TIPS – Chapter 89

“It’s best to keep wealth hidden, so naturally, it should be placed in one’s own house,” said Yang Shi. Seeing her son come out, she smiled and called everyone over, “Let’s go inside.”

Feng Shi then realized that they had stopped here not for sightseeing but to wait for Yang Shi’s daughter-in-law to nod in approval. Only after he agreed could they enter. Feng Shi pursed her lips—what kind of rule was this? Was this any way to treat elders?

“Your daughter-in-law is quite particular.”

“Mother, this is just basic courtesy,” Yang Shi replied.

“What’s discourteous about it? He’s not a woman—what is there to hide inside? Is he breastfeeding in there or something?” Feng Shi muttered. “Even if a woman is breastfeeding, there’s no need to be so secretive about it. Acting like she’s still some untouched maiden, hiding a pair of golden breasts. Once a woman gets married, her breasts are no longer worth much—at best, they’re silver breasts. After having a child, they’re nothing more than plain old dirt breasts.”

“Mother,” Yang Shi stopped in her tracks, unable to tolerate it any longer. “When we see my daughter-in-law, please watch your mouth. Stop muttering nonsense.” Her mother’s words were cruder than some men in the village—she dared to say anything, no matter how unpleasant.

“What did I say? Your daughter-in-law is delicate, so I wouldn’t dare say anything,” Feng Shi mumbled.

“Just be mindful,” Yang Shi said helplessly, then led everyone forward. After passing the screen, they finally saw Song Jingwei’s large bed.

Feng Shi, along with Yang Shuisheng and his wife, saw a particularly handsome young man lying on the bed. He had a glowing complexion, and beside him lay a beautiful little baby.

“Jingwei, this is Xi’er’s maternal grandmother and uncle. They’ve come to see you and the baby,” Yang Shi stepped forward, gently touching her sleeping grandson.

“Oh,” Song Jingwei lifted his head to glance at them and nodded gently. “There are chairs over there. Shen Junxi, bring them over so they can sit.”

Hearing this, Shen Junxi quickly moved three embroidered stools for them.

Feng Shi listened and felt even more displeased—her daughter’s daughter-in-law was so arrogant that he didn’t even address her properly. But since Yang Shi kept inviting her to sit and even let her hold the baby, she decided to swallow her frustration for now and said, “The baby looks really good—he takes after his father a lot.”

Yang Shuisheng and his wife also leaned in for a look. Hearing this, they nodded in agreement, “Yes, he really does. His nose and mouth are just like his father’s.” He was a remarkably beautiful child, making them somewhat envious.

“Really? We think the baby looks more like his little father,” Yang Shi laughed. A grandson resembling his daughter-in-law was just as good—of course, resembling her son wouldn’t be bad either.

“As long as he has good fortune, it doesn’t matter who he looks like,” Feng Shi said after a pause, then turned to Song Jingwei and asked, “Where are you from? I still don’t know.”

Yang Shi quickly answered, “My daughter-in-law is from Lihua Town—not far from here.”

Feng Shi shot her a glare. “I wasn’t asking you. What are you so eager for?” She then continued questioning Song Jingwei, “What does your family do?”

“We run a business and own some land,” Song Jingwei glanced at Feng Shi and replied.

“Oh, so that means your family has money and land,” Feng Shi remarked casually. “That makes me curious—why would you marry my grandson? My daughter married into a poor family, and life wasn’t great before.”

“If you think marriage is only about money, then we have different perspectives,” Song Jingwei said. “Of course, I have my own money, so I don’t need to worry about whether my partner has wealth or not. Don’t you think so?”

Feng Shi said, “Well, that’s true. And now, their life has improved too, hasn’t it?” After exchanging just a few words with Song Jingwei, she could tell that he wasn’t easy to deal with. So, for now, she kept quiet.

Right on time, the baby woke up crying for food.

Yang Shi quickly took the baby from Feng Shi’s arms, soothing him. “Oh, baby is hungry. Grandma will get you something to eat—don’t cry, don’t cry.” She then turned to Shen Junxi and said, “Come hold your son. I’ll go get food for your wife and baby.”

