In the early morning, the calls of a few magpies awakened the dawn, and then the roosters, not to be outdone, crowed at the top of their lungs.
With the crowing of cocks, Xiahe Village also ushered in the morning. Zhu Pingan had already gotten up early, and Li Shu was dressed up by the help of Baozi, a little maid. Today was the day to accompany Li Shu back to her parents' home. After accompanying Li Shu back to Shanghe Village, Zhu Pingan was about to set off for the capital.
Returning to the parents' home is also called returning home. The daughter and son-in-law return to their parents' home to pay respects to their parents. Usually, they return to their parents' home three days after the wedding. This is commonly known as "returning to the parents' home for three days". It is the last ceremony of the wedding. In ancient times, girls did not go out of the front door or the back door. Getting married was the first time they were away from their parents for such a long time. Returning to the parents' home was to comfort them for missing their families and to remember their parents' kindness in raising them.
However, there is another saying that in ancient times brides were basically virgins, and the groom was a hot-tempered young man who did not know how to be gentle with women. It was inevitable that he would enjoy it. The bride lost her virginity on New Year's Eve, which was quite painful. The bride's family members were worried that the bride could not bear it, so they took the bride back to her parents' home in the name of returning home to heal her wounds.
Mother Chen had prepared the return gifts early. The return gifts had to be in even numbers. Mother Chen prepared wine, tea cakes, geese, mutton, fruits, and a lot of wild game, all of which were harvested by Zhu's father and eldest brother when they went into the mountains two days ago.
Three carriages were prepared and parked outside the gate of the new house. The first one was a gorgeous large carriage with a "Zhu" embroidered on it. It was for Zhu Ping'an and Li Shu to ride in; the slightly simpler carriage following closely behind was for the old nanny and the accompanying maids; the last carriage was for returning the gifts.
"When you go to Shu'er's house, you must speak calmly, be more observant, and have a lively look in your eyes. Don't just sit there when you enter the house. See if there is any work to do, even if it is just serving tea or pouring water, you must be proactive..." Mother Chen instructed Zhu Ping'an again and again before the carriage, fearing that Zhu Ping'an would not perform well and leave a bad impression on his father-in-law's family.
"Remember it, Mom." Zhu Ping'an rubbed his forehead. His mother had reminded him of this since early in the morning, and he could recite it by heart.
"Be sweet-mouthed, diligent, and take good care of Shuer at her home." Mother Chen reminded again and again without getting tired of it.
"Noted, mother."
Zhu Ping'an nodded vigorously.
"Mother~~"
Li Shu came over surrounded by maids and nannies. As soon as she went out, she greeted her mother Chen, took two quick steps past the maids and nannies and came to her mother Chen.
Li Shu had more of the air of a married woman. Her pink cloud-smoke shirt was embroidered with graceful plum blossoms, and she wore a long, floor-length skirt with light blue butterflies embroidered on the corners as if they were about to take off. Her long black hair was tied into a bun with a pearl and jade hairpin inlaid in her hair. She applied a little powder and light makeup, and her pretty face was snow-white with a hint of pink, as if water could be squeezed out of it, like a flower petal moistened by rain.
"Shu'er is so pretty. That silly boy Zhu'er is enjoying himself." Mother Chen was very satisfied with the daughter-in-law she had chosen.
“Mom…” Li Shu lowered her head shyly, her cheeks flushed, and she stretched out her voice.
How am I stupid? Is she my biological son? Why does it feel like in the eyes of her mother Chen, Li Shu's fart smells better than her own son... Zhu Pingan touched his nose speechlessly.
"Well, it's getting late. You two should hurry up and get in the car. Don't keep your parents-in-law waiting for too long. Go back and thank them for me. It was thanks to them that we were found at sea last time." Mother Chen joked with a smile and asked them to say hello to Mr. Li's family when they returned home to express their gratitude.
Xiahe Village is right next to Shanghe Village, only about ten minutes away. After crossing the bridge, you will reach Shanghe Village.
In the carriage, Zhu Ping'an thought a lot about what he would say to Li Shu's father, the rich man Li, and what he would say to Li Shu's brother. However, when he really faced them, Zhu Ping'an realized that he was still naive.
As soon as I arrived at Li Shu's house in Shanghe Village, I heard a burst of firecrackers.
"Shu'er is back."
Even the crackling sound of firecrackers could not cover up the sound of joy, which was very clear.
The voice was very familiar, and Zhu Ping'an immediately recognized it as the voice of the rich man Li.
"Dad, Shu'er is here."
When Li Shu in the carriage heard the voice, her pretty face was filled with joy. Before the carriage stopped, the girl jumped out of the carriage excitedly.
When getting on the carriage, there was a maid carrying a stool for Li Shu to step on, but now she just jumped off... What should I do if I fall...
When Zhu Ping'an lifted the car curtain, he saw Li Shu running towards the rich man with her skirt in hand, like a young swallow returning to its nest. As he watched, he inexplicably felt a little jealous, but he himself did not notice it.
Mr. Li was dressed like a nouveau riche as usual, with a watermelon hat on his round head, a big gold ring on each hand, and a jade pendant hanging from his waist, which was obviously worth a lot of money.
When he saw the carriage returning home, Mr. Li, the rich man, was extremely excited.
Seeing Li Shu jump off the carriage, the wealthy Li was extremely nervous. He ran forward and shouted loudly, "Slow down, slow down, Shu'er, don't let my little ancestor fall."
Then he turned his face and shouted at the maids and the old maids who followed him down, "How do you take care of the young lady?"
The little maidservant lowered her head and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. The other maids and the old maids followed Li Shu closely, fearing that they would not take good care of the young lady and make the master angry.
"Daddy~~"
Li Shu held up the hem of her skirt and trotted up to the rich man Li. Her pretty face flushed as she called out in a coquettish tone.
"Shu'er, are you living well over there? Is anyone bullying you? Don't be afraid, Daddy will take care of it for you. Are you used to living there? Daddy asked the embroiderer to make a copy of the things in your boudoir and will have them sent to you in Xiahe someday. Daddy brought back two cooks from the south. They cook delicious southern food and are also good at making pastries. I will send them to you someday..."
Hearing Li Shu call him "Daddy", the rich man Li's eyes became wet and he looked like he would cry. He sniffed hard and finally controlled his emotions. He asked with concern, wishing he could move all the good things in the house to Li Shu.
"I'm fine, my daughter is fine. Daddy is so good~~" Li Shu pulled the hand of the rich man Li and shook it, stretching out the ending tone.
"You must be tired from the car ride. Come home quickly. Daddy has asked the kitchen to prepare a table full of your favorite dishes." Rich man Li nodded and smiled lovingly. His expression was so loving and his tone was so gentle.
It's just like when he was a child, he doted on Li Shu to the extreme.
Zhu Pingan was watching from behind, thinking so in his heart, and then he waited for the interaction between Mr. Li and Li Shu to be finished, then he took two steps forward to greet them, "My son-in-law greets my father-in-law."
However
Zhu Ping'an will never forget the look in the eyes of the rich master Li when he looked at him. How to put it, how kind and gentle was Li's look at Li Shu just now, and how dissatisfied was he when he looked at him at this moment.
One is summer
One is severe winter
The way that the wealthy Mr. Li looked at him was like looking at a human trafficker who had kidnapped his daughter, as if he was committing a serious crime. His eyes were simply cruel. (To be continued.)