helping them?
Her mother said that things changed after the Fifth Sister-in-law got married. Was she so capable?
Shao Meizhi did not believe that.
But she thought of her words, and found this woman hard to deal with…
"Xiaozhi, tell me about Ms. Qiao…"
The two sisters did not look that well when they returned home.
Shao Xiaozhi kept telling Ms. Ma that she wanted to eat smoked sausage rice. Ms. Ma did not know what that was, so she ignored her and asked Shao Meizhi instead. "How did it go? Ms. Qiao is really arrogant, isn't she? That is how she is like! We are already used to it. You should never get annoyed by her!"
Shao Meizhi became even angrier. "She isn't the only one. Ms. Yang isn't obedient either, and Qi too. He has turned very unruly! Same goes for my cousin. He even pretended as if I were not around. He did not even show up…"
In fact, Shao Yunduan was studying in his yard and had no idea that she had been there.
Shao Xiaoqi had wanted to inform him but was stopped by Qiao Xuan.
Hearing Shao Meizhi's words, Ms. Ma sneered. "They are rich now, and you have seen that too. Didn't you see their big house? They are looking down at us, totally!'
Unconvinced, Shao Meizhi bit her lips. "So, the Eldest Uncle has left us alone?
Ms. Ma sneered and sounded furious. "No need to mention him.. He makes empty promises, but never puts them into practice!"
Shao Meizhi could not help but believe this reluctantly.
Otherwise Eldest Uncle would not have built this house alone. She and her family would have a share in it as well.
Seeing Ms. Ma ignoring her, Shao Xiaozhi repeated and said, "Mom, make me the smoked sausage rice, I want to eat it!"
Ms. Ma turned to her daughter. "What claypot rice?
Shao Xiaozhi said, "Some rice with a layer of smoked sausage, meat with egg, vegetables and soy sauce. Cousin was making it, and I smelt it. It was so great, but they did not share it with us!"
Ms. Ma sneered. "Your own fault! They are looking down on you!'
Shao Xiaozhi pursed her lips. "We will make Eldest Uncle tell them to make us the same food!"
Ms. Ma did not respond and said, "Then wait until tomorrow! Smoked sausage and meat with egg? Of course it smells good. They are just ruining the food!"
Shao Meizhi replied. "Eldest Uncle is not at home, and Ms. Qiao as well as Ms. Yang are wasting food. Eldest Aunt will definitely blame them, lees wait until tomorrow and see how they are scolded!"
Ms. Ma did not think that Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni would be scolded, but she hoped that they would be. So, she added casually. "Let's just wait and see!"
Qiao Xuan served the claypot rice on the tray and went with Yang Xiaoni to the dining room, while Qi fetched Shao Yunduan to join them for food. Qiao Xuan mentioned Shao Meizhi's visit while they were all seated.
Yang Xiaoni was angry as well. She kept adding to the story.
Qi regretted it. "I should not have opened the door for them!"
Shao Yunduan smiled. "It doesn't matter, they will definitely come here again tomorrow when our parents are here."
Yang Xiaoni said, "She is definitely the daughter of the third section of the family, just like my own sister-in-law!"
Qiao Xuan laughed.
"Then lees wait until tomorrow!"
"I just can't wait!"
Food was more important to them. The four of them stopped talking about Shao Meizhi but turned to the delicious food instead.
The claypot rice was blended with meat and sauce, giving out a wonderful smell.
It was not until after lunch when Ms. Fang and Ms. Xu as well as the others returned.
It was again so lively inside the house.
Soon after that, Shao Xiaozhi came over. "Eldest Uncle, my sister and brother-in-law are all here? My parents are asking Eldest Uncle to have a chat with them!"
Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni exchanged a look between themselves.
So, they wanted to exaggerate the story behind their backs!
But they were going to become the laughing stock after all.
Eldest Uncle was very happy to see that Shao Meizhi thought of him. He smiled happily. "Meizhi is back with her husband? Alright, I will go to your home and have a chat with them!"
Ms. Fang smiled. "Only your Eldest Uncle is invited, not me? Also, they are junior people in the family. How can they ask seniors to come over? So precious they are? Or they can't walk? If they can't walk, then they don't have to come over here any more in the future!" Shao Xiaozhi did not dare to utter a sound.
Ms. Fang was right in every word.
Eldest Uncle coughed and turned to her. "You must be thinking too much. They are just asking me to visit them!"
Ms. Fang sneered. "Oh really? Then do you remember to tell me whether Meizhi is missing you or trying to tell some exaggerated stories to you about her past experience?
Shao Xiaozhi's heart skipped a beat. She felt too ashamed to stay here..
She had always been afraid of the Eldest Aunt, and now she was even more scared of her.
Eldest Uncle felt a little bit displeased. "You just like thinking too much about
Ms. Fang chuckled. "Then… go ahead!"
Eldest Uncle was affected by what Ms. Fang said, so he felt quite annoyed, and followed Shao Xiaozhi.
Shao Meizhi and her husband were very hospitable towards him, and Shao Meizhi even greeted him happily. But before Eldest Uncle was able to taste the happiness, Shao Meizhi started to talk about something else…
The more the Eldest Uncle heard about this, the more guilty he felt inside his heart.
Ms. Fang was totally right.
