Scholar Qian and Hao Chunniang were both deeply unsettled by what they saw across the road.
Seeing Su Nuanru and Huo Hanye holding hands, Scholar Qian was green with jealousy. How could that crude man Huo Hanye touch Lady Su? How was he worthy of her? It was truly a beautiful flower stuck in a pile of cow dung.
Hao Chunniang felt nothing in particular about Su Nuanru and Huo Hanye’s intimacy. What infuriated her was what Huo Hanye was carrying. It turned out the Huo family had not only prepared a jin of eggs and five jin of flour for Su Nuanru, but also two jars of wine. When Huo Hanye had accompanied her on her bride’s homecoming visit in her previous life, he had not brought any wine! Those two jars were far more valuable than the things she was carrying. The homecoming gifts prepared by the Qian family suddenly seemed utterly inadequate.
She immediately let go of Scholar Qian and said, “I want to carry wine too.”
Scholar Qian was already blinded by jealousy. Hearing Hao Chunniang’s words only made him angrier. “What are you making such a fuss about? You asked for tea leaves, and now you want wine too! Why don’t you just move everything in my family to yours?”
Hao Chunniang said resentfully, “If the Huo family can prepare wine, why can’t your family?”
Scholar Qian snapped, “If you’re so envious, why didn’t you marry Huo Hanye? Why did you have to cling to me?”
Hao Chunniang had followed him around since they were children, always saying that she wanted to marry him. He did not particularly like her, but she was fairly pretty and the village chief’s daughter, so her attention flattered him. He had not been especially resistant to her. But after seeing Su Nuanru, he learned what it felt like to love someone and no longer wanted to spare Hao Chunniang even a glance. Yet Hao Chunniang had used certain means to force him to marry her. He truly regretted it beyond measure!
Those words enraged Hao Chunniang.
“You think I wanted to marry you? If you hadn’t taken my body, I definitely wouldn’t have married you!”
Scholar Qian said, “Who knows what drug you gave me!”
Hearing him bring up the matter of drugging him again, Hao Chunniang could not keep her composure. She immediately retorted sarcastically, “Did I need to drug you? No one forced you these past two nights. Just look at how you rushed at me like some man who’d never seen a woman before!”
Scholar Qian was, after all, a scholar. No one had ever spoken to him like that in broad daylight. His face flushed crimson with shame and anger, and he pointed at Hao Chunniang, unable to think of anything to say.
Old Mrs. Zhen hurried out of the house when she heard the commotion. After listening to their exchange, she became quite displeased with her daughter-in-law. What was wrong with Hao Chunniang? How could she say absolutely anything in public? She had no sense of propriety at all!
But today was the day of the bride’s homecoming visit, and Hao Chunniang’s father was the village chief. If she went home and started saying foolish things, it would be troublesome. Old Mrs. Zhen had to soothe her first.
“Wangzu, this is your fault. How could you quarrel with Chunniang?”
Seeing her mother-in-law take her side, Hao Chunniang grew even more belligerent.
“Did you hear that? This whole thing is your fault!”
Seeing that Old Mrs. Zhen was not siding with him, Scholar Qian immediately complained, “Mother, you don’t know what she just said. She thinks our family didn’t prepare enough, that we didn’t bring as much as the Huo family across the way, and she insisted that we prepare wine.”
Hao Chunniang was utterly speechless. Why did Scholar Qian tell his mother everything? She did not dare look Old Mrs. Zhen in the eye.
Old Mrs. Zhen’s mind worked quickly. She looked at Hao Chunniang and said with a smile, “I thought it was something serious. So you two quarreled over an outsider. Chunniang, your family lives far from the Huo family, so you don’t know their circumstances. That family is terribly poor. All their money goes to Old Huo and Old Mrs. He; they don’t have a single copper left over. That wine must have been bought on credit from the town just to save face.”
In her previous life, Hao Chunniang had married Huo Hanye, so she naturally knew the Huo family’s circumstances. The moment she heard Old Mrs. Zhen say this, she understood.
That was right—the Huo family had no money. If they had no money, where had the wine come from? They must have bought it on credit!
Thinking of it that way made Hao Chunniang feel somewhat better.
Noticing the change in Hao Chunniang’s expression, Old Mrs. Zhen continued, “Our family lives better than the Huo family, so of course we could have prepared wine for you. But your family still has two brothers, and if we sent the wine over, your brothers would drink it all. My family has only Wangzu as our sole heir. Any silver we save will all belong to the two of you in the future. We’re practical people. There’s no need for us to slap our faces swollen just to look prosperous, like the Huo family. Don’t you agree?”
