“I’m telling you, Sister Qin, your favoritism has gone way too far. Back when Old Qin split from the family, the reason your household got those six fertile mu of paddy fields on North Hill was because you gave birth to Qin Xiao.”
The speaker was the village chief’s daughter-in-law. Since the village chief handled nearly every affair in the village, she knew the history of every family by heart.
With that single remark, she brought the conversation all the way back to the year Qin Xiao was born.
“Back then, you carried Qin Xiao around everywhere and called him your treasure. You said Old Master Qin adored him, which was why your family received such good land.”
“So what happened? The moment Qin Yue was born, Qin Xiao became worthless?”
Someone immediately chimed in.
“Exactly. Ever since Qin Yue was born, I’ve never seen him work in the fields. But Qin Xiao? Before he was even taller than a rice stalk, he was already working the land.”
“He even had to do things usually left to girls, washing clothes by the river.”
“He only wanted to buy some good fabric for his wife. Surely that beautiful brick house of yours is worth more than a single bolt of silk gauze?”
An elderly man standing nearby clasped his hands behind his back and let out a snort.
“If my son were half as sensible as yours, if he built me a brick house to live in and even handled his own marriage without troubling us, I’d laugh myself awake every night from happiness.”
“What does it matter what he buys for his wife?”
“As long as my daughter-in-law looks beautiful, it reflects well on our family. Why would parents compete with her over such things?”
One person after another joined the discussion.
Everyone had their own sense of right and wrong.
Not a single person spoke in Madam Qin’s defense.
Some genuinely felt she had treated Qin Xiao unfairly and could not stand to watch it.
Others simply disliked her already and seized the opportunity to take a jab.
After all, she had always looked down on the villagers.
Because her family owned the finest house in the village and had a son studying to become a scholar, she rarely bothered to hide her arrogance.
She constantly bragged that one day she would become the mother of an official and spoke of the villagers as though they were beneath her.
As if she herself were not a farmer.
As if she were somehow superior.
Madam Qin’s face shifted between green and white as the criticism poured in.
She repeatedly tried to interrupt.
“Enough! Stop talking about my family’s business!”
“Weren’t you the one who asked us to judge the matter?” the village chief’s daughter-in-law replied with a roll of her eyes.
“You think we enjoy talking about you?”
“With the way you behave, aren’t you worried people will start looking down on Qin Yue too?”
Madam Qin’s carefully laid plans crumbled apart.
The shattered pieces flew back and smacked her squarely in the face.
With so many people watching, if she continued trying to snatch Qin Xiao’s belongings, she really would damage Qin Yue’s reputation.
If her own reputation suffered, that was one thing.
Dragging down her younger son was another matter entirely.
Still, her eyes lingered greedily on the bolt of silk gauze.
If force would not work, then she would try a softer approach.
Putting on a stiff smile, she stepped closer to Qin Xiao.
“Mother was only worried that this little vixen had tricked you. What if she’s greedy?”
“But hearing you say she tried to save money, that puts my mind at ease.”
“Earlier, I heard her mention that you bought fabric for your father and me as well. What kind of fabric is it? Where is it?”
Qin Xiao vaguely sensed that his mother was plotting something, but he answered honestly anyway.
“Fine cotton cloth.”
“Yours is light blue, Father’s is dark teal.”
“I gave the fabric to Aunt Qiao. She already has your measurements.”
“When the clothes are finished, she’ll deliver them.”
“I’ve already paid the tailoring fees too.”
“You won’t have to worry about a thing.”
Surely that should be enough.
Those colors were considerably more expensive than plain gray cloth.
Qinghe had specifically recommended them, saying the shades suited middle-aged people.
They would look dignified and festive on the wedding day while still being suitable for everyday wear afterward.
The styles had also been chosen by Qinghe.
His father’s outfit would be a long robe.
His mother’s would be a cross-collar dress with wide skirts.
They would look respectable even in town.
He had thought through everything so carefully.
Surely his mother would stop now.
But once again, Qin Xiao was disappointed.
The dissatisfaction appeared on Madam Qin’s face almost instantly.