Had it not been for Ms. Fangs reminder, what Shao Meizhi said to him might have fooled him. But Ms. Fang's words plus what Shao Meizhi said made him realize that Shao Meizhi was trying to make some accusations.
Ms. Qiao was indeed arrogant, but she never irritated people, unless people irritated her first.
And Ms. Yang? She was even less likely to do this. She only wanted food.
So, when Meizhi said that she went to visit them but was humiliated instead, Eldest Uncle did not really buy that.
He did not speak his doubts in front of Shao Meizhi, but said some vague words to console her.
Shao Meizhi felt very proud. She assumed that she had achieved what she wanted. "Eldest Uncle, you have to get me justice!"
Eldest Uncle was taken aback. "What? Oh, okay…"
Ms. Ma added some complaints of her own, saying that Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni were ruining food at home.
Eldest Uncle became even more speechless. Ms. Qiao was rich and she always ate what she wanted. She even shared the food with the whole family, so what could he blame her for?
But he did not dare to reveal anything like this in front of the third section of the family, otherwise he would sound as if he were showing off.
Eldest Uncle was actually a very modest person who never liked showing off.
But soon, Shao Xiaozhi and Shao Meizhi, as well as Shao Meizhi's husband Jiang Dahe and Ms. Ma followed Eldest Uncle to his home. Shao Meizhi was waiting to see Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni getting scolded.
Unexpectedly, the whole thing turned out quite different.
Eldest Uncle could not scold his daughter-in-law. Also, he spotted how confident Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni looked, and with Ms. Fang's cold eyes, he felt that something was wrong.
Sure enough, before he could say a thing, Ms. Fang started scolding Shao Meizhi. "Meizhi, we were not at home yesterday. What were you doing here humiliating my daughters-in-law? What has your mother taught you? Apologize to them now!"
Shao Meizhi was shocked. She snapped. "They are lying! I never did that!"
Ms. Fang sneered. "My daughters-in-law never lie. But you have been a liar since childhood. Want me to give you some examples? Also, Qi was here too.
Did he lie as well?"
Shao Meizhi always bullied Taotao and Qi and made up stories. Ms. Fang had caught her doing so a few times.
Shao Meizhi flushed.
Ms. Ma said) 'Eldest Sister-in-law, Meizhi was the guest, and she got angry because Ms. Qiao and Ms. Yang did not treat her well!"
Ms. Fang said, "Oh, so you know you are a guest, an outsider! Then what were you doing at my house? My daughters-in-law did not have to tolerate such behavior!"
Shao Meizhi's husband, Jiang Dahe, was dumbfounded. He had no idea what he should do.
Shao Meizhi felt so humiliated. She covered her face and sobbed. "Eldest Aunt, how can you say this? They must have exaggerated the whole thing."
"You are the one who exaggerates, not them. They always tell the truth.. Stop crying here, go to your own house and cry!'
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Cousin, I told you yesterday that we live separately. You are the guest, and you should stick to the rules. You want to be our host? How ridiculous!"
"Shame on you all! We should not have spoiled you!" Ms. Fang said coldly.
Shao Meizhi stared at Eldest Uncle, transfixed.
Eldest Uncle looked embarrassed but still asked. "Ms. Qiao, why didn't you serve food to Meizhi and Xiaozhi yesterday?"
Qiao Xuan was surprised. "But shouldn't they eat at the third section of the
family instead of here? Also, they were too late, we had prepared the food already!'
Shao Xiaozhi added. "But we are not late today. We want to eat the claypot rice you ate last night!"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "You mean claypot rice? I told you how to make it. You can cook it yourselves! We are not a restaurant, and don't take orders from others, not even if money is paid!"
Yang Xiaoni laughed.
Shao Xiaozhi snapped. "Eldest Uncle, my sister, is not home often…"
Qiao Xuan interrupted her. "That is not my business!"
Ms. Fang said, "True! She can keep your parents company if she does not visit home often. You are dreaming if you want my daughter-in-law to cook food for you!'
Eldest Uncle frowned. "Ms. Qiao, Ms. Yang, they are relatives. You can make food for relatives, right?"
Qiao Xuan said, "Relatives order food?"
Eldest Uncle. "You…
Ms. Fang immediately said, "She was too unfriendly yesterday for us to make any food for her!"
Eldest Uncle, '
Ms. Fang continued. "Honestly, Ms. Ma, I am telling you now that we will be celebrating the New Year separately. You won't be joining us any more!"
Ms. Ma was startled. "What?"
"Not understood?" Ms. Fang said, "We are living separately, and we should celebrate New Year separately as well!"
Ms. Ma.
Eldest Uncle was about to say something, when Ms. Fang beat him to it. "If you don't like this idea, you can spend the new year with them. But we are not doing this henceforth!"
Shao Meizhi said angrily, "Eldest Uncle, you promised to take care of us!"
Ms. Fang smiled. "Heard that? They are trying to make you take care of them! If you want to do so, we won't stop you. How about you moving to their home for good?"
Eldest Uncle looked distressed. His mind was completely befuddled.
What Shao Meizhi said to him stung his heart!
Shao Meizhi panicked too. She was about to give some explanation when Ms.
Fang drove them all out of the house.
How could Shao Meizhi make Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni make food for them?
She should be served some dish-washer water!
Ms. Ma stomped her feet in front of the door angrily. "Okay, let's go home. We will never come here again!"
