Gadbad in pehli rasoi.

Everyone smiled at Surekha’s words, and Anokhi started showing her teeth. Her eyes fell on Ruhi, who was wearing a deep pink saree and looked very beautiful. Anokhi put her hands on her cheeks and said, "Wow Ruhi, you look so good. I never thought you’d get ready so well. I thought you’d stick to your usual funky look."

Placing her plate on the table, Ruhi responded, "Well, the one who used to appreciate my funky look isn’t here, so I didn’t go for it. But if you’re craving to see me in that look so badly, I can bring it back just for you." She teased Anokhi, making her pout.

Suddenly, something clicked in Anokhi’s mind. She folded her arms, raised her head, and in a loud, authoritative voice said, "Ruhi, how dare you talk to your Jethani like that? Don’t forget, I’m your friend only in college, but in this house, I’m your Jethani. Show some respect!"

Everyone chuckled at her words. Dada ji, agreeing with her, said, "Yes, yes, absolutely right. Ruhi, Anokhi is your Jethani. Talk to her with respect. You can’t joke with your Jethani, or she’ll taunt you."

Surekha added, " I swear on diamond, Ruhi, not everyone is as lucky as I am in the Jethani's department. I got a gem of a Jethani, but who can tell what kind of Jethani you have?"

Ruhi glanced sideways at Anokhi and teased, "What can I do, saasu maa? You got a diamond-like Jethani, but I didn’t. It’s all about luck."

Hearing them, Anokhi’s eyes widened in surprise. She stood up and said indignantly, "Why are you all saying this? I never asked Ruhi to do all the household work as a Jethani. I was just joking."

"We’re also joking," Ruhi, Surekha, and Dada ji said in unison, making Anokhi laugh.

Then Ruhi and Anokhi served everyone food. As soon as they took the first bite of the roti and sabzi, their faces fell, but they quickly composed themselves.

Seeing them, Ruhi asked, "What happened? Isn’t the food good?"

After drinking some water, Ajay said, "No, no, dear, it’s delicious." He signaled the others, who nodded and said, "Yes, yes, very tasty."

Shivaay said, "Yes, it’s so good, but I’ll start with the gaajar ka halwa and fill my stomach with that." He quickly picked up a bowl of halwa, and everyone followed his lead. Ruhi was confused.

Shivaay took a bite of the halwa, but the next moment, he spat it out and began drinking water quickly. Everyone who was about to eat stopped in their tracks.

Rohit, making a pitiful face, asked, "What happened, bro? How does it taste?"

Ruhi, now more worried, looked as if she was about to cry and asked, "What happened, Shivaay? Is it really not good?"

Poor Shivaay was at a loss for words. Shobha took a spoonful of halwa and ate it. Anokhi was about to take a bite when Rishabh grabbed her hand and shook his head.

After quickly drinking some water, Shobha said, "Now I understand, Ruhi, you were very nervous."

"What happened, badi maa? Did I really cook that bad? I may not be great at cooking, but I can at least manage. Did I mess up that much?" Ruhi asked, but no one replied. Everyone exchanged glances.

Shivika softly said, "Ruhi, you made a little mistake. Instead of salt in the sabzi, you put sugar, and instead of sugar in the halwa, you put salt."

"What!" Ruhi exclaimed in shock and quickly tasted the halwa herself, spitting it out and drinking water. Tears welled up in her eyes. Seeing her cry, everyone stood up. Surekha wiped her tears and said, "Silly girl, you’re crying over such a small thing?"

"In the first kitchen ritual, it’s customary to cook something sweet, and I couldn’t even do that properly," Ruhi said with a choked voice.

Anokhi walked over, held her hand, and said, "Hey, there’s no specific time for completing a ritual. If the custom was to make something sweet, let’s do it now. Come on, we’ll make something sweet quickly." Saying this, she led Ruhi into the kitchen.

Shivika followed, saying, "I’m coming too." Once inside, Ruhi said sadly, "Everyone is already seated at the dining table. What sweet dish can we make so quickly? Even the sabzi is ruined."

Anokhi replied, "If you keep that sad face, even the good food will spoil. Cheer up, we’ll handle the rest." Then she told a servant, "Bring the sabji from outside; we’ll fix something." She asked Shivika, "Shivika di, can you quickly chop some dry fruits? We’ll make kheer, it’ll be quick."

