Seeing that Xia Tian was ready, Chen Shi had her sit on a stool in the courtyard. She took out a comb and began to do her hair. A daughter who was getting married needed to have her hair put up in a bun.
As Chen Shi combed, she murmured blessings, but Xia Tian didn't take any of it in.
According to custom, this task of combing the hair should be done by a "Quanfu person" to signify blessings for the daughter.
But in the Xia Family, a girl's life was cheaper than grass. Who would care if a "money-losing good" was happy or not?
Xia Tian felt quite conflicted about this "bargain mother." In the original owner's memories, her mother had always been timid and submissive, constantly burying her head in work. As a result, she and her siblings never had a moment's rest either.
The original owner had always resented this mother, feeling that it was because of her mother's weakness that her grandmother could bully their family without any scruples.
But from what happened yesterday, the original owner's mother did care for her; otherwise, she wouldn't have talked back to Grandma Xia.
Speaking of Grandma Xia, she was the absolute authority in the Xia Family. Her word was law, and even Xia Lao Han had to listen to her.
Grandma Xia had given birth to six children in total: four sons and two daughters. Both daughters were already married off. Among the four sons, only the youngest, Xia Zheng Nian, was not yet married.
The eldest son, Xia Zheng Ping, was married to Li Shi and had three sons and one daughter.
The second son, Xia Zheng'an, who was Xia Tian's father, was married to Chen Shi and had two sons and three daughters.
The third son, Xia Zheng Feng, was married to Zhao Shi and had two sons and one daughter.
The fourth son, Xia Zheng Nian, was twenty-two this year. He had been studying at the county academy and had taken the examinations several times, but he still held no official rank.
Among the grandchildren, only the eldest grandson, Xia Shan, was married. He had married Li Shi's niece and had a son who had just turned two.
In the Xia Family, the girls were ranked by age. The eldest uncle's daughter, Xia Ling, was the oldest. Next was Xia Yue, who was a few months younger than Xia Ling; both were seventeen this year. The third uncle's daughter, Xia Qin, was ranked third and was a year older than Xia Tian. Xia Tian and Xia Chen were the youngest, so everyone in the family called them Si Ya and Wu Ya.
In Xia Family Village, Xia was a major surname, with eighty percent of the families in the village sharing it.
Xia Tian's family was just an ordinary household in the village. Over the years, because her youngest uncle had been studying, the family's financial situation had become increasingly difficult.
Xia Lao Han was a man who didn't manage affairs; he only knew how to bury his head in work and had little presence.
All matters in the family, big and small, were arranged by Grandma Xia. The first and third branches were rather cunning, and with their sweet-talking and flattering ways, they were always assigned the easiest chores.
The original owner's parents were honest, obedient, and clumsy with words, making them the least favored by Grandma Xia. They did the most work and ate the least, and as a result, the children of the second branch never had a moment of peace either.
Her parents often told them to endure it, saying that doing more work meant fewer scoldings.
No one else said anything, but the original owner couldn't stand her parents' quail-like demeanor and often bristled, which made her even more disliked by the family.
Grandma Xia, in particular, would scold her on sight and never gave her a pleasant look.
The original owner's father was just like Xia Lao Han—an honest man who only knew how to work. To put it bluntly, he was a pushover.
He never dared to utter a single word of protest when his own mother ordered his wife and children around.
With parents like these, no matter how capable the original owner was, she couldn't make any waves.
Her elder brother, Xia Yang, was as honest as their father. He spent his days following Xia Lao Han and their father to work in the fields.
He was already nineteen this year. Although he was the second-ranked male in his generation, his engagement had only just been arranged last autumn.
The eldest uncle's first son, Xia Shan, was only a few months older than him, but his child was already two. If not for the fear of affecting the marriage of the eldest uncle's third son, Xia Chuan, he would probably still be single.