Jiang Dahe's eyes rolled as he said voluntarily, "Mom, we are one family. Don't ruin this relationship. Eldest Uncle's family is so rich, and they should help us, so that we can have a better life!"
Ms. Ma snorted. "Stop dreaming! Don't you know now what they are like!"
Shao Meizhi felt sour, shamed and angry. It was the first time for her to get humiliated by the first section of the family, so she felt worse than ever.
She almost could not stand up when she reached home..
"Mom, is their behavior so over the top now?!"
Ms. Ma sank her face. "You saw what happened! They have been like this since some time! Honestly, damn!"
"Then we just ignore them!"
Saying that, Shao Meizhi got dumbfounded again. The first section of the family was so rich now, and wanted to get rid of them…
Ms. Ma added. "When your brother becomes an officer, they will not be this arrogant! Also, Shao Yunduan has been driven out of the college, and he is done for!"
"Really? Tell me more about it!"
Shao Meizhi instantly got interested.
The mother and the daughter exchanged some gossip, and Shao Meizhi felt very glad hearing the bad news.
Just wait and see what their future would be like!
Shao Xiaozhi was displeased and nagged. "Mom, I want to eat smoked sausage rice now!"
Ms. Ma became annoyed. "What smoked sausage rice? You always talk about this!"
She had thought that when her elder daughter was home, she could make some difference. But she was also ruthlessly driven out by Ms. Fang.
She was quite upset as she thought about this.
Shao Meizhi was greedy for that too. "Mom, just make the smoked sausage rice tonight!'
Looking at them two, Ms. Ma was interested, as she asked strangely. "How is that rice made? Can it be so delicious?
Shao Xiaozhi pursed her lips. "I don't know, but it smelled so nice, and I really want it! But Third Sister-in-law and Fifth Sister-in-law did not share any with us!"
Ms. Ma felt a bit concerned for her daughter, who was never treated like this. Only Taotao was!
Ms. Ma could not stand it when it was her daughter who was bullied.
"Okay, okay, we will make smoked sausage rice tonight!" They had smoked sausage as well!
But it was not very easy to make the one they wished to eat.
They had no special pot for claypot rice, so they used the pot for rice cooking. When the rice was almost done, they put some sliced smoked sausage, poured some soy sauce, crushed some garlic and added some vegetables. Shao Xiaozhi wanted an egg, which was turned down by Ms. Ma.
Smoked sausage with egg? That was such a waste!
But Shao Xiaozhi and Shao Meizhi did not think the smell was right, except for the strange smell of the smoked sausage. It seemed totally different.
Nonetheless, they still enjoyed the dish.
But after that, Ms. Ma said, "This is the same as steamed smoked sausage…"
Shao Xiaozhi and Shao Meizhi were both startled…
That seemed right.
But they started to get really distressed again.
They knew that the first section of the family had made a different, fragrant dish.
Shao Meizhi felt so irritated when she missed out what she had almost got her hands on.
Her parents were right. Eldest Uncle had changed too!
"Mom, where does Eldest Uncle's family get this much wealth from? Are they doing some business behind our backs?"
Shao Meizhi 's husband and father-in-law were carpenters. They made furniture for people, so Shao Meizhi had some different ideas.
Ms. Ma was startled. "They have no business to do here!"
Shao Meizhi said, "The house is so big, and the furniture isn't cheap. The glazed windows are really expensive!"
"It's all Ms. Qiao's dowry.. That dumb-headed woman! The first section of the family is going to coax her to spend all of her dowry on them soon!"
"Dowry? That is too much even for someone's dowry." Shao Meizhi did not believe that. "Ms. Qiao is a concubine's daughter. No lineal mother would really care about a concubine's daughter that much. I believe that they must have some way of making money. Look at the businessman's family, the concubine's daughter always has a worse life than maids!"
"Oh well…
Shao Meizhi believed that her conjecture was right. "Mom, you should watch them carefully. Observe what they do. I am sure they have many ways of making money!'
Ms. Ma thought for a while and nodded. "Okay, I will keep an eye on them. It won't be so troublesome!"
They were in the same village. They would always run into each other.
The next day, Shao Meizhi and her husband left.
They had intended to just stay one night before leaving. But Shao Meizhi wanted to report Qiao Xuan's deeds to Eldest Uncle when he was back, thus staying for one more day.
But the report failed and she felt really annoyed.
She did not even say goodbye to Eldest Uncle when she left.
Hearing that the three families were not celebrating New Year together, Second Uncle and Third Uncle were really displeased. They rushed to the first section of the family and argued about it.
Ms. Fang ignored them and refused to change anything.
Eldest Uncle wanted to have a lively dinner, but no one in the family supported him. Shao Sanlang, Shao Yunduan, Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni all said no to his request, and Qi and Taotao disapproved of it too. Elder Uncle felt really distressed, but there was nothing he could do.
Second Uncle and Third Uncle became totally disappointed with Eldest Uncle, who only talked nice but never did anything in reality.
Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma kept blaming the first section of the family for this decision, but no family in the village would gather together with their brothers, after their parents were gone.
When the three sections of the family gathered to celebrate New Years, they were just creating a strange scene.
Hence, they could not even complain about it to the villagers. They felt so annoyed.
But it had been settled that they were not spending the New Year together, ever again.
