CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 040 THE DESTINY THAT’S MEANT TO BE

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The mess at the Zhang Family was hastily concluded with the interference of the Old Village Chief.

Zhang Shan Ni hadn’t expected that this morning, Zhang Dongliang had actually managed to obtain the marriage certificate before her and Xie Jingchen.

While her family’s house was being smashed, she and her freshly minted husband were hunting in the mountains. Of course, even if she had known at the time, she wouldn’t be idiotic enough to meddle in her unscrupulous biological parents’ mess.

Ever since Zhang Shan Ni learned there was a sewing machine in the mother-in-law’s room, she had been making clothes there.

In the following days, the Xie Family really did get busy. Close kin from the same branch all came over; men borrowed tables, stools, bowls, and chopsticks from each house, while women cleaned and washed the borrowed items, and also planned for vegetables to be picked the day after tomorrow and the meat and ingredients to be purchased, and so on.

That evening, relatives who stayed to help were even more sincere in their smiles when they saw the Xie Family bringing out a fatty rabbit and a plump hedgehog for dinner.

Zhang Shan Ni occasionally caught glances of her annoyed mother-in-law and her own little heart trembled. As for why the mother-in-law was annoyed, she roughly figured out the reason after combining the memories of the original body—

In the countryside, red or white events are usually assisted by the family’s brothers and sisters-in-law, and kin from the same branch.

However, at Xie Tiesheng’s house, even though they had married three wives, only the eldest wife was at home now, and she looked so troubled that it seemed as if her maternal family’s impending funeral was written all over her face, inadvertently causing dissatisfaction among all the elder aunts and elder sisters-in-law who came to help.

The new bride was supposed to be the second son’s wife, and although she had already entered the household, she was hiding inside the house and no one dared to say anything, after all, she was still considered a new bride.

But for Uncle’s newly married wife, the fact that the legitimate third son’s wife and fourth son’s wife didn’t come back to help was really unreasonable!

Even if they couldn’t help, sitting by the side and welcoming guests would have been good. At times like these, daughters-in-law should listen to their mothers-in-law. The elder aunts and aunts-in-law didn’t dare to say much in front of the head of the household, but when gathered together to work, their hands didn’t stop, and at the same time, they quietly gossiped.

The central theme of their discussion was: It’s unreasonable for your own uncles and sisters-in-law, and co-wives not to come back to help, leaving these sisters-in-law and elder mothers from the same branch exhausted!

Xie Jingchen, with sharp ears, had long heard the discussions and gossip of those elder sisters-in-law and young wives. No matter how much he had on his mind, he really couldn’t say anything at this moment. On one hand, these were all women’s matters; on the other hand, they were after all the wives of the Xie Family.

For the sake of his family’s face, he simply entertained the same branch’s uncles and brothers with the freshly hunted game, and he himself was busy running wherever needed, non-stop.

Zhang Shan Ni continued sewing clothes, while using her spiritual power to keep tabs on the situation in the yard, and also learned about the things that the elders were grumbling about in secret. But what could she do about it?

Not to mention herself as the new bride, even Zhou Xiuhua could only be annoyed in her heart, because after all, it was her daughters-in-law who lacked understanding. It was well deserved to be talked about!

In the eyes of Zhou Xiuhua and Xie Tiesheng, these daughters-in-law were openly slapping their faces, completely humiliating the Old Xie Family [Xie Tiesheng]!

Zhang Shan Ni used her spiritual power to see that her father’s face was darkened, and her mother-in-law had a face full of trouble. She hurriedly called Xiao Si and a few young ones over, asking them to wash their little hands clean. She then cut some square pieces of white paper, about the size of a palm, demonstrating by example and had the children help make ’cigarettes’.

Seeing the children were really obedient, and with no one else around, she pretended to take out four thumb-sized milk candies from her pocket, giving one to each child to put in their mouths, then directly threw the candies into the Space trash bin.

"Eat up!" Xiao Liu and Xiaoqi are the youngest, and Zhang Shan Ni was the first to tear the candy wrapper and let them have a taste.

Then, it was Xiao Si and Xiao Wu’s turn. Tasting the sweetness in their mouths, their eyes squinted with joy, "Thank you, Second Aunt!"

