Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Jiang Qing and Jiang Xia caught a basket full of river shrimps and a few small fish, and happily headed home.
The hunters hadnât returned yet, and only a few women were busy at home.
Suddenly, they heard someone outside asking if anyone was home. Jiang Xia, being the most free at the moment, ran over to open the door.
There were two women at the door, one old and one young.
The older one had a red flower on her head and looked rather tacky. She wore bright red lipstick, which emphasized the wrinkles around her mouth.
The younger one was probably only sixteen or seventeen, but she dressed maturely. She wore little leather boots and her clothes clearly looked like they were bought from the county town: a lace top with a small leather skirt. It seemed a bit cold to wear such clothes in this weather.
Jiang Xia estimated that her outfit must have cost at least thirty coins.
The boots were made of pure animal leather, snake skin to be exact. However, by looking at the craftsmanship and stitches, it was obvious they were handmade. The stitching was uneven, wasting the snake skin.
Jiang Xia had seen the girlâs clothes in a shopping mall. It was worn by a mannequin and priced at twenty-five coins. She remembered thinking how overpriced the outfit was, especially considering her family had bought an entire set of wooden furniture for just over thirty yuan. Yet, on this girl, the outfit looked out of place and lacked the elegance it had on the store mannequin. However, itâs her choice to wear whatever she pleases.
Noticing Jiang Xiaâs gaze, the young girl exuded an air of pride. She looked at Jiang Xia with disdain but still tried to be courteous, âYouâre from sister-in-law maternal family right? Such a polite young girl.â
âSister-in-law?â Jiang Xia frowned. Having stayed a night at the Zhang family home, she hadnât heard of any other family members. Was this visitor being too presumptuous?
Seeing that Jiang Xia didnât reply, the young girl simply walked in, followed by the older woman, who even bumped Jiang Xia with her hip as she passed.
Annoyed, Jiang Xia brushed off her arm, feeling as if sheâd been tainted. She then went back to the kitchen to help Jiang Qing wash the vegetables.
Curiously, she asked Jiang Qing, âWho was that woman? Why did she call you âsister-in-lawâ?â
Jiang Qing casually responded while washing a radish, âThatâs Liu You, the eldest daughter of the Liu family halfway up the mountain. Sheâs the proposed match for my younger brother.â
It seemed that Liu Youâs visits were not a new occurrence.
âSo, are they engaged?â Jiang Xia inquired.
âNo,â Jiang Qing replied. âOld Master Zhang didnât approve. After he passed away, she didnât come for a month. Today, you just happened to run into her.â
Jiang Xia muttered, âBut she calls you âsister-in-lawâ, making it sound like youâre close.â
Jiang Qing just smiled, clearly not bothered by Liu Youâs choice of words.
Liu Youâs demeanor had made Jiang Xia uncomfortable. Comparing the two, Jiang Xia thought, no wonder Old Master Zhang didnât approve. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Actually, Liu You specifically chose today to visit because she had heard that Jiang Qingâs maternal family members had come, so she hurriedly brought a matchmaker to the door.
When Jiang Qing first married and moved up to the mountain, Liu You had heard that Jiang Qingâs family was not wealthy, and she came without any dowry, dressed in ragged clothes and carrying an empty basket.
Liu You thought to herself that Jiang Qingâs maternal family members must have come to take advantage, being such a poor and destitute bunch.
It had been raining on the mountain for the past two days, and the ground was covered in mud. No matter who went out, they would be covered in mud, but her little leather boots were not afraid of getting dirty.
She wore her outfit today specifically to show off. With so many households in the mountains, who else could be wealthier than her family, able to afford clothing that costs tens of coins?
And speaking of her little leather boots, they were made from a snake her father personally caught up the mountain. He skinned it, and her mother sewed the boots for her, making them waterproof and mud-resistant.
The mountain had seen rain for the past few days, and the ground was full of mud. Anyone who went out would come back covered in mud, but her leather boots werenât afraid of getting dirty.
They went straight to the house used for entertaining guests and dining. Seeing that there was no one inside, they casually took seats, and Liu You even poured herself a glass of water, acting as if she wasnât an outsider.
From time to time, Liu You would swivel her head and gaze out the door, waiting for someone to come in and be the first to notice and compliment her outfit.. Who would have thought that after waiting for so long, no one came to attend to her? She couldnât help herself and yelled out, âHow come thereâs no one in the house even though guests have been here for so long?â