Ms. Niu could not help but blame Ms. Ma. "It is your Meizhi who caused all of this. But for what she did to the first section of the family, they would not have made this decision!"
Ms. Ma did not accept this accusation. "Eldest Sister-in-law has disliked us for a long time. She was going to mention this to us anyway. Meizhi has nothing to do with it."
Since Ms. Fang and Ms. Xu had finished with their visits to their parents' homes, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan visited the Qiao Family before the Minor New Year.
They had some mediocre presents with them and got mediocre reception at the mansion.
Officer Qiao did not appear this time to receive them.
It was Madame Qiao, Qiao Wei, Concubine Du and Qiao Kou who received them.
Qiao Wei was also there watching the show.
She was really interested in meeting Qiao Xuan.
Qiao Wei even ordered Liu Yan to serve her. Qiao Xuan's face changed as she saw Liu Yan. She lowered her head and said nothing, which made Qiao Wei feel really glad.
Qiao Kou added fuel to the fire.
"Second Sister, Liu Yan is your maid, isn't she? Why is she not with you?"
Qiao Xuan was startled, as she staggered. "I am not sure… Elder Sister has the call!"
The Elder Sister could give whatever she wanted. She was arrogant and spoiled, without any manners.
Qiao Kou did not understand what Qiao Xuan meant. She chuckled and teased.. "You are right, Second Sister, Elder Sister has the call!"
"She is the Elder Sister, after all…
Qiao Kou found her to be boring. She chuckled and said, "Second Sister, you are so obedient! You obey whatever Elder Sister tells you to!"
Qiao Xuan said seriously, "We are sisters, and we should listen to each other."
Qiao Kou was startled, as she glared at Qiao Xuan. "Of course, I am the most obedient one!"
Qiao Wei was already quite displeased. She snorted and threw a look at Qiao
Kou.
What was this bitch trying to say? No wonder her mother said that Qiao Xuan was not a threat, but this bitch was. She was not going to allow this cheap woman to suck up to any noble family, otherwise there would be trouble.
It seemed that her mom was right…
Madame Qiao apparently realized that Qiao Kou did not mean anything good. She gave her a cold look.
Concubine Du, who had been watching the show, felt her heart tremble. She threw a look at Qiao Kou, telling her to shut up.
Liu Yan didn't dare to utter a word but said inwardly, 'Stop messing around. Second Miss is not as simple as you assume. If you keep on causing trouble, you will really be in trouble.'
Concubine Du hurriedly spoke up, fearing that Qiao Kou would continue to say something bad. She smiled. "1 heard that Young Master Shao has been driven out of Minghua College, is it true? What happened?"
Qiao Kou soon got interested and chuckled. "Yeah, what about telling the story of how you were driven out of college? You are not going to attend the imperial examination, without a teacher, right? Should Dad help you?"
Qiao Xuan threw a look at Qiao Kou, as she turned to Madame Qiao, asking sincerely. "Mom, can Dad really be of some help?"
Madame Qiao glanced at Qiao Kou coldly, snorting. "Stop speaking nonsense. College made the decision for a certain reason. The Old Master is a fair and just officer who will never abuse his power to conduct any personal affairs!"
"Oh." Qiao Xuan looked disappointed. "True… I never expected that. But I thought the Third Sister was telling me…"
Qiao Kou got anxious. "Stop the nonsense. That is not what I mean!" Qiao Xuan sounded weak. "Oh, then I must have been mistaken…"
Qiao Kou got even more annoyed. "You are definitely mistaken!"
"Drop it now!" Madame Qiao got impatient as she snapped. "Just shut your mouth if you don't know how to talk. Stop messing around!"
Qiao Kou flushed. She threw a grudging look at Qiao Xuan.
Concubine Du was annoyed too. She kept blaming Qiao Kou for being stupid and for Qiao Xuan not being able to talk nicely, which made Madame Qiao misunderstand Qiao Kou.
Concubine Du quieted down, rather than laugh at Qiao Xuan.
Liu Yan lowered her head. She wished to hide herself.
She thought to herself. Second Miss just puts forward a few casual words and Third Miss immediately gets set up. She is not as simple as she looks… Noone has ever realized it…
"Alright, you have traveled far to come to this place. Stay for lunch." Madame Qiao stood up and was about to leave.
She had no interest in keeping Qiao Xuan and her husband company.
Qiao Xuan replied. "It will get dark soon, so we need to head back. We can keep ourselves warm under the sun. No need for lunch, thanks. Mother, we are leaving now, say hello to Father for us.."
They were sure that Shao Yunduan's future had been ruined, and Qiao Xuan was never going to get out of the farmer's family. They did not bother to make any effort in being nice.
In this case, it saved them a lot of trouble. They would not stop her from leaving, if she wanted to.
Sure enough, Madame Qiao ignored them and said, "Anyway you like."
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan waved them goodbye and left the mansion.
"Alright, darling?"
"Yeah, I am fine!"
They smiled at each other. "Then, let's go home!"
"Okay!"
They walked for over two lanes before getting on the donkey cart. Shao Sanlang was waiting for them at the noodle restaurant close by. He was surprised that they showed up so early.
But Shao Sanlang never pried into the reason for it. He stood up and greeted them, and the three of them went home together.
They learned about Yang Liang's visit when they came home.
