Yang Lihua, dressed in a brand-new blue floral dress, calmly attended her elder brother Yang Lixin and Zhou Hongxia’s wedding.
It seemed that just a few small words had completely changed the atmosphere.
Compared to the original story, where the wedding under the dormitory building had been lively and extravagant, with multiple tables and filled with admiration and blessings, this “revolutionary-style wedding” in the steel factory cafeteria appeared rather modest.
The newlyweds pledged before the portrait of the Chairman, the union officials read a few congratulatory words, and they handed out sunflower seeds, peanuts, and candies to the colleagues and neighbors present—the ceremony concluded.
Zhou Hongxia looked at the wedding banquet, which had only two more meat dishes than usual, and felt an instant wave of grievance and dissatisfaction.
The Yang family was just like this after all.
But thinking about no longer having to spend effort and money to take care of her “little magical round brother,” Zhou Hongxia secretly relaxed. From now on, her salary could finally be kept, and she could use it freely.
Aside from Zhou Hongxia’s discontent, everyone else was quite satisfied with the midday wedding banquet. After all, the Yang family was not rich; they could only afford meat once or twice a month.
Today, the meat dishes were truly generous—a large bowl filled with braised pork and a pot of mushroom chicken stew. The family was pleased, and Yang Lijun got his hands greasy eating heartily.
But in the bedroom, Zhou Hongxia showed no signs of wedding cheer, only a sense of grievance. “Lixin, I won’t complain about how dull our wedding is—our home’s conditions are like this.
But what’s with your younger sisters… do they not care about me as their sister-in-law?”
Yang Lixin sat beside her, absent-mindedly holding her hand, slightly stunned by the complaint.
Was she scolding his three unmarried, jobless sisters for not giving gifts?
Seeing Yang Lixin silent, Zhou Hongxia continued, “I won’t talk about Lijuan and Lishu—they’re still studying—but Lihua… she’s working at the textile factory now, earning a salary, isn’t she? Yet she didn’t show any sign of thoughtfulness. Even a towel or pillowcase would have been a token. The moment I entered… I just felt…”
Yang Lixin replied calmly, “Felt what? You’re overthinking. She just started working, lives alone in the dorm, and has to manage her expenses. Besides, none of them are married yet—how would they know these social niceties?”
Outside the door, Su Meilan, carrying a tray of fruit, scoffed quietly, “Hmph! So sensitive, and I haven’t seen any of your Zhou sisters bring you anything either.”
Hmph! And fruit—what’s the point of that?
Zhou Hongxia, dissatisfied with Yang Lixin’s explanation, added in a slightly sharp undertone, “She’s a permanent employee, her salary isn’t low. Buying a pair of pillowcases would be fine. Look at that new dress she’s wearing—the material isn’t cheap.
She just doesn’t respect me as her sister-in-law. Lixin, from now on, we’re family—you have to pay more attention…”
Yang Lixin, somewhat annoyed, raised his voice, “Alright! Today is a happy day, why talk about this? Lihua is my sister, I know how she is. You rest, I’ll go check outside.”
He wanted some private time with Zhou Hongxia, but seeing her impatient, he left the room.
The thin bedroom door did little to block sound; everyone could hear the voices inside.
Yang Daqiang, happy about his eldest son’s wedding, heard the voices from the bedroom. Hmph! His new daughter-in-law shows no proper behavior at all.
Yang Lihua silently observed her family’s reactions. Su Meilan and Yang Daqiang, the two elders, were already slightly displeased with her on her first day in the family.
Similarly, her two younger sisters also didn’t like the new daughter-in-law much. Knowing they were still in school and without jobs, they had no money to buy gifts—how could they be blamed?
As for the youngest, Yang Lijun, he was openly dissatisfied. His elder brother’s marriage affected him directly—he had to move from his own bedroom to the small balcony of the living room. Naturally, he was unhappy.
Yang Lihua couldn’t help but smile slightly. See? Just a small change, and the family’s attitude was completely different.
In the original story, the family had pampered Zhou Hongxia, criticizing the daughters who were still studying and without jobs for not buying gifts for the new sister-in-law, deeming them inconsiderate.
Zhou Hongxia, having lied about her work and rushed into marrying the Yang family, caused the family to look down on her slightly.
And now, she was still fussing in the bedroom, complaining about her young sisters—surely this would make the family unhappy.
Though Yang Daqiang and Su Meilan were somewhat patriarchal, when it came to the daughter-in-law versus daughters, they still sided with their own.
Watching the impatient Yang Lixin leave, Zhou Hongxia felt continuous dissatisfaction.
She thought today’s wedding should have been lively and festive, with everyone admiring her.
The Yang family should have been careful to please her, rather than allowing anyone to slight her or show her disdain.
Why was there such a difference?
What was the point of all her efforts to marry into the Yang family? She might as well have stayed in her own home.
In the living room, Yang Lihua broke the quiet, softly asking Su Meilan, “Mom, my second sister is about to graduate—what’s the plan?”
Su Meilan rubbed her slightly sore temples, her voice low, “Exactly. She’s about to graduate, and the moment she gets that diploma, people from the neighborhood committee will come sniffing around like cats—they’ll immediately try to find her. I’m already worried sick.”
Sighing, she continued, “If she doesn’t want to go to the countryside, marriage is the only way to stay in the city. So we’re asking around, trying to find her a suitable family. Married, she’ll have a home and won’t have to go down there. But… finding the right match isn’t easy.”
Her tone turned bitter. “Everyone wants to stay in the city. Girls around Lijuan’s age, from slightly better families, with stable jobs, city boys—those ones are fought over. They’ve either already been betrothed early or have impossibly high standards. The rest… sigh, I can’t even look at them. How could I marry Lijuan to someone like that?”
She paused, seeming embarrassed to speak about this to her unmarried daughter, but finally lowered her voice in frustration, “Those introduced to us are either way older, widowers with kids, or have health problems. Look at them, all cracked and crooked—just makes you upset.”