Shen Linchuan knew both Zhou Da and his son were easygoing types. Over the years, they’d been bullied and taken advantage of by Zhou Er’s family more than once. But Shen Linchuan wasn’t someone to be pushed around!

Upon hearing this might ruin his son’s fortune, Zhou Da was naturally unwilling. “Village Chief, what on earth are we to do now?”

“Yes, Father! Zhou Youcheng is supposed to be an educated man, yet he knows nothing of proper conduct! It’s an absolute disgrace to scholars!”

Shen Linchuan’s words left Zhou Youcheng flushed with embarrassment. As the village’s sole tongsheng, being gawked at by so many made him wish he could crawl into a mouse hole!

“Enough, enough. It’s just a few pastries—why dwell on it?” Hu Caiyun interjected.

“Auntie, you speak so lightly! This is a joyous day for Ning-ger and me. Before we’ve even begun the kowtowing, the offering table is ruined like this. If the deities take offense, let them blame your family—don’t let it fall on ours!”

Shen Linchuan swept his robe aside and knelt on the straw mat. “Divine beings above, it is not that I, Shen Linchuan, disrespect you. If the Heavenly Lord finds fault, let punishment fall upon Uncle Zhou’s household. This has nothing to do with my family. May the gods bless me, Shen Linchuan, to pass the imperial examinations and grant Ning-ger a life of harmony and happiness.”

Zhou Er and his wife paled. Wasn’t this little brat cursing their family?

He was openly and covertly wishing failure on their family’s examinations and misfortune on their household!

Shen Linchuan’s lips curved as he rose. “Then all should be well. The divine spirits are most discerning and see clearly.”

Only then did Zhou Er speak up. “Village Chief, the child doesn’t know any better. What should we do?”

“By the rules, you must kowtow to the deity and beg forgiveness.” The village chief flicked his sleeves, astonished by such disrespect. “You two! Even if you’re hungry, you mustn’t touch the offerings on the altar!”

Snickers rippled through the crowd. Zhou Youcheng flushed crimson, while Zhou Fang’s eyes brimmed with tears of shame and anger. A tongsheng and a marriageable maiden publicly accused of gluttony—their dignity lay utterly trampled.

Zhou Er tugged at his once-proud son. “Kneel down, both of you!”

Only then did Zhou Youcheng and Zhou Fang kneel, kowtowing three times toward the offering table. Zhou Fang wept as she ran home, a young woman utterly disgraced.

Zhou Youcheng, too, had lost the swagger he’d shown upon arrival. If not for his stubborn pride, he would have fled home as well. But if he left now, he’d only invite more ridicule.

Standing behind Shen Linchuan, Zhou Ning tugged discreetly at his fingers. Shen Linchuan turned and gave him a crooked smile. Now that he, Shen Linchuan, was here, how could he let Zhou Er bully his family any longer?

Zhou Ning was a mild-mannered soul, not skilled with words. Shen Linchuan knew full well that if he got into an argument with those two, Ning-ger would never come out on top.

Zhou Ning’s spirits lifted now. Scholars really had the gift of gab. He’d endured their bullying for years, and today he’d finally gotten his revenge.

Hu Caiyun’s face darkened. This Shen Linchuan seemed no ordinary fellow—he’d already made her family look foolish without even trying.

Shen Linchuan tugged Zhou Ning’s finger. “Let’s set up the offering table. The wedding ceremony will begin soon.”

Zhou Ning nodded. Thankfully, his father had bought two boxes of pastries; if it had been just one, they wouldn’t have been able to replace them at all. Zhou Ning replaced all the pastries, red dates, and longan on the offering table with fresh ones. He dumped the ones touched by the two people onto a plate and gave it to the two young children of the Shen family.

Only then did Shen Linchuan’s eldest sister-in-law smile. “Ning-ger, why did you give them all to the two of them?”

“For Huzi and Xiaoyu to eat.”

These pastries were all delicacies. Shen Dasao took a handkerchief from her waist and wrapped them all up. She let the two children stuff the red dates and longans into their pockets, which soon bulged with the treats.

It was no wonder Shen Dasao hadn’t given Shen Linchuan a warm welcome when she first arrived at the Zhou household. After the Shen children’s parents passed away, his brother and sister-in-law had tightened their belts to fund his education. The family had lived on coarse grains and vegetables, leaving both children gaunt and emaciated from hunger. Who would have known the original body was out there doing such disgraceful things!

Supporting a scholar was already difficult for a rural family, yet the original body neglected his studies, instead following the town’s young masters in feasting and revelry, never lifting a finger to help with household chores.

Persuasion fell on deaf ears. Finally pushed to their limits, his brother and sister-in-law sent him off to become a live-in son-in-law at the Zhou household.

Once the altar table was cleared, Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning were escorted into the main hall for the wedding rites. First, they paid homage to Heaven and Earth, then to the Zhou family’s ancestors, and finally to their parents.

Kneeling on the rush mats, they bowed to Zhou Da and offered him tea. Shen Linchuan held the cup and presented it. “Father, please drink.”

“Ah, ah,” Zhou Da responded repeatedly, his joy overflowing.

His Ning-ger had taken a son-in-law. With him, the father, to protect him, it was far better than marrying into another family. The heavy weight pressing on his chest had finally been lifted.

Zhou Da drank the tea, then took two red envelopes and gave one to each of them. “Quickly, get up. Quickly, get up.”

