Dong Shi and Changlian went back to the Dong family. Zhulan, along with Li Shi and Zhao Shi, sorted through the wedding gifts. Yesterday, there simply wasn’t enough time.
Ancient times were different from modern times. People rarely gave money as gifts. They only gave presents.
At a wedding banquet, the gift boxes received by the Zhou family filled up half of the room. Zhulan had not even seen them. After checking, she found that most gifts were for daily use, such as decorations, fabrics, spices, and other things.
Zhulan picked out quite a few for the newlyweds, mainly red and festive ones.
Zhulan didn’t like spices. The smell was too strong. She couldn’t stand it. She put them away and didn’t plan to use them for her family.
Most gifted fabrics were bright and festive, suitable for newlyweds, so Zhulan picked them out.
Everything was sorted out, and Zhulan felt quite upset. She paid for the bride price and the wedding banquet, but all the gifts were for the newlyweds. There were only a few food items for the whole family to eat and some fabric to make clothes for the children, which were gone. In the future, the return gifts would also come from her and Zhou Shuren. This wouldn’t have happened if the family had been divided!
Zhulan divided the cloth for making clothes for the children between Li Shi and Zhao Shi.
The rest were packed into boxes and asked Second Zhou to carry them to Changlian’s yard. They were all for the young couple to use.
Li Shi was envious. When she and her husband got married, the Zhou family didn’t have many relatives, and they weren’t close to their clan. Hardly anyone attended their wedding, and the gifts they received were even fewer. Plus, it was just a few years after the new dynasty was established, so weddings weren’t as grand as they are now. The gifts were all for the newlyweds. Back then, she was grateful if people even came to give gifts, and most of those were just food. She only kept a few pieces of fabric for herself.
Zhulan, “Don’t look at it, it’s useless, they are all for the newlyweds.”
Li Shi pursed her lips unwillingly. There were so many things that were useless, out of sight, out of mind. “Mom, the gifts have been packed up, let’s go back to the main courtyard!”
Otherwise, it would be not very pleasant to look at them, and the lunch would not taste good. Woo, she couldn’t accept it. She couldn’t help thinking that the third brother’s wedding was like this, and the scene when the youngest brother gets married must be even bigger. She felt the pain in her heart.
Zhulan was too lazy to pay attention to Li Shi. She spent money and effort, and the people who would have to repay her in the future didn’t even hold their hearts!
In the afternoon, Changlian and Dong Shi came back. Seeing Dong Shi’s smiling face with the corners of her mouth raised high, she knew that she was not bullied when she returned home today.
Zhulan said, “Go back and have a rest. By the way, Mother has sent all the gifts from the wedding banquet to your courtyard. You can go back and put them away!”
Changlian drank a lot of wine and felt a little uncomfortable, so he said, “Mom, we will go back to the courtyard first.”
“Yes, go back.”
At dinner in the evening, Li Shi was happy again. Zhulan raised her eyebrows. Mingteng leaned close to grandma’s ear and said, “Third aunt gave the mother a lot of cloth and a pair of bottles for decoration, and mother was happy.”
Mingteng didn’t lower his voice, and everyone at Zhulan’s table heard it.
Li Shi, “.”
This child was born specifically to ruin the parents’ show!
Dong Shi smiled and said, “Mom, the guests all came for my parents. We received the most of the gifts. Changlian and I felt embarrassed, so I kept the ones we used and gave the ones I didn’t need for the dowry to my two saozi. On the day of the wedding banquet, the two saozi worked hard, and this is what they deserve.”
As for why she didn’t give it to her mother-in-law, her mother-in-law gave it to them, and she gave it back to her mother-in-law. Wasn’t it a slap in the face of her mother-in-law? As if the family lacked her things, she divided them between the two saozi, and the three daughters-in-law lived in harmony, which was what her mother was happy to see.
Zhulan sighed in her heart, different status, different education, Dong Shi comprehensively handled things, “You are thoughtful.”
Dong Shi smiled, “I should do it.”
Changlian felt very proud, his wife was generous, he saw that his wife also exchanged the best things in the dowry, and did not pick and choose to fool the two saozi. His wife earned face, he also sat up straight.
Boss Zhou listened to the words of the third brother’s wife and then looked at his wife, he still felt that his daughter-in-law was good like this. Although his wife made stupid mistakes from time to time, life was lively, he liked his wife just as she was, and life was not tiring.
Second Zhou felt that the third brother’s wife was sensible and would not bully his wife in the future. After all, his wife was the only one who was helpless.
Xuehan felt that the third sister-in-law taught her how to be a daughter-in-law herself, and she learned a lot.
The next day, Li Shi’s father came with his three brothers to enquire about Zhulan’s land. Li Shi’s three uncles’ families also had many boys. It was easy for each family to help Zhulan’s family plant ten acres of land. Li Shi’s father heard Boss Zhou talking about Dong Shi’s land, so he brought his brothers to the door this year.