“Okay.” Shen Junxi took the baby into his arms and gently rocked him.

Yang Shi turned to Feng Shi and the others, “It’s noisy here. Why don’t we go sit in the main hall?”

Feng Shi shook her head. “We just sat down. Let’s stay and watch the baby feed—we’re not in a hurry to leave.”

Since she insisted, Yang Shi had no choice but to leave and call Shen Dongming to help bring food for her grandson and daughter-in-law.

Feng Shi craned her neck and asked, “What do they eat every day?” Seeing Song Jingwei’s luxurious meal plan, she clicked her tongue. “That’s quite extravagant—ordinary families couldn’t afford this.”

Yang Shi smiled and said, “We just hope he eats more. Ideally, he should have two chicken legs per meal.”

Feng Shi felt sour inside. This wasn’t just about two chicken legs—the soups were rich, and the pork knuckle was huge. If every meal was like this, how much money would it cost? Compared to this, the ten taels of silver Yang Shi gave her seemed far too stingy.

“Jingwei, eat while it’s hot. Your father is taking care of the baby, so don’t worry,” Yang Shi personally handed him the bowl.

Shen Junxi handed the baby over to his father and then returned to watch his wife eat. He was already used to this routine. He gestured to Yang Shi, “I’m here with my wife. You should go help Father feed the baby.”

Yang Shi nodded and agreed, reminding him, “Make sure to finish it. Eating more is good for you.”

Song Jingwei forced a smile and nodded, “I got it. You go ahead.”

This had been their routine for the past few days—every mealtime, the whole family revolved around these two. They didn’t find anything unusual about it, but to Feng Shi, the scene was particularly jarring. She thought back to when she was a daughter-in-law—after giving birth, she never received such good treatment. And yet, this grandson-in-law was treated like a precious gold nugget, cherished beyond measure by the Shen family’s main household.

Song Jingwei was already uncomfortable eating under the watchful eyes of others, and now, with three outsiders staring at him intently, he could barely eat. He frowned and looked at Shen Junxi, hoping he could do something about it.

Shen Junxi understood his habits well. However, since these were his grandmother and uncles, he couldn’t just drive them away. Instead, he reassured him with a gesture, “Eat a little. If you really don’t feel like it, we can eat again this afternoon.” Their family always fed the baby and Song Jingwei first before everyone else ate.

“Okay.” Song Jingwei took a few casual bites.

Once the baby was fed, Yang Shi quickly came over to invite Feng Shi and the others to go eat.

Shen Junxi gestured, “My wife hasn’t finished eating yet. You all go ahead—I’ll come later.”

Yang Shi agreed. “That makes sense. Someone should stay with the baby and your wife. I’ll bring your meal in for you.”

Shen Junxi hurriedly gestured, “I’ll get it myself. You should take Grandmother and the others to eat.”

After a bit of hustle and bustle, they finally left for their meal. Shen Junxi brought his own food into the room. Seeing his wife looking at him with glowing green eyes, he shivered slightly and gestured, “You eat first. I have my own portion.” Yang Shi had already reduced Song Jingwei’s serving, so he wasn’t going to help him finish it.

“Aren’t you quite fond of this?” Without hesitation, Song Jingwei picked up the large pork knuckle and placed it in his bowl.

“…” Every meal was like this—being bullied. Shen Junxi was already used to it. He used his chopsticks to carefully tear off pieces of the pork knuckle, giving some to Song Jingwei.

“It’s too greasy.” Song Jingwei ate a few bites before refusing any more.

Shen Junxi smiled and finished the rest himself. In truth, he was happy—at least now, Song Jingwei no longer avoided him and would even eat the food he gave him.

It wasn’t that Song Jingwei’s cleanliness habits had disappeared; it was just that in this situation, it was impossible to keep everything so strictly separate from Shen Junxi.

