Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan exchanged a glance, both smiling knowingly. As women who had been through it all, there was nothing they didn’t understand.
But such things happening to Zhao Jingyu were hardly surprising.
Zhao Jingyu wasn’t exactly a decent man. Apart from having a decent-paying job, he was good for nothing.
It was said that when he first returned from leave this time, he got into a fight over a woman and nearly got arrested.
For someone like him, being able to get a wife was already a blessing.
It seemed that this new sister-in-law, Xu Qingning, was no pushover either—sleeping with a man before marriage, getting pregnant, and then rushing into marriage without caring about being the laughingstock of others.
No wonder Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei didn’t have a trace of a smile on their faces. They must have been furious about this.
Thinking this, Wu Xiufang whispered to Zhou Chunyan, “Father-in-law and Mother-in-law must know about the third brother’s wife being pregnant and deliberately kept it from us!”
“Definitely. Those two old fools only know how to favor the third brother. He did such a disgraceful thing, so of course they’d cover it up for him.” Zhou Chunyan had strong opinions about Zhao Futang and Yang Yuelan. “When they came, they uprooted all the vegetables from the fields. They probably brought all the family’s money with them too.”
In truth, she didn’t get along very well with Wu Xiufang either.
Wu Xiufang was quite cunning and often used her as a pawn. Unfortunately, Zhou Chunyan was slow to react and only realized she had been taken advantage of afterward.
Now that they had a new sister-in-law, they immediately united on the same front, treating Xu Qingning as their opponent.
“The crying child gets the milk. Who made our third brother such a troublemaker!” Wu Xiufang had even stronger opinions about Zhao Jingyu. “His salary is so high, but he never subsidizes our two families. Instead, he gives a lot to his sister. Clearly, he’s not close to us.”
“Hmph, that stingy Zhao Lei, didn’t she get two yuan just like us?” Zhou Chunyan glanced at Zhao Lei. “Now that the third brother has a wife, she probably won’t get any benefits either. Serves her right!”
“By the way, when they arrived yesterday, I saw a rosewood box in Mother-in-law’s bundle. I wonder what treasure is inside.” Wu Xiufang whispered in Zhou Chunyan’s ear. “Last time I asked what was in it, Mother-in-law stammered and said it was the third brother’s things. She said since he’s away from home most of the time, she’s keeping it safe for him.”
“A rosewood box?” Zhou Chunyan became interested. “How come I didn’t know? I’ve never seen it.”
“If they don’t want you to see it, how could you?” Wu Xiufang sighed. “Look at what the third brother’s wife is wearing, and then look at what we’re wearing. Who would believe we’re wives from the same family?”
“Exactly.” Zhou Chunyan thought of the red cardigan Xu Qingning was wearing and then looked at the patches on her own sleeves, feeling increasingly unfair. She suggested, “Let’s not leave today. We need to have a good talk with the third brother about family matters. He can’t just ignore everything.”
“Right.” Wu Xiufang agreed. “When he was alone, it was one thing. But now that he’s married, he should take on family responsibilities just like us.”
The two sisters-in-law whispered among themselves, but Tang Wenya overheard a bit. She wasn’t interested in their family affairs and deliberately said, “That rosewood box—I’ve seen it. The gold bracelet and necklace inside are so beautiful. You must have gotten them when you got married too, right?”
“We definitely don’t…” Zhou Chunyan gasped sharply upon hearing about the gold bracelet and necklace. With Zhao Jingyu being so unreliable, he absolutely wouldn’t have bought those pieces of jewelry in advance for Mother-in-law to keep.
It must have been Mother-in-law who prepared them.
Father-in-law and Mother-in-law are so biased it’s outrageous. They’re all daughters-in-law of the Zhao family—why does Xu Qingning get them while they don’t?
Wu Xiufang’s face also darkened upon hearing this.
Their two families toil day in and day out in the fields, barely scraping by with their work points. They can’t afford meat more than a few times a year, can’t buy new clothes, and returning to the city feels like a distant dream.
Yet Zhao Jingyu lives it up in the city, eating well and drinking fine. As soon as he got married, the old couple immediately handed over the family heirlooms.
Isn’t this just bullying honest folks like them?
Zhao Lei also felt a chill in her heart upon learning there were gold bracelets and necklaces at home. She’s the only daughter in the family, and though Yang Yuelan always claims to dote on her, she’s never secretly given her a single piece of gold jewelry.
When it comes down to it, her parents still favor their son, Zhao Jingyu.
Seeing the three of them fall silent, Tang Wenya knew they were stewing in resentment. Feeling quite pleased, she stood up, intending to find Jiang Yumei.
