Chapter 85

Look!

This time, quite a few members of the He Family went to the city; He Daniu, He Erniu, and He Sanniu all brought their wives and children with them.

The He Family was so large that when they arrived, the Gu Family could hardly fit everyone.

He Chunlian was both happy and somewhat surprised. She hurriedly asked Liang Ying to bring out dried fruits and snacks to greet the guests, and then muttered, "Brothers, really, you came all this way, but why did you bring pigs? These two pigs are worth a lot of money. How much money can you make by the end of the year?"

"Little sister, you're mistaken. We only have one niece, Yin Xing," He Daniu said, puffing on his pipe, his dark face relaxed with a joyful smile. "If we don't show our support for her wedding, how can we face her calling us uncle?"

"My uncle and aunt are so good to me."

Gu Yinxing, with her sweet words, even took out some malted milk powder and made a cup for everyone, saying, "You absolutely must come to my wedding!"

"That's for sure, we've already thought it through. We'll lend you a hand, and we'll stay until the day after we've attended Yin Xing's wedding banquet."

He Erniu said with a chuckle.

He Chunlian smiled and said, "Second Brother, we don't need to help with Yin Xing's wedding. They're holding it at a hotel, so we can just go there the day after tomorrow. Since you're here, have a good time in Beijing these next few days. I'll arrange accommodations for you."

He Chunlian was secretly relieved. It was fortunate that Jin Shui had bought a three- Courtyard House beforehand; otherwise, finding a place to accommodate so many relatives would have been a headache.

"Hotel? How do I get to the restaurant?"

Erniu's wife stared wide-eyed, somewhat surprised, and said, "What a waste of money! It would be so much more respectable for us to hold a banquet at home, with all that pork outside!"

Chen Liying said, "Second daughter-in-law, they don't lack this little bit of money. Besides, it's so convenient to hold the banquet at a restaurant; you don't have to worry about anything."

The second son's wife was not happy after hearing what her sister-in-law said.

She glanced at her sister-in-law's current appearance; her clothes were clean and without a single patch, she was wearing a watch, and her face was much fairer than before.

If she were to go out into the world, who would believe she was an old woman from the countryside?

"I heard that Yin Xing's husband comes from a well-connected family?"

He Sanniu squatted on the kang (a heated brick bed) and inquired.

He Chunlian smiled slightly, "We don't have any special background, we're just a bit more respectable than other families."

She changed the subject, "You haven't eaten on the way, have you? It's almost noon. I'll ask Yin Xing to treat you to a meal at a restaurant."

Upon hearing that they were going to a restaurant, everyone's attention was immediately diverted.

He Family came, He Chunlian was both happy and busy. She and Liang Ying spent the whole day settling their relatives back home before returning to the Compound Courtyard.

The two slaughtered pigs are still sitting in the yard.

When He Chunlian entered the backyard, she saw a group of people gathered around the pig, pointing and whispering.

One of the kids was so tempted he was drooling, grabbing the pig's tail and stuffing it into his mouth, only to be slapped by his mother.

Huang Xirong, standing to the side, said sarcastically, "Oh my, look at how generous they are to send these two pigs. The Yan Family is a wealthy family. If they saw these relatives from the He Family, they would be laughing their heads off."

"Sister Huang, don't talk nonsense. Yan Ren doesn't seem like that kind of person," Elder Guo retorted.

Huang Xirong scoffed, "He's not, and neither are his relatives and friends. Look at their relatives and friends—they're all officials and soldiers. Gu Yinxing's relatives are all peasants."

As she finished speaking, her eyes swept over the crowd, and she put her hands on her hips smugly, saying, "I'm telling you this, Gu Yinxing and Yan Ren definitely won't last long."

"Huang Xirong!"

He Chunlian pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.

Huang Xirong didn't want the Gu Family Members to return so quickly, and an embarrassed look flashed across her face. Then she said confidently, "He Chunlian, I'm telling the truth. Your relatives shouldn't embarrass themselves at your daughter's wedding banquet, lest they become a laughingstock."

You should keep those words to yourself.

He Chunlian was quite blunt. "Your daughter was the one who was laughed at for her wedding banquet. Look at the family she married into, everyone in our Compound couldn't even get enough to eat."

Don't hit someone in the face, and don't expose someone's shortcomings.

