The ignorant children, as if discovering something amusing, burst into laughter. Embarrassed, Lin Yu moved his foot slightly. Cai Chunhua hadn’t made new shoes for him, so he had no choice but to wear his old, worn shoes for the wedding.

Wei Qingshan’s face darkened as he glared at the children. Frightened, they stopped laughing. A timid child even burst into tears, and no one dared to mention Lin Yu’s worn shoes again.

Wei Qingshan carried Lin Yu steadily into the sedan chair. The elder from the Wei family who had accompanied them to fetch the bride shouted, “Lift the sedan!”

Four strong men lifted the sedan chair smoothly. Wei Qingshan said something to Wei Zhizi, who was carrying the sedan at the front. Wei Zhizi joked with a laugh, “Qingshan-ge is already feeling sorry for his new bride, haha!”

The other men laughed along. Although Wei Qingshan maintained a stoic face, the tips of his ears quietly turned red.

Wei Zhizi, a younger relative from the same family, had grown up with Wei Qingshan. Despite Wei Qingshan’s cold demeanor, Wei Zhizi could tell that his older brother was happy today.

From the group following with the dowry, Wei Qingshan retrieved a quilt. The Zhao family had only included two thin spring quilts in the dowry. It was early spring, and the weather was still chilly.

Wei Qingshan wasn’t afraid of the cold. Though his wedding outfit was thin, he had felt his little spouse’s cold body earlier and knew the journey home would take another hour. He didn’t want him to freeze.

The quilt from the Zhao family, though thin, was enough to keep out the cold. Wei Qingshan carried it to the sedan chair.

Lin Yu, wondering why the sedan had stopped, suddenly felt something draped over him. Through the limited view under his veil, he saw it was a quilt.

A low voice came through. “It’s still cold. Wrap yourself in this for now.”

“Thank you,” Lin Yu whispered, feeling warmth in his heart. Perhaps things weren’t as bad as he had imagined.

The wedding procession left with music and firecrackers. The Wei family elder holding the wedding money tossed it into the crowd.

The children watching the commotion swarmed to grab the coins, and even Cai Chunhua, who had been preparing to head home, rushed forward quickly. She had thought the poor Wei Qingshan wouldn’t throw out wedding money, given that he only had a run-down thatched house. But to her surprise, the poor hunter actually did.

Cai Chunhua squeezed into the crowd of children, trying to snatch some coins. However, the children were quick and mischievous like monkeys, and she wasn’t a match for them. She ended up being shoved around, groaning in pain.

The adults around chuckled at the scene. She was the bride’s aunt, yet she looked like she had never seen money before—what a disgrace.

The children cleared the coins from the ground in no time. Cai Chunhua, failing to get even a single coin, ended up falling on the ground with her hair disheveled and her clothes dirty.

As she groaned in pain, her eyes caught sight of a copper coin hidden in the mud. She hurriedly crawled over to grab it, but a seven- or eight-year-old boy snatched it first.

The boy beamed with joy. “I got it!”

For the children, a single copper coin was a rare treat. After all, one coin could buy a coarse bread roll, and two coins could get a plain white bun.

In this poor village, children rarely had anything good to eat. They saved up a few coins to buy sweets at the market. The adults didn’t fight for the coins, leaving them for the children to grab.

Cai Chunhua, known for her stinginess, was furious after trying to snatch a coin for so long without success. She angrily shoved the boy who had picked up the coin, causing him to fall to the ground and cry loudly.

The crowd, still lingering to watch the festivities, turned their attention to her.

A married ger, Zhu-ger, quickly came forward to help the boy up. “Tiedan, don’t cry, don’t cry. Grandma will wipe your tears.”

Zhu-ger wasn’t one to back down. He pointed at Cai Chunhua and scolded, “Aunt Cai, how could you push my Tiedan? Don’t you have any sense of decency?”

“That coin was mine! This little brat stole it. And anyway, the coins thrown by Lin Yu’s husband belong to my family!”

“Your family’s Zhao Dazhi is the real brat! Eight years of trying to pass the Xiucai’s exam and still no luck. He should just start farming already, humph!”

This struck a nerve in Cai Chunhua. She jumped to her feet and shouted, “You little tramp, how dare you slander me! My Dazhi passed the Tongsheng exam at ten. The teacher said he was destined to be a county magistrate! Your Tiedan is just a dirty peasant with no future!”

“Bah! A county magistrate? More like a lifetime as a Tongsheng! He doesn’t even qualify to be a clerk in town. What a joke!”

The two started pulling each other’s hair and fighting. Upstairs in his room, Zhao Dazhi, who had been watching the commotion, quickly withdrew his head and muttered, “Such disgraceful behavior… truly disgraceful.”

Who exactly those two words referred to wasn’t clear, but he retreated to his room out of embarrassment.

