lcionline Chapter 266 Jin Xiaoqiao's Family
Chapter 266 Jin Xiaoqiao's Family
After completing the task Xia Yu had assigned, Shijiu prepared to return home, but just before leaving, he suddenly thought of the people he had met on the way there.
She wondered whether she should tell Captain Ding about the person she had just met, but then she felt that the person didn't seem to have anything to do with her.
While I was hesitating, I heard Captain Ding ask...
"Nineteen, is there anything else?"
"Um, no... well, you could say yes or no. I just don't know if I should say it?"
Seeing her hesitate like this, Captain Ding couldn't help but laugh.
"Nineteen, just say what you have to say. When did you develop such a long-winded personality?"
"Oh well, it's nothing. Maybe I'm overthinking it." In the end, Nineteen still didn't mention running into those people.
After leaving the courtyard, Shijiu bought osmanthus honey, which she and Da Niu liked the most, as well as pastries and fruits that Xia Yu liked, from the pastry shop, intending to take them back for the group to enjoy together.
Over the years, Nineteen has accumulated quite a bit of silver in the Zhang family. The jewelry taken from the Red Pavilion was given to her by both the Madam and the young lady, who said she should save it for her dowry. Later, when she went out with Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma to set up a scheme against Wang Shi, the silver given to her by the Madam wasn't used up; the rest was given to her and Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma as a reward. Adding to this the monthly allowance of one tael of silver she's received over the years, she's now quite well-off.
Every time she went out to run errands for her sister, she liked to buy some rare trinkets and snacks to bring back. Her life was smooth, happy, and peaceful. If it weren't for the fact that she hadn't heard from her sister in a long time, she would be smiling in her dreams right now.
In Zhangjia Village, Liu was dealing with matters at the workshop when Green Cloud came in to report.
"Madam, the eldest mistress from the old house has arrived with Xuan-ge'er, and they are waiting for you in the small flower hall of the workshop!"
"Why is she here at this time? Is there something wrong?" Liu asked, somewhat puzzled.
"He didn't say, but judging from his expression, something seems to be wrong," Green Cloud answered honestly.
"You all go ahead and get busy. I'll go out and take a look. We'll talk about the rest this afternoon." With that, she got up and walked towards the small flower hall that Green Cloud had mentioned.
The "grandmother" that Lü Xue mentioned was the daughter-in-law that her sister-in-law, Wang, had married two years ago. She was Chang Sheng's wife, named Jin Xiaoqiao. She gave birth to a big, healthy boy less than a year after entering the family, and Zhang Chengwen named this grand-nephew Zhang Yixuan.
Jin Xiaoqiao's family home is located in Jinjia Village, which is under the jurisdiction of another town. Her family sells fried sesame cakes in the town.
Her parents had heard of the Zhang family and knew that Changsheng had a third uncle who, although the family had separated, maintained a close relationship and ran a large business. Most importantly, they also had a fourth uncle who hadn't separated from the family and was already a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations. Changsheng's parents ran a braised meat business, delivering to many restaurants in town, and were quite well-off.
If it weren't for the matchmaker proposing marriage, this kind of good match would have been something their family never even dared to dream of. It was as if a huge pie had fallen from the sky and landed on their daughter's head; Jin Xiaoqiao's family was stunned for days, unable to believe it was real.
Wang herself chose this daughter-in-law, so when sending the betrothal gifts, she generously gave ten taels of silver as a dowry, along with two silver bracelets, a silver comb, and a pair of silver earrings. In addition, there were two bolts of silk and two bolts of fine cotton cloth bought from Zhang's weaving workshop, as well as various other snacks, fruits, and pork dishes.
Such a dowry was unprecedented in many places. Seeing the various gifts piled up in the courtyard, not only were Jin Xiaoqiao's family stunned, but the villagers who came to watch the spectacle were in an uproar. Everyone said that the Jin family was truly blessed this time, having found such a good in-law.
However, Jin Xiaoqiao's parents also loved their daughter dearly, seeing how much the Zhang family valued her. On the night the betrothal gifts were delivered, they warned Jin Xiaoqiao's two older brothers and their wives.