Song Mei's awkward wedding banquet is still often talked about, but now that He Chunlian is involved, everyone smiles knowingly.

Huang Xirong, his face flushed with embarrassment, pointed at He Chunlian and said, "Fine, we'll see. Let's see how well your wedding banquet goes!"

He Chunlian completely ignored her, instead inviting the neighbors to share a few pounds of meat to take home and enjoy some good food.

Everyone immediately agreed, and no one cared about Huang Xirong's sarcastic remarks.

Huang Xirong was so angry that his face almost twisted in rage.

She went back inside, throwing things around. Hearing the people outside praising He Chunlian, her eyes reddened. "I don't believe the Yan Family would even look at your peasant family."

Although the Yan Family wasn't large, there were indeed some members who disliked Gu Yinxing.

Strict Yan's Father Liu Yulan and their youngest son were quite dismissive of Yan Ren of marrying Gu Yinxing.

Liu Yulan was a gloating person who loved to watch the drama unfold. Knowing that the wedding date between the Yan Family and Gu Family had been set, Yan's Father was furious about it but there was nothing he could do, so he would mention the wedding to his wives every now and then.

"My husband Yan is really furious right now." Liu Yulan put down the gilded ceramic cup in her hand and sighed softly.

Madam Cai asked, "What happened? Did Chengzhi do something?"

"Yun Yin, you don't know, Old Yan's eldest son is getting married," Mrs. Chen, who knew the situation, said sympathetically. "I heard he's marrying a nurse."

"Oh, Yan Ren is a pretty good kid, how come he's looking for a nurse?"

Madam Cai said with some surprise.

Liu Yulan said, "Actually, the nurse isn't anything special, but that girl's family..."

She paused for a moment, then said, "I heard that the Old Master and woman spent a lot of money on Yan Ren's wedding, Yan Ren's aunt also did a lot of work. This is the amount of the bride price."

Liu Yulan whispered a number.

Everyone was astonished. Mrs. Chen exclaimed, "Oh my, what kind of girl is this, so valuable? The two of us only have so much savings; this will probably drain our savings."

"Who says otherwise? Otherwise, Old Yan wouldn't be so angry. It's not that we can't marry a daughter-in-law from a humble family, but we can't be so greedy. Isn't this buying a woman?" Liu Yulan hinted, "It's also our son's fault for being spineless. Otherwise, what kind of partner couldn't he find? Why did he have to choose a woman like this? That girl has an older brother. Who knows where this money will end up?"

Everyone here is intelligent; they can all understand what Liu Yulan means.

The crowd sighed in dismay, their impression of Gu Yinxing greatly diminished.

Liu Yulan retired successfully, feeling greatly gratified.

She didn't think she had done anything trivial today. She knew that the wives' diplomacy was always effective. These wives were all well-known gossips in the circle. If they spread the word, it wouldn't just ruin Gu Yinxing's reputation, but Yan Ren's image in the eyes of the older generation would also be greatly diminished.

A man who only cares about women, no matter how capable he may be, will be seen as unreliable by outsiders.

Gu Yinxing never expected that disaster would strike her while she was sitting at home.

On her wedding day, just as dawn was breaking, Gu Yinxing was dragged out of bed by He Chunlian. Today, she was wearing a bright red cheongsam with gourd-shaped floral buttons. The vibrant color made her skin look like white porcelain. Her jet-black hair was styled up, revealing her slender neck. She wore a lustrous Pearl necklace, with each Pearl the size of a quail egg. When she took it out to wear, all the women in the room were captivated.

This necklace was part of Liang Ying's dowry to Gu Yinxing, but outsiders were unaware of this and assumed it was a gift from the Yan Family to the Gu Family to enhance their image.

Many people were envious at the time.

She drew her eyebrows, painted her lips, applied powder, and put on leather shoes before walking out. Yan Ren and the others who came to greet her were all stunned.

"Yan Ren, what are you standing there for? Have you gone crazy with joy?" Xu Rulin's cronies immediately started jeering.

Yan Ren blushed, Yan Ren for him. He held Gu Yinxing's hand, his hand trembling.

He Chunlian and He Daniu were all seated at the head of the table. When Yan Ren pulled Gu Yinxing over to bow and pay his respects, He Chunlian couldn't help but tear up. "Yan Ren, we're entrusting our Yin Xing to you from now on. You must treat her well."