Her eldest sister, Xia Yue, was gentle and virtuous. She had been engaged to a young man from another village at the end of last year and was just waiting to get married after Xia Yang's wedding next year.
Her younger twin siblings were also ordered around by Grandma Xia every day, digging for wild vegetables and cutting pigweed, never getting a moment's rest.
Today was the day of Xia Tian's wedding. Although the family hadn't prepared much, everyone had woken up early, and the courtyard was bustling with activity for a while.
After her hair was done, Xia Tian didn't go back into the room. She stood under the eaves, tightening the clothes on her body. The early morning in March was still a bit chilly.
Under the faint morning light, she finally had a chance to observe this somewhat dilapidated courtyard.
It was a typical rural courtyard house with walls made of mud bricks and a thatched roof. Except for the three main rooms, which looked a bit sturdier, the rest of the buildings seemed barely habitable. However, with the large Xia family, there were quite a few rooms, and the courtyard also appeared relatively large.
Just now, when no one was paying attention, Xia Tian had looked at her reflection in the water vat. She had large eyes and a goose-egg-shaped face—a delicate appearance with no flaws.
The sky was still quite dark, so she couldn't tell how fair or dark her skin was, but judging from her hands, which were as rough as chicken claws, she probably wasn't very fair.
From the original owner's memories, she knew that this dynasty was called the Da Qian Dynasty. It was likely a fictional one, and the style of dress was quite similar to the Song Dynasty of ancient times.
The only thing worth being thankful for was that she hadn't heard of any wars in this dynasty, and the exorbitant taxes were not too heavy. The lives of the peasants were still manageable.
Today was her second day since transmigrating. Yesterday, she had spent the whole day lying on the kang, dizzy and muddle-headed. Today was her first formal meeting with the entire Xia family.
As Xia Tian's thoughts were wandering, a discordant voice came from the courtyard.
"Yo, Si Ya, is your hair all done? You're about to get married, can't you wait?"
Eldest Aunt-in-law Li Shi saw Xia Tian standing under the eaves in a daze and immediately called out in a loud voice. After speaking, she even covered her mouth and giggled foolishly, as if others couldn't see her gloating expression.
Xia Tian rolled her eyes heavenward and ignored her.
Seeing that Xia Tian didn't say anything, Eldest Aunt-in-law thought her words had hit their mark and continued to add fuel to the fire. "Si Ya, don't be ungrateful. What a good family! No parents-in-law, no siblings-in-law. You'll be the mistress of the house as soon as you marry. Others wish for such a match and can't get it."
Seeing that Eldest Aunt-in-law was relentless, Xia Tian figured that if she didn't speak up, there was no telling what other nasty words awaited her.
"If Eldest Aunt-in-law is so envious, why not let Eldest Sister marry him? What a good family! As her younger sister, I would be very happy to see Eldest Sister find happiness."
"No need. Your Eldest Sister doesn't have such good fortune." When Eldest Aunt-in-law heard Xia Tian suggest giving the match to her daughter, Da Ya, she immediately lost her composure. Who would want to marry a man with a short life?
Third Aunt-in-law, hearing the conversation between her sister-in-law and Si Ya, fanned the flames from the side, not minding the drama. "Ah, Da Ya is indeed more suitable than Si Ya. Eldest Sister-in-law, if you're so envious, just have Si Ya and Da Ya switch. Mother will surely agree."
"Zhao Shi, you troublemaker! If you keep spouting nonsense, be careful or I'll tear your mouth apart." Eldest Aunt-in-law immediately turned her spearhead towards Third Aunt-in-law, Zhao Gui Lan. Seeing the two of them start to argue, Xia Tian turned and went back into the room.
Neither Eldest Aunt-in-law nor Third Aunt-in-law was a pushover. Let them fight it out like dogs.
"You all have nothing better to do, is that it? If you keep arguing, none of you will eat later!" Grandma Xia's scolding voice came from the main room, and the courtyard instantly fell silent.