TIPS – Chapter 10

With his gaze lowered, Song Jingwei silently followed Shen Junxi into their newlywed chamber.

Behind him, his two attendants, Lychee and Longan, trailed along without speaking, their expressions troubled.

The reason was simple—the room was far too small, and the furniture was too shabby.

Their young master had grown up in luxury, and now he was supposed to live in a place like this?

Shen Junxi stood by the bed, looking at Song Jingwei with deep concern. He gestured toward the neatly arranged wedding bed, signaling for him to sit.

Seeing this, Lychee and Longan felt even more distressed.

Not only was their young master married into a household beneath his status, but his new husband was also mute. How could someone like that be worthy of their young master?

Song Jingwei moved forward and sat down before instructing the two attendants standing there, Lychee and Longan, “Go find He San and have him come in.”

“Yes, Young Master,” they responded before leaving.

With only the two of them left in the room, Shen Junxi knew that Song Jingwei couldn’t understand his sign language, but he still tried to express himself. After that, he also left the room.

Song Jingwei assumed he had gone to entertain the guests and wouldn’t return anytime soon, but to his surprise, Shen Junxi came back not long after, carrying a bowl of noodle soup. He placed it on the table and started gesturing again, though Song Jingwei had no idea what he was trying to say.

He’s probably just telling me to eat, Song Jingwei thought.

Having not eaten anything since morning, he figured that having noodles was better than going hungry.

Seeing that Song Jingwei was eating earnestly, Shen Junxi quietly slipped out of the room.

Shortly after, He San entered. Upon seeing his young master eating noodles, he smiled and said, “I heard from those two boys that you were looking for me?”

Song Jingwei set down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and looked at him. “Steward He, you’ve worked hard.”

He San quickly waved his hands, looking flustered. “Young Master, don’t say that. The Master instructed me to do this, and it’s my honor to serve you.”

Song Jingwei didn’t want to say much more, so he simply nodded and said, “I have thirty thousand taels of silver with me. Take five hundred taels when you leave and bring Lychee and Longan back with you.”

He San wasn’t surprised about taking the money, but he was taken aback by the request to take Lychee and Longan away. “If they leave, who will take care of you?”

Song Jingwei chuckled and glanced at him. “You’re not a fool. Just do as I say.”

Song Jinmei had grown up in luxury, and in her eyes, money wasn’t as important as the environment. She believed that Song Jingwei living in the countryside without servants was equivalent to suffering.

He San dared not ask any more questions and quickly agreed. Upon hearing that the Shen family’s elders were looking for him outside, he excused himself and left.

What was happening outside had nothing to do with Song Jingwei. After finishing his bowl of noodles, he climbed into bed and took a short nap while there was no one to disturb him.

Meanwhile…

The excitement at the Shen family’s main house had nothing to do with the rest of the extended Shen family. They had already decided not to give the main branch any satisfaction today and refused to attend the wedding banquet no matter what.

However, the workers hired by the family were a different story. They weren’t related to the Shen family and had no reason to hold back. Many of them brought their entire families to the banquet to eat and drink without a second thought.

Among them was Wang Shi, the wife of the third Shen brother, who had always been obsessed with the title of “The Wealthiest Family in Lihua Town.” She was particularly curious about the eldest branch’s new daughter-in-law.

She handed a generous portion of peanut candy to a mischievous eight- or nine-year-old boy from the Xu family and said, “Go to the Shen family’s main house and see what’s going on. Come back and tell me everything you see.”

The child sprinted toward the house, squeezed into the crowd, and took the chance to grab some peanuts and melon seeds while watching the ceremony. After the couple finished their wedding bows, he slipped away and rushed back.

His report made Wang Shi gasp in shock. Her heart pounded wildly, and she nearly fainted.

When Old Madam Shen saw her looking as if she had just seen a ghost, she scolded her, “Compose yourself! You are a Shen family daughter-in-law—you should carry yourself with dignity!”

But Wang Shi couldn’t care less about appearances. She exclaimed, “You wouldn’t believe the scene at the wedding today! I feel so unsettled…”

Such an amazing in-law family, such a great connection—why couldn’t we have gotten closer to them? What a pity!

Old Madam Shen scoffed. “That family does have some money, so of course, they’d put on a grand display.” But she wasn’t impressed. She continued, “Our Shen family isn’t lacking in wealth. Money is nothing—heritage is what truly matters. The Song family are nothing more than newly rich upstarts. Their ancestors were uneducated commoners.”

Wang Shi felt suffocated hearing that. Of course, my mother-in-law doesn’t care—she’s never had to manage the household and doesn’t know the cost of daily necessities!

The Shen family wasn’t exactly poor, but they were only moderately well-off. Compared to the Song family, they were worlds apart. The only thing the Shen family could boast about was their scholarly background, having produced a few candidates for the imperial examination. But they had never even had a single successful jinshi—a top scholar who could truly bring prestige to the family.

“Yes, they have money,” Wang Shi muttered, “but do you know how much dowry that new bride brought? Thirty-eight chests! Each one packed with exquisite treasures! Thirty-eight chests, Mother! Even if the eldest branch of our family cleared out all four of their rooms, it still wouldn’t be enough to store everything! I heard he also brought hundred and fifty acres of fertile farmland and tens of thousands of taels of silver. Tens of thousands of taels! That’s not a small amount, right?”

Old Madam Shen’s face turned pale, then yellow, shifting colors in frustration. She muttered bitterly, “Who flaunts their dowry like that? He’s just throwing money around.”