"Mom, I will never let Yin Xing."

Yan Ren glanced at Gu Yinxing and said firmly.

"Groom and bride, kiss each other!" Someone outside started the commotion, and everyone joined in the fun.

Gu Yinxing's cheeks flushed, her eyelashes curled, and the usually boisterous girl was now incredibly shy.

Xu Rulin and the others couldn't help but feel envious.

"Damn it, does God have any justice? This Yan Ren man Yan Ren has actually managed to marry such a beautiful wife."

Yan Ren was too embarrassed, and also a bit stingy, so he only kissed Gu Yinxing's cheek. Immediately, people inside and outside the house started jeering, "That doesn't count, that doesn't count!"

"Alright, it's getting late, you should hurry up and go." Gu Jinshui changed the subject, "Don't waste time."

Everyone knew Gu Jinshui's temper and dared not act recklessly.

Everyone crowded around the bride and groom as they left the house, with eight cars lined up at the entrance, all of them Toyota Crown.

People from several surrounding alleys came to watch the spectacle. These days, being able to borrow even one car for a wedding is quite an achievement. The Zhao Family only sent two cars that day, but today they actually have eight, and they're all Crowns.

He Family's relatives and others were all shocked.

We knew Yin Xing's partner was no ordinary person, but no one expected him to be so extravagant.

Eight cars are enough to transport Gu's Gu Family over.

Grandpa Yan Grandma Yan, and the others in the bridal chamber had been waiting impatiently for a long time. Yan's Father still had a dark face today, which made everyone even more convinced that the legendary future eldest daughter-in-law of the Yan Family was definitely not presentable.

"You can't blame Old Yan for being angry. What family would be happy if their son married a woman like that?" Mrs. Cai said in a low voice.

"If you ask me, weren't the two elders of the Yan Family quite wise before? Why would they agree to let such a woman into the Yan Family this time?" a curious person asked.

"Hey, who knows, maybe they're using the emperor to command the feudal lords."

Mrs. Wang's words were pointed.

As everyone was discussing the matter, Liu Yulan and her mother-in-law wore smug smiles.

"They're here! They're here!" someone ran in from outside, saying, "The convoy is back."

As firecrackers went off, Yan Family's relatives and friends came out to see the bride and groom. Especially because of recent rumors, everyone was curious about what the legendary vixen looked like.

But they were all somewhat surprised when they met Gu Yinxing.

Although Gu Yinxing came from a poor background, she was quite knowledgeable and experienced.

She never felt unworthy of Yan Ren in any way, so she behaved exceptionally well today, showing none of the petty or stingy manner that others might expect.

He Chunlian and her family were not the kind of people who sold their daughters for personal gain that everyone imagined. They were all dressed decently, and more importantly, they were all good-looking, which made them likable.

"This family seems quite well-off; they don't look like a poor family," Mrs. Cai said to Liu Yulan with some surprise.

An embarrassed look flashed across Liu Yulan's face. She lowered her voice and said, "This donkey dung is all show and no substance. You'll see when you look at their dowry that this family is just putting on a show."

After Gu Yinxing and Yan Ren paid their respects to the elders, some people started clamoring to see the wedding room, so Aunt Yan led Yin Xing and the others to the back.

Yan Ren's wedding room is shared by two families, but it's rather small; the house to the north at the back is the wedding room.

Yesterday, the Gu Family's dowry was delivered, eight large boxes filled with bedding and other items, completely stuffing the house.

The men stayed in front, while the women ran to the back to watch the excitement.

Some complimented the quilt, while others praised the box's beauty.

Liu Yulan then asked with a smile, "Yin Xing, which of these are part of your dowry? Let everyone take a look and broaden their horizons!"

Gu Yinxing was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked at He Chunlian and Liang Ying.

He Chunlian already knew that this was Yan Ren's stepmother, and also knew that she was not easy to get along with, so she smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, how could you not know? This room is full of Yin Xing's dowry."

"How is this possible?!"

Yan Chengzhi's daughter-in-law blurted out, her tone laced with disdain.

Aunt Yan immediately frowned, "Chengzhi's wife, if you don't know, don't talk nonsense. This is Yan Ren's wife's dowry. Sister-in-law, you are the..."