“Dear in-laws! It’s not that we are being picky!”
“Although the wedding banquet is held in Chen Family Village, if the feast is too shabby, won’t people point fingers at our Yǔnlǐ’s back?”
“Our Yǔnlǐ is, after all, the top scorer of the county exam! He is going to be a future licentiate! Are you trying to make him a laughingstock?”
“……”
Song Nianyun sat upright on a yellow rosewood armchair, her fingertips lightly tracing the intricate carvings on the armrest, her gaze casually sweeping over the three people across from her.
The old man speaking spitting fervently at the moment was the original owner’s future father-in-law—Chen Laogen.
He wore an ill-fitting sapphire brocade robe. His dark, weathered face was full of deep wrinkles, entirely out of place with such luxurious clothing.
His rough, calloused hands waved excitedly in the air, carrying an unmistakable rustic air.
Seated beside him was Liu Shi, wearing a crimson embroidered silk dress with gold thread. Her narrow, upturned eyes darted around, making the fine fabric look cheap and petty on her.
As for Chen Yunli, who sat quietly to the side, Song Nianyun found him somewhat surprising.
He wore a clean moon-white long robe, black hair secured with a jade hairpin, his features refined and handsome.
Just sitting there silently, he naturally exuded the scholarly elegance of “a man whose knowledge shows in his bearing.”
Compared to the crude couple beside him, he did not seem like their biological son at all.
As if sensing Song Nianyun’s gaze, Chen Yunli suddenly looked up.
Their eyes met. He gave her a slight nod, the corners of his lips lifting into his usual faint, polite smile.
In the past, the original host would already have flushed and lowered her head shyly.
But at this moment, Song Nianyun simply looked away calmly, her expression completely unchanged, as if she had just seen a stranger unrelated to her.
She admitted Chen Yunli had decent looks, and his scholarship was considered outstanding in this small place called Lingyang Prefecture.
But in her past life, she had been the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Wei State, raised among princes and princesses in the palace, surrounded by countless extraordinary talents.
Compared to them, Chen Yunli’s abilities were nothing remarkable.
She truly did not think much of him…
This unusual indifference made the smile on Chen Yunli’s lips stiffen slightly.
But he did not dwell on it, only assuming she was upset because of his parents’ excessive demands.
It did not matter.
Later, when they were alone, he only needed to coax her with a few gentle words, and she would once again revolve entirely around him, as before.
“Dear in-laws, the main banquet will be held at Yibai’s residence. Everything will be properly arranged by her mother, so you need not worry yourselves.”
Song’s father lifted his teacup, using the rising steam to hide the trace of impatience in his eyes, his tone still polite.
“As for the wedding banquet in Chen Family Village… if the previous one hundred taels are not enough, then so be it—”
He paused slightly, a habitual shrewd merchant’s smile appearing on his face.
“I will add another one hundred taels for Yunli, as a supplement for his studies!”
“I only hope that when Yunli achieves great success in the future, he will not forget the sincerity of our Song family today.”
He spoke beautifully, dressing the additional money as care and encouragement for his son-in-law.
But in his heart, another calculation was at work.
Although the Chen family was poor and greedy, Chen Yunli was a potential investment.
If he invested more silver now and helped pave his path to success, once he topped the imperial examinations, he would become the father-in-law of an official!
In such a small county, having connections in the officialdom—even minor ones—would make business far smoother.
The returns of such fortune could not be measured by a mere two hundred taels.
This thought suppressed all his dissatisfaction, and even the Chen couple’s greed became tolerable.
Who would have thought the Chen family was still not satisfied?
Liu Shi curled her lips, her upturned eyes sweeping across the three members of the Song family as she said sharply:
“Brother-in-law, you may not understand the costs of rural weddings.”
“Two hundred taels sounds like a lot, but think about it—Yunli is now the top scorer of the county exam! He’s like a star descended from the heavens! Can a wedding like that be the same as an ordinary farm family’s?”
She began counting on her fingers:
“The banquet can’t be shabby. Chicken, duck, fish, and meat are the basics, and there must be delicacies to show off. The wine must be good wine! Then there’s the troupe, red envelopes, return gifts… which one doesn’t cost money?”
“Also…”
She paused, looking at her son with pride.
“Back then when Yunli was studying, tuition, brush, ink, paper, and inkstone… all of that was helped by the clan pooling money, right? Now that he’s finally successful, how can he forget his roots?”
“We’ve decided to renovate the ancestral hall properly so our ancestors can live comfortably.”
“Our Yunli also wants to set up a clan school in the village so that all Chen family children can learn to read and write and have a future.”
“Renovating the ancestral hall, running the clan school, and the wedding expenses—adding everything together, it would take at least eight hundred taels!”
The moment these words came out, Song’s father and mother nearly lost their composure.
Earlier, when Chen Laogen demanded more than one hundred taels, Madam Jiang could still barely maintain her dignified posture, though her handkerchief was already twisted tightly in her grip.
She came from a wealthy family and had been pampered since childhood. When had she ever dealt with such greedy and uncouth people?
Now hearing Liu Shi even include ancestral hall renovation and clan school matters into their family’s bill, and casually asking for eight hundred taels, she felt a surge of blood rush to her head, her vision darkening.
If not for her husband valuing Chen Yunli’s talent, and their daughter being deeply fond of him, she would have already stood up and sent them away.
Song’s father frowned deeply, his gaze shifting between the openly greedy Chen couple and Chen Yunli, who looked guilty and kept his head lowered in silence.
His hands hidden in his sleeves loosened and tightened repeatedly.
In the end, his expectation for a “future official son-in-law” overpowered his displeasure, and he was about to compromise…
“Heh.”
A soft sneer sounded.
It was not loud, yet it pierced through the stagnant air like an ice needle.
Everyone’s gaze was instantly drawn to Song Nianyun, who had been quiet the entire time as if she did not exist.
Chen Laogen and Liu Shi looked over in confusion, not understanding what she was laughing at.
Chen Yunli also suddenly looked up again, once more focusing on the fiancée who had repeatedly exceeded his expectations today.
This time, he clearly caught the cold, mocking curve at the corner of her lips before it could be fully withdrawn.
“Mrs. Chen,”
Song Nianyun spoke slowly, her voice still cool, now laced with a chill as sharp as frost,
“Renovating the ancestral hall and establishing a clan school—this is indeed a virtuous act that brings honor to the family and benefits the village. I admire it.”
A trace of pride flashed in Chen’s mother’s upturned eyes. She thought this future daughter-in-law at least knew how to speak properly.
But before she could feel pleased for long, Song Nianyun’s tone suddenly shifted:
“However, I wonder—this is the Chen family’s ancestral hall being renovated, and the Chen family’s clan school being established. What does it have to do with my Song family?”
“Why should my Song family be the one to pay these eight hundred taels of silver?”