Chapter 22: Mother-in-law

“Miss Er, we have arrived.”

Mo Bing was the first to jump off the carriage, then reached out her hand to help Lu Songli down.

Lu Songli looked at the Xu family in front of her. The Xu family had the layout of a rural courtyard, with a five-foot-high fence wall separating it from the view of most outsiders.

The Lu family did not have the idea of marrying their daughter into a high-ranking family. Her elder brother married the daughter of a medicinal material merchant in a town under the jurisdiction of Chang’an City, and the Xu family’s status was similarly not high. This also showed that her parents loved their children, even though it was hard work for her father.

The Xu family’s ancestral home was in the town of Yaotao on the outskirts of Chang’an. When Master Xu was young and handsome, he caught the eye of the family of a pig slaughterer when he came to Chang’an to buy medicine for his mother. They married their only daughter to him. With the help of his father-in-law, Master Xu settled in the capital city and then, under his guidance, became a minor official in the government office, later rising to become a prison warden. Now that Master Xu is old, he has retired from his position as a warden.

The eldest son of the Xu family inherited Master Xu’s work and is now a respected prison warden. The second son took over the pig-slaughtering business from his mother’s side and is living a good life. The third son of the Xu family is also her sister’s husband. The family supported him in his studies, and after getting married, with the support of both the Xu and Lu families, he opened a private school.

All three sons are earning money, and the family also rents out about twenty acres of farmland in the suburbs for cultivation. The grain harvested each year can basically cover the family’s food needs, so the Xu family’s life in their area is considered quite good.

Mo Bing was about to knock on the door when he noticed that it was slightly ajar. The person inside probably heard the commotion outside and pushed open the door to come out.

It was the old lady of the Xu family. Upon seeing them, she hurriedly greeted, “ohh, you’re here? Please come in!”

The old lady of the Xu family had a masculine appearance, with somewhat rugged features and great strength. She opened the door and even removed the threshold to make it easier for their carriage to enter.

Lu Songli was warmly welcomed when she arrived at the Xu family.

Today, Master Xu, Madam Xu, First Young  Madam Xu (the eldest brother’s wife), Second young Madam Xu (the second brother’s wife), and her brother-in-law were all at home. The two sisters-in-law helped Madam Xu greet her, and Master Xu and her brother-in-law both came out from the house to greet her.

A group of boys, from tallest to shortest, lined up, and the round-faced children shouted in unison, “Auntie!”

Oh my, who could resist this long, drawn-out, sweet line?

Lu Songli quickly took out the candied haws she had bought on the way and distributed them to these little guys. When she reached the last three-headed-body bean sprout, she hesitated for a moment. Seeing the child eagerly waiting for her to share the candied haws with him, her heart softened, and she gave him the candied haws, instructing, “You can only lick it or nibble on it, you can’t put the whole thing in your mouth, okay?”

“Okay~”

“Don’t you thank your auntie?”

“Thank you, auntie~”

“Alright, alright, go play. Don’t bother your auntie anymore.”

After welcoming Lu Songli into the house, Madam Xu kept bringing out the best things from her home to entertain her.

Lu Songli asked Mo Bing to take out the gifts her mother had prepared and give them to Madam Xu.

Madam Xu: “Your mother is too polite.”

After asking about her parents’ well-being, Master Xu went about his business. Second Young Madam Xu greeted Lu Songli and then went to the butcher shop. Her brother-in-law also went to take a look at the private school.

After the others left, Madam Xu happily held Lu Songli’s hand and chatted with her affectionately, constantly urging her to eat.

Lu Songli could only pick up a piece of rice cake and eat it slowly. She wasn’t actually hungry, but seeing the old lady eager to personally feed her, she felt a little scared.

The little girl was well-behaved and not overly eye-catching. Madam Xu liked her more and more the more she looked at her. This kind of appearance was perfect for a family like theirs. If her third son’s wife could give birth to a granddaughter like this, she would be able to laugh in her sleep.

At this moment, a little bean sprout came in. “Grandma, Mother asked me to lead Auntie inside.”

Lu Songli recognized from her memory that this little guy was her eldest sister’s eldest son, her eldest nephew.

“It’s Sheng’er, alright, take your auntie to your mother.” Madam Xu readily agreed.

Madam Xu, First Young Madam Xu , and  Madam Xu  were so enthusiastic that it was hard to handle. Taking advantage of her eldest sister’s call, Lu Songli escaped into her eldest sister’s room.

Lu Songli didn’t know that from the time her family’s carriage left until they reached the Xu family, a carriage with the Zhao family’s emblem discreetly engraved on it had been waiting for a long, long time at a corner on Huahua Street.

“Sister Yutan, are you sure we can wait for Lu Songli here?” Guo Yan poked her head out of the carriage, asking for the nth time. She had been waiting for so long that she couldn’t wait anymore.

Zhao Yutan nodded and affirmed confidently, “This is the most direct route from Chongwen Street to Baoding lane, and it’s the closest one. She used to take this route.”  But they had been waiting for a long time, and they still hadn’t seen Lu Songli.

“Cousin, thank you for accompanying me on this trip.”

Guo Yan hurriedly waved her hand, “Cousin, you don’t need to thank me specially.”

They might be too late, Zhao Yutan suspected. But they said she wouldn’t leave until afternoon? Could the message be wrong?

“Cousin, the restaurant in front is pretty good. Why don’t you go there and have something to eat first? If I see her, I’ll have someone call you from the front, okay?” Zhao Yutan suggested kindly.

Guo Yan was tempted.

After sending Guo Yan to the restaurant in front, Zhao Yutan thought for a moment and sent someone to Baoding lane.

The person who went to gather information came back and brought her definitive news. Lu Songli was indeed already at the Xu family.

“Miss, should we wait?” Hongdou asked.

Zhao Yutan gritted her teeth, “Wait!”

Zhao Yutan didn’t know that someone on the second floor of the restaurant diagonally in front of them saw their conversation.

Xu Family

Lu Songyun was in confinement, and the doors and windows were all closed to prevent the postpartum woman from catching the wind. So when Lu Songli went in, she felt that the room was a bit dark, but her eyesight was good, and she immediately saw her elder sister sitting by the bed wearing a floral cloth head covering. Seeing that her complexion was rosy and her figure was plump, Lu Songli knew that she had recovered well after giving birth.

Lu Songyun was holding her child and breastfeeding, gesturing for her sister to come over.

Lu Songli sat on a stool close to the bed, making it easier for them to talk. After sitting down, she let out a sigh of relief.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Your mother-in-law is too enthusiastic.”

Lu Songyun laughed as soon as she heard it, then looked her up and down, “Your appearance is exactly what my mother-in-law dreams her daughter would look like.”

Her sister’s makeup today was pleasing, with her hair in a Xiaojing bun, bangs just reaching her eyebrows, not too many accessories, simple yet elegant. Coupled with her slightly chubby teenage face, she looked obedient and cute.

Her mother-in-law had good taste, regardless of gender, as long as you were good-looking, you would be favored by her mother-in-law. It was said that after her father-in-law and mother-in-law got married, apart from killing pigs every day, all the heavy, dirty, and tiring work in the house was done by her mother-in-law. After the three daughters-in-law married into the family, the mother-in-law also loved them, treating them better than her three sons. All because they were prettier than their husbands.

Lu Songli listened with amazement. This was truly the ancient version of “I’ll kill pigs to support you.”