The next day was baby Shen Chang’s “Three-Day Bathing Ceremony,” coincidentally falling on the Lantern Festival. The Shen family’s main branch had few relatives, so aside from Yang Shi’s maternal family, they only informed Shen Dongqi and his wife from the Shen family’s main household.

Traditionally, during the Lantern Festival, families stayed home to make glutinous rice balls. But when the Shen family’s second son announced he was heading to the main household, the old madam of the Shen family sneered, “Your father trusts you, always sending you to invite them over. But every time, you say they refuse to come. I don’t think it’s that they won’t come—it’s that you’ve already gotten too close to them and don’t want their family to reconcile with ours.”

Liu Yue immediately protested, “Mother, how can you say that? Am I that kind of person? Why wouldn’t I want our families to make amends? We were originally one family—why should we divide into ‘your house’ and ‘my house’? It’s only because of the family split that things ended up like this. You know better than anyone what kind of grievances eldest brother has suffered.”

The old madam of the Shen family scoffed, “Look at this! I only said one thing, and you fired back at me with a whole speech. Whatever grievances the eldest has faced, that’s his business. Right now, I’m talking about you—what exactly are your intentions?”

Liu Yue replied, “My intentions are good. Eldest brother’s family is willing to associate with me, which means they respect me, so of course, I will maintain a good relationship with them.” With that, he ignored the old madam’s expression, picked up his things, and left.

The old madam was so furious that she almost fainted, clutching her chest in frustration. Among all her daughters-in-law, Liu Yue was the most arrogant. As expected of a man—men just weren’t fit to be daughters-in-law! He was even more difficult to deal with than the deceased Zhang Shi, who, though strong-willed, wasn’t as defiant as Liu Yue.

But there was nothing she could do. This second marriage had been her son’s decision, and she had no say in the matter—nor could she discipline him!

Liu Yue had been married to Shen Dongqi for years, but childbirth had been difficult for him. He had already lost two children before they could be born safely. Now, at the Shen family’s main house, he entered Song Jingwei’s room and saw the beautiful, healthy baby Shen Chang. His heart was filled with envy. Sitting by the bed, he pleaded to hold the baby.

Song Jingwei placed the baby in his arms. Liu Yue sighed and said, “You’re so lucky—married for just a year, and you’ve already given birth to such a precious little one.” Thinking about his own misfortunes, he gave a bitter smile. “If only I had half your luck, that would be enough.”

He had never been the type to be aggressive, but his inability to bear children had forced him to be strong. Otherwise, just the pressure from the Shen family’s elderly couple would have been unbearable.

“You’re still young. Give it a few more years, and you’ll have one,” Song Jingwei observed Liu Yue’s expression and gestures and could somewhat guess his difficulties.

“Let’s hope so,” Liu Yue prayed, holding the little one preciously, growing more and more fond of him.

The baby’s grandmother, Yang Shi, had been preparing for the baby’s “Three-Day Bathing Ceremony” for a while. Before long, she had Shen Junxi carry the baby out. Since the weather was cold, they couldn’t hold the ceremony outdoors, so they simply bathed the baby inside the house while saying auspicious words, wishing him a lifetime of good fortune.

The house was quiet for a long time before Shen Junxi finally returned with the baby and placed him beside Song Jingwei.

“How did it go?” he asked.

Shen Junxi settled the baby and gestured, “Everything went well.”

They didn’t get much time alone before Feng Shi and the others entered again. The house was lively all morning, and it was only after lunch that people gradually dispersed.

Yang Shi turned to her mother and younger brother’s family and said, “Today is the Lantern Festival. Don’t rush back home—why don’t you stay until tomorrow?” After all, spending the festival traveling on the road would be quite pitiful.

“That’s what I thought as well. I was planning to stay for a few days and spend some quality time with you all,” Feng Shi replied, happily deciding to stay.

Initially, Yang Shi had only meant for her mother to stay for a night or two, but seeing that her mother hadn’t done anything out of line, she figured it wasn’t a big deal. If she wanted to stay longer, so be it.

