Yuan Ni dug at her ear, somewhat astonished. Her little uncle was so thick-skinned—he didn’t seem like a member of the Chen family at all.
Yuan Ni’s Mother was stunned too. “The new house was built with money I earned. Why should I give it to you?”
“Third Sister, buying all those bricks and tiles must have cost at least fifty or sixty yuan, right? An egg only sells for a few cents—how many days did you have to trade to earn that? I don’t believe you could make that much money. It must have been Mom and Dad subsidizing you.
Besides, even if it is your money, you have to consider whose matter is more important. I’m about to take a wife—a new bride entering the household deserves to live in a new house.” Chen Xuewen spoke with complete self-assurance.
“Why don’t you go talk to Mom and Dad about it?”
“Mom and Dad clearly favor you. Talking to them won’t do any good. It has to come from you, Third Sister. Just say you like the old house and don’t want to move, and let me move straight into the new one. Isn’t that simple enough?”
“Shoo, shoo, shoo. If you want to say that, go say it yourself.” No matter how good-tempered Yuan Ni’s Mother was, she couldn’t tolerate this brother of hers any longer. She shoved Chen Xuewen straight out the door.
After closing the door again, Mother began grumbling and cursing Chen Xuewen.
Amidst that stream of complaints, Yuan Ni resumed her study of the jar.
After being wiped clean, the jar revealed a white base with blue floral patterns, in perfect condition.
Yuan Ni turned the jar over and carefully examined its bottom.
The Tang Dynasty was a transitional period between earthenware and porcelain. By the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, porcelain had become the primary medium.
If this were blue-and-white porcelain produced during the Song, Yuan, Ming, or Qing dynasties, the bottom would generally bear an inscription. Yet the bottom of this jar was completely blank…
Yuan Ni pondered—what did this mean?
She had her Special Ability, so there was no possibility of misjudging the item’s authenticity. Unfortunately, her Special Ability could only authenticate treasures, not date them.
Yuan Ni had studied archaeology in the past, not specializing in ceramics. So after researching for a while without reaching a conclusion, she could only put the treasure away for now.
She would find someone knowledgeable to ask about it later.
The next day, Yuan Ni’s Mother did exactly as Yuan Ni had instructed. She went to Grandmother and lodged a complaint, saying that Chen Xuewen wanted the new house.
In most families, sons were favored over daughters—they would even sell off their daughters to fund a son’s marriage.
But the Chen family was not like that.
Before Yuan Ni’s Mother married out, she had been the most beloved child in the household.
Unfortunately, she had entrusted herself to the wrong man, falling for Yuan the Eldest, which led to all her suffering.
Even now, Grandmother still doted on her daughter. As soon as she heard Yuan Ni’s Mother’s account, she sneered,
“He still wants the new house? It’s already generous that we haven’t kicked him out to live on the street. Xuewen should think—all his older brothers married while living in the old houses. Why should he get to live in the new one?”
If a bowl of water couldn’t be held level, the household couldn’t be managed.
Grandmother reassured Yuan Ni’s Mother, “The new house is yours. Just live there with your daughters. As for your brother—he’s immature. I’ll knock some sense into him.”
With Grandmother’s word on the matter, Yuan Ni felt at ease.
Today, as the Chen family was building their house, Yuan Ni didn’t go out to trade eggs. Instead, she brought Zhaodie and Pandi along to the market.
At the market, they bought a string of pork offal, including pork liver, pork heart, pork stomach, and the large intestine.
According to tradition, when a house was being built and the ridge beam raised, the family would eat well. Since Yuan Ni couldn’t build a house herself, she took on the task of improving their meals instead.
Zhaodie and Pandi had grown up in the Yuan household, and they were so well-behaved it was heartbreaking.
When they saw Yuan Ni about to buy a shuttlecock and colorful rubber bands, Zhaodie stopped her. “Sister, don’t waste money. We don’t need them.”
“Don’t worry. Your sister’s earned money now—there’s plenty for the two of you to spend.”
Wealth should not be shown off, especially in the countryside. The reason Yuan Ni didn’t dare spend money lavishly was because she was still living with the Chen family.
Chen Xuewen, being her mother’s own younger brother, had already set his sights on the new house, let alone the other aunts-in-law who had no blood relation at all.
