Chapter 5: Getting Married!

◎ Fashionable Newcomer ◎

Jiang Che’s aunt was a tactful person. Knowing that her sister-in-law was dissatisfied with this marriage, she tried to ease the atmosphere. After taking a bite of the dish Wei Xuan had made, she generously praised, “Sister-in-law Wei, your daughter’s cooking is truly excellent. In my opinion, it’s no worse than the chefs at the state-owned restaurant. Looks like our little Che will be in for a treat in the future.”

“Oh, not at all. Jiang family’s aunt, you mustn’t overpraise her. If you like it, please have some more.” Mother Wei’s eyes crinkled with joy, though she remained modest in her response.

Thanks to the delicious food on the table, the meal went quite smoothly, leaving both hosts and guests satisfied.

The two families agreed to hold the wedding after the summer harvest, around August when the weather would be cooler—only about a month and a half away from now.

As for the bride price, they settled on an auspicious amount of six hundred yuan, along with a wristwatch and two sets of clothing.

In the countryside, this was considered an exceptionally generous offer.

The Wei family saw the Jiang family off with smiles, but as soon as they returned inside, Third Sister-in-law Wei couldn’t take her eyes off the gifts brought by the Jiang family, wishing she had X-ray vision to see through them.

Mother Wei stepped forward and smacked away her eager hands, then took out a box of Daoxiangcun pastries, opened it, and shared some with everyone to taste. The rest of the gifts were quickly stowed away in her room.

Third Sister-in-law Wei didn’t mind—she was happy enough just to get a bite to eat.

Wei Xuan also picked up a piece of sachima and took a bite. It seemed much tastier than what she remembered from her past life.

Come to think of it, if she had the right ingredients, she could probably make sachima herself. That was the advantage of having lived in an era of abundant information—now that she thought about it, she actually knew how to do quite a lot.

In her past life, due to her illness, she couldn’t do much physical work and could only pass the time reading casual books and watching videos.

She particularly enjoyed watching food bloggers and lifestyle vloggers—their videos gave her a sense of comfort and helped her forget some of life’s disappointments.

After watching so many, she naturally picked up a lot.

Of course, she hadn’t actually tried most of them herself, but given her recent experience in the kitchen and the compliments from her family, she felt she had a knack for it.

Hmm, she could experiment more in the future—maybe it could even become a way to make money. But that would have to wait until she moved to Beijing after getting married.

For now, however, she was under house arrest—Wei Mother had forbidden her from going anywhere outside her room.

The reason? After meeting Jiang Che, her future fair-skinned, pretty-boy husband, Wei Mother insisted that Wei Xuan had tanned too much recently and didn’t look as good as before.

Determined to make sure Wei Xuan wouldn’t be outshone by Jiang Che’s pale complexion on their wedding day, she was doing everything she could to “restore” her daughter’s fairness.

She even worried about her hands getting rough, so she banned her from doing any kitchen work. With no other choice, Wei Xuan could only stay at home and work on needlecraft.

Fortunately, in her past life, she had spent most of her days like this, so she was already used to it.

Now, at least she could learn how to make clothes to pass the time, so she wasn’t completely bored.

The Wei family was one of the few in the village that owned a sewing machine, which had been part of Second Sister-in-law Wei’s dowry. These past few days, Wei Xuan had been learning how to sew clothes using it.

Since the original owner of this body didn’t know how to sew either, Wei Xuan had no hesitation in asking Second Sister-in-law Wei for guidance.

Although Second Sister-in-law Wei was competitive and petty, often speaking in a sharp manner, she was generous as long as it didn’t cost her anything.

Especially since Wei Xuan, as her younger sister-in-law, was marrying well—Second Sister-in-law Wei figured she might need her help in the future. So, she didn’t hold back in teaching her. She even had Second Brother Wei move the sewing machine into Wei Xuan’s room so she could use it during the day, which made Wei Xuan feel a little embarrassed.

This act also improved Wei Mother’s attitude toward her significantly.

