Chapter 3

Xiao Li opened the door and went outside to fetch water. When Xiao Yang, the eldest son of the Xiao family, saw that the sickles were still by the doorway, he realized that Xiao Li hadn't gone to harvest the wheat. However, he didn't say anything. Wang Chunyan, Xiao Li's sister-in-law, asked, "What does your younger sister-in-law want for breakfast? I'll make it for her." She knew that Chen Jiaojiao was from the city and had fifty taels of silver as her dowry. If she treated her well, she might be able to get some benefits out of it! "Just make whatever Mother likes," Xiao Li replied as he fetched water from the pot beside the stove. "Is Mother awake? I'll take my wife to serve her tea." "Forget it," Wang Chunyan said. She had originally planned to make a simple bowl of dough-drop soup, but she changed her mind and decided to cook a mixture of white rice and brown rice into porridge instead. "Mother was feeling unwell for most of the night and only fell asleep a short while ago. Let's not disturb her." "All right." As Xiao Li turned around, he saw Chen Jiaojiao's maid, Chunxi, arriving. Chunxi greeted him, "Young Master," then took the basin from his hands. "I'll take care of serving Miss. You can rest, Young Master." Xiao Li released the basin, and Chunxi carried the bulging bundle inside. Xiao Yang chewed on a willow twig and couldn't help commenting, "As expected of a merchant's daughter. She even has a maid to serve her." Wang Chunyan's eyes shifted as she poured more water into the pot. Then she went into the room and called her son and daughter to get up. In a low voice, she instructed them, "Go and play with your second aunt. She's rich and can give you candy. Just don't tell her I said that." Her eight-year-old son, Xiao Ping, immediately brightened at the mention of candy. He didn't even bother washing his face before jumping out of bed. Wang Chunyan's four-year-old daughter, Xiao An'an, yawned and seemed reluctant to go. "I'm not going. Didn't Father use the money Second Uncle gave him to buy lots of candy before? My brother and I haven't even finished eating it." "What nonsense are you talking about?" A guilty look flashed across Wang Chunyan's face. She covered her daughter's mouth and whispered, "I told you not to mention that to anyone! Anyway, just listen to Mother. There's no harm in spending more time with your second aunt. Who complains about having too much candy?" Only then did Xiao An'an get out of bed. Outside, Xiao Li finished washing his face and saw his nephew Xiao Ping about to enter his room. "Xiao Ping, what are you doing?" "I'm going to see what Second Aunt is doing." Xiao Li walked over to him. "You need to knock first. Your second aunt is a woman, and you're already old enough to know better. If you go in without knocking, you'll frighten her." "Okay, I understand." When Xiao Li had first returned home, Xiao Ping had been quite afraid of his second uncle. Later, however, he discovered that Xiao Li was just as his father had described—a fool. He gave money to the family, worked harder than anyone else in the fields, and had even sacrificed himself by marrying a wealthy wife for the family's benefit. Xiao Li patted his nephew's head just as the door opened. A faint smell of meat buns drifted out from inside. Chunxi came out carrying a basin of dirty clothes. "Young Master, Miss says you can come inside. But perhaps this young master should wait outside. Miss hasn't finished dressing up yet." Xiao Ping could smell the meat buns, and he desperately wanted to go inside. He tugged at Xiao Li. "Second Uncle, I want to see Second Aunt too!" Chen Jiaojiao wasn't coming out, and Xiao Li couldn't force her to. He could only say, "Wait a little. You can see your second aunt when she comes out later." Then Xiao Li stopped Chunxi. "I can wash my own clothes." Chunxi was more than happy to leave him to it. She separated his clothes from the others. "Your clothes tend to bleed color, and Miss's clothes are expensive. It's better to wash yours separately." Hearing this, the Xiao family members looked at the fresh basin of laundry in Chunxi's arms. Even Chen Jiaojiao's socks appeared to be made of fine cotton. Xiao Li's coarse hemp clothes really weren't suitable for being washed in the same basin as hers. Xiao Li put his clothes into his own basin before entering the room. As soon as he went inside, Xiao Ping ran to complain to his mother. "Mother, I smelled meat buns in their room! Second Aunt deliberately let Second Uncle go inside without me because she doesn't want to share them!" Wang Chunyan lowered her voice. "Just ask your second uncle for some later. All right, keep your voice down." Xiao Ping reluctantly nodded. After all, his second uncle never kept anything for himself. He always gave the family the best food and drinks, so he could simply ask for some later. When Xiao Li entered the room, Chen Jiaojiao was applying lip color. Seeing him, she pushed a paper-wrapped bundle toward him. "Eat." The bundle was bulging, and grease had seeped through the paper. It was obvious that there was meat inside. "I'll call Xiao Ping and An'an in to eat too. We should save a couple for Mother." Chen Jiaojiao grabbed him and looked displeased. "I bought these for you, not for your nephew, niece, or mother. Just look at how thin you are!" Although Xiao Li was muscular and solid, with not an ounce of excess fat, his body was still somewhat lean. It was obvious that he hadn't had a proper meal with much oil or meat in a long time. His large frame was mostly due to his naturally broad build. Chen