TIPS – Chapter 7

With mixed emotions, the Shen family finished their lunch in town and set off on the journey back to their village.

As he drove the cart, Shen Dongming said, “Only one month… We need to start preparing immediately.”

Yang Shi nodded in agreement. “Even though it’s a bit rushed, it’s necessary.” Thinking that her future daughter-in-law might already be carrying her grandchild, she couldn’t help but smile with joy. “Xi’er was too hasty this time. Such an important matter shouldn’t have been kept from the family.” It had caught them off guard, but fortunately, everything had gone smoothly in the end.

Shen Junxi simply smiled without responding. Quietly, he gazed at his hometown, wondering if someone from such a wealthy and privileged background would like this simple countryside life.

“Hehe, I actually think Xi’er did well.” Shen Dongming chuckled. “Oh right, Xi’er’s room needs some renovations, and we’ll need to get new furniture. We should go find that old rascal Cao from the village—he makes good furniture.”

“Yes, Old Cao’s furniture is indeed well-made.” Yang Shi beamed with happiness. The journey was filled with lighthearted chatter about the upcoming wedding, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the village entrance.

Shen Dongming asked his wife and son to get off the cart, saying, “I’ll go return the ox cart to Zhang Liuzi. You two head home first.”

Yang Shi and Shen Junxi nodded. Yang Shi reminded her husband, “Come back soon, don’t dawdle.” Zhang Liuzi had a fondness for drinking, and she worried he might keep Shen Dongming for a few rounds.

At this time, a few village women were sitting under a large tree, cracking sunflower seeds. When they saw the Shen family returning, they waved and called out, “Eldest Shen family, went to Lihua Town?” The matter of the Shen family’s eldest son getting married had been spreading throughout the village.

Yang Shi and her son walked over. She smiled and replied, “Yes, we just got back.”

Cao family’s eldest daughter-in-law, with her sharp eyes, glanced at Shen Junxi standing beside Yang Shi and asked with a grin, “I heard your Xi’er is getting married? Whose good daughter is it?”

Yang Shi’s smile faded slightly. Daughters aren’t easy to marry off. But she wasn’t bothered and replied calmly, “It’s not a daughter. It’s the child from the Song family in Lihua Town.”

The women already knew about the Shen and Song family’s engagement, but hearing Yang Shi confirm it still left them feeling uneasy. One of them, a forty-something woman named Zhang, said sourly, “Well, your Xi’er is really lucky—marrying into a wealthy family just like that.” Can the Shen family even afford to support someone from such wealth?

“Hehe, yes, Xi’er is fortunate. We visited the Song family today, and the child is truly outstanding. Our families are both very satisfied,” Yang Shi responded smoothly, her tone neither soft nor harsh. She smiled and continued, “The in-laws cherish their child dearly, so they’re going to host a grand wedding banquet. When the time comes, I hope you all will come and celebrate with us.”

That was true. No matter if the Shen family had married a good spouse or not, they had certainly gained a wealthy in-law—the richest family in town!

The women felt a pang of jealousy but forced smiles. “Of course, we’ll be there! We want to see what your daughter-in-law looks like.” In their hearts, they secretly hoped he’d turn out to be ugly, maybe with buck teeth or pockmarks.

“Alright, it’s settled then,” Yang Shi said. “It’s getting late, and we need to start preparing—after all, the wedding is on the thirteenth of next month.”

Cao’s eldest daughter-in-law raised an eyebrow. “So soon?” Something must be wrong.

Yang Shi replied smoothly, “You know our family isn’t like the Song family. That child was just worried his father wouldn’t agree, so he came up with this reckless idea. But honestly, he didn’t need to worry at all—his father dotes on him and really likes our Xi’er.”

Cao’s eldest daughter-in-law was skeptical. “Is that so?” She didn’t want to believe it, but Yang Shi had always been honest and didn’t seem like she was lying.

“It’s the truth,” Yang Shi sighed. “Alright, you all chat. We really need to go—we’ll be busy for the whole month!” With that, she furrowed her brows in mock frustration and left.

The remaining women sat around the stone table, exchanging glances filled with complicated emotions. Looks like the Shen family is really about to rise in status.

An older woman, Wu Shi, sneered, “Hmph, that child can’t be anything good, or else why would he end up with their mute son?”

Cao’s eldest daughter-in-law spat out a sunflower seed shell and said, “You’re just mad because your daughter-in-law’s dowry was too small.” Everyone in the village knew each other’s circumstances.

Zhang Shi chimed in, “Exactly! Your Kai’er’s wife came from a poor family, and he’s a boy, too.”

A younger wife, who was well-liked in both her own family and her in-laws’, said, “It’s just a man, after all. I heard they had originally arranged a marriage with the Xue family’s daughter. Maybe he doesn’t actually like men?”

Cao’s eldest daughter-in-law shook her head. “Who knows? But as long as he’s rich, who cares whether he’s a man or a woman, right?” She deliberately glanced at the middle-aged woman, her tone teasing. They often gossiped together, but women’s rivalries were everywhere.

Meanwhile, as Yang Shi and Shen Junxi walked home, they both let out a quiet sigh of relief. Normally, they hated dealing with the village gossiping women, who had nothing better to do than spread rumors and criticize others.

Shen Junxi gave his mother a thumbs-up, praising her for handling the situation well and not letting Cao’s eldest daughter-in-law get the upper hand.