Fifty acres of land, Li Shi’s three uncles’ families also divided ten acres of land for planting, and there are still twenty acres left. This favor was given to the village head’s family, and the village head was asked to arrange it. With the village head at the front and the land being the county magistrate’s daughter’s land, no one dared to cheat.
Li Xu Shi came with them. Zhulan invited Li Xu Shi to come to dinner tomorrow and be a witness.
In the afternoon, Zhulan asked Second Zhou to go back to Zhoujia Village and tell the clan leader’s family that the time was set for tomorrow. Boss Zhou went to Yang’s family, and Yang’s family would come tomorrow.
Li Shi took Dong Shi to prepare dishes for tomorrow. Zhulan’s family still had some mutton and a lot of pork left, which was enough for a few tables of meals.
Because the surrounding villages were plagued by wolves, and the New Year consumed more poultry, there were not many poultry in the nearby villages. The birds to be used tomorrow were all pheasants, all bought from hunters. It was very difficult to clean up the pheasants, and Li Shi and Dong Shi had to hurry to clean them out.
When Changlian got married, Zhulan’s family used a lot of dried vegetables, and the remaining dried vegetables were only enough for tomorrow. Fortunately, spring was coming and wild vegetables were about to sprout.
In the afternoon, Second Zhou not only came back by himself, but Xuemei’s family also came with him.
Zhulan hugged Jiang Miao. This girl looked like Xuemei, only her eyebrows and eyes were like Jiang Sheng. The little girl’s hair grew fast, her eyes were big, and she was getting cuter and cuter. This was the second most beautiful girl in the family, and Yulu from the eldest family was the last.
Speaking of Yulu, this girl’s temperament was not like Li Shi’s. The little girl was introverted and not very willing to talk. She had the temperament of the Eldest Son. Well, she liked to stay with Zhulan the most. She could sit still even though she was not big. But she had a problem. It was probably because she saw Li Shi doing a lot, and the little girl learned it. The little girl liked to hide things. She liked to hide the food and toys given to her. Sometimes she forgot and turned around in a hurry, which made Zhulan and Zhou Shuren laugh. The temperaments of the three little girls were completely different, but they were all sensible children.
Xuemei sent her daughter and son out to play, and took out a cloth bag from her arms, “Mom, this is what I will give to my second saozi tomorrow.”
Zhulan took a look and saw a pair of silver earrings, “You are thoughtful.”
Xuemei smiled and said, “My second saozi has also helped me a lot. This is what I should do.”
The next morning, the Yang family arrived first, followed by Li Shi’s parents, and finally the Zhou clan leader and his wife. The clan leader brought the family tree.
Zhulan found out that Zhao Shi had no marriage certificate and matchmaker when Mingrui was one year old and was not included in the family tree. Zhao Shi was not included in the family tree at the beginning, so she wrote the marriage certificate and matched the horoscopes today not only to rectify her name but also to be included in the family tree.
Zhao Shi was at a loss and excited since she got up in the morning.
Zhou Wang Shi didn’t like Zhao Shi. Even if Zhao Shi didn’t cry from time to time later, she still didn’t like Zhao Shi. She was angry when she kept looking down. Zhou Wang Shi was not surprised that Yang Shi rectified Zhao Shi’s name. In the past year or so, she had contact with Yang Shi and found her to be a rare good mother-in-law and a kind person.
As for why she didn’t rectify her name before, Zhou Wang Shi automatically supplemented her brain, that Yang Shi wanted to hone Zhao Shi. Look, Zhao Shi didn’t cry that much now.
Zhulan calculated the horoscopes with money and found a more famous fortune teller to match them. It was a happy marriage, a good marriage.
The marriage certificate was written by Zhou Shuren, and the Zhou clan leader signed his name. After the marriage certificate was written, the Zhou clan leader took out a thick genealogy book and filled in Zhao Shi’s surname. From now on, no one would question Zhao Shi’s improper status.
Zhao Shi tried her best to hold back her tears. She couldn’t cry. Today was a big happy event, and she couldn’t cry.
Second Zhou took Zhao Shi to thank the elders. Zhou Wang Shi patted Zhao Shi’s hand and said, “You have a good mother-in-law. Live a good life in the future and respect your parents-in-law.”
Sun Shi didn’t say anything but patted Zhao Shi’s hand to comfort her silently.
Zhulan asked Zhao Shi and Second Zhou to go out, and Li Shi and others also went out. Zhulan was actually very curious about what Li Shi gave Zhao Shi, but unfortunately, she had to wait until tomorrow to find out.
After dinner in the afternoon, the guests left, and Xuemei’s family also went back in the clan leader’s ox cart.
After dinner, Zhulan took out a cloth bag and handed it to Zhao Shi, “Take this back and open it in your room. This is a gift from your Mother-in-law.”
(End of this chapter)

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