Shao Sanlang got anxious as she took Yang Xiaoni's hands. "Honey, he did not bully you, did he?"
Yang Xiaoni felt so sweet in heart, as she looked at Shao Sanlang with love, shaking her head. "No, no, don't worry, Brother Sanlang. We are at our own home, and he could not bully me at all!"
"That is good!" Shao Sanlang let out a sigh of relief, snorting. "Shame on him!"
Yang Xiaoni added. "Yeah. I ignored him too!"
"You are right, just ignore him! He must have said something bad to you, but don't think about it. I would be worried."
"I am happy to have you, Brother Sanlang. I am not annoyed!"
"Haha!"
Ms. Fang could not stand their behavior any more. She glared at her son. "Just go back to your room for these sweet talks. Stop being in the way!"
Qiao Xuan and the others had already left the site. Shao Sanlang was confused. "We are not in the way!"
Ms. Fang shouted. "You are! Just go back to your room!"
Shao Sanlang had a lot to ask Yang Xiaoni. He found his mother getting really hot-tempered these days, but he did not want to argue with her. So he replied briefly and left with Yang Xiaoni.
They continued to talk about this when they went back to their own room.
Yang Liang visited Yang Xiaoni because he was thinking about taking Yang Xiaoni back, so they would not be laughed at by people in the village, especially since Yang Xiaoni and Shao Sanlang refused to pass on any gifts to them.
Yang Liang said to Ms. Tian, "Xiaoni is my sister, and I can coax her. She won't be so ruthless. If they come here, you must not scold her any more. Treat her nicely, so they could come and visit us often."
Ms. Tian cursed inwardly and said unhappily, "Alright, alright, I know what to do! You can get her back if you are capable of doing so. She is not as generous as you assume. She holds a deep grudge against you!"
Yang Liang was annoyed by what she said. His face sank and he asked. "What do you mean? Do you want me to get them here or not?"
Ms. Tian fell silent.
Ms. Fang and Yang Xiaoni were both alarmed seeing Yang Liang at the door. He felt so embarrassed.
Yang Liang was so jealous looking at the new house of the first section of the family!
The first section of the family was leading an increasingly better life!
His sister looked prettier than the last time they met. She was even wearing silver bracelets, with silver hairpins and silk flowers in her hair, looking radiant.
That made Yang Liang feel really uncomfortable. He had a strange thought inside his head.
Yang Xiaoni turned down Yang Liang's intention.
He became really furious when the persuasion did not work. "Xiaomi, isn't it enough? You have vented your anger. Are you trying to deny that I am your brother?"
Yang Xiaoni looked at him calmly. "You denied that I was your sister a long time ago. You never treated me like your sister. You didn't even give me any dowry when I got married. I got my wedding gown from my mother-in-law!
You forgot all of these? I didn't!"
Yang Liang got even more annoyed. "But you said yes to all of these. Why didn't you oppose the decision? Now you are picking up the old stories?"
Yang Xiaoni sneered. "Would that have worked? I did not dare say a thing!
What if my wedding was called off because of you and your selfish behavior!"
"If it were not Brother Sanlang I married, but some poor family who never fed me, would you still come and beg me to go home with you?"
Yang Liang was startled. He subconsciously did not dare look at Yang Xiaoni.
Yang Xiaoni sneered. She felt even colder in heart. This was what she had expected!
What was the point of putting on a show?
Ms. Fang could not help but glance at Yang Xiaoni. Her third son's daughter-in-law might look slow in the head, but she never changed her mind once she made the decision. She was not all that useless.
"So, we can be strangers from today on, and part our ways. I won't be jealous of you if you make a fortune, or want a portion of it. Similarly, whether I am living well or not has nothing to do with you either, understand?"
Yang Liang felt so embarrassed. But he had no words to counter her. He left the Shao Family in total awkwardness.
He had another fight with Ms. Tian when he reached home.
Hearing Yang Xiaoni's words, Shao Sanlang kept kissing his wife, smiling. "My wife, you were great! You made such a wonderful speech!"
Yang Xiaoni looked very proud and smiled brightly. "Of course I did!"
The following day, Shao Yunduan and Shao Sanlang went to deliver New Year's presents to Master Yun.
Master Yun had not taken Shao Yunduan as the disciple formally. But he still learned a lot from him. He respected him and admired him as a disciple, thus abundant presents were prepared.
However, when he returned home in the afternoon, Master Yun and his three servants, namely Uncle Yun and Aunt Yun as well as Cang came back with him. They were going to spend the New Year at his house.
Ms. Fang and Eldest Uncle were surprised, but still opened their arms in welcome for them.
Shao Xiaoqi's yard was quite spacious, with three wing-rooms and one main room, as well as two smaller affiliated rooms. Master Yun and his group would live there.
Qi volunteered to spare the main room for Master Yun, whilst he rolled up his blanket and moved to the east affiliated room.
Master Yun stayed in the master bedroom, whilst Uncle Yun and Aunt Yun lived in the western affiliated room. Cang lived in the segmented room next to Master Yun's. Soon, Uncle Yun sorted the east wing-room as study.
The Shao Family were quite uneasy facing Master Yun and his people. They were plainly dressed, but they looked different. So, the Shao Family were all quite nervous meeting them..