"Besides the food, we won't keep anything else from the betrothal gifts. We'll give it all to Qiaoqiao as her dowry. I also plan to add two taels of silver for her to take back with her. Do you all have any objections?" Old Man Jin said this in front of everyone in the family.
“Father, my little sister married well, and her husband’s family is wealthy. Since ancient times, dowries have been meant for the bride’s family to spend. Since this is the Zhang family’s intention, why should we insist that Xiaoqiao take the money back with her…”
The speaker was Jin Xiaoqiao's sister-in-law, a sharp-tongued and competitive woman who loved to take advantage of others. Once money was in her pocket, it was gone for good. She would take any good things she had to her parents' house, and her own children were less important to her than her nephews.
But before she could finish speaking, Jin Xiaoqiao's mother interrupted her.
"Our family has enough to eat and wear; there's no need for us to covet your sister's in-laws' possessions." She then looked at her daughter and said...
"Qiaoqiao, it's truly an honor for our family that you've married into a family like the Zhangs. After you move in, remember to be filial to your elders and care for your younger siblings. You don't need to worry about our family, and don't always think about bringing things home. Your parents don't need it. Just live your life well and be a good daughter-in-law of the Zhang family. Do you understand?"
At this moment, Jin Xiaoqiao, who was sitting next to Aunt Jin, blushed with embarrassment, but she knew that her mother's words were teaching her and were for her own good.
Despite her shyness, she obediently nodded.
"I understand, Mother. I've remembered what you said."
Hearing her mother-in-law's words, Sister-in-law Jin's face darkened, feeling that her mother-in-law was indirectly criticizing her. However, thinking of the Zhang family's betrothal gifts, she suppressed her displeasure and spoke to her mother-in-law...
“Mother, what are you saying? How can you teach your daughter not to be close to her own family? Besides, is it easy to raise a daughter? We can’t just give her away to the Zhang family for nothing.”
"Hmph, how am I supposed to teach my daughter to be close to her parents' family? To bring things back to her parents' house? Is it alright if Xiaoqiao comes back often to eat and stay at her parents' house?" Aunt Jin had long disliked this daughter-in-law, and usually ignored her. But now that her daughter had finally found a good marriage, if she didn't discipline this shrew, she was worried that the marriage would be ruined. If that happened, she wouldn't be able to die in peace.
“Mother, Xiaoqiao is a married woman. How can she come back to live and eat at her parents’ house? She is a member of the Zhang family, so of course the Zhang family should support her.”
"Yes, you said she married into the Zhang family. Since she's a member of the Zhang family and they support her, why would she need to move her things back to her parents' home?"
"This...this...isn't she moving things home for you two? You need to eat and drink at home!"
"If my daughter doesn't bring anything home, you'll stop supporting us? Dayong, Eryong, if your sister stops bringing things home, are you two old folks just going to throw us up in the mountains and abandon us?" Grandma Jin asked her two sons.
“Mother, how could that be? It’s our duty as sons to take care of you and Father in your old age. What does that have to do with whether Xiaoqiao brings things home or not?” said the eldest son of the Jin family.
“Yes, Mother. Don’t listen to your sister-in-law’s nonsense. My wife and I have never thought about taking anything from our little sister. We just want her to live a happy life in the Zhang family.” The second brother of the Jin family said, and his wife, Jin Ersao, nodded vigorously at her mother-in-law.
Seeing her son's response, Grandma Jin nodded with satisfaction and looked at her eldest daughter-in-law, asking...
"What else do you want to say?"
"Well, Jin Dayong, you heartless bastard! You don't help your own wife. Instead, you team up with them to bully me. So you're the only family, and I'm the outsider?" As she spoke, she scratched her husband's face.
"If you keep causing trouble, go back to your own home and let your older brother and sister-in-law support you." Jin Dayong had long been disgusted by his wife's treatment of her nephews better than her own children. He usually didn't want to argue with his mother, but now that things had come to this point, he wasn't going to hold back anymore.