Hao Chunniang still wanted the wine, but after thinking it over, she felt that Old Mrs. Zhen had a point.
“I didn’t really want wine. It was just that one thing led to another.”
Old Mrs. Zhen said with a smile, “I know. You talk tough, but you have a soft heart, and you’re the most sensible girl there is.”
Old Mrs. Zhen’s coaxing dispelled Hao Chunniang’s anger completely. She returned to the Hao family together with Scholar Qian.
Meanwhile, Huo Hanye and Su Nuanru continued walking toward the Su family home.
Su Nuanru looked at their clasped hands. Her initial resistance gradually gave way to other thoughts. His hand was broad, solid, and powerful, giving her a strange sense of security. She raised her eyes to Huo Hanye and saw his tense expression, causing her heart to tighten.
Was he unhappy? She had no idea why he was unhappy. She did not think she had done anything just now to upset him, had she?
Just then, someone approached them from ahead. Su Nuanru quickly pulled her hand free.
Huo Hanye glanced at her. Seeing her lower her head, he closed his empty hand into a fist, said nothing, and continued forward.
Huo Hanye had a long stride. It was his first time walking together with Su Nuanru, and he had not yet learned to control his pace. After a few steps, he realized that Su Nuanru was no longer beside him. He stopped and looked back at her, several paces behind.
Afraid that Huo Hanye was angry, Su Nuanru hurried to catch up. “I’m sorry. I walk too slowly.”
Huo Hanye said nothing, but from then on, he shortened his stride.
Feng Xueniang had been waiting at the gate for some time. When she spotted her daughter and son-in-law from a distance, she stepped forward to meet them.
Su Nuanru quickened her pace and passed Huo Hanye.
“Mother.”
Feng Xueniang had wanted to speak with her daughter, but the moment she opened her mouth, her voice caught with emotion.
Su Nuanru’s eyes reddened as well.
Huo Hanye came up to them. “Mother-in-law.”
Seeing her son-in-law, Feng Xueniang restrained her tears and said, “Ah, hurry inside. Your father is waiting at home.”
The group walked into the Su family’s courtyard.
Su Fusheng was sitting in the main room, waiting for his daughter and son-in-law.
Huo Hanye set down the wine and flour he was carrying. “Father-in-law.”
Su Nuanru also put down the eggs in her hands. “Father.”
A rare smile appeared on Su Fusheng’s dejected face. “Ah, you’re back.”
Feng Xueniang said, “It’s fine that you came. Why did you bring so many things?”
Su Nuanru had not expected Huo Hanye to bring wine either. Given the Huo family’s circumstances, they could not afford to drink wine in their daily lives. She had been quite surprised when Huo Hanye brought it out that morning.
The usually taciturn Huo Hanye said, “I didn’t get the chance to have a proper drink with Father-in-law on the day we married. Today, we should drink to our hearts’ content.”
Su Fusheng was pleased to hear that. He had always thought highly of Huo Hanye as a son-in-law.
Although his business had failed, his years in the world of commerce had given him some ability to judge people. He could tell that Huo Hanye was no ordinary man and that he was someone who could be entrusted with important things. He was certainly beyond comparison with that young man from the Qian family.
But he had not wanted to force his daughter. So even though he knew she favored the Qian family, he had delayed arranging her marriage. Fortunately, the Qian family had gone to propose to the Hao family, and his daughter had also seen the sincerity of this son-in-law.
“I knew I hadn’t misjudged you. Today, the two of us—father-in-law and son-in-law—must drink to our hearts’ content.”
Seeing her husband so happy for once, Feng Xueniang was delighted as well. She rose to her feet and said, “I’ll make a few extra dishes today. You two have a good drink.”
Su Nuanru stood up. “Mother, I’ll help you.”
Feng Xueniang also had things she wanted to discuss with her daughter, so she said, “All right.”
Huo Hanye rose as well. “I’ll help too.”
Su Fusheng stopped him. “There’s no need. You’re a grown man—don’t go into the kitchen.”
Huo Hanye seemed to disagree with that. He glanced at Su Nuanru.
Su Nuanru said, “You don’t need to help. Mother and I can talk while we work.”
Huo Hanye could tell that Su Nuanru wanted to avoid having him around, so he finally stopped insisting.