Grandma Qin looked at them, smiled and shook her head: "Old man, you have to go to town and buy a new quilt for Afang and the others. They just got married and it's their first day at home, so they can't be without a new quilt."
Mother Qin: "Hey, let's go now."
Yang Haiyan: "I'll go with my mother, and I'll know the roads in the town. Let my husband drive the carriage."
Second Aunt Qin hurriedly said, "She'll go too." Looking at the way her eldest niece's wife was dressed, she must be a wealthy person. If she went there, if the eldest niece's wife bought something for her eldest sister-in-law, she wouldn't be left out, right
Grandma Qin glared at him and said, "What are you doing? You're going to light the fire and cook for the third brother. Are you going to have lunch?"
Second Aunt Qin's eyes rolled, and then she smiled and flattered Grandma Qin, "Mother, Afang's wife just came. We should have something good for lunch. Let's buy some meat. Let's go to the town and buy some meat for Afang and Afang's wife."
Grandma Qin really didn't want to embarrass her second son's foolishness in front of her granddaughter-in-law. After all, it was their first meeting, so she had to save some face for her second son. "Afang and his friends passed through the county town on their way back and bought some meat."
Aunt Qin: “…”
Grandma Qin was impatient: "Why don't you go wash the vegetables?"
Aunt Qin: "I'm gone."
As soon as Aunt Qin Er left, Aunt Qin San followed immediately.
Grandma Qin sighed: "Old man, then you can take Ah Fang's wife with you."
Mother Qin nodded, and said to Yang Haiyan with a smile: "Wait a moment, I'll go change your clothes." The new daughter-in-law had to wear something decent when going to town.
Yang Haiyan: "Mom, take your time. There's no rush."
At the gate of the yard, several men of the Qin family worked together to make the gate wider, so that the carriage could come in. Qin Fang drove the carriage in and pulled Wu Shuai in. Several men of the Qin family watched from the side. They liked the horses and the carriage.
Grandma Qin said, "What are you all doing standing there? Come over here and meet Ah Fang's wife."
Grandpa Qin and others came over. They looked at Yang Haiyan a few times. Although they were elders, there was a difference between men and women, so it was not appropriate to look at them for a long time.
Qin Fang also came over: "Come and introduce Yanyan."
Grandma Qin: "Hey, introduce me."
Qin Fang: "Yanyan, this is grandpa, this is my father, this is my second uncle, this is my third uncle, and my two aunts are not here. Grandpa, father, second uncle, third uncle, this is my wife Yanyan, her full name is Yang Haiyan."
Yang Haiyan performed the ceremony of a younger generation: "Grandpa, Dad, Second Uncle, Third Uncle."
Grandpa Qin and others: "Hey."
Grandpa Qin forced a smile and said, "Okay, okay, now that Ah Fang is married, I can put my mind at ease. You two should be well in the future."
Yang Haiyan said obediently: "Don't worry, Grandpa, my husband will be fine."
Grandpa Qin nodded.
Father Qin and the others also nodded but said nothing. They didn't know what to say, so they just let Grandpa Qin, the head of the family, say it.
Mother Qin came out after changing her clothes: "Yan Yan, you are ready." Although the clothes were half-worn, they were clean. Coupled with Mother Qin's personality, she looked very energetic.
Yang Haiyan stepped forward: "Mother."
Grandma Qin: "Afang, take your mother and your wife to the town to buy some things."
Qin Fang: "Yes, grandma."
Yang Haiyan helped Qin's mother to get on the carriage first, and then she followed. After they were seated, Qin Fang drove the carriage out. Second Aunt Qin stuck her head out of the kitchen and looked at her. She was a little envious of Qin's mother. She also wanted to get on the carriage. She had never ridden in a carriage in her life, and it would be nice to just ride one to satisfy her craving.
In the carriage, Qin's mother was a little reserved. She had never ridden in a carriage before, and the carriage was so clean that she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.
As a daughter-in-law, Yang Haiyan must of course take care of her mother-in-law, Qin's mother. She considerately followed the topic: "Mother, my husband brought back a box of furs and fabrics this time. I thought it would be a gift for meeting the elders for the first time. Do you think it's appropriate?"
With Yang Haiyan bringing up topics, Qin's mother felt more relaxed. Moreover, her daughter-in-law took the initiative to discuss things with her, which made her forget her shyness when she first got on the carriage. She said, "Isn't the material of this fur very expensive? It's okay to give her cloth as a gift, but..." She wanted to say that it would be better not to give her the fur and cloth, and she might as well keep them for herself, but she was afraid that her daughter-in-law would think she was stingy. It was difficult.
Yang Haiyan could hear that she was hesitant to speak, so she took Qin's mother's hand and said, "Mother, I have been without a family since I was a child. When I was five years old, my family sold me to a matchmaker, who then sold me to the Imperial Tutor's Mansion in the capital. Fortunately, I looked pretty, so I was favored by the girl in the Imperial Tutor's Mansion, and then I followed the girl to learn to read and write, and learn needlework. In the Imperial Tutor's Mansion, the rules and etiquette I learned were suitable for high-ranking officials, and I didn't know much about ordinary people's families.