Tens of thousands of taels… Not a small amount? That was an understatement—it was an insane amount. The entire Shen family’s wealth combined didn’t even reach ten thousand taels!

Wang Shi sighed wistfully. “If I had that much dowry, I wouldn’t care who knew about it.” Then she looked at her mother-in-law expectantly. “Should I go take a look? Just to see if it’s really that much?”

But Old Madam Shen’s expression darkened, and she snapped, “I said no, and that’s final! Let them enjoy their wealthy new in-law while we live our own lives. We will not get involved.”

Hearing that, Wang Shi had no choice but to give up on her curiosity.

By noon, the sound of firecrackers crackled outside the Shen family’s main house. In the crisp bursts of sound, Shen Dongming’s voice rang out loudly:

“Dinner is served! Villagers, eat and drink to your heart’s content—don’t be shy!”

Scattered applause came from the crowd below, mixed with the chirping voices of children and the murmurs of adults whispering among themselves… This was what a wedding banquet was all about—eating and drinking were the main focus.

The groom, Shen Junxi, accompanied by his father, Shen Dongming, carried a cup of wine to each table, toasting every guest. Normally, there was no need for Song Jingwei to come out and greet anyone, but since this was a groom marrying another man rather than a bride, the villagers didn’t think there was any need for such formality.

Someone in the crowd suddenly called out, “Bring out the new bride for a drink!”

Others joined in, cheering, “Yes, yes! We want to see the new bride! Bring him out!”

Shen Junxi ignored them—after all, he was mute—but Shen Dongming couldn’t stay silent. As the head of the household, he had to respond. Feeling a bit awkward, he said, “That won’t be necessary. Since when does the bride come out to drink at the banquet?” Even if that were common, he wouldn’t dare ask his new daughter-in-law to come out and drink.

The villagers retorted, “Your new bride isn’t a woman. We’re all men here—what’s there to be afraid of?”

That did make some sense, but Shen Dongming still refused. He quickly tried to shift the focus, raising his cup and saying, “My son and I will drink with everyone instead! Come on, fill the cups! Let’s all drink!”

One of the drunk guests muttered, “Shen Da, are you afraid of that young master? You don’t even dare to call him out?”

This was a thought many people shared, but no one else dared to say it aloud, as it would put everyone in an awkward position. After all, it was a joyous occasion, and they were all neighbors—there was no need to make things tense.

Shen Dongming, however, didn’t mind. He laughed and said, “What are you saying? My daughter-in-law isn’t that kind of person. You’re all overthinking it.”

As he spoke, Shen Junxi glanced at the man who had just spoken, silently memorizing his face. Then, without saying a word, he pulled his father along to the next table.

There were a total of thirty tables, which meant thirty cups of wine. By the time they finished, Shen Junxi was already unsteady on his feet.

Yang Shi, his mother, grew worried. “You’re drunk, Xi’er. Let me help you inside to rest.”

But Shen Dongming stopped her and chuckled, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Let him drink his fill!” He was clearly quite drunk himself to be speaking so carelessly.

Seeing that neither father nor son could be stopped, Yang Shi sighed and returned to her seat, though she kept glancing around uneasily.

Lychee and Longan were nowhere to be seen outside. Guessing that they were inside the newlyweds’ room, Yang Shi finally felt a little relieved.

As the banquet continued, some guests finished their meals and went home, while others, still in high spirits, started clamoring to naodongfang—the traditional prank-filled custom of teasing the newlyweds on their wedding night.

The Shen couple exchanged a look, thinking, Our son’s spouse doesn’t seem like someone who enjoys such raucousness. We can’t let them barge into the bridal chamber.

However, a group of seven or eight sharp-tongued women grabbed Yang Shi, insisting, “If you don’t let us in, it must mean you’re afraid of your daughter-in-law!” They argued that the Shen family had no reason to stop them if they had nothing to hide.

But the Shen family was firm—eating and drinking were one thing, but disturbing their son’s spouse was off-limits.

Unable to get their way, the women resorted to gossip, criticizing Yang Shi for being too soft-hearted and predicting that her new daughter-in-law would soon be ruling over her. “That’s not good,” they whispered among themselves.

Yang Shi was used to such remarks from the village women, and for the sake of her son’s big day, she chose to endure it.

Meanwhile, the other married men in the village who had wed into families like this remained much more reserved. They focused on eating and drinking quietly, showing no interest in bothering the Shen family’s new spouse. What was the point? They all knew the reality—wealth was wealth. Whether they envied it or resented it, it wouldn’t change anything.

As the wedding banquet neared its end, the Shen family saw off the last of the guests and began tidying up. They returned the borrowed tables and chairs to the villagers and distributed the remaining meat and dishes among the helpers who had assisted with the event.

With the courtyard cleared, there was now plenty of space to arrange Song Jingwei’s dowry.

Standing in the yard, his face flushed from drinking, Shen Dongming turned to Yang Shi and asked, “With so much dowry out here, do you think we’ll be able to sleep peacefully tonight?”

Yang Shi shared his concern. “Why don’t you sleep in the courtyard?” she suggested, meaning he should keep watch for thieves.

“Ah, that’s a great idea.”

At that moment, Shen Junxi staggered out of the washroom. The cool May breeze brushed against him, slightly clearing the haze of alcohol from his mind.

“Xi’er is drunk…”

Yang Shi, worried he might fall, personally helped him into the bridal chamber. Inevitably, she came face-to-face with Song Jingwei, who had just gotten up.