She turned to Ruhi and said, "And you, start boiling the milk quickly." Anokhi got to work, rinsed the rice thoroughly, then ground it lightly into small pieces and soaked them.

The servant brought the vegetables, and Anokhi added them to the pan. She prepared yogurt by mixing salt, chili powder, and some spices and added the paste to the vegetables, heating it all up.

Meanwhile, the milk had boiled, so Ruhi added the soaked rice and dry fruits. After some time, the rice cooked thoroughly, and Ruhi added sugar and a little saffron, giving it a lovely color.

By then, Anokhi had fixed the sabzi. Shivika praised her, "Wow, Anokhi, not only do you know how to cook, but you can also fix a spoiled dish. You’re perfect! I don’t even know how to cook properly, and now I’m getting stressed about what I’ll make in my pehli rasoi after marriage. I’ll have to be very careful, or I’ll mess things up." Anokhi smiled at her words.

Ruhi was still carefully preparing the kheer. Anokhi asked, "Is the kheer ready?" Ruhi replied, "Yes, it’s ready, but I’m not sure how it tastes ."

"It’ll be good; I’m telling you. Now, let’s see what everyone else says when we serve it." They quickly poured the kheer into bowls and brought it outside. Anokhi placed the sabzi on the table, and Ruhi served the kheer.

Rohit tasted the kheer and smiled, giving Ruhi a thumbs-up, saying, "It’s excellent." Hearing this, a smile spread across Ruhi’s face.

Meanwhile, Vikram tasted the sabzi and roti and showed a thumbs-up to Anokhi, saying, "Wow, you fixed the sabzi perfectly."

Anokhi, a little surprised, asked Vikram, "But how did you know I fixed it?"

Vikram said, "Well, we already know our Shivika. She only knows how to scramble brains, not food. And as for Ruhi, we’ve already seen her talent. That leaves you, and I’ve seen your cooking skills before. So, it was just a guess, and I was right."

Anokhi smiled at his words. Everyone ate the food and the kheer Ruhi had made, and this time, everyone loved it.

After the meal, everyone gave Ruhi a gift. Seeing all the gifts, Rohit had the same thought as Omkar. He said, "Man, weddings are all about the girls. They get all the gifts. Sisters ask their brothers, saali ask their jeeja, and the bride, well, she doesn’t even need to ask; she gets everything without saying a word. And we boys get nothing."

Shivika chimed in, "Who said you get nothing? You get empty wallets and hard-earned shoes."

Her comment made everyone laugh. Sitting next to Rohit, Shivaay leaned in and whispered in his ear, "And don’t forget you also get your first night."

He winked at Rohit, who muttered to himself, " are kaahe ki first night, meri first night ne to meri zindagi ki limelight, kamare ki saari light bujhaakar apani night neend me spend kar rahi thi, vo bhi sukoon vaali neend me.

( What first night? My first night was spent with my life’s spotlight, as she blissfully slept with all the lights off, enjoying a peaceful sleep )."

Shivaay, seeing his sulky face, asked, "What are you mumbling about?"

Rohit forced a fake smile and said, "Nothing, just eat your breakfast."

"Such a strange guy, even though he's married, he's still sulking. Here, there's no sign of my marriage at all. Just think, Abhinav is married, Omkar and he are married too, and soon Vikram and Hardik will also be married. Rishabh and Praveen are already married, only I'm left. I mean, what kind of sin have I committed that even God isn't paying attention to me? Is it possible that I don't look good? No, man, I do look handsome, so how come neither Swati nor God is noticing me? God, could you please turn the pages of my destiny a little?" he said while starting to eat.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family members were watching the two of them, who were lost in their own murmuring. Dada ji said, "Nothing can be done about these two. Only their wives will be able to handle them."

Saying this, Dada ji pointed towards Rohit and Shivaay, making everyone smile.

Abhinav's home:

Shweta and Shwet, all ready with their belongings, were sitting in the hall waiting for Swati to arrive. Today, Swati was coming to take Shweta for the 'Pag Phera' ritual. Bharti had prepared some gifts, which the daughter-in-law takes with her from her in-laws to her maternal home during the 'Pag Phera' ceremony."

Abhinav was looking a bit down. He softly asked Shweta, "Shweta, is it necessary to go?"