But Master Yun was a very easygoing person and good at chatting. He spoke of land and properties with Eldest Uncle and Ms. Fang, so that both of them felt interested in speaking with Master Yun.
Uncle Yun and Aunt Yun were friendly, and Cang was a very lively and smiling boy with a sweet tongue.
They soon got on well with each other.
The family had no idea that Master Yun actually was Shao Yunduan's teacher. But Shao Sanlang and Qiao Xuan did.
So when the teacher was here, he should be treated well.
Qiao Xuan decided to cook the dinner personally.
Ms. Xu and Yang Xiaoni gave her a hand.
They made steamed smoked meat, sausage and a smoked fish platter. They killed a chicken and stewed it with the most delicious and rare mountain mushrooms. They also made steamed pork belly with powder, braised soft-shelled turtle, stir-fried eel with ginger, onion and garlic, steamed mandarin fish, minced meat tofu, stir-fried yam, stir-fry shredded bamboo shoots of tea tree mushrooms, as well as a garlic-fried cabbage.
As each dish was cooked and served, Ms. Xu and Yang Xiaoni were both very proficient with Qiao Xuan's pace. But Aunt Yun was shocked.
She was quite good at cooking and expected to make the dishes here. It turned out that she did not need to do a thing.
At first, Aunt Yun saw Ms. Xu, Yang Xiaoni happily washing, chopping, cleaning the pot, and lighting the fire, while Qiao Xuan was watching from the side. Moreover, they still wanted to ask Qiao Xuan about everything, such as how to cut the vegetables, and other things.
This made Aunt Yun even more puzzled.
But Qiao Xuan was better at cooking the actual dishes.
The dishes were far superior to the ones made by hers.
When the dinner was served, Master Yun ate with everyone from the first section of the family. Aunt Yun and Uncle Yun as well as Cang were not at the table, but they got some portions from each dish and ate at the small, square desk in the kitchen.
Qiao Xuan said to them, "Uncle Yun and Aunt Yun, just eat the food. My husband is attending Master Yun!"
Master Yun was not a particular man. So, both Uncle Yun and Aunt Yun nodded and accepted the offer.
Ms. Fang and Eldest Uncle invited Master Yun to take the seat.
Master Yun could not help but sigh seeing the table filled with dishes. "This is such a waste of food! Only a dish of smoked sausage, vegetables and tofu should be enough. It must have cost a lot!"
Ms. Fang smiled. "It's very nice of you to say so! These fish were all caught in the river and kept in the pond in the backyard of our house for free. This chicken is also raised at home. We have a lot of chickens at home! I also made a lot of sausages and smoked meat, about 100 kgs. You would never be able to finish it!"
"My daughter-in-law, Ms. Qiao cooked this meal. She is really good at making food. Try it please!"
The whole family asked Master Yun to take the seat.
Master Yun was surprised. He had thought that his servant, Aunt Yun made all this. So, it was not her?
But hearing what Ms. Fang said, he felt relaxed and smiled. "Okay, okay I will try everything! You are living a great life here. How wonderful!"
Ms. Fang was proud. "Yeah. My sons and daughters-in-law are all very capable people!"
Master Yun nodded with a smile. "Yeah. I agree!"
"Yeah!" Ms. Fang felt even prouder.
"Yes, yes!"
Ms. Fang was very easy to get on well with. She was very straightforward.
Qiao Xuan cooked for Master Yun every day. She tried her best to serve Master Yun some good dishes..
Firstly, she was showing respect to the teacher, and also, she wanted Master Yun to see that they were very sincere so Master Yun could accept Shao Yunduan as the disciple formally.
Master Yun spoke highly of her cooking skills. He had been to many places, and Qiao Xuan served different cuisines, some of which he had tasted before and some not.
Hearing that Qiao Xuan was the daughter of the County Magistrate and learned the cooking skills from books, he could not help but feel emotional.
How blind was the County Magistrate to have ignored such a wonderful daughter!
When Master Yun was well fed, he spent more effort in imparting knowledge to Shao Yunduan. He was having a very leisure time living with the first section of the family.
Soon, the news that guests were visiting the first section of the family spread in the village, but it was not discussed for too long.
The first section of the family was different from the other families. It was quite normal these days that they had guests.
Seeing that it was an elderly man who was the visitor, the second and third section of the family lost interest. But they kept mumbling to themselves, blaming them for being turned away whilst strangers were accepted.
The New Year's Eve arrived soon after Minor New Year.
It was very lively in the whole village on New Year's Eve.
Every household started to post Spring Festival couplets and window papercuts in the morning. Those who were more particular would hang two pairs of red lanterns under the eaves to watch the festival.
The first section of the family was going to spend the New Year in the new house, and everyone was glad about it. They had got everything – the couplets, the character of happiness, window papercuts as well as red lanterns under the eaves. The whole house looked really lively.
Taotao and Qi put on new clothes and shoes, with pockets full of melon seeds, peanuts, pine nuts, almonds and so on, playing with children in the village. They cheered happily and set firecrackers, making the whole village look even more flourishing.
Shao Xiaozhi and Shao Meiling also had new clothes made. When they went out to hang out with friends, they ran into Taotao and Qi, who had their brother with them too.
Taotao was wearing a rose-red dress, embroidered with begonia flowers on the side, a circle of fluffy snow-white rabbit fur around the neckline and cuffs, a light pink skirt, and thick buckskin boots, which made the girl look very beautiful.