The next morning, Feng Shi decided on her own to send her son and daughter-in-law home. “You two head back first,” she said. “I’ll stay here and help take care of the baby.”

Yang Shuisheng hesitated. “That doesn’t seem right. If we leave first, how will you get back home later?”

Feng Shi scoffed, “It’s not that far. Back in the day, I traveled far and wide all by myself. It’s nothing new.”

Yang Shi also tried to persuade her, “How about letting Brother and Sister-in-law stay for a couple more days? Then you can all go back together.” She had noticed that her younger brother and his wife were honest and reserved people—probably used to being bossed around by Feng Shi, which explained why they didn’t even dare to speak up.

“Exactly,” Shen Dongming agreed. “If you’re staying, we should all stay together. If we’re leaving, we should all leave together. We can’t let you travel alone—we wouldn’t be at ease.”

Since everyone objected, Feng Shi had no choice but to nod. “Fine, we’ll all stay.” Her original plan had been to stay longer herself while sending her son and daughter-in-law home. Even though she had entrusted the livestock back home to the neighbors, she still felt uneasy.

When Feng Shi had first arrived at her daughter’s house, she had been unfamiliar with the environment, so she kept her personality in check. But after two days, she started acting like the head of the household. She disapproved of Yang Shi’s way of living and said, “You’re terrible at managing a household. You can’t just spend money like this, even if you have it. As long as there’s enough to eat, that’s good enough. What’s the point of eating so lavishly? And look at your clothes—how much do you think that outfit of yours costs?”

Yang Shi explained that her daughter-in-law had given them to her and that she didn’t really need such colorful fabrics. Feng Shi, unimpressed, scolded, “So your whole family is just relying on your daughter-in-law to live, huh? Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at by others? You actually think you’re living the high life?”

“If I wasn’t living well, you wouldn’t be here bossing people around,” Yang Shi finally snapped. She had put up with enough of this nonsense over the past few days.

Feng Shi also disapproved of how pampered Song Jingwei was, always having someone serve him. But since she wasn’t familiar with him yet, she didn’t dare to provoke him easily.

She also couldn’t stand how cautiously Yang Shi handled the baby and scolded, “He’s just a country child, not some delicate noble! Kids here grow up just fine without all this fuss. You’re treating him like he’s made of glass. Don’t you know that children need to be raised tough to survive?”

Coincidentally, Song Jingwei overheard this and immediately retorted, “I don’t know about other people’s kids, but mine is precious. If you have a problem with that, go discipline your own children. Don’t bring bad luck by saying such inauspicious things about mine.”

Not only Feng Shi, but even Yang Shi felt her face burn with embarrassment. What her mother had said was indeed inappropriate. Talking about whether a child would “survive” or not—how could she say something so ominous?

That night, Song Jingwei coldly told Shen Junxi, “Tomorrow, tell your grandmother and uncle to go home.”

Shen Junxi silently nodded. He knew his wife had been uncomfortable these past few days, and he had noticed everything. In fact, he hadn’t been having an easy time either. His grandmother, Feng Shi, always gave him strange looks, as if she wanted to say, “How are you better than anyone else? How did you get so lucky—money, a wife, and now even a chubby baby?”

The next morning, Shen Junxi first discussed the matter with Yang Shi regarding his grandmother. He gestured to his mother, “When will Grandmother and Uncle go back?”

Seeing his expression, Yang Shi immediately understood what he was thinking. Truthfully, she had been just as frustrated these past days. She sighed and said, “I’ll talk to them right away.”

They had already stayed for five days—more than enough time. Their own home still needed tending to; they couldn’t stay here forever.

With that thought in mind, Yang Shi went to find Feng Shi and told her their decision.

_{Ok, confirmed. It was a troublemaker. Apart from that, don’t you think, Yang Shi is taking advantage of Jingwei respect for her? First her sister and niece and now her mother, and she won’t tell them to go unless Jingwei tells her. What’s this? You are good and he is bad? Same with the father, when they were down, did the second brother help? So why are they chummies with them now? I think both are hypocritical and Jingwei is trapped in this family.}