On their way back, Jiang Father and Zhou Guiyun also ran into their nephew, Jiang Shouliu.
As the eldest son of the second branch of the family, Jiang Shouliu had taken his wife and children to visit his maternal family today. He had only just returned, and when he saw Eldest Uncle and Aunt, he hurriedly greeted them.
Usually, Zhou Guiyun and Jiang Father would respond, but neither was in the mood now. They merely answered with a faint “Mm” and left.
Jiang Shouliu had no idea what was going on and froze for a moment.
Shouliu's wife’s eyes flickered. She immediately whispered to him about what she had overheard the previous night. “Yesterday, when I told you, you said I must have heard wrong. Look at the expressions on Eldest Uncle and Aunt’s faces now. Was I wrong?”
She had gotten up during the night and heard the younger sister-in-law crying in her parents-in-law’s room and saying something. Curious, she had gone over to listen.
She heard that the younger sister-in-law had actually gotten involved with Jiang Qian, this younger female cousin’s prospective match—and had even gotten pregnant!
The big gossip had made her eyes shine. She had rushed back to tell Jiang Shouliu, but he had not believed her.
Now, however, Jiang Shouliu could not help frowning and hurriedly took her home.
There, he saw that the whole family was in complete disarray. His mother and younger sister both had a slap mark on their faces!
“Oh my, what happened? Mother, why do you and younger sister both have slap marks on your faces? We just saw Eldest Uncle and Aunt leave from here. We called out to them, but they ignored us.” Shouliu's wife blinked innocently, deliberately asking what she already knew.
“Father, what happened?” Jiang Shouliu asked as well.
“This time, we’ve thoroughly offended Eldest Uncle and Aunt!” Second Uncle Jiang said with a bitter smile.
Madam Sun truly looked down on her husband’s weak, spineless appearance, but she still poked her daughter on the head with a finger. “This is all your doing!”
Although she was angry about being slapped, the first branch of the family had looked after the second branch for so many years. Whenever anything happened, the first branch had never stood by and done nothing!
This time, they had truly offended the first branch terribly!
“Father, Mother, I’ll accept whatever punishment you give me!” Jiang Yue simply had not wanted to wait for Han Shiguo any longer. She could not hold on anymore, which was why she had gotten together with Wang Hesong!
She did not mention a single word about having transmigrated into a book. After all, she was not stupid; how could she possibly say something like that?
But Second Uncle Jiang and Madam Sun said nothing more. Now that things had come to this, what use was beating or scolding her?
She was carrying a child from the Wang family, after all. The Wang family was from the town, and Wang Hesong was an officer at a work unit. All things considered, he was not a bad prospect.
He was no worse than the Han family!
Besides, Wang Hesong had taken a liking to their daughter and rejected Jiang Qian. Was that not because their daughter was more attractive?
Their own first branch had failed to win over a man with their daughter, yet they blamed others for it!
That was what Madam Sun thought, but she did not dare say it aloud.
At the first branch’s home.
Aside from Fourth Brother Jiang Shouchuan, who worked in the county town and had not returned, Eldest Brother Jiang Shouhai and Second Brother Jiang Shoutao had already hauled a cartload of firewood home.
The two brothers had gone into the mountains to gather firewood today.
As for Third Brother Jiang Shouhe, he had gone to the county town with Third Sister-in-law Su Zhirou today and had only just arrived home.
They arrived one after another, and as soon as they got home, they heard that their younger female cousin Jiang Yue had stolen their younger sister’s fiancé, and that the Wang family had betrayed their trust and abandoned all sense of honor!
All the brothers clenched their fists!
“Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, don’t be impulsive. I don’t need you to get revenge for me or anything. I’ve already given Wang Hesong two hard slaps. If you make a move too, you’ll be taking that Wang fellow far too seriously!” Jiang Qian knew her brothers well and hurriedly spoke up.
