Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12003

Now that this person has entered the family, she is their daughter-in-law. Presumably, the mother-in-law can't hold back any longer and wants to settle all the old and new scores, with interest.

"If that's really the case, Sixi Niang's eating manners are too hasty and unseemly," Da Sunshi muttered to herself after stopping Cao Bamei.

Both Sun and Bao Suyun shook their heads silently. If that were the case, it could only mean that Sixi Niang lacked vision.

Once you step through the door, you're family. You're your son's wife, the mother of your grandchildren, and the person who will spend the rest of your son's life with you.

As a mother, I can't be with my son for his whole life, but now that I've found him someone who will care for me and be there for me for the rest of his life, I should cherish him!
"Hey, look who's there? Xiu Hong and Sixi?" Suddenly, Liu pointed towards the old maple tree at the village entrance and exclaimed excitedly.

Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized Xiu Hong and Sixi. Xiu Hong walked in front, with Sixi following behind, both carrying loads of things.

A figure rushed past them and headed straight for the pond at the village entrance. Who else could it be but Cao Bamei?
On the pond dam, Xiu Hong and Sixi, carrying their things, chatted and laughed happily as they walked towards the village entrance.

Suddenly, she saw a figure running towards her, calling her name from afar: "Er Yatou".

"Mother!" Xiu Hong exclaimed in surprise, put the things down on the ground, and came to greet her. The mother and daughter stood on the pond embankment and hugged each other tightly.

"Second daughter, your mother has finally waited for you to come back." Cao Bamei hugged Xiuhong tightly, unwilling to let go.

Xiu Hong was somewhat bewildered. Although she had only been married for a day, that short day felt like an eternity to her, and she couldn't wait to get home.

But wasn't Mom's reaction a bit too much?

Behind him, Sixi also picked up the things on the ground and followed, saying, "Mother-in-law."

Si Xi's voice interrupted Cao Ba Mei's thoughts, and she finally turned her gaze from her daughter to her son-in-law.

Although Cao Bamei still had a smile on her face, there was a hint of inquiry, dissatisfaction, and hesitation in her smile.

"Mother, let's go home first. We can talk about it when we get home." Xiu Hong knew her mother best and could tell at a glance that her mother seemed to be somewhat dissatisfied with Sixi, so she took Cao Bamei's arm and walked forward.

Cao Bamei glanced at the village women washing clothes at the bottom of the pond; many eyes were looking in their direction.

Cao Bamei patted Xiu Hong's hand and gave Sixi a forced smile: "Let's go home."

"Mother, have my sister and brother-in-law arrived yet?" Xiu Hong asked as she walked.

"You're here! You've been here for almost the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. We've been waiting for you," said Cao Bamei.

"Second Girl, why are you so late? Did something hold you up?" Cao Bamei asked again, deliberately lowering her voice as she asked, clearly not wanting anyone, including Sixi behind her, to hear.

Upon hearing this, Xiu Hong secretly observed Cao Ba Mei's expression and immediately guessed that her mother was probably a little upset about their lateness.
“Mother, Sixi and I have actually been out for a while, but we didn’t come this way. Instead, we went to Hei Feng’s general store and bought some things.”

Upon hearing Xiu Hong's words, Cao Ba Mei's gaze fell on Si Xi's hands behind Xiu Hong. Only then did Cao Ba Mei realize that the young couple had indeed carried a lot of things, including things that children like to eat and play with, which were obviously for Xiao San Zi and Yong Xiao.

"So you were delayed because you went shopping. That's good. You scared me," Cao Bamei said, her smile clearly showing relief.

Xiu Hong was completely confused, but she didn't want to ask too many questions here, especially since they had already arrived at the gate of the courtyard. Her grandmother, third grandmother, fourth grandmother, fifth grandmother, and aunt were all there. Xiu Hong quickly composed herself and, together with Sixi, took the initiative to greet the elders.

Da Bao had been waiting nearby, lighting the firecrackers he had prepared beforehand. Amidst the crackling sounds, he welcomed the second daughter and her husband back to their parents' home...

Upon entering the house, they found everyone there. Their great-grandfather, several grandfathers, father, and uncles all came out of the main room to welcome them.

My older sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother all came out to greet me. My older sister, Xiuxiu, was so happy to see that her younger sister was also returning home. She almost ran over from the steps at the entrance of the main room and grabbed Xiuhong's hand tightly.