Wei Xuan was naturally skilled, and after just a few days, she had already gotten the hang of it. She took out the new fabric she had bought with Jiang Che in the city a few days ago, planning to make a set of clothes for herself—just in time for the wedding.

The main reason was that when Jiang Che took her shopping for clothes in the city, she spent a long time looking but couldn’t bring herself to buy anything too expensive, while the cheaper options didn’t appeal to her. In the end, she simply bought two pieces of fabric instead.

She hadn’t originally planned to make the outfit herself, but since she had the time now, she didn’t need to trouble anyone else. She decided to give it a try first—if it didn’t work out, she could always ask Wei Mother for help.

For her wedding outfit, it had to be festive. So, she chose the bright red fabric with black plaid stripes for the top.

Since it was her first time making clothes, Wei Xuan didn’t plan on anything too fancy—just a simple shirt. However, she added a few stitches at the waistline for a more fitted look and made the sleeves three-quarter length, stopping just below the elbows, to keep it neat and flattering.

As for the pants, they were even simpler—black long trousers. She only altered the leg openings slightly, turning them into straight-leg pants.

When Wei Xuan tried on the finished outfit, she was pleasantly surprised. Although the pants weren’t tight-fitting, the small adjustment made her legs look longer and straighter—it was incredibly flattering. Of course, this was also thanks to the original owner’s naturally good body proportions; on an average person, the effect wouldn’t be quite the same.

When she walked out wearing her new outfit, the women of the Wei family were completely stunned. They had always known their little sister-in-law was pretty, but they had never realized it so vividly until now.

The bright red blouse made her face look even more delicate and radiant—when she smiled, she was like a blooming flower. No wonder she had managed to land a husband from the city with such good prospects!

Even though it was just an ordinary outfit, when she wore it, her whole figure looked more graceful and refined.

Her waist was well-defined, and her legs appeared long and slender.

Second Sister-in-law Wei couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked, “Little Sister, why does this outfit look so good on you? I’ve bought similar fabric before, but it never looked this nice on me!”

It was First Sister-in-law Wei who had the sharpest eyes—after just one look, she spotted the difference. “Little Sister, you took in the waist by about an inch, didn’t you? And the sleeves are more fitted. Unlike ours, which are so loose you could fit another arm inside.”

Wei Xuan nodded with a slight smile, feeling a little shy. “That’s right, Sister-in-law. I wanted it to look better, so I didn’t make the sleeves too wide.” Then, as if worried they might think it was impractical, she quickly added, “But later, I realized tight sleeves might make it hard to work, so I made them a little shorter instead. Look, this way it doesn’t get in the way when doing chores.”

Third Sister-in-law Wei stepped closer to inspect the outfit carefully. “You’re right! This way, it’s both stylish and practical. You’re really clever, Little Sister. I never would’ve thought of that.”

Hearing everyone’s approval of her handmade outfit, Wei Xuan felt genuinely happy. She then shared another little detail about her design. “I also took in the sides of the waist by an inch. That way, the hem of the shirt flares out slightly, making the waist and hips look more defined.”

When Wei Xuan explained, the three sisters-in-law finally noticed the subtle details and couldn’t stop asking her questions.

Seeing the commotion, Wei Mother stepped in to shoo them away. “Alright, alright, stop crowding around. There’s still work to be done outside! Hurry up and finish before it’s time to eat.”

Once everyone left, leaving only mother and daughter behind, Wei Mother happily pulled Wei Xuan around in a circle, feeling a wave of satisfaction in her heart.

Her daughter was getting married. Of course, she was happy—especially in the past few days, when the other village women had heard that she was about to have a city-born son-in-law. Who among them wasn’t envious, their eyes practically turning red with jealousy?

But despite her happiness, a faint worry lingered in her heart.

Her daughter hadn’t exactly lived a pampered life where she never lifted a finger, but she had indeed been raised with a bit of indulgence. She had never done much hard labor. Now that she was about to marry into another family, far from home and beyond her mother’s watchful eye, Wei Mother couldn’t help but worry—what if her daughter suffered or was treated unfairly?

