Chapter 11: The Beautiful Daughter-in-law Meets Her Parents-in-law (1)

Xu Huai’an gently took Shi Qingqian’s hand and whispered, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
Shi Qingqian nodded and followed him inside.

In the main hall, Zhang Lanxiang sat on a chair, her expression stern. Xu Huai’an and Shi Qingqian stood before her, the atmosphere slightly tense.

Zhang Lanxiang looked at Shi Qingqian in silence for a moment before asking,
“What’s your name?”

“Shi Qingqian—Shi as in time, Qing as in clear water, and Qian as in shallow and deep,” Shi Qingqian replied.

“How old are you this year?”

“Twenty.”

Zhang Lanxiang froze, then shot her son a glare. He was already twenty-seven, yet he found himself a twenty-year-old girl? How shameless!
Her dissatisfaction with Shi Qingqian vanished instantly. Unless compelled, what young girl would willingly marry someone so much older? Clearly, her son must have wronged her somehow, forcing her into this.

Xu Huai’an scratched his head sheepishly.

Zhang Lanxiang continued to ask about Shi Qingqian’s family situation. Learning that, though she was from the city, her parents had both passed away, she couldn’t help but feel pity. Her tone softened as she asked,
“You’re an educated youth, so you must have gone to school, right?”

Her first two daughters-in-law were completely illiterate, so Zhang Lanxiang always wanted a more educated daughter-in-law for her youngest son. If she were cultured and pretty, all the better—her grandchildren would be both smart and good-looking. She was already very satisfied with Shi Qingqian’s looks, and only needed to confirm her education.

Shi Qingqian, of course, was never lacking when it came to qualifications. Though she’d lazed around at home after graduation, she had actually earned not one but two PhDs. But since universities were no longer recruiting, the highest possible qualification now was high school.

“I graduated from high school,” Shi Qingqian answered.

Zhang Lanxiang’s eyes lit up, joy spreading across her face. The most educated candidate she had considered before was Aunt Yang’s niece, who had only finished middle school.

“High school, that’s wonderful. You’re educated.”

The more Zhang Lanxiang looked at her, the more satisfied she became. She quickly turned to her son:
“Third son, when will your report come back?”

They needed to get the marriage certificate quickly, before someone else tried to take such a good daughter-in-law.

“Probably in a few days. I should get the certificate before I return to the army.”

“That long? Why not just hold the wedding first? The certificate can wait.”

“No, that would violate military regulations,” Xu Huai’an shook his head.

Zhang Lanxiang sighed in disappointment, “Alright then, we’ll wait until you get the certificate. Qingqian, for now just stay here with us. If you need anything, just tell me.”

Shi Qingqian nodded sweetly, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Zhang Lanxiang waved her hand, “We’re family now, no need to be so polite. Third son, hurry and move your things into your room. Then go up the mountain and call your father and brothers back. I’ll get the stove going and kill a chicken.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Xu Huai’an led Shi Qingqian to move their belongings into his room. Though small, it was simply but warmly arranged. After setting things down, he looked at her tenderly.
“Qianqian, you rest here for a while. I’ll go up the mountain to fetch Father and the others.”

She nodded.

——

Meanwhile, up on the mountain, Xu’s father and the others were gathering firewood. They had already heard that Xu Huai’an brought a wife home. News spread fast in the village.

“Old Xu, why are you still up here? Your youngest son is back home,” an old man said.

Father Xu’s face broke into a smile. “Really? That boy was about due.”

Other villagers chuckled, “Old Xu, hurry back. Your youngest brought home a beautiful wife. I’ve never seen such a pretty girl—not even the educated youths can compare. She looks like she’s from the city.”

Father Xu’s heart swelled with joy. “That rascal finally did something right.”

“Wait,” the eldest son, Xu Huaiguo, reacted first. “Father, we need to hurry home.”

“If we’re going home, we should gather more firewood first. With a new daughter-in-law, we need to make a good meal.”

“Father, did you forget? Mother said Aunt Yang was bringing her niece over today.”

“Oh no…” Father Xu finally realized the problem. He dropped his bundle of firewood and dashed down the mountain. If the new daughter-in-law walked in on her mother-in-law arranging another match, things could go very badly.

He, Xu Huaiguo, and the second son, Xu Huaimin, all hurried home.

Their eldest sister-in-law, Li Guihua, saw this and felt a wave of discontent. Curling her lip, she nudged her co-sister, Zhang Youdi.
“Look at this. Everyone’s fussing over the new bride as if she’s some grand figure. Hmph, she’s just a city girl—what’s so special about that?”

Li Guihua remembered when she married into the Xu family. Zhang Lanxiang had been nothing but critical of her, nitpicking everything. If she hadn’t schemed a little and forced Xu Huaiguo to marry her, she might never have gotten in.

But she had been right in the end—now she lived in the only brick-tile house in the village, had her own household, and life was good.

She had even wanted her own younger sister to marry the youngest brother, but Zhang Lanxiang refused. She thought she could try again when Xu Huai’an came home, but unexpectedly, he had already brought someone back.

Without even meeting her, Li Guihua was already giving Shi Qingqian a failing grade in her heart. She wanted to team up with Zhang Youdi to “teach the new bride a lesson.”

But Zhang Youdi ignored her. After so many years as sisters-in-law, she knew exactly what kind of person Li Guihua was.

“Second sister-in-law, why aren’t you saying anything?” Li Guihua tugged at her.

Zhang Youdi frowned. “Eldest sister-in-law, have a conscience. You live in a nice house—don’t forget who paid for it.”

“They’re brothers. So what if the youngest put in money? He’s never home. Father and Mother are looked after by us two families. We clean the house too. We don’t owe her anything. If you want to feel indebted, that’s your business.”

With that, Li Guihua also headed home.

——

On the way back, Father Xu and his sons ran into Xu Huai’an. Father Xu quickly asked about the situation at home. Hearing that the new daughter-in-law hadn’t taken offense, he finally relaxed.

“Third son, well done. Quiet as a mouse and then suddenly you bring home a wife. I heard she’s from the city too. Of all of us, you’re the luckiest,” Huaiguo said, half-joking, half-genuine in his happiness for his brother.

Huaimin was curious as well. “Yeah, I heard too—third sister-in-law is even prettier than the educated youths. Is it true?”

Xu Huai’an smiled, pride in his voice. “Big brother, second brother—Qianqian really is very beautiful. And she’s a good person too.”