Yang Shi blushed and laughed, “Oh, it’s nothing. People just get happier when good things happen. I should thank my daughter-in-law for this.”

Then, thinking more deeply, she sighed with mixed emotions. “Your mother has lived her life depending on your father for stability, and now on you for a bit of glory. If your spouse enters the family smoothly and gives me a big, healthy grandchild next year, my life will be complete.”

Shen Junxi pressed his lips into a smile, took his mother’s hand, and patted the back of it gently. He wasn’t good with words when it came to comforting Yang Shi, so this was the best way he knew how—and the way he comforted her most often.

When the mother and son returned home, the first thing they did was feed the livestock. Yang Shi had raised over a dozen chickens in the courtyard, all plump and glossy-feathered. The first thing she did upon returning was feed them. Meanwhile, Shen Junxi went to the pigsty and saw that the trough was empty, so he grabbed a large bundle of pig fodder from the side and tossed it in.

Then, he slung a bamboo basket over his back, picked up a sickle, and walked over to Yang Shi, patting her shoulder to signal that he was heading out to cut more pig grass.

Yang Shi said, “Be careful and come back early.”

Not long after Shen Junxi left, Shen Dongming returned home. He pulled Yang Shi inside and said, “I talked to Old Cao about making furniture for Xi’er’s room. He said we need to pay a deposit.”

Without hesitation, Yang Shi went to get the money and asked, “Since when is that a rule?” They hadn’t ordered furniture in years, so she wasn’t sure if this was a new practice, but she knew it wasn’t the case before.

Shen Dongming said, “If he asks for it, we should just give it. We’re ordering a lot, and he wants to be cautious, just in case.”

Yang Shi handed over the money but frowned. “I don’t think it’s about caution—I think he’s just bitter because we landed a good marriage.” She recalled that Old Cao’s youngest son was still unmarried despite his age.

Shen Dongming sighed, feeling the same way. “That’s true. Cao’s youngest is already thirty, and with his lame leg, it’s hard for him to find a wife. He probably won’t ever marry.” Then, he chuckled, “But our Xi’er is lucky.”

Yang Shi also smiled. “Yes.” Thinking about her soon-to-be daughter-in-law, all the bitterness and grievances seemed trivial.

“Alright, I’ll head out again,” Shen Dongming said, tucking the silver into his pocket.

This time, he made several visits—one to arrange helpers for the wedding day, another to source some fine goods from the villagers to add weight to the wedding preparations. He was overjoyed—his son was getting married! He wished for the whole village to know.

Marrying off a son was always a joyous occasion, but in their case, the bride’s family was the Song family—the wealthiest household in Lihua Town.

“Xianggui, what’s with that look? Is the Song family bad?” When he told his good friend, Chen Xianggui, about the marriage, he was met with an odd expression. Shen Dongming scratched his head in confusion. “Why is everyone reacting like this?” He had visited several families earlier, and they had all congratulated him with smiles, but their attitudes had felt… off.

Chen Xianggui’s expression was complicated. “Does your father and mother know about this?”

Shen Dongming’s smile faded. He nodded. “I told them two days ago… They disapprove.”

Chen Xianggui sighed. “Then do you know what Third Shen’s wife has been saying? She’s been telling everyone that this was your parents’ decision. They don’t agree with your family marrying into the Song family. If you insist on going through with it, they’ve declared that your branch will no longer have any ties to the Shen clan. They won’t acknowledge the marriage.”

In other words, the Shen family elders refused to recognize the Song family’s child as a daughter-in-law. They wouldn’t be allowed to participate in ancestral ceremonies, and even any future children from this marriage would not be acknowledged by the Shen clan.

This was a serious matter. Shen Dongming’s face shifted from pale to dark, angered by his family’s decision one moment and worried about his future daughter-in-law’s reaction the next. His mind was in turmoil.

He patted Chen Xianggui’s shoulder. “Good brother, I need to get home and sort this out. The wedding will go on no matter what, and you must come help that day.” With that, he hurried off.

At the gate of his home, he ran into Shen Junxi, who had just returned from cutting pig grass. When father and son met, they immediately noticed each other’s grim expressions—they looked exactly the same.

Shen Dongming sighed in defeat. “You’ve heard, haven’t you?” Seeing his son nod, he felt both guilty and dejected. “It’s my fault for making you suffer this injustice.” If he had been more favored by his parents, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.

Shen Junxi shook his head. This wasn’t his father’s fault—it was his grandparents’ blatant favoritism. They had always favored his third uncle, who was good at studying, and had looked down on his father. Similarly, when he had shown promise in his studies as a child, his grandparents had momentarily regarded him more highly. But that wasn’t true familial love—not the kind of love Shen Junxi longed for.

Letting go of his frustration, he walked forward and wrapped an arm around his father’s shoulders. The two entered the house side by side.

Yang Shi had stayed home all afternoon and was unaware of what had happened. Seeing their expressions, she asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? Why do you both look so upset? Isn’t today supposed to be a happy day?”

Shen Dongming told her everything. In the end, he declared, “No matter what, we’re not giving up this marriage.” Whether they were disapproved of or criticized, his son needed a wife.

Yang Shi had always been in awe of the Shen family elders, so she didn’t know how to respond. After a moment, she simply said, “We’ll do whatever you say. If you’re not afraid, then neither am I.”