Yuan Ni had no choice but to be cautious.
So, apart from food and drink, Yuan Ni didn’t dare buy any extra items.
As for improving their standard of living, that could wait.
When the three sisters returned home, Maternal Grandfather had already started work with the hired hands.
Many hands make light work—the Chen family lacked many things, but they certainly didn’t lack strong laborers.
Maternal Grandfather was personally directing the work, laying the foundation.
Grandmother was busy preparing food in the kitchen. When she saw Yuan Ni carrying a large bundle of pork offal, she beamed with joy. “Good stuff! With this to boost our spirits, we’ll have the house up today.”
The large intestines were washed clean and stir-fried with chili peppers, the pork stomach was stewed with radish, and the pork liver and heart were made into braised dishes.
Before noon even arrived, the Chen family’s kitchen was wafting with rich aromas.
Villagers passing by couldn’t help but wipe their mouths when they caught the scent. Unfortunately, the Chen family wasn’t hiring helpers for the house construction—otherwise, they could have gotten a taste of the good food too.
Grandmother knew her sons well. With good food and drink on offer, everyone worked with great vigor, including the disciplined youngest son, Chen Xuewen, who was putting in serious effort.
By dusk, the house had taken shape.
“Putting up the ridgepole is a major event—we need to pick an auspicious time. Let’s wait for the right moment,” said Maternal Grandfather, who, being a carpenter, was quite particular about such things.
The house would be lived in for a lifetime, so there was no need to rush.
Early the next morning, following Maternal Grandfather’s arrangements, the ridgepole was raised at an auspicious time. After that, there wasn’t much work left.
Yuan Ni’s mother had already said that the leftover bricks and tiles from the house construction wouldn’t be returned—they’d be kept for repairing the other old houses.
The uncles were very pleased. The old house had been lived in for many years and was somewhat drafty and leaky. This was a perfect opportunity to fix it up without spending their own money.
Everyone said that Guiying was sensible and a caring, thoughtful sister.
After all, when a daughter returned to her natal home, she had to be willing to spend money. As long as the money was spent properly, she generally wouldn’t be looked down upon.
Yuan Ni understood this principle well. Today, she had specially gone to the river to buy four large fish, which she stewed in a big pot with old tofu and vermicelli noodles.
That aroma—it tantalized half the village.
As the sun set, the Chen family had erected their new house, and the old houses had all been repaired and refreshed.
Everyone ate until their mouths glistened with oil, patting their round bellies as they admired the fruits of their labor.
The new house was too damp, so while the windows weren’t yet glazed, they needed to hurry and air it out.
Maternal Grandfather said that before Chen Xuewen’s wedding, Yuan Ni’s mother could move out with the children to vacate the house.
Chen Xuewen’s fiancée was named Tian Xiaofang, a girl from the neighboring village. She and Chen Xuewen had fallen in love freely—before Grandmother even nodded in approval, the two had already confirmed their relationship.
Later, when Grandmother found out, they went through the formalities and paid the bride price.
The Chen family had many sons and believed in treating everyone equally—whatever rules applied to the eldest son’s marriage applied to the second son as well.
These matters were all made clear after the two families met.
At the time, the Tian family had nodded in agreement, saying they would follow the customs and just hoped Xiaofang wouldn’t be treated poorly.
No one expected that, with the happy occasion drawing near, the Tian family would suddenly stir up trouble.
“What? Tian Xiaofang wants an eighty-eight yuan bride price? And she won’t even bring it back?” Upon hearing the message relayed by the matchmaker, Grandmother’s face immediately fell.
“Yes, I didn’t expect it either, Auntie. This isn’t my fault—Xiaofang wasn’t introduced to Xuewen by me. We just stepped in to fill the gap afterward.” The matchmaker hurried to clear herself.
“I know. I’m just angry. They’re about to hold the wedding—where does she get the nerve to ask for so much money? Is she trimmed in gold?” Grandmother was furious. If she wanted a hefty bride price, why didn’t she say so earlier?
Had she said so sooner, Grandmother would have definitely split the pair apart and ruined the whole marriage.
Now that the wedding was nearly upon them, Tian Xiaofang suddenly demanded money—this was truly a difficult spot.
“Well, it’s like this—the Tian family told me…” The matchmaker spoke up reluctantly.