Jiaojiao hadn't applied her lip color evenly. Some parts were darker than others, making her lips look patchy. Xiao Li thought the color was a little too red. But she was beautiful. The uneven lip color looked like flower petals in varying shades of red against her face, making her appear even more delicate and lovely. She brought a touch of brightness to the shabby room. When Xiao Li remained motionless, Chen Jiaojiao finally lost her temper with him. She thought to herself that he really was nothing but a stupid mule. She pulled him toward a chair and spoke in a softer voice. "Listen to me. I'm worried about you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have specifically asked Chunxi to bring food here. We just got married, and I'm trying to treat you well. Why won't you accept it?" Xiao Li sat down and took her hand in his. Chen Jiaojiao was startled and immediately pulled her hand out of his rough, warm, calloused grip. "What are you doing? Your hands are so rough! Are you trying to hurt me?" Chen Jiaojiao's hands were delicate and smooth, like flowing water in a river. Xiao Li said nothing. He opened the paper bundle and found five large meat buns inside. For a moment, he didn't know what to do. He hadn't eaten anything this good in a long time. Seeing him sitting there in a daze, Chen Jiaojiao reluctantly picked up a bun and handed it to him. "Here, eat. You're my man now. If you don't put on some weight, people will say I'm mistreating you." "Have you eaten?" "I don't eat things like this in the morning." Chen Jiaojiao took another small paper bundle from her luggage. Inside were several pieces of rice cake. "I'll eat these. They're not greasy." Both the rice cakes and meat buns were still steaming, clearly freshly made that morning. Xiao Li watched her taking small bites and unconsciously slowed down his own movements. However, after taking his first bite of the meat bun, he couldn't resist. He finished the rest in just two more bites. Chen Jiaojiao had only eaten two bites of her rice cake when she noticed he had finished. She handed him another bun. "What do you usually eat for breakfast?" "Vegetable porridge or dough-drop soup." Xiao Li hesitated before accepting the bun. "Today, Sister-in-law made porridge with brown rice and millet." Chen Jiaojiao didn't want to make a bad impression on her first day in the family. "Then I'll reluctantly eat a little of that later." She raised her chin toward him. "Eat the remaining three buns too." Xiao Li shook his head. "I'll save them for Mother, Xiao Ping, and An'an." Normally, giving two buns to the children and his mother wouldn't have been a problem. But seeing how ridiculously filial Xiao Li was, Chen Jiaojiao became unhappy. "What if I want to eat three meat buns? Would you give them to me?" Xiao Li glanced at the half-eaten rice cake in her hand and her slender waist before nodding. "You bought them, so of course you can eat them." Chen Jiaojiao felt a little less annoyed. She had wanted to say something more, but then she remembered that she had only just married into the family. If she said too much, Xiao Li might become unhappy, so she let it go. "Just eat them. If you don't, I'll throw them away and feed them to the dogs. I specifically bought these for you, and you're wasting my kindness by refusing them. I also bought things for your mother, nephew, and niece, so you don't need to worry about them." Hearing that she would feed the buns to the dogs, Xiao Li couldn't bear to waste such good food. He finally ate the remaining three meat buns. He had always eaten a lot. Even after five meat buns, he felt only about a third full. Usually, he would drink just one bowl of thin porridge before heading to the fields. By the time lunch came around, he would already be so hungry that he felt dizzy. After he finished eating, Chen Jiaojiao tidied her hair and clothes, then linked her arm through his. "Let's go." Xiao Li wasn't used to her leaning against him so casually. His body stiffened as he led her outside. In the courtyard, Xiao Yang was talking with the Xiao family's third son, Xiao Bao. When they saw Chen Jiaojiao, both men looked at her with amazement. It seemed their second brother did have some luck after all. Although she was a woman who had been discarded by another man, she was unbelievably beautiful, almost like a celestial maiden. Her skin was so fair, and she was truly gorgeous! Chen Jiaojiao also looked around at everyone and couldn't help feeling disgusted. The two men's hair looked greasy enough to make her wonder how many days it had been since they'd washed it. The two children were wearing clothes so dirty they were almost black. How filthy! Nevertheless, in order to maintain her dignity, Chen Jiaojiao smiled and greeted them. "Good morning, Eldest Brother and Third Brother. Xiao Ping, Xiao An'an, I'm your second aunt. I'll give you some candy later." Xiao Yang and Xiao Bao politely returned her greeting. Xiao Ping and Xiao An'an cheered and tried to grab Chen Jiaojiao's hand, but she subtly avoided them. Why were these children's hands so dirty too? Disgusting! After greeting Wang Chunyan in the kitchen, Chen Jiaojiao was about to return to her room. Suddenly, a heavily pregnant woman came out of the house on the far right, carrying a pile of clothes. She didn't even glance at Chen Jiaojiao. Without saying a word, she threw the clothes in front of Chunxi, who was washing Chen Jiaojiao's laundry beside the well. "Having a maid in the family is wonderful! Wash all my clothes for me too, so I don't have to do them myself!"