Fortunately, over the past few days, her youngest daughter seemed to have suddenly come to her senses. Not only did she have excellent cooking skills, but even her needlework was now presentable.

With this, Wei Mother no longer had to worry about her daughter’s future after marriage.

Time passed peacefully in this relaxed atmosphere.

The day before Wei Xuan’s wedding, her two cousins from her uncles’ families came over to help send her off.

Her second cousin, Wei Yu, was married within the same village. She had long heard from the villagers that Wei Xuan had secured a good marriage. However, she had been too occupied recently with her child falling ill and hadn’t had the chance to visit. Now that she finally had the opportunity, she eagerly grabbed Wei Xuan and bombarded her with questions.

“Alright, stop asking already. Wei Xuan has to get up early tomorrow. I’m going back to visit my parents—are you coming or not?”

The eldest cousin from Second Uncle’s family, Wei Yue, had married far away. Since she rarely had the chance to return home, she didn’t want to waste time listening to her younger cousin’s chatter.

Wei Yu had originally wanted to ask a few more questions, but since her eldest cousin had already said that, she couldn’t stay and disturb Wei Xuan any longer. She had no choice but to leave the gifts she brought and go back with them.

The next morning, before Wei Xuan had even woken up from her dreams, her mother was already calling her: “Get up quickly! If you don’t, Jiang Che will be here soon.”

Wei Xuan was jolted awake by her mother’s loud voice. She had trouble sleeping the night before and was still extremely drowsy. Squinting her eyes, she glanced at the sky and inwardly complained that it was obviously still early.

Since she was already awake, she didn’t stay in bed any longer. She responded with a sound of acknowledgment, lifted the blanket, and got out of bed. After changing into the clothes she had ironed and hung in the wardrobe the day before, she went out to wash up.

She had just finished breakfast when her uncle, aunt, and the villagers who came to help started arriving one after another. Seeing the growing crowd, Wei Xuan’s mother pushed her into the room and had a few of her female relatives keep her company.

In her generation, aside from herself, there were only the two older cousins who had arrived yesterday, along with two other girls from the village who were about the same age as her.

As for her mother’s side of the family, they had seemingly never kept in touch. Wei Xuan didn’t know the reason, and the original owner’s memories didn’t have any clues either.

Inside the room, the girls couldn’t help but admire Wei Xuan’s outfit. When they heard that she had made it herself, they eagerly asked her for tips, hoping to sew their own. Ready-made clothes from the shops in Beijing were too expensive, but with some frugality, they could still afford to buy fabric.

The conversation only came to an end when Jiang Che arrived in a small car to pick up the bride.

Jiang Che was quite impressive today—he had borrowed a small car from the factory for himself and even had a friend lend him a jeep. Along the way, he had undoubtedly drawn a lot of attention and discussion.

Dressed in a stylish flared pants suit, Jiang Che strode confidently out of the car and walked toward Wei Xuan’s parents. “Dad, Mom, I’m here to pick up Wei Xuan.”

“Good, good. From now on, you two must live a good life together,” Wei Xuan’s mother said, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Alright, then I’ll be off.”

It wasn’t until Jiang Che pulled her into the car that Wei Xuan finally felt a sense of reality—she was really getting married in this era.

As the Wei family’s old mud-brick house faded into the distance, a wave of reluctance surged in her heart. She hadn’t been here long, but in Wei Xuan’s mother, she had felt a kind of motherly love she had never experienced before.

Jiang Che was feeling triumphant as he drove, but when he turned his head and saw his little bride shedding tears, he was puzzled. “Wei Xuan, it’s your wedding day—why are you crying?”

His words jolted Wei Xuan back to her senses. She hadn’t even realized she was crying. Quickly wiping her face, she replied, “It’s nothing, I’m just too happy.” But deep down, she berated herself—she was really getting more sentimental as she lived on.

And realizing that Jiang Che had witnessed the whole thing, she couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed, her face flushing red.