Chapter 3 – The Xia Tian Family

Seeing that Xia Tian was ready, Mrs. Chen asked her to sit on a stool in the courtyard, then grabbed a comb and started combing her hair. For a daughter about to be married, her hair must be styled in an updo.

While combing, Mrs. Chen muttered some blessings, but Xia Tian didn’t really pay attention.

According to tradition, a “blessed person” should be invited to comb the hair, as a sign of good wishes for the bride.

But in the Xia family, where daughters were considered less valuable than grass, who would care whether a daughter like her, who was seen as a burden, was happy or not?

Xia Tian felt conflicted about this so-called “cheap” mother. In her original memories, her mother had always been submissive and focused on work, and her siblings had little time to spare.

She had always held a grievance against her mother, thinking that it was her weakness that allowed her grandmother to bully their family so openly.

However, after what happened yesterday, Xia Tian could see that her mother still cared for her—otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared challenge Old Mrs. Xia.

Speaking of Old Mrs. Xia, she was the absolute authority in the Xia family. She had the final say, and even Old Xia had to listen to her.

Old Mrs. Xia had given birth to six children—four sons and two daughters. Both daughters were married off, and of the four sons, only the youngest, Xia Zhengnian, had yet to marry.

The eldest son, Xia Zhengping, was married to a woman named Li and had three sons and one daughter.

The second son, Xia Zheng’an, Xia Tian’s father, was married to Mrs. Chen and had two sons and three daughters.

The third son, Xia Zhengfeng, was married to Zhao, with two sons and one daughter.

The fourth son, Xia Zhengnian, was 22 years old and had been studying at a county school for many years. He had participated in several exams but had yet to pass.

Among the grandchildren, only the eldest, Xia Shan, was married. His wife was Li’s niece, and they had a two-year-old son.

In the Xia family, daughters were ranked by age. The eldest daughter, Xia Ling, was the oldest. The next was Xia Yue, who was a few months younger than Xia Ling, and both were 17 years old. Xia Qin, from the third branch, was ranked third and a year older than Xia Tian. Xia Tian and Xia Chen were the youngest, so the family called them the fourth and fifth daughters.

In Xia Village, the Xia family was a famous  surname. Eighty percent of the families in the village were surnamed Xia.

Xia Tian’s family was just an ordinary one in the village, and things had gotten harder over the years since her uncle had been focused on studying.

Old Xia was a man who didn’t care about family matters, only knowing how to work, and had no sense of authority.

All the family’s matters were managed by Old Mrs. Xia, and the first and third branches were more cunning, often taking advantage of their ability to flatter and get the easier tasks.

Xia Tian’s parents were honest and had clumsy tongues, so they were least favored by Old Mrs. Xia. They did the most work and ate the least, and their children also didn’t have any free time.

Her parents often told them to endure and do more work to avoid being scolded.

No one else said much, but Xia Tian couldn’t stand her parents being so submissive, and she often challenged their way of doing things, which made her even less liked by the family.

Especially Old Mrs. Xia—whenever she saw Xia Tian, she would scold her, never showing her a kind face.

Xia Tian’s father was like Old Xia, only knowing how to work, and was a coward. He never dared to contradict his mother when she scolded his wife and children.

With such parents, even if Xia Tian were capable, she couldn’t make a big impact.

Her eldest brother, Xia Yang, was also honest like Xia Jing. He spent all his time working in the fields alongside Old Xia and Xia Jing.

Xia Yang, already 19, was the seventh of the sons but had just gotten engaged last autumn. His eldest nephew, Xia Shan, who was only a few months older, already had a two-year-old son. If it weren’t for worrying about affecting the marriage of the third son, Xia Chuan, he would probably still be single.

The eldest sister, Xia Yue, was gentle and virtuous. She had been betrothed to a boy from another village and was just waiting for Xia Yang’s wedding to take place before she married.

The younger pair of twins, a boy and a girl, were also constantly busy, gathering wild vegetables and pigweed under Old Mrs. Xia’s orders, never having a moment of rest.

Today was Xia Tian’s wedding day. Though the family hadn’t prepared much, they had all woken up early, and the courtyard had become lively.

Xia Tian finished her hair and didn’t go back to the house. She stood under the eaves, tightening her clothes, feeling the early March morning chill.

Taking advantage of the faint light, she took a moment to look around the somewhat dilapidated courtyard.

It was a typical rural courtyard, with earthen brick walls and a thatched roof. Only the main house seemed somewhat sturdy, while the rest of the buildings looked barely livable. However, since the Xia family had many members, there were quite a few houses, and the courtyard seemed large.

Just earlier, when no one was paying attention, Xia Tian had looked at her reflection in the water jar. She had big eyes, an oval face, and a delicate appearance with no obvious flaws.

The sky was still dark, and it was hard to see if she was pale, but from her rough hands, which resembled chicken claws, it seemed she was likely not in the best of health.

From the original owner’s memories, Xia Tian knew this was the Great Qian Dynasty, a fictional dynasty with clothing and customs resembling the ancient Song Dynasty.

The only comfort was that there had been no war in this dynasty, and taxes were not too oppressive. The farmers’ lives were bearable.

Today marked her fifth day in this world. Yesterday, she had been lying on the kang, dizzy and tired. Today was the first time she formally met the members of the Xia family.

While Xia Tian was lost in thought, a discordant voice echoed from the courtyard.

“Hey, Fourth Daughter, all done with your hair? You’re getting married soon, can’t wait, huh?”

Old Uncle Li’s wife, Mrs. Li, called out to Xia Tian, laughing loudly and pretending to cover her mouth, as if others couldn’t tell she was enjoying the moment.

Xia Tian rolled her eyes but didn’t respond.

Mrs. Li thought her words had hit a nerve and continued to provoke, “Fourth Daughter, don’t be ungrateful. What a good family you’re marrying into! No mother-in-law, no siblings—when you marry, you’ll be the head of the house. There are others who want to marry into such a family but can’t.”

Xia Tian could tell Mrs. Li wasn’t going to stop, so she replied, “If Uncle Li envies it so much, let my elder sister marry into this family. Such a good family! As a sister, I’d be very happy to see my eldest sister happy.”

“No need,” Mrs. Li snapped, clearly upset. “Your eldest sister doesn’t have that kind of luck.” She immediately became flustered at the thought of her daughter marrying a short-lived man.

The third aunt, Zhao Guilan, overheard and, eager to stir things up, added, “Ah, indeed, eldest sister is a better match for fourth daughter. If you’re envious, just let them swap marriages. I’m sure your mother would agree.”

“Zhao Guilan, you troublemaker, keep talking and I’ll tear your mouth off!” Mrs. Li immediately turned her anger on her. Seeing the two women argue, Xia Tian turned and walked into the house.

Neither Mrs. Li nor the third aunt was someone to be trifled with, so let them bite at each other.

“Everyone’s just idling around, huh? Keep it up and there’ll be no food for anyone,” Old Mrs. Xia’s voice echoed from the main room, immediately silencing the courtyard.