Chapter 53: Bottled-Up Anger

When it came to the second branch’s forced attempts to save face, Zhou Guiyun wore a cold expression, tinged with a hint of mockery.

She believed that as the eldest sister-in-law, she had already made her point, but what the second branch did would remain unforgivable in her eyes for a lifetime.

Moreover, the second branch still owed money to the first branch!

In fact, she had considered going to demand repayment, but she hesitated out of respect for their familial ties, so she held off.

“But buying a sewing machine doesn’t really help, does it?” Jiang Qian stated honestly.

“Indeed not.”

Zhou Guiyun’s second brother had bought a sewing machine to save face, but even so, it couldn’t prevent them from becoming the laughing stock of the community.

After all, the man who had backed out of the engagement was Han Shiguo who was a military officer!

It was not just about the sewing machine; everything else they received was certainly more than what the Old Wang family had offered.

People were mocking the second branch for picking up sesame seeds while lossing watermelons!

They had rejected a son-in-law who was a decorated military officer for someone who only offered a sewing machine!

If people knew that Jiang’s second brother was footing the bill just to maintain appearances, they would truly be laughing their heads off.

Jiang Qian listened, speechless.

Yet, she didn’t say much.

Although Wang Hesong had gone back on his word, she had already given him two slaps, so she considered the matter settled.

To her, Wang Hesong was practically a stranger.

As for Jiang Yue’s situation, Jiang Qian felt no sympathy. She wasn’t naive enough to think that Jiang Yue didn’t know what she was doing and was intentionally trying to undermine her.

What was happening now was a result of her own actions.

However, just because the Wang family was reluctant to offer a high bride price didn’t mean Jiang Yue wouldn’t be happy. If she married well and had children, surely Old Lady Wang would eventually warm up to her.

After all, the Wang family only had one son; they couldn’t afford to keep a sour face forever.

But knowing Jiang Yue’s temperament, Jiang Qian was sure that this was a significant thorn in her side, and she was bound to be resentful. Once Jiang Yue married, conflicts would likely arise.

But those were other people’s affairs; they had nothing to do with her.

After chatting for a while in the house, the mother and daughter stepped outside.

Zhou Guiyun smiled at Han Shiguo, saying, “Shiguo, drink a cup with your father and Shouhai at noon. I’ll prepare some dishes for you!”

“Thank you, Mother!” Han Shiguo smiled in response.

Today’s spread was quite sumptuous. Early in the morning, Jiang Shouhai had been sent out to buy meat.

They had a piece of pork belly, some ribs, and two large fat fish, not to mention the chicken from their own family.

The laying hen was getting old, just like the first hen they had cooked when Han Shiguo  first visited into the family; it wasn’t laying many eggs anymore, so they decided to cook it today. However, it wouldn’t be eaten until dinner; it was reserved for chicken soup noodles.

Zhao Aiying and Zhao Aifeng also came to help in the kitchen. The ingredients had already been prepared by Jiang Shouhai and his brothers, so it was easy work; they mainly came over to chat.

They quietly asked Jiang Qian how her life was after marriage.

“Don’t worry, sisters-in-law, everything is good,” Jiang Qian replied with a smile.

“I can tell it’s good just by looking at you,” Zhao Aiying said with a grin.

Zhao Aifeng then asked, “When are you setting off? Let your brother take you.”

“Tomorrow morning, we’ll take the donkey cart into town,” Jiang Qian said.

Han Shiguo’s leave was nearly over, and he had to take the bus back to the army tomorrow.

“Is it really that urgent?” Zhou Guiyun felt reluctant upon hearing this.

“It’s a bit rushed, but his leave is limited,” Jiang Qian said. She wanted to stay longer, but time was up, and they had to leave.

“Tomorrow, let your third brother send you off,” Zhou Guiyun suggested.

“Third brother still needs to take third sister-in-law to school, so he doesn’t need to come to send us off. We’ll leave at five-thirty tomorrow morning,” Jiang Qian said.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Guiyun advised, “Be careful. I heard from your third brother that there are many pickpockets on the train, and it can be quite chaotic!”

“No matter how many pickpockets there are, I’m not worried with Shiguo by my side,” Jiang Qian replied confidently. She knew that train stations in those days could be quite disorderly, but Han Shiguo’s commanding presence made thieves scatter like mice fleeing from a cat; they wouldn’t dare come near him.

Her proud tone made her mother and sisters-in-law chuckle.

Zhou Guiyun asked with a smile, “How long does it take to get there by train from the provincial capital?”

“About a day and a night,” Jiang Qian answered, having inquired about the journey from Han Shiguo.

“Such a long train ride! Can you get soft sleeper tickets?” Zhou Guiyun was still concerned.

She remembered taking the train back to her hometown with Jiang Qian’s father, where they had to settle for hard seats, which were incredibly uncomfortable.

But for her daughter, she wanted to ensure she had a better experience.

“Shiguo can get soft sleeper tickets,” Jiang Qian nodded.

Indeed, soft sleeper tickets were hard to come by at that time, usually reserved for government officials, but Han Shiguo was able to secure them.

“That’s great,” Zhou Guiyun said, clearly relieved.

…

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the first branch was lively due to Jiang Qian and Han Shiguo’s return, while the second branch was rather dull. Second Uncle Jiang and Jiang Shouliang had gone into the mountains to chop firewood.

“I heard from Da Liu’s wife that the couple came back, and Han Shiguo arrived with his hands full of gifts—Maotai and fine cigarettes. Jiang Qian looked rosy and healthy, clearly doing well at her in-laws…”

Shouliang’s wife relayed everything she heard outside to Sun Shi, her mother-in-law.

Sun Shi’s expression was far from pleasant. “Why are you so concerned about their affairs? If you have time to gossip, why don’t you clean up the house? It’s a mess and embarrassing to look at!”

“Mother, don’t take your anger out on me. I’m not a punching bag!” Shouliang’s wife retorted.

Sun Shi shot her a glare, “What’s wrong? You think you can talk back to me now? I say one thing and you counter with three?”

“If you keep talking like that, I won’t be able to hold my tongue either. If others find out that the sewing machine was bought with our own money, I can’t guarantee they won’t laugh at us!”

Sun Shi nearly lost her temper, “You’re part of this family too! If we’re laughed at, how do you think you’ll be any better?”

“Come on, I’m just a daughter-in-law; I’m not powerful enough to be the subject of their jokes. They’ll just say my sister-in-law has good taste, and that you and Father have the means to save face for your daughter. What does that have to do with me?” Shouliang’s wife scoffed.

Sun Shi was furious but could only shout, “Get back to what you were doing!”

Shouliang’s wife rolled her eyes.

She was also filled with resentment. How much did that ‘Bee’ brand sewing machine cost?

Although the Old Wang family had given them a ticket as if it were charity, Jiang Shouliang had found out from his cousin Jiang Shouchuan that it would still cost around one hundred fifty yuan to get it set up!

Usually, her son would cry poor if he wanted an egg, claiming they didn’t have money and were in debt. Yet this time, they emptied their pockets to buy this thing to save face for their daughter!

While having such a significant item in the house was good, the problem was that it would hardly be used; they wouldn’t even use it more than twice a year, and it would end up gathering dust!

Moreover, they still owed a considerable amount to the first branch!

If it were up to her, she would rather use the saved money to pay off the debt to the first branch and be free of financial burdens!