"Abhinav, stop it, you've been saying this since yesterday. Yes, it's necessary, I have to go with my sister," Shweta replied softly, giving him a stern look.

Raghav noticed their whispers and asked, "What happened? Is there a problem?"

"No, Papa," Shweta replied.

But Abhinav said, "Papa, I was just asking if for the 'Pagphere' ritual, does the girl go alone? I mean, the groom should also be taken care of, right? So, the groom should go along too."

Hearing this, everyone smiled, and Shweta shyly lowered her head. Bharati playfully tapped Abhinav's head and said, "Yes, they do take care of him, absolutely."

"Really?" Abhinav lit up with joy, but Bharati dampened his excitement, saying, "They take care of him when the groom comes to take his bride back. Only then, and when he comes is up to Swati to decide. Got it?"

Hearing this, Abhinav made a face and muttered to himself, "Swati will decide? Oh no, who would dare cross her? What if she gets mad over a small thing I said and keeps my wife with her forever? But Shivaay should be more worried than me. Poor guy fell in love with the right girl!"

He chuckled to himself, and everyone gave him strange looks.

Just then, Swati entered. Shwet was the first to spot her and jumped in excitement, "Masi Maa is here!"

He ran towards Swati, and she bent down, picked him up, kissed his cheek, and said, "How’s my Cheeku?"

"I'm good, Masi Maa, and how are you?" Shwet asked, kissing Swati’s cheek in return. Swati smiled and said, "I'm fine, and now that I've seen you, I'm perfectly fine."

Swati entered and touched everyone's feet. Abhinav asked, "How are you, Swati ji?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Jija ji," Swati replied with a smile.

After that, Bharati made Swati sit down, they all ate together, and after some conversation, Swati said to Bharati, "Aunty, shall we leave now?"

"Yes, of course," Bharati said, handing Swati some packets.

Swati asked, "Aunty, what is all this?"

"My dear, it's a tradition, and I promise, it's not much, just a few things for you," Bharati said.

"But Aunty..." Swati started, but Bharati interrupted, "Swati, I'm giving it from my heart, and don’t think that you need to follow the same tradition by sending something with Shweta. No, don’t do that. I’m giving this with love, not out of formality."

Swati smiled at her affection and sincerity. Then, she left with Shweta and Shwet for her home.

Swati's house,

As soon as they reached home, Shwet quickly said to Swati, "I'm hungry."

Swati lovingly smacked his backside and said, "You little glutton, you just ate there, and you're hungry again?"

Shwet laughed and said, "Masi Maa, I know you've already prepared everything to make my favorite pasta. You just need to cook it, so hurry up, I want to eat pasta made by your hands."

Hearing this, both Shweta and Swati laughed. And indeed, Swati had everything ready in advance. She tied her hair into a bun and went into the kitchen. She quickly made the pasta, and they all sat down to eat.

Swati was feeding Shwet with her hands and cleaning his face when sauce got on it. She seemed very happy with him, and Shwet was enjoying eating from her hands with love.

Shweta was watching them and then said thoughtfully, "Swati, didn’t you feel, even for a moment, that I took Shwet away from you?"

Swati looked at her in surprise and asked, "What are you saying, Shweta?"

Shweta replied, "No, I mean, you were with Shwet all these years, you raised him like your son. In your heart, he's your son, so didn't you feel, even for a moment, that I took your son away from you?"

"Have you lost your mind, Shweta? You've gone completely crazy after marriage. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have bothered getting you married at all! What nonsense is this? Where did this 'yours' and 'mine' come from? Have you forgotten that you gave birth to Shwet and I raised him? So where’s the 'yours' and 'mine' in this?"

Hearing her, Shweta smiled. Then Shwet asked, "Masi Maa, what’s the plan for today?"

Swati replied, "Of course there’s a plan! Why not! I specially took two days off from the manager. Anyway, with another wedding happening at Shergill Mansion, there’s going to be a lot of work at the store. The manager keeps sending me because of Anokhi, so I took two full days off. Today, we’re going out right now. A new animated movie has come out, and I’ve already booked tickets for all three of us. So, first, we’ll watch the movie, then eat your favorite burger, play some games, and then have dinner at a nice hotel before coming back. Tomorrow, we’re going to the water park. The plan is all set for two days. How’s that?"

Shwet replied, "Best!"