The group of women quickly stepped in to mediate, saying, “That’s enough, that’s enough, we’re all neighbors here.”

Zhu-ger wasn’t at all at a disadvantage during the scuffle with Cai Chunhua. He had grabbed Cai Chunhua’s hair, pulling so hard she grimaced in pain.

When Tiedan saw his grandmother being attacked, he charged in like a little bull. He lifted his leg and kicked Cai Chunhua hard in the calf. “Bad woman! How dare you hit my grandma! Take this!”

Then, without hesitation, he bent down and bit Cai Chunhua on the arm. Cai Chunhua let out a scream of pain, and the crowd hurriedly separated them.

“Zhu-ger, stop fighting. Take Tiedan and go home,” someone urged.

Zhu-ger’s hair was also disheveled, but he let out a cold snort, grabbed Tiedan, and left.

As they walked away, Tiedan tugged on his grandma’s hand. “Grandma, it doesn’t hurt! Look!”

Tiedan gleefully opened his dirty little hand, revealing two copper coins. Zhu-ger was pleasantly surprised. “Wow, Tiedan is amazing! You actually picked up two lucky coins! When we go to the market in a few days, we’ll buy a piece of pastry for you to eat.”

Tiedan obediently handed the two copper coins to Zhu-ger. “Grandma, I don’t want pastry. Today, I want tofu!”

Zhu-ger felt a pang of sorrow. Despite his young age, Tiedan was already so sensible. Their family was poor—his mother was chronically ill, their land was limited, and they couldn’t even afford candy for Tiedan. Yet the child was willingly offering the coins for tofu to give the family a change in flavor.

Zhu-ger held Tiedan’s hand and said, “Alright, Grandma will make braised tofu for Tiedan today.”

“Okay!”

Meanwhile, Cai Chunhua was pulled back home by Zhao Jiazhu. “Enough, enough! Aren’t you embarrassed yet? Hurry up and make dinner. Everyone’s waiting!”

“They can wait! All they do is rush me! It’s like I’m being nagged to death!”

The onlookers gradually dispersed, and even the wedding procession had long since moved on. Aunt Li, who had come to comb Lin Yu’s hair that morning, was also about to leave. Cai Chunhua was so stingy that even if she prepared a table full of food, it wouldn’t amount to anything decent.

Mrs. Sun grabbed Aunt Li’s arm. “Auntie, why are you leaving? Lunch hasn’t been served yet.”

“What’s there to eat? Do you think Cai Chunhua’s face looks like she’s welcoming us to eat here?”

Mrs. Sun laughed mischievously. “Isn’t it better to eat here and save a meal at home?”

Aunt Li thought about it and agreed. No one in the village was wealthy, and Cai Chunhua was especially tight-fisted. The less she wanted them to eat, the more determined they were to stay. So the group of women returned to the Zhao family’s courtyard.

During the wedding procession earlier, the Wei family had brought two wild pheasants, two packets of candies, a packet of maltose, some peanuts, and candied fruits. This was considered a generous gift, especially the two pheasants with their bright feathers, which made all the neighbors envious.

The candies and fruits were valuable items. Cai Chunhua had already planned to take some with her on her next visit to her natal family to show off, hoping to gain some respect from her snobby sister-in-law.

When she saw the women returning, Cai Chunhua quickly locked the gifts away in a cabinet.

Aunt Li, sharp-eyed, noticed this and let out a cold snort. Such stinginess on a joyous day! Though the Wei family was rumored to be poor, they had brought quite a generous gift. They must be a reliable household. Hopefully, Yu-ger will live well there.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The bridal sedan swayed gently as it made its way toward Lu Village. Lin Yu hadn’t eaten breakfast, and the night before, he had only eaten half a dry, throat-scratching cornbread bun.

His head felt dizzy, but the warm quilt wrapped around him was incredibly comfortable. He had never slept in such a cozy blanket before. Lin Yu clung to the quilt, drowsy.

He woke up with a start when the sedan landed. Half-asleep, he had dreamed of his mother. She had gently stroked his head, smiling with crescent-shaped eyes. “My Xiao Yu-ger has grown up.”

It was a beautiful dream, abruptly interrupted. Lin Yu’s eyes reddened as he reached out his hand hesitantly to the rough hand stretched out before him. Guided by the lively sounds around him, he completed the wedding rites with the man.

During the ceremony, the guests murmured among themselves. Although Wei Qingshan’s elderly mother was present, she wasn’t invited to sit in the place of honor, let alone receive the newlyweds’ bow. Wei Laotai looked furious, her face dark with anger. Was her eldest son trying to humiliate her publicly?

Wei Qingshan pretended not to notice. He hadn’t invited his mother or his younger brother’s family to the ceremony in the first place. This family looked down on him and probably only came because they heard there would be plenty of meat at the feast. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have shown up at all.