Just as she rose, Wang Yaqiang called out to her: “Tang Wenya, come over here and say a few words. Your sister-in-law is marrying an old classmate—shouldn’t Tingshen be happy? Shouldn’t he drink until he’s thoroughly drunk?”
At the neighboring table, Wang Yaqiang and Liu Dawei were pulling Xiao Tingshen into drinking. Xiao Tingshen’s face was flushed red, yet he still wore a smile: “I really can’t drink anymore. Any more and I’ll be drunk.”
“You’re staying right here—what’s there to fear if you get drunk?” Liu Dawei insisted, refusing to let him off. “It’s not like we’ll send you to the wrong room, anyway.”
Everyone burst into laughter, their eyes fixed on them.
When young folks get together, they just love to stir up fun.
“Hey, what are you all doing?” Tang Wenya’s cheeks flushed pink as she stepped forward to stop them. “If he can’t drink, don’t force him.”
“Then how about you drink for him?” Wang Yaqiang was truly drunk, his face bright red as he held the glass out to Tang Wenya. “He’s your boyfriend, after all—it’s the same no matter who drinks.”
“I… I don’t drink,” Tang Wenya was fuming.
“Oh, right, even if you could drink, we wouldn’t let you. You’ve got… special circumstances. We can’t make things difficult for you,” Liu Dawei grinned, taking the glass from Wang Yaqiang. He slung an arm over Xiao Tingshen’s shoulder, his breath reeking of alcohol as he asked, “Buddy, when are you two tying the knot? Better hurry—this kind of thing can’t wait.”
Another round of laughter erupted from the crowd.
But as the laughter died down, something felt off. Whispers began to spread—what did “special circumstances” mean? Could Tang Wenya be…?
“You…” Tang Wenya was so angry she couldn’t get a word out. Fortunately, Jiang Yumei stepped in just in time to smooth things over. “Yaya, they’re drunk. Don’t take it to heart. Come over here, to Mom’s side.”
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Tang Wenya couldn’t bear to stay a moment longer. She turned and left without looking back.
She always knew none of Zhao Jingyu’s crowd were any good. Once she got back, she’d have a serious talk with Xiao Tingshen—he shouldn’t hang out with these people. What a bunch of lowlifes!
Seeing Tang Wenya leave in such a fluster, Wang Yaqiang turned back to continue his boisterous urging to drink. He’d heard every word she said earlier—he had to stand up for Xu Qingning no matter what.
Xu Qingning was no longer Tang Wenya’s little follower. Now, she was their proper, respected sister-in-law. If the sister-in-law was wronged, it was the younger brothers’ failure.
After eating, Xu Qingning felt drowsy and dozed off while lying down.
When she woke up, the wedding banquet in the courtyard had already ended. She leaned against the window and looked out—her father-in-law, mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law, and her husband’s older sister were outside tidying up tables, chairs, and benches, washing dishes, and sweeping the floor.
Zhao Jingyu, his two older brothers, and his group of friends were boisterously playing cards in the courtyard. The two older brothers were clearly drunk, their words reeking of alcohol.
Xu Qingning knew there would still be guests to entertain in the evening, and it would likely go on late into the night. So she simply drew the curtains and went back to sleep.
As the bride, she didn’t have to do anything.
It was just that the groom outside was rather negligent—he didn’t even come in to check on her or bring her a glass of water.
Just as she was thinking this, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Zhao Jingyu walked in holding a ceramic mug. Seeing she was awake, he handed her the water: “Mom asked me to ask you what you’d like to eat tonight.”
“I’ll eat whatever you all eat. No need to make anything special for me.” Xu Qingning took the ceramic mug. Her appetite was much better now than it had been in the morning.
“My brothers and sisters-in-law aren’t going back today. I’ve booked two tables at the guesthouse for dinner and arranged rooms for them.” Zhao Jingyu stood by the bed, buttoning up his open suit jacket one by one. “Mom and my sister aren’t going to the guesthouse. They said they’ll stay here to keep you company.”
“Permission granted. Go ahead!” Xu Qingning waved at him, then called him back. “If you’re going to drink tonight, book a room for yourself too. I can’t stand the smell of alcohol.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t drink.” Zhao Jingyu paused and teased, “If I drank and slept at the guesthouse, would you feel at ease?”
“You know better.” Xu Qingning understood, her peach blossom eyes filled with laughter. She picked up the ceramic mug, took a sip of water, cleared her throat, and said, “Once is enough for that kind of thing. After all, your salary can’t support two wives.”
“It seems I need to earn more money.” Zhao Jingyu gave her a thoughtful look, took the ceramic mug from her hand, placed it on the desk, and strode out.
This woman is quite interesting.