"Then hurry up and get ready!" Swati said.

A little while later, the three of them left to follow their plan for the day.

Meanwhile, at Shergill Mansion, Abhinav arrived to take Ruhi home, while Rishabh and Anokhi went to Omkar’s house for Riya’s 'Pagphera'.

On the same day, all three husbands were separated from their wives. For two or three days, the husbands were a bit annoyed and irritated while all the wives were enjoying with their families. Two days later, Ruhi and Shweta returned to their in-laws, except for Riya. Since there was another wedding happening, Riya stayed at Shergill Mansion.

Shobha told Surekha, "Surekha, we need to quickly finish all the preparations. Vikram and Hardik’s wedding rituals are about to start, and on the day of their 'Haldi', Shanaya’s baby shower is also planned, so everything must be done quickly and perfectly."

"Why are you worrying, Didi? I swear by diamonds, the arrangements will be excellent. After all, it’s the first baby shower for the new generation, everything will be great."

"Yes, you're right about that. It almost feels like I'm the one getting married, or else I would have forgotten that my own wedding is happening amidst these two weddings," Vikram joked, pointing towards Rohit and Riya, and they made faces while everyone else laughed.

Shalini said, "Yes, let’s get him married, or else he’ll go crazy, and take all of us with him. God knows what will happen to this boy."

"Oh mom, nothing will happen. Just a wedding, that’s all," Vikram said, hugging Shalini from the side, and she glared at him.

She said, "Looking at your antics, I feel like telling Preeti to stay at Omkar’s house and not return."

Vikram moved away, pouting, "Just wait, once I'm married, once Preeti becomes my wife, no matter how much you threaten me, you won’t be able to do anything. I won’t let my wife even come near you."

"Wait, I’ll show you," Shalini said, getting up, and Vikram immediately ran away while everyone laughed.

Meanwhile, at Omkar's house, he was sitting on the sofa watching the sports channel, though his mind wasn’t on the TV. He had just switched it on and sat there. Just then, Anokhi entered and sat beside him, asking, "Bhaiya, what are you watching?"

"Have you lost your vision? Can’t you see it’s a sports channel? So obviously, I’m watching sports."

"Why are you getting so irritated? I just asked a small question. Looks like your brain has gone haywire in the absence of Riya bhabhi," Anokhi teased, and Omkar pulled her ear, saying, "What did you say? Say it again."

"Okay, okay, sorry," Anokhi laughed. Omkar let go of her ear and asked, "So, what are you doing here? Isn’t there a wedding at your house? The one that made my wife leave me, so go prepare for the wedding. Why are you passing time here?"

Seeing him annoyed, Anokhi laughed even more, which further irritated Omkar. Controlling her laughter, Anokhi said, "Bhaiya, I’m not here to waste time. I came to pick up Mama and Bhabhi Ma. We’re all going shopping for Hardik Bhaiya, Shivika Didi, Vikram Bhaiya, and Bhabhi Ma’s wedding. Are you coming with us?"

Omkar replied, still staring at the TV, "I’m not going shopping. You all made me stay home without my wife, so I’ll stay home."

"Okay," Anokhi said, getting up and calling out to Archana, "Mumma, are you ready? Shall we go?"

"Yes, yes, it's done, let's go," said Archana as she stepped out of her room and headed outside. Preeti also started to leave with her.

Anokhi also got up, but then she paused, thinking for a moment. She leaned close to Omkar's ear and softly said, "By the way, Bhaiya, Riya Bhabhi is also coming there. So, if you want to meet Riya Bhabhi, spend some time with her, then you..."

Anokhi couldn't finish her sentence. Before she could complete it, Omkar grabbed her hand, sat her down on the sofa, and said, "You sit here for 2 minutes; I'll be back after changing."

Saying this, he quickly ran toward his room.

Seeing him leave like that, Archana said, "Why did he suddenly get up and leave like that? He wasn't planning to go. And why are you laughing?"

Anokhi replied, "No, Mama, nothing. Let's go; we will wait for them downstairs."

Saying this, she took Archana downstairs.

After a while, they all left from there.

Shopping Mall,

Today, everyone was present at the shopping mall. This time the shopping wasn't happening at home but at the shopping mall.

Everyone had come to do their own shopping, but as soon as they entered, Anokhi and Shweta's faces showed a little surprise and concern.