So, please don't be suspicious of me, mother, and teach me how ordinary people live their lives, and some of the etiquette for meeting elders after the New Year and festivals."
Mother Qin felt relieved when she heard this. She was worried that her daughter-in-law would despise her for being stingy, but now that she heard what she said, she knew that she didn't understand, so she patiently said, "For ordinary people like us, a pair of boots, a handkerchief, and a headband are enough to meet the elders. These are not valuable, as long as the thought is there. Fabrics and furs are all expensive things. Generally speaking, you can give them a little more expensive when giving them to grandparents."
Yang Haiyan showed an expression of listening carefully: "I know, then mother, what kind of elder gifts should I prepare for grandpa, grandma, uncle and aunt this time?"
Mother Qin thought for a moment and said, "Let's prepare shoes for everyone. Ah Fang's grandparents, his second uncle and aunt, his third uncle and aunt, they are all the same, so there is nothing to complain about."
Hearing this, Yang Haiyan said happily, "Mother is really thoughtful. I didn't think of this. It's also because I'm lazy. I think fabric is convenient, but making shoes is time-consuming."
Mother Qin smiled and said, "Then you don't know how big their shoes are. It's too late to make shoes now, so you might as well buy them directly in town. I know the size."
Yang Haiyan: "Mom, you are so kind. What should I give my brothers and sisters?"
Mother Qin: "The maids all give a silk flower, but the boys... just give a pair of shoes."
When Yang Haiyan heard this, she couldn't help laughing out loud.
Mother Qin also found it interesting and couldn't help laughing. She thought to herself, this daughter-in-law is really good, easy to get along with, and has a good temper.
Qin Fang heard the laughter of his mother and his wife, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he was in a good mood. He was afraid that his wife and mother would not get along well, after all, they were the most important two people in his life. However, he was not afraid, after all, he still had confidence in his wife.
When they arrived in town, they first went to the clothing store and bought shoes as Qin's mother had asked them to give to the elders and younger generations as a gift, then bought silk flowers for the maids, and finally bought wedding quilts and other things they needed.
When buying shoes, Qin's mother did not pay, because it was a gift for the elders and younger generations, so it was naturally prepared by the children. But when buying wedding quilts and other things, Qin's mother rushed to pay, because these were what the husband's family should prepare.
Yang Haiyan did not refuse. It would not be a problem to use Qin's mother's money anyway, and she would give it to her in the end.
After buying everything they needed, they went out. After going back and forth, they might have to have lunch when they arrived at Qin's house.
In the carriage, Yang Haiyan mentioned Qin Fang's matter: "Mom, this time we came back, we also brought back some good news, guess what."
Qin's mother subconsciously wanted to guess whether her daughter-in-law was pregnant, but she thought it was impossible. If her daughter-in-law was pregnant, they would not have rushed back like this, but she couldn't guess.
Yang Haiyan said, "My lord, you have been promoted. Before, you were a centurion. A centurion has no rank, just like the head of a yamen runner. But now you are a thousand-man captain, which is the seventh rank, conferred by the court, and you are as high as our county magistrate."
Mother Qin: "What?" She was confused. She suspected that she had heard wrongly. Her son was as old as the county magistrate? After a long while, she nervously grabbed Yang Haiyan's hand, "Yanyan, are you telling the truth?"
Yang Haiyan said: "Yes, your son is an official now."
Mother Qin was stunned, and then tears flowed down again: "This... This..." She was happy and sad. She was happy that her son had a promising future, but sad that her son, a farmer, became an official, which showed how much effort he had put in. In the military camp, the effort he put in was equal to the danger he encountered. How could she not be sad? But after all, it was a happy event, and she soon calmed down, "This is really good news. His grandparents and father will be so happy when they know about it."
Yang Haiyan said, "Yes, not only grandpa, grandma and dad are happy, but also my second uncle and second aunt, third uncle and third aunt. They must be happy too, because my husband is their closest nephew."
When Mother Qin heard Yang Haiyan mention the second and third rooms, she couldn't help but sigh: "You, you just came to our house, you don't know the situation at home. Your second uncle is an honest man, he doesn't care about the family affairs, and your second aunt is quick-witted and likes to take advantage. Your third uncle used to be a smart man, but because he has no son in these years, he has gradually become silent. However, at the end of last year, your third uncle mentioned to the family that he wanted to adopt your third brother."
Yang Haiyan was a little surprised when she heard this: "It has always been the case that people adopt younger children, and my third brother is already this old. Besides, our family is reluctant to adopt my third brother out."
Mother Qin was very satisfied when she heard her say that our family was the right one. "Who said it wasn't? I didn't agree at the time. I told them to adopt someone from the clan or find someone outside. But if they wanted to adopt my son, that was impossible."
Yang Haiyan seemed to have heard a big gossip: "What did Third Uncle say?"
Mother Qin: "Afang's third uncle said that those adopted by the clan or those brought in from outside are not as close as Shoucheng. He said Shoucheng is his nephew, just like his own son. Actually, he didn't mention it in the early years. He mentioned it now because he has other plans."