The material of the dress was not satin, but it was better than ordinary muslin, and the workmanship of the clothes was more delicate and meticulous. It made her stand out in the crowd of friends without being too obtrusive.
Still Taotao caused much envy from her peers, since she was already a good-looking girl from birth.
She had many snacks and shared them with friends generously, and many children loved hanging out with her.
Shao Xiaozhi and Shao Meiling had been quite happy in their new clothes, but their faces turned dark when they saw Taotao.
Taotao was never as good as them, and she only got what they had left. But things are different now. The two sisters felt sour in heart.
They could have ripped Taotao of the silk flowers and hairpin flowers as well as snacks in the past, and they would have pestered Eldest Uncle to share the clothes with them too.
But they did not dare to do anything like that now.
Shao Xiaozhi and Shao Meiling kept mocking Taotao and tried to turn others against her.
But Taotao had many snacks and was very generous, so she attracted many fellows to her side, which made Shao Xiaozhi and Shao Meiling really displeased.
They found the whole thing going against them, and hence decided to go home with their faces sunk..
Shao Meiling was slightly older and had just gotten engaged. She did not dare to make a scene, thus crying to herself.
Shao Xiaozhi almost burst into tears seeing Ms. Ma. "Taotao bullied me!"
Ms. Ma had not been really happy when she heard about killing a chicken for New Year's dinner. Now, she became really angry. "How did she bully you? Tell me! Even Taotao has changed."
Normally, all they needed to do was to eat at the first section of the family every year rather than take care of everything, which saved them a lot of trouble. But right now, they have to do everything by themselves.
She wanted a reason to vent the accumulated anger.
Shao Xiaozhi got startled hearing what her mother said. She stumbled with her words, not daring to say a thing. Her mother got even more irritated by her hesitation, so she dashed off into the room.
Ms. Ma mumbled. "Serve you right to have been bullied… so timid and weak!"
But after thinking about this for a while, she did not go to the doorstep of the first section of the family to fight.
After New Year's Eve, they visited relatives rather than farm the land. The whole village had a very relaxed air around.
There were many people visiting the first section of the family. Ms. Fang and her daughters-in-law received them one by one.
Ms. Fang and Ms. Xu's mothers' family, Ding Erzhu's in-laws as well as Ms. Fang's married elder sister etc. They were all here.
Even Shao Dali as well as a few other families from the same village came to visit them.
Qiao Xuan and Yang Xiaoni as well as Ms. Xu received the guests every day.
They were very busy.
Luckily, the new house was spacious enough for the relatives to stay, and Shao
Yunduan was not affected when he needed to study.
After the New Year, the autumn examination date was approaching.
But on the sixth day of the New Year, Ms. Xu suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. She turned pale and vomited. She knew what was happening. Ms. Fang asked a doctor to feel the pulse, and it was revealed that Ms. Xu had been pregnant for two months.
The whole family cheered happily.
Shao Dalang felt happier since he was going to be a father again.
Ms. Fang asked Ms. Xu to take a good rest instead of working in the field. She could do some light work like feeding the chicken and sweeping the floor. The four-year-old Shao Qing should not be next to her either, in case her stomach was kicked accidentally by the child.
Qiao Xuan offered some cubilose and donkey-hide gelatin to Ms. Xu as supplementary food.
Ms. Xu was quite pleased. She had one son and she did not care if it was a girl or a boy that was yet to come. Most importantly, they were living a very good life these days, and the child knew how to choose a family. She or he would be a very happy child anyway.
Yang Xiaoni massaged her sunk belly and got a little worried. She turned to
Shao Sanlang and said some bitter words, meaning that the Elder
Sister-in-law was already pregnant with the third child, whilst she had not got pregnant at all after being married for so long. She wondered if their mother would not like it…
Shao Sanlang could tell that his wife was very worried about this. He said anxiously, "It is not your fault. I should take responsibility too. You can't get pregnant by yourself."
Yang Xiaoni flushed. "I am talking about serious business here. You are just making those indecent remarks!"
Shao Sanlang. What? Why indecent?
"Mom won't blame you for that. Don't worry about this!"
Shao Sanlang consoled Yang Xiaoni. He thought for a while and turned to look at his mother instead..
He was going to tell his mother not to give them too much pressure in pushing them to give birth to a baby.
Ms. Fang almost laughed.
She poked him straight on the forehead. "I don't intend to put you under any pressure, okay? You have only been married for a few months! Also, Ms. Yang did not have a good time back at her own home, and it is not that good to get pregnant now. You should make sure she lives well and becomes healthier, so she can be pregnant then!"
"Oh, true!" Shao Sanlang's eyes brightened, as he smiled. "I never thought about this before. Mom, you are so considerate!"
Ms. Fang glared at him. "Now you understand? Then, get lost from here. So irritating that my brainless son is wandering in front of me! "
Shao Sanlang did not care when he was scolded. He chuckled and went to tell his wife this good news.
Ms. Fang thought for a while. She was worried that Ms. Qiao would be worried about this issue too, when she saw Ms. Xu getting pregnant.
So, Ms. Fang automatically consoled Qiao Xuan, telling her not to get worried about getting pregnant now especially since Shao Yunduan was in the middle of preparing for the imperial examination. She kept insisting that they should not have a child so soon, and they could wait for a couple of more years, and such.
