Mrs. Wei sometimes felt that the feng shui of their Wei family was really excellent, otherwise, Chen Xuan, a village girl, would change so much after entering the family, becoming both beautiful and good at coaxing people. Seeing her second son being coaxed, he smiled like a flower. Thinking of how Wei Nian was unwilling to get married, and was beaten for it, Mrs. Wei felt that this man was really a jerk. He said no, but after only a few days of entering the family, he was coaxed all day long. Even Mrs. Wei, as a mother, felt that her second son's character was despicable.
Old Mrs. Wei watched her second son go to the shop with a smile on his face, and shook her head inwardly. Now that the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and there were many things to do at home, Old Mrs. Wei had no mood to go to the theater to watch operas. She stayed at home directing her daughter and daughter-in-law to prepare things for the Mid-Autumn Festival: First, the Mid-Autumn Festival was a big festival, and all relatives, shopkeepers, and employees had to prepare such a dish. Second, she had to celebrate the festival at home as well.
Li's Chen Xuan finished making cotton-padded coats and shoes for the servants, and brought them one by one to Old Lady Wei's room. Old Lady Wei counted them, looked at them one by one, and was satisfied. She told Chen Xuan to wrap them up in an indigo bag, and then she started talking about the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts between relatives.
It was said that Old Master Wei was originally adopted as the son of the eldest uncle in the clan. Now he has no one above him and no relatives. Apart from the Zhao family in-laws, there are a few fellow townsmen, most of whom are merchants. It is natural to have festival gifts during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
As Old Mrs. Wei was talking, Wei Yin made a list of each family. During the festival, the four things they would buy were dried fruits, snacks, pork elbows, and fresh fish.
Wei Yin calculated the amount and Old Mrs. Wei nodded and wrote it down.
These things had little to do with Chen Xuan, but since she went to eat Western food and broadened her horizons, she understood a truth in her heart: she couldn't just keep working like before, and she had to be more careful in what she did and did. So, even if these things had nothing to do with her, she would quietly pay attention to them, thinking that this is how gifts should be given. There should be both dry and fresh items, and they should be in even numbers.
Chen Xuan thought she had gained some knowledge, but in the end, her little knowledge was quickly refreshed by Wei Nian.
Wei Nian was in charge of the family's holiday shopping. He bought a lot of canned food. This was the first time Chen Xuan had seen it. They were neatly stacked in the west kitchen. There were about 20 or 30 of them. They were bright glass jars with tin lids. In the glass jars, you could see golden or snow-white fruits. Chen Xuan didn't recognize what the fruits were. She quietly looked at the labels and saw that they were both loquat cans and lychee cans.
In the past, Chen Xuan would never have known about these two things. But now she has read four and a half books, especially about lychees. Chen Xuan has memorized Du Mu's famous line "A horse gallops through the dust, and the concubine smiles. No one knows that it is lychees coming", which is about this extremely precious fruit. Although loquats are not as precious as lychees, Chen Xuan has also read "loquats weigh down branches, and apricots are fat", which shows that this fruit is a fruit of the same solar term as apricots.
Although she had never seen them before, she could read and was educated. So when she saw them now, she felt that even though the things were new, she knew the origins of these two things, and then, she felt more confident about them.
Chen Xuan glanced at him and although she knew what was going on, she didn't say anything.
Old Mrs. Wei smacked her lips and asked Wei Nian, "How did you buy such a valuable item?"
"It's popular to give canned food as gifts now. They are much more upscale than dried fruit snacks." Wei Nian said, "I bought some extra. It's New Year's Day, so you can try some too."
Old Mrs. Wei waved her hands hurriedly, "I don't want to eat this. I heard that this thing is very expensive."
"You're asking me to eat something expensive. You've worked so hard for half a year, and you think it's too expensive to eat a canned food." Wei Nian was very good at coaxing the old lady. When the old lady heard what her son said, she smiled with her eyes curved, but still said, "Then this is not something for people like us to eat. Save it for a gift."
Wei Nian said, "These gifts are more than enough."
"Then give the gifts first and we'll talk about our family later." Old Mrs. Wei insisted, and Wei Nian didn't say anything else.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the men would go around the shops and relatives. Wei Nian said that the government office that still manages Wangfujing is no longer called a government office, but a police station, so they have to show some respect. The women would prepare food for the festival at home, such as chicken, fish, and pork elbows. As it is cold today, it will not go bad if they are cooked in advance, so many dishes have to be prepared in advance. These are the tasks of Li and Chen Xuan. Wei Yin helps out on the side, and the old lady Wei takes Yun Jie'er to taste the heat. Usually at this time, Li or Chen Xuan would put a steamer on the small stove in advance, heat a few steamed buns, and when the fish and meat are ready, they would first serve a small bowl for the old lady and Yun Jie'er to taste and see if the heat is right.
Old Mrs. Wei still kept a close eye on the meat dishes. Chen Xuan and Li were not the type to steal some, but Mid-Autumn Festival was a festival and most dishes would be meat dishes. No matter how reluctant Old Mrs. Wei was, she couldn't let her two daughters-in-law eat pickles on such a big festival.
When Zhao Dajunye came to give the festival gift, Mrs. Wei smiled and said, "You came at the right time. We have a freshly stewed chicken and your father-in-law's good wine. It's just right for lunch."