The youngest Xiaoqi is already four years old and in the countryside, that’s very sensible. She cheerfully smiled at the new Second Aunt and said, "Second Aunt is great!" Then she continued to roll cigarettes following her sister’s lead.

"What a sweet little mouth!" Zhang Shan Ni heard Xiaoqi’s endearing little voice and affectionately ruffled her little head.

Then, she took out a small portion of the assorted wedding candies she bought at the supply and marketing cooperative and offered them to the warm-hearted women who came to help. With candy in hand, indeed, those critical remarks from the women were no longer too harsh.

Only after Zhang Shan Ni sensed that everyone, whether mother-in-law or father-in-law, was slowly easing their expressions with her spiritual power, did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Zhang Shan Ni was powerful, but Xie Jingchen was even more generous. The pre-wedding meal was usually casual, where guests eat as they please; however, he didn’t mind this bit of game and gave the two hunted animals, each weighing about seven or eight pounds, to one of the head chefs. This made the evening meal sufficient, with two meat dishes, two stir-fries, and two vegetables.

Among the two stir-fries, one was the pork rinds coated with sugar made while frying lard, and the other was stir-fried peanuts. These two dishes were specially added and were perfect for the elders to accompany their drinks.

Through the night, the elders kept praising the newlywed couple. As for the absence of the third and fourth brothers, they were truly disappointed!

Zhang Shan Ni didn’t understand the affairs of the Xie Family, but Xie Jingchen did. Relying on his cousin from Qing Mountain’s Jingwen Hall who went to notify the eldest brother early in the morning to call people back, it was unusual that neither the eldest, the third, nor the fourth brother had shown up by now.

Therefore, in his heart, Xie Jingchen took note of his brothers’ actions. He also correctly understood that once his brothers had their own wives, things indeed changed, first attending to their ’own little families’ and only then to the ’greater family.’

Seeing that the rolled cigarettes were being used up quickly, Zhang Shan Ni immediately had the children roll about twenty or thirty more cigarettes. She asked Xiao Si to take them to his Second Uncle and grandfather, distributing about ten to each for the elders in the same room.

It might have been just self-rolled cigarettes, but in those times, aside from secretly growing one’s own, tobacco had to be bought from the supply and marketing cooperative. It’s only in the past two years that policies have loosened, and one could indulge a little more freely.

Some with a heavier taste preferred smoking water pipes, which didn’t require rolling into cigarettes. Generally, older gentlemen who enjoyed water pipes had tobacco specially prepared. Zhang Shan Ni took out some wrapped in red paper to present to her father.

To be honest, seeing Xiao Si come in with rolled cigarettes, whether it was the Xie Family elders or Xie Tiesheng, they were all pleasantly surprised.

Really, life in that era was tough after all, plus their Qingshan Team was close to the primitive mountains, relatively more backward. In an average family, only the host would offer candies, cigarettes, and alcohol to guests at the main table during weddings!

Who would have thought that Xie Laoer’s family had been so thoughtful, covering all the bases! Now looking at the bride, Zhang Shan Ni, bustling away inside and still remembering to offer wedding sweets to the relatives, keeping all the children cheerfully chattering and bringing smiles to the faces of the helpful elders and aunts.

In comparison, everyone felt that Xie Laoer had a good eye! As for the attempted suicide by jumping into the lake, wasn’t the person fine now? Besides, if it weren’t for that, Zhang Family’s Third Girl might not have ended up where she is!

Thinking this way, the union of Xie Jingchen and Zhang Shan Ni really seemed like a match made in heaven~~

Zhang Shan Ni took notice in private and still felt that the thoughts of rural people were quite simple. After all, just some little sweets and cigarettes were enough to win them over so easily. Generosity indeed seemed to be the best policy!

[A note]: In different places, the sequence in which siblings are ranked differs. Typically, in the eyes of the family elders, siblings’ ranking doesn’t include daughters—considered to be married off, so they’re not counted among the siblings.

Hence, Xie Laoer is what the elders called him. San’er is what the parents called him. Nephews call him Second Uncle, a ranking based on the brothers’ order, excluding aunts.