Qiao Xuan flushed after hearing that. She nodded with a small chuckle.
She felt a bit moved, but embarrassed too. Actually, she never thought about pregnancy just because her Elder Sister-in-law got pregnant again.
She had not even slept with Shao Yunduan at this point. Nor had she thought about getting pregnant. As a result, she never related Ms. Xu's pregnancy to hers.
But when her mother-in-law mentioned it, she was reminded that she might need to get pregnant and become a mother someday, since she was Shao Yunduan's wife, after all.
Luckily, her mother-in-law was open-minded, and she could leave this matter to the future.
On the tenth day of the New Year, Master Yun and his servants left the first section of the family and returned home.
Shao Yunduan and Ms. Fang could not make them stay longer. So, they had to give it up.
Shao Yunduan accompanied them personally, and sent abundant local things to them.
Master Yun liked their smoked sausage and meat, salted eggs and preserved eggs, dried bamboo and mushrooms, etc. So he accepted them all, without turning down the offer.
On the 12th day of the New Year, Shao Silang from the second section of the family was getting married.
Ms. Niu and Second Uncle had a good idea. They wanted Qi to hunt a wild boar so that the banquet would look good, and also, they would not have to buy any meat themselves.
Ms. Fang laughed.
They were telling Qi to hunt wild boars so their son's wedding could look good? Wild boars were very dangerous animals and they could not be hunted just on someone's whim and fancy!
Ms. Fang turned them down, which displeased Second Uncle and Ms. Niu.
When the wedding day came, Ms. Fang took Yang Xiaoni and Taotao to offer help, whilst Shao Sanlang and Shao Yunduan as well as Qi all went to greet the bride.
Ms. Xu was pregnant so she did not go to help. She would just visit when the bride arrived. She should stay at home in case she bumped into something.
Ms. Fang did not want Qiao Xuan to go there either. She asked her to stay at home to look after Ms. Xu and not do any labor work.
Ms. Niu had wanted Qiao Xuan to offer help, because she was County Magistrate's daughter, which would lift up their family's reputation.
But there was nothing she could do, when Ms. Fang refused to bring her along.
Ms. Zhang sneered. "Elder Sister-in-law is pregnant with the third child and she is getting more precious than before.. She needs to be taken care of specially by someone at home?"
Ms. Fang snorted. "True. We are living a different life now, and of course she is more precious than before. We are going to get compensation for what we lost in the past!"
Ms. Zhang choked on her words and veins popped up on her forehead.
What they had lost in the past? Yeah, the first section of the family was bullied by the second and third section of the family in the past, and they never had a relaxed time. So, of course they were not considered precious in the past.
Unconvinced, she pretended to smile calmly. "Taotao is enough to take care of her elder sister-in-law, right? Why Fifth Sister-in-law? I am afraid that you are favoring her more! You don't want her to get tired."
Ms. Fang never liked Ms. Zhang. When she was turned down after she tried to borrow money from her, she had never acted normally whenever they ran into each other.
Ms. Zhang always picked the worst words to speak.
Ms. Fang had never wanted to pick on someone junior in the family, but this junior kept offending her, and she was really starting to get irritated.
Also, Ms. Fang was not a good-tempered person to begin with.
So, she snapped. "True. Of course I have a preference, and it is up to me, the mother-in-law! Anyone dares to counter my preference? I think your mother-in-law is the same. She gave 15 liang as a wedding gift to the Yan Family, just hoping that their daughter could come to your family. She even built two new rooms for them!"
"Second Niece, honestly, don't be mad. The Yan Family is running a tofu business and should be quite rich. I heard that they had a large dowry prepared as well. The girl from the Yan Family should be quite capable. I am sure your mother-in-law has her preference as well!"
Ms. Zhang was trembling. She almost could not breathe.
Ms. Fang sneered and turned around, leaving arrogantly.
How dare this young woman try to play tricks on her?
As the drum was played and the whole place turned bustling, the bride was officially married to the family. Ms. Zhang did not like any of this, especially the redness….
Yang Xiaoni and Ms. Fang did not return home until that evening.
Qiao Xuan and Taotao boiled some water at home, so the hall room was filled with a warm coal basin. They even had some water prepared.
They regained energy after drinking the hot tea, warmed up in front of the fire and finally relaxed.
The wedding was not as good as that of the first section of the family, and those who were there to help had no time to eat anything during the wedding. They were only allowed to eat the leftovers after the banquet was over.
But there were no leftovers remaining as well. The leftovers were all taken away by Ms. Niu, so Ms. Fang had almost no meat to eat.
Anyways, they had been so well-fed during the Chinese New Year, so she desired something light. Hence, she ignored the cheap behavior of the second section of the family.
Early next morning, the newly-wedded Ms. Yan, together with Shao Silang came over with Ms. Niu to greet the first section of the family.
The first section of the family represented the eldest in the family, so the newly-wedded daughter-in-law of the other sections of the family should come to greet the relatives here first.
Qiao Xuan could not help but size up Ms. Yan secretly.
Ms. Yan had a very ordinary look, with many freckles on her nose. She was medium-sized, neither chubby nor skinny. Dressed in red clothes and with some silver pins and red silk flowers on her head, she seemed friendly.
She was four years older than Shao Silang though!