“You buy your wife such expensive fabric, yet you brush off your parents with cotton cloth?”
“No.”
“I want silk gauze too.”
“And your father and younger brother should have silk garments.”
The veins at Qin Xiao’s temples began to throb.
He stood there silently for a long moment.
Though his tall frame stood in the sunlight, surrounded by people, he somehow looked lonely.
Isolated.
Qinghe could not know exactly what he was thinking.
But she knew one thing.
Qin Xiao was hurt.
Since he had not blamed her for confronting Madam Qin, and had even encouraged her to defend herself, Qinghe decided she would no longer spare the older woman’s dignity.
Naturally, she would not openly fight her mother-in-law before the villagers.
But there was more than one way to win a battle.
Calmly smoothing her disheveled hair, Qinghe stepped forward with a gentle smile.
She stopped in front of Qin Xiao, then gave Madam Qin an impeccable bow.
“Mother-in-law.”
It was the only form of address she could manage.
Neither intimate nor disrespectful.
“Qin Xiao truly wants to buy the finest fabrics for you.”
“As for this bolt of silk gauze, we can certainly give it to you.”
As she spoke, she picked up the brilliant red bolt and held it out.
Madam Qin’s eyes lit up with delight.
She immediately reached for it.
Qin Xiao was about to stop her when Qinghe continued.
“If we give you this fabric, Qin Xiao will have to buy another set for me.”
“That means every last coin we have will be gone.”
“There will be no money left for our wedding banquet.”
Madam Qin’s hand froze.
Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow.
He had already caught the hidden meaning beneath her words.
Leaning back slightly, he watched her performance with obvious interest.
Qinghe’s smile only deepened.
Though somehow, that smile felt very expensive.
“Our wedding doesn’t need to be extravagant.”
“However, since our family includes a scholar, we cannot be careless.”
“What others have, we must have as well.”
“So, Mother-in-law, I’ll leave the wedding candies, candles, bed-scattering fruits, sedan chair, musicians, and firecrackers to you.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“When a new bride enters the family, she must serve tea and formally kneel before her elders.”
“Naturally, a welcoming gift is also required.”
“I know my status is low, so I won’t ask for much.”
“A silver bracelet should be enough.”
“It doesn’t need to be heavy.”
“Two taels will do.”
“When the day comes, I’ll kneel before my parents-in-law in front of the entire village.”
“And Mother-in-law can personally place the bracelet on my wrist.”
“That would truly bring honor to the family.”
“Originally, we didn’t wish to trouble anyone.”
“But my younger brother-in-law is a scholar.”
“Scholars value proper etiquette.”
“If we skip any of these customs and embarrass Scholar Qin Yue, what would people say?”
Madam Qin instantly lost all desire to take the silk gauze.
The thing was outrageously expensive.
Looking at Qinghe’s smiling face, she could not utter a single word of refusal.
This little fox spirit was far too formidable.
Every other sentence somehow circled back to Qin Yue.
And unfortunately, she was right.
Scholars did care about such traditions.
Everything Qinghe listed was expected, even in poor households.
Certainly, some families were so impoverished they had no sedan chair and simply used a donkey to bring the bride home.
But the Qin family lived in the finest house in the village.
They had money to support Qin Yue’s studies.
Claiming they had no money to provide their eldest son with a proper wedding would be difficult to justify.
More importantly, all of this was happening in front of half the village.
Whether she accepted the silk gauze or not, these expenses were responsibilities that traditionally fell upon the parents.
She did not want to spend the money.
Not even a little.
Yet she also could not reject the idea outright in front of everyone.
She felt as though she had been placed over an open fire, roasting from both sides.
“This… this…”
“The fabric is too bright. I couldn’t possibly wear something so red.”
She immediately stepped back two paces.
The bolt of fabric she had coveted moments ago had suddenly become a pitfall waiting to swallow her whole.
The spectators watching the drama could barely suppress their laughter.
A few of the older, more experienced villagers exchanged knowing looks.
Qinghe’s move was a classic retreat to advance.
A velvet blade hidden behind a smile.
That was true skill.
And at that moment, Qin Xiao felt it was finally time for him to speak.