"Second sister, you're back! Everyone's been talking about you!" Xiu Xiu said, pulling Xiu Hong straight into the house.

When Jin saw her other granddaughter return, she couldn't stop smiling, making indistinct sounds. Xiu Hong could tell that her grandmother was also inviting her into the house...

After another round of pleasantries and greetings, the group ushered them into the main room.

……

After some conversation, the two sons-in-law were left in the front courtyard to drink tea and chat, while the two young ladies followed Cao Bamei, along with the women of the Sun, Liu, Bao Suyun, and Da Sun families, back to the back courtyard. Everyone went into Xiu Hong's boudoir and closed the door to talk.

This is also part of the custom of daughters returning to their parents' home for a second visit. The female elders of the bride's family will inquire about the newlyweds' marriage.

In the past, the young couple might have been asked about the details of their relationship. Whether or not the daughter was willing to share her secrets with her female relatives and elders depended on her personality and thoughts.

Most girls usually choose what they can say and resolutely refuse to say what they can't.

However, when it comes to how they get along with other members of their husband's family, the daughters almost always answer whatever they are asked.

At that moment, Cao Bamei cut to the chase and asked Xiuhong, "I heard that Sixi's mother gave you trouble this morning? Is that true?"

Xiu Hong had just sat down when she heard this. She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the female elders present before landing directly on Liu, who was eating melon seeds.

“If I’m not mistaken, this is probably what my fourth grandmother said, right?” Xiu Hong asked.

Liu's eyes lit up, and she smiled smugly: "Your fourth grandmother is the village's gossip queen, there's nothing I don't know." Xiu Hong rolled her eyes inwardly, then turned her head and saw her mother, sister, and third grandmother all looking at her with concern.

Xiu Hong had no interest in arguing with Fourth Grandmother, who was a gossip and a busybody.

"Mother, don't worry. Although there was such a thing, it's nothing serious, and it's all in the past." Xiu Hong said lightly, her tone very calm, as if it really was just a trivial matter.

“Second Girl, there are no outsiders here, so you don’t need to worry about us and keep it from us,” Cao Bamei said.

“Your mother knows that Sixi’s mother better than you do. Tell us what’s going on, so we can help you figure it out,” Cao Bamei said again, her voice full of concern and earnest advice.

Xiu Hong nodded repeatedly, "Sister, this kind of thing will happen again if it happens once. Tell us about it, and we'll think about it and give you some ideas. That way, you'll have a way to deal with it next time."

Originally, this matter was over and done with, and when Xiu Hong returned to her parents' home, she had no intention of bringing it up again.

However, Xiu Hong was finding it hard to cope with the pity in the eyes of the group of elders in her family, including her sister, who all looked at her as if she had suffered a great loss and injustice.

"Mother, I don't know what Fourth Grandmother said to you, but I just want to say that things aren't as serious as she said!"

"So what exactly happened?" Cao Bamei pressed.

Liu raised her hand and swore, "I swear to God, I didn't embellish anything. I just said what I heard."

Cao Bamei glanced at Liu Shi again, gave her a perfunctory smile, intending for Liu Shi not to overthink it or keep interrupting, and to let them ask first.

“Second Girl, if you don’t want us to worry and overthink things at home, tell us what happened,” Cao Bamei said again.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Xiu Hong had no choice but to sigh softly, "Let me think, where should I start... Hmm, let's start from yesterday afternoon after the banquet, when my mother-in-law came to ask me for wedding cakes. That's probably when I offended her, and everything that followed was because of that incident that she started causing me trouble..."

Xiu Hong finished speaking in one breath, and no one interrupted. After Xiu Hong finished speaking, she picked up her teacup again and started drinking tea. Everyone in the room reacted at the same time.

Cao Bamei slammed her hand on the table in anger and said, "That old hag, she's so stingy and mean-spirited over a few pieces of wedding cake! Bah!"

Madam Sun shook her head, saying, "They even schemed to take the wedding cakes from their daughter-in-law's dowry. There's no one else like them."

Sun said, "The wedding cakes are large and taste good. Yongjin specially ordered them from a pastry workshop. One cake is worth several cakes outside. It's not surprising that her mother-in-law is so fond of them."

Many of the cakes wrapped in red paper that people exchange during New Year's greetings in the village are, to put it bluntly, five, six, seven, or eight years old.

