Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Early that morning, Mother Chen began bustling about—sweeping the courtyard and preparing the midday meal in advance—waiting for Chen Qiuyue and Zhao Huaiyu to make their return visit.
This was the first time Chen Qiuyue had been away from home for so long, and the whole family felt a little unaccustomed to it. They worried about how she had fared these past few days in the Zhao household, and wondered whether the Zhao family was easy to get along with.
Mother Chen had a belly full of questions saved up to ask when Chen Qiuyue returned.
Chen Goudan hadn't quite understood the meaning of his sister's marriage at first. He'd only thought the house was lively, with good food, drink, and fun to be had.
It wasn't until these past few days, when he hadn't seen his sister at all, that he finally realized it would be hard to see Chen Qiuyue often from now on.
Chen Goudan was a carefree child, usually a bit scatterbrained, but after all, he had been raised by Chen Qiuyue since he was little.
Now that he was a bit older, he spent all day running out to play with the village children, and Chen Qiuyue mostly stayed home doing needlework, so the time they spent together had grown fewer.
Today, however, Goudan didn't go out. He just sat at the doorstep, staring expectantly, waiting for his sister to come home.
Mother Chen looked at her youngest son and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was rare to see Goudan so quiet.
Over at the Zhao household, Chen Qiuyue and Zhao Huaiyu had risen early that morning.
Mother Zhao had already prepared the gifts for the return visit, much the same as what she'd prepared when Sister-in-law Zhao had made her return visit.
The Zhao home was neither far nor near to the Chen home—about an hour's walk on foot.
Zhao Huaiyu carried the gifts in his hands, occasionally checking on Chen Qiuyue. The newlywed couple walked together, looking perfectly matched.
Along the way, they passed villagers who looked at them with curiosity, and once the couple had walked past, they began whispering among themselves.
"That Huaiyu's wife is truly beautiful—she doesn't look like someone raised in a village at all."
"Exactly, exactly. The two of them look so well matched."
"No wonder the Zhao family's second son never fancied any of those other girls before. This bride is truly lovely."
The village women had nothing better to do—they talked about this family one day and that family the next.
The Zhao family had only just held their wedding a few days ago, so Zhao Huaiyu and his wife were the center of everyone's attention.
Zhao Huaiyu could sense Chen Qiuyue's shyness. Being stared at by so many frank gazes made even him, a grown man, feel a bit uncomfortable—let alone Chen Qiuyue.
So he lowered his voice and comforted her: "Don't mind these people. They're just idle with nothing to do. You've just married into the village, so they're still curious about you. It'll pass in a while."
Chen Qiuyue had no choice. Though she felt a bit awkward, she still walked along openly with Zhao Huaiyu, greeting people as they went.
The two arrived at the Chen home near noon. Mother Chen had already prepared a table full of hearty dishes.
Chen Goudan sat at the doorstep and spotted the figures of Chen Qiuyue and the others from afar. He sprang to his feet, shouting, "Father! Mother! Eldest sister is back!"
And he dashed toward Chen Qiuyue like the wind.
Chen Qiuyue watched her little brother racing toward her and was overjoyed.
Chen Goudan ran up to Chen Qiuyue and clung to her leg, refusing to let go, calling out "Sister, sister" over and over.
Zhao Huaiyu watched the siblings from the side and said, "Goudan, let's go home first. You can look at your eldest sister properly in a little while."
Mother Chen heard the commotion and had already stepped out of the kitchen. Seeing her daughter, whom she hadn't seen in days, her eyes suddenly reddened.
Chen Qiuyue saw Mother Chen at the kitchen door, and her eyes welled up with tears as well.
Hearing the commotion, the whole Chen family came out. Mother Chen took the gifts from Zhao Huaiyu's hands.
Half a basket of eggs, a piece of fatty pork, and a small jar of wine.
The Zhao family's return-visit gifts were quite generous by village standards. Elder Brother Chen's wife beamed at the sight of these gifts—the Zhao family really was well-off.
Zhao Huaiyu greeted each member of the Chen family in turn, and was then invited to the table to eat.
The Chens had prepared a feast almost on par with New Year's—a pot of cabbage and pork stewed with vermicelli, a bowl of braised pork, a plate of scrambled eggs, a large pot of bone soup, and a big basin of steamed buns.
Father Chen had been eyeing the wine his son-in-law had brought ever since he saw it. Mother Chen knew Father Chen all too well, and thinking that today was a good day truly worth celebrating, she brought out the small jar of wine—but warned that he was only allowed a small sip, not too much.
By the time the meal was nearly finished, Zhao Huaiyu had already been plied with a bit too much wine by Father Chen and Elder Brother Chen.
There was no helping it—they had to settle Zhao Huaiyu into the room where Chen Qiuyue had lived before her marriage to rest for a while, since they still had to return to the Zhao family later.
Meanwhile, Chen Qiuyue had already been pulled into the room by Mother Chen. Mother Chen led her daughter to the bedside, her eyes scanning her inch by inch. Seeing her rosy complexion, she could tell her daughter had been living comfortably these past few days.
"How does your husband treat you?"
"He treats me very well—he keeps me in his heart." Chen Qiuyue held her mother's hand and replied shyly.
"Has he been bothering you much these past few days?" Mother Chen leaned close to Chen Qiuyue's ear and asked softly.
At first Chen Qiuyue didn't catch what her mother meant, but when it dawned on her, her face flushed bright red in an instant.
"No need to be embarrassed. Your mother has been through it all. You've just married, and it's understandable that young couples get up to things, but you can't just let your husband have his way. If you're uncomfortable, tell him." Mother Chen gave Chen Qiuyue careful instructions.
Chen Qiuyue knew her mother meant well and nodded in agreement. After that, Mother Chen asked in detail about the Zhao family.
"Elder Brother Huaiyu has an honest disposition—he spends all day following Father-in-law around the fields tending the land. Sister-in-law has a rather reserved temperament, quiet and sparing with words. We haven't had much contact yet. As for the two nephews and niece, they're lively children, not particularly disobedient."
"What about your mother-in-law's temperament?" Mother Chen asked with concern.
"Mother-in-law has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Her words can be harsh sometimes, but she's never mean to her daughters-in-law. I've noticed that although she occasionally scolds Sister-in-law, she treats her quite well."
"In the few days I've been married into the Zhao family, Mother-in-law has been very kind to me as well."
Hearing Chen Qiuyue's words, Mother Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
A daughter-in-law who endures becomes a mother-in-law—some women, when they were daughters-in-law, were ground down by their mothers-in-law, and after enduring decades to become mothers-in-law themselves, they inflict the same suffering they endured in their youth upon their own daughters-in-law. Fortunately, Mother Zhao was not that kind of person.
Such mothers-in-law were common enough—only some went too far, while others held back a bit.
"You've only just started living together, so you can't draw conclusions yet. We'll see in the future. In the Zhao household, listen to your mother-in-law as well. Follow her arrangements for ordinary matters, and if something major comes up that you can't decide on, come back and ask your mother."
Afterward, Mother Chen spoke to Chen Qiuyue at length about many things a daughter-in-law should pay attention to. Before they knew it, more than two hours had passed. Seeing that it was getting late, Mother Chen felt she could never look at her daughter enough, but the time could not be delayed any further; otherwise, it would be unsafe for the young couple to return too late.
Chen Qiuyue went inside to wake Zhao Huaiyu. Having rested for over two hours, Zhao Huaiyu had recovered. Seeing that it was already late, the two of them packed up, said goodbye to the Chen family, and hurried back to the Zhao Family.