Uncle Zhao smiled, "If it were any other time, I would have accompanied you to drink a few more cups of wine. Now there are many things to do during this festival. My father is still waiting for my reply in the shop. If I am late, he will scold me. I have to go back first."
"There's no need to rush. You've come all the way to Yue's house, so you should at least have a cup of tea." Mrs. Wei said as Chen Xuan served tea to brother-in-law Zhao, who quickly thanked her.
Old Madam Wei asked about the Zhao family's festival preparations and whether everything was ready. The eldest brother-in-law Zhao said, "You are so busy and nagging. I think you can only say that everything is ready when the festival day comes."
"Every family celebrates the festival like this. Your family has to be the shopkeeper and waiter at the family banquet, so it's even busier. In my opinion, it's much better to go to a restaurant, it's convenient and decent. Your mother lives a very delicate life." Mrs. Wei said with a smile. Uncle Zhao smiled, "I also want to go to a restaurant, it's convenient. Not only my mother, but my father also said that he is used to eating and drinking at home and feels comfortable at home."
Everyone chatted about the festival for a while, and it seemed that Brother-in-law Zhao was really busy, so he stood up and said goodbye after sitting for a while.
As soon as brother-in-law Zhao left, Mrs. Wei couldn't help but complain about her mother-in-law. She didn't shy away from talking and said, "She is so meticulous. There are so many chores at home, but she doesn't do any of them herself. She always asks your eldest sister to do them. It sounds nice to say that she can enjoy herself and eat and drink at home, but it's all for the sake of saving money!" As she spoke, she snorted angrily, which showed that she was dissatisfied with the matter.
Wei Yin said, "Mom, you care about my elder sister, just bring her home after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Oh, if I don't pick her up after the Mid-Autumn Festival, won't her mother-in-law cause trouble?" Old Mrs. Wei complained again, saying that she had chosen the wrong person and found such a mean in-law for her eldest daughter, who didn't care about their daughter-in-law at all.
Chen Xuan knew the reason behind this. The Wei and Zhao families were originally from the same hometown and were both in the fabric business. They had a good relationship in Beijing for a long time. When there were children of the same age who were a good match, they got married. In fact, according to Chen Xuan, Mrs. Wei always said that Mrs. Zhao was mean, but in fact, the temperaments of the two old ladies were similar. Chen Xuan and Li were both married to the city from the countryside. Chen Xuan grew up in her uncle and aunt's home. Li's life was better than Chen Xuan's, but Li lost her mother at a young age. Although her father was still at home, her uncle's family was afraid that the stepmother would neglect their niece. Therefore, after Li's mother passed away, her uncle's family took their niece in and raised her. Later, Li was told about the marriage with the Wei family. Therefore, Chen Xuan and Li's parents' families were not in Beijing. Wei Jin was different. The Wei family was in Beijing, but the old lady of the Zhao family had a problem, she was afraid of eating. Whenever there is a festival at home, the daughter-in-law must go back to her husband's house before the festival to work and prepare for the festival. After the festival, for business families like Wei and Zhao, gifts are indispensable during the festival, and there is a lot of food at home. If the good things cannot be eaten in a short time, Mrs. Zhao will be mean to her daughter-in-law, and will gossip about you for no reason, just because she is dissatisfied with her daughter-in-law eating these delicious food during the festival at home. Wei Jin's parents live nearby, and she can't stand this. She always packs up and goes back to her parents' house after the festival. Including the two sons, who live with Wei Jin's maternal family all year round, food, clothing, housing and transportation, are all paid for by the Wei family.
This made Mrs. Zhao feel happy.
Even Wei Jin is willing to go back to her parents' home.
Not to mention anything else, she is a daughter-in-law in her husband's family, but she is an aunt when she returns to her parents' home. How can they be the same
Chen Xuan thought about Wei Jin's family affairs. She heard Mrs. Wei nagging, "Leave one chicken and one pork elbow. Your eldest sister likes to eat them. She can't eat or drink them at her husband's house." Mrs. Wei felt very distressed when she thought about her daughter. She ordered, "Also, leave a portion of the fried meatballs and stewed fish for your eldest sister."
Chen Xuan and Li quickly agreed.
In fact, Chen Xuan felt that Mrs. Wei always said that Mrs. Zhao was mean. In fact, people treat their daughters-in-law and daughters differently. Mrs. Wei herself was not a lenient person, but she treated her children very well. Even Wei Jin, whom Chen Xuan had always disliked, sometimes, seeing Mrs. Wei like this, thinking about Wei Jin in everything, Chen Xuan was secretly envious of Wei Jin, who had a mother who cared for her like this.
Chen Xuan thought, if her biological parents were still alive, it would probably be the same.
Chen Xuan felt that sometimes, when others treat you indifferently, it is not because you are bad, but because you are not in the right position. Chen Xuan is the kind of person who was born without any position. So, that night, Chen Xuan, who usually only learned ten foreign words, learned twenty in one go. Wei Nian even said, "Why are you so hardworking all of a sudden?"
Chen Xuan said seriously, "I have to work harder." She didn't have a good status and position, so she couldn't rely on others, so she had to rely on herself. She wasn't as smart as Wei Nian. In fact, every time she thought about leaving the Wei family, she didn't know where to go, and she didn't know where she could live. But she also felt that as a helpless person like her, she had to work harder and make more efforts. Maybe there was another way out.
The author has something to say: ps: Good afternoon everyone, there will be another update in the evening~~~~~~~~~~