Jiang Shouhai said, “Got it. Don’t worry. We won’t go argue with him. Otherwise, he might think you really can’t live without him, and wouldn’t that make him die of happiness?”
Jiang Shoutao also nodded. “He isn’t worthy of having a girl like our younger sister as his wife!”
Jiang Shouhe merely smiled faintly. Jiang Qian felt somewhat helpless when she saw this. Eldest Brother and Second Brother were fine, but Third Brother, that smiling tiger, definitely would not let Wang Hesong off.
Still, Wang Hesong deserved the beating.
Third Sister-in-law Su Zhirou also understood her husband. She smiled gently. “That Wang fellow was blind and failed to recognize a priceless treasure. It can only be said that he lacked the good fortune. Qianqian doesn’t care about it either, so don’t make a needless fuss.”
She had been a female educated youth sent to the countryside at the beginning of this year. After the busy summer harvest ended in the middle of the year, she had immediately married Jiang Shouhe.
Jiang Shouhe was especially fond of her. He did not say anything more about his younger sister’s matter and instead reassured the whole family. “Mother, we went to the hospital for an examination today. The doctor said the child in A Rou’s belly is very healthy. She was simply exhausted some time ago. If she rests properly from now on, there shouldn’t be any major problems!”
Zhou Guiyun was delighted as well. She looked at Su Zhirou. “Take advantage of the time when everyone is spending the winter indoors and farm work is slack to get plenty of rest. Pregnancy isn’t easy, especially when it’s your first child!”
Su Zhirou smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ve already listened to my sisters-in-law share their experiences.”
Jiang Qian also glanced at her Third Sister-in-law’s still-flat belly. She had heard that it was a little over two months along, but the baby was still small. It would take at least four or five months before it began to show, so there was truly nothing visible yet.
It was already getting late, and dinner had been prepared and brought out.
It was extremely simple: steamed buns made from mixed grains with boiled napa cabbage. That was all.
But this was already quite a good meal. Many people in the village simply ate porridge-like gruel to get by.
The whole family still found it delicious.
Jiang Qian remained perfectly calm about it.
There were many things in her spatial storage, but aside from occasionally allowing the few hens at home to “lay” a few extra eggs, she could not use any of it for anything else.
She ate whatever the family ate. Only in private, inside her own little room, would she supplement her diet.
After all, she was clever and had bought plenty of delicious prepared food, even having the shopkeeper chop and pack it for her to take away.
Whenever she craved meat, she would close the door to her little room and select something she wanted from her spatial storage, such as lobster, steamed fish, roast goose, roast chicken, or braised pig’s trotters, among other things…
Time did not pass inside the spatial storage, so nothing spoiled. Whatever flavor something had when she put it in was exactly the flavor it had when she took it out. Even the temperature did not differ in the slightest; she could eat it immediately.
Unless the family truly could no longer get by, she would never take these things out of her spatial storage.
Besides, the family’s circumstances were fairly decent.
She truly had no need to expose her spatial storage. There was no point.
After eating a simple dinner, Jiang Qian began tutoring her eldest nephew with his studies.
Jiang Shouhai and Zhao Aiying had three children, two sons and a daughter. Their eldest son, Jiang Weiguo, was already eight years old and in the second grade of primary school. Next year, he would be able to enter the third grade.
Their second child, Jiang Weihong, was six, while their third child, Jiang Weidang, was three.
Jiang Shoutao and Zhao Aifeng had two children, a son and a daughter. Their elder child, Jiang Weijun, was also six and would be able to enter first grade alongside their eldest niece, Jiang Weihong, next year. Their younger child, Jiang Weimin, was also a three-year-old little carrot-top who usually followed Jiang Weidang and loved going with his older siblings to catch cabbage worms and dig up earthworms to take home and feed the chicks!
Jiang Weimin and Jiang Weidang, the two younger ones, could play as they pleased. But Jiang Weihong and Jiang Weijun were already six, and would be starting first grade next year, so Jiang Qian gave them some tutoring, teaching them to count and write their own names.