In other words, it's used to make a good impression when visiting relatives or giving gifts during the Lunar New Year, fulfilling the auspicious meaning of "rising step by step".

In the first two years, I was reluctant to open the package to save money. But when I wanted to eat it in the second and third years, I was really sorry, because rice noodle products are particularly prone to getting damp, moldy, and attracting insects.

So when you open the red paper package, you'll find that what's inside is really... something you can't look at!
So some families secretly used rice paste to re-seal the red paper wrappings, and put them back in use when visiting relatives and friends, thus saving the money of buying cakes again.

Sixi's mother must have felt the same way. She probably had two rice cakes for New Year's greetings, the same old ones for five or six years. So this year, she got a new wife, and coincidentally, the new wife's dowry chest contained many fresh and delicious rice cakes. That's why she had her eye on them.

Xiuxiu caught the message in her sister's words and stood up for her: "If Second Sister didn't give her a single one, I would definitely say something to you too, but Second Sister already promised to give her mother-in-law three pieces of wedding cake, so I think what Second Sister did is enough."

Everyone else nodded in agreement. Madam Sun said, "Xiuhong did nothing wrong in the matter of the wedding cakes. Give out three: two for New Year's greetings and one for the family to display at the New Year. That's enough."

Liu didn't speak immediately. Instead, she sat there counting the cost of three wedding cakes on her fingers. "Tsk tsk, I asked Yongjin about the price of these wedding cakes. They're almost ten coins each! Three cakes would be thirty coins. If it were me, I wouldn't pay even half a cake. I'd just put them in my box and eat them slowly. Wouldn't it be better to have them to tide me over if I woke up hungry in the middle of the night?"

Everyone just smiled knowingly at Liu's stingy words, offering no rebuttal, and turned their attention back to Xiu Hong.

Cao Bamei grabbed Xiu Hong's hand and held it in her own palm. "Er Yatou, you did nothing wrong about the pastries. Don't blame yourself. We're all on your side."

Xiu Hong gave Cao Ba Mei a reassuring smile, "Mother, don't worry. After I married into Sixi Niang's family, I will not take advantage of my family's size and power to bully the rest of my husband's family. I will always remember that a virtuous wife should give her husband face, consider the big picture, and be mindful of the impact. I will not give others the opportunity to speak ill of our Yang family, nor will I give others the opportunity to trample on our Yang family's dignity!"

When Xiu Hong said these words, all the women present were stunned, and afterwards they all gave Xiu Hong approving looks.

Mrs. Sun nodded with satisfaction: "That's the right way for Er Ya to think. We don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either."

Bao Suyun also said with a smile: "As the saying goes, marrying off a daughter is like losing a mother. You are virtuous, polite, and able to bend and stretch. People praise not only you, but also your parents for their good upbringing."

Da Sun nodded with a smile. Jin couldn't speak in complete sentences, but she would give Xiu Hong a thumbs up.

Only Liu turned her face away and muttered in a voice only she could hear: "Using power and not using it, wasting power, a bunch of steamed buns are passing on their steamed bun experience!"
Xiu Hong smiled and nodded gently: "Mother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"So this morning, you cooked for the whole family by yourself, and your mother-in-law really didn't serve the dishes, just like people say?" Cao Bamei asked again to confirm.

Xiu Hong smiled and did not deny it: "She wanted to find fault but couldn't. I did everything before she asked me to. I guess she felt she lost face. Plus, when my father-in-law came out later, he didn't speak up for her either, so she went back to her room and sulked."

"If you don't want to eat, then don't eat! It's better if you starve to death!" Cao Bamei said angrily, gently kneading Xiu Hong's hands again: "My child, all the meals for a family of more than ten people are made by your hands. You must be exhausted."

Cao Bamei felt more and more heartbroken as she thought about it, tears welling up in her eyes, even though her daughter had been doing housework every day at her parents' home before she got married.

But no matter what, it shouldn't involve such a huge amount of housework. How can you cook for a dozen people as you would for five or six? No way!
Xiuxiu's eyes also reddened, feeling sorry for her younger sister. Although she had cooked breakfast this morning, the Wang family had several servants, with two maids helping out. As the young mistress of the Wang family, she was only responsible for casually stir-frying a couple of dishes and making a soup in the kitchen.