Shen Linchuan lent a hand to help Zhou Ning up. Seeing this, Zhou Da felt even happier. His son-in-law didn’t seem as bad as others had made him out to be. After all, he was a scholar, a man who knew propriety.

Even if he wasn’t skilled at farm work, it didn’t matter. As his father, he would simply bear more responsibility.

Future greetings needn’t involve kowtowing; a standing bow would suffice. The Shen brothers and sisters-in-law took their seats to receive the courtesy, and Shen Qingshan handed over the red envelope with a smile. “Linchuan, make sure you live well with Ning-ger from now on.”

“Yes, I understand, Brother. I was foolish before, but I won’t be again.”

Even the expression of Shen Dasao, seated above, softened slightly. On the way here today, she’d quarreled with her husband again. He’d taken all the eggs—even those she’d been saving for their own children—to use as gifts, plus a hundred wen.

The gift was far too extravagant. If not for Shen Linchuan’s studies causing such upheaval these past years, her family wouldn’t have been reduced to not even being able to afford eggs.

She was reluctant to accept so much, and they exchanged a few heated words. Shen Qingshan sighed and said, “Well, the Zhou family gave five taels of silver. We are Linchuan’s maternal relatives. A basket of eggs and a hundred wen isn’t excessive.”

Shen Dasao had just seen Zhou Ning treat her two little ones kindly, which eased her mind somewhat. Accepting the gifts, she stepped down.

When the Zhou family’s second son and his wife sat down, their expressions had soured. They fished out some loose copper coins—only about twenty wen, judging by the look of it.

After kowtowing, the lively banquet commenced. As a butcher, Zhou Da naturally ensured meat was plentiful on the table. He valued his son-in-law so much that he’d reserved half a pig.

Pickled vegetables with steamed pork, braised spare ribs, stir-fried pork slices, sautéed pork offal, meatball soup, braised bamboo shoots in red sauce, watercress with tofu, garlic-scented greens—eight dishes, five of them meat-based. Soon, the courtyard fell almost silent as everyone reached for their chopsticks, scrambling for the meat!

Adults and children alike were slurping noisily, their mouths dripping grease. Zhou Da called out to the crowd, “Eat well, drink well, everyone! Eat well, drink well!”

The table set up in the main hall was reserved for their own family. It was originally meant to host the Shen family’s relatives, but only Shen Linchuan’s brother and sister-in-law came, along with their two children.

In the countryside, when a ger or woman marries, seven or eight people traditionally accompany the bride. But since Shen Lichuan married into the family without a dowry and had previously caused some unpleasantness, the Shen family didn’t invite their clan members. Otherwise, they would have had to prepare another banquet table. By not inviting anyone, they saved some silver.

The main hall table felt much more spacious now. With four from the Shen family and three from the Zhou family hosting, seven people shared one table. It was nothing like the crowded tables outside where people practically fought over the meat.

The Shen family understood the Zhou family was showing them favor by reserving a separate table. They felt relieved. Though his marriage into the Shen family brought some embarrassment, the Zhou family had given them ample face.

The two children, who rarely ate meat, ate with their heads down. Shen Linchuan watched them with a pang of sadness. Due to years of poor nutrition, both children were noticeably smaller than their peers.

Zhou Ning noticed the complex emotion on Shen Linchuan’s face—not exactly joy. He served meat to the children, urging, “Eat more.”

Shen Dasao smiled at Zhou Ning. “Ning-ger, no need to fuss over them. They can reach it themselves.”

Though Shen Dasao rarely spared Shen Linchuan a kind word, she was always gentle with Zhou Ning. Shen Linchuan was considerably younger than his eldest brother. When Sister-in-law Shen married into the Shen family, they were still one of the better-off households in the village.

Her husband, Old Master Shen, and her eldest brother were carpenters. Shen Linchuan was still a youngster when she married in. The year after she arrived, he passed the tongsheng examination. Shen Linchuan had essentially been raised under her care, though things changed later.

The way Shen Dasao looked at Zhou Ning now was like a mother watching her own good-for-nothing son and her honest son-in-law. She had actually liked her clever younger brother-in-law at first, but after all the trouble he caused, their affection gradually wore thin.

She actually felt sympathy for Zhou Ning now. Her own brother-in-law was no pushover, and this Zhou ger seemed so honest. She feared Shen Linchuan might take advantage of Zhou Ning. Ah.

In the courtyard, the Zhou family and their relatives crowded together for the meal. Hu Caiyun snatched a piece of meat from an old woman’s chopsticks just as she was about to grab it. She shot the woman a scowl. “Never had meat before? Why the rush?”

“If you want some, just pick it up yourself! Why do you need this old woman to shove it in your mouth?” The old woman wasn’t one to be pushed around either. While they argued, the bowl’s meat was picked clean.

Fuming, Hu Caiyun elbowed Zhou Er. “You’re Ning-ger’s second uncle, for heaven’s sake! Of all the people in this courtyard, ours are the closest kin. Instead of inviting you to the main hall table, they cram you in with the others!”

Zhou Er was equally irritated. “Enough! Cut it out!”

Zhou Er also felt the eldest son’s family had slighted them. The bride’s family had set up a separate table just for them—why couldn’t his family have one too? Was it because they now had a male heir that his elder brother felt entitled to stand tall?

Hmph! If it weren’t for the marriage into the family, whether Ning-ger got married or not, the eldest son’s belongings would all have been theirs. Wouldn’t the eldest have to rely on them for support in his old age? Now, with Shen Linchuan around, everything had gone up in smoke!