Wei Qingshan didn’t want to create trouble on such a joyous day. He chose to turn a blind eye, unwilling to spoil the occasion. After all, he had already severed ties with them.

The ceremony proceeded quickly. Lin Yu, unfamiliar with Wei Qingshan’s family situation, was puzzled by the absence of a tea-serving ritual.

Even as Lin Yu sat on the bed, he felt dazed. Just like that, he was married.

The two wedding quilts he brought as part of his dowry were neatly folded and placed on the bed. Though spring had arrived, the house was still chilly. Lin Yu sat stiffly on the bed, not daring to move, like a small animal in unfamiliar surroundings, desperate to hide.

He could hear the lively banquet outside and smell the aroma of meat, and he instinctively licked his lips. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had eaten meat. Cai Chunhua had been too frugal to give him any. In their household, meat and eggs were reserved for Zhao Dazhi, and even Yueniang rarely got a taste.

As Lin Yu sat there lost in thought, the door creaked open. Before him appeared a pair of black cloth shoes, and the corner of a crimson robe swayed in his vision.

“Why aren’t you covered with a quilt? Are you cold?”

Lin Yu froze, startled, and stiffly shook his head.

Wei Qingshan, taking a moment to check on him, had stepped in. Outside, guests filled the courtyard, and without any elders to help, he had been busy handling everything himself.

His elderly mother and his younger brother’s family had come today, but all they did was sit and eat, without lifting a finger to help. Wei Qingshan didn’t care. Since the family was already split, this household now consisted of just him and his little husband.

Wei Qingshan pulled out a winter coat he had left on the bedside earlier. “Here, wear this for now.”

Wei Qingshan draped his small husband with a cotton-padded coat before leaving. The winter coat completely covered his husband, making him look even smaller. How could his husband be so tiny?

After Wei Qingshan stepped out, he went to find He Daniang. “Aunt He, could I trouble you to prepare some food for Yu-ger?”

He Daniang wiped her greasy mouth and stood up. “Sure, I’ll go with Dong-ger to take care of it.”

The banquet that Wei Qingshan organized was truly impressive—better even than the village chief’s banquet from a few years ago. Dishes included salted vegetables steamed with pork slices, stir-fried pork, stir-fried chicken, pork offal stewed with dried radish, spicy stir-fried chicken giblets, pig’s feet stewed with soybeans, wild vegetables in a cold salad, and chicken soup with large white radishes.

Eight dishes in total, with seven being meat-based. It was clear that Wei Qingshan had put in a lot of thought. These meats were likely game he had saved over some time, and even the wild vegetables, which had just sprouted with the arrival of early spring, must have taken a lot of effort to gather.

Villagers, who usually only saw meat during the New Year, were eating with such gusto that oil dripped from their mouths. Chopsticks clashed as everyone scrambled to get their share, worried they might miss a bite. Children, too, had oil smeared across their faces and hands. The courtyard buzzed with lively chatter.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

While Wei Qingshan’s banquet was bustling with excitement, the Zhao family’s banquet was a different story. Cai Chunhua was notoriously stingy; she only served dried vegetables and tofu stew, a plate of stir-fried radish, and a small plate of dark pickled vegetables. Though she steamed rice, it was mixed with old rice and still had husks of rice grains in it!

At the Zhao family table sat their family of four, along with three or four aunts who had come to help. The table was too crowded to accommodate everyone. The helpers, feeling resentful about the meager meal, ate quickly and left.

The gossipy wife of the Sun family spat as she walked away, saying, “That Cai Chunhua is so stingy! Who serves wild vegetables and tofu stew at a banquet? It’s worse than what people serve at funerals—”

Aunt Li cut her off, “What are you saying? Don’t you know how to avoid saying unlucky things? Today is Yu-ger’s big day.”

Mrs. Sun laughed awkwardly, “Auntie, I didn’t mean it that way.”

The other women who had helped out also chimed in, “Yu-ger’s bride price was ten taels of silver, but look at Cai Chunhua—she only gave two quilts as part of his dowry. Even Yu-ger’s wedding attire is something bought years ago for Zhu-ger. And did you notice his shoes today? The kids were all laughing at him.”

“Exactly! Cai Chunhua and her husband have such black hearts. Yu-ger does all the chores in the house and even helps in the fields during harvest season. How many unmarried daughters or gers in other families do fieldwork?”

“Hmph, they’ve only just married off Yu-ger. Don’t forget, they still have that precious son of theirs, Zhao Dazhi. And then there’s their daughter, Yueniang, who’ll need to be married off in the future. They can call me if they need help, but I’m not coming.”

“Me neither! Let Cai Chunhua manage on her own!”

The aunts expressed their grievances about how stingy the Zhao family was. Aunt Li sighed, “This time, we’re doing it to help poor Yu-ger. Did you see how thin he was? He still has bruises on his arms from being beaten. Poor child.”