How a person is getting by can be seen on her face, and whether a person is leading a bitter life can be known by comparing her with her peers.
Though they were only about two years apart in age, their own mother-in-law’s face was rosy and her hair was still black, her limbs nimble, but this aunt, she looked like a woman in her early sixties, her back slightly hunched, her hair half-gray and half-white, her face full of wrinkles, her eyelids drooping, and the corners of her mouth turned downward, making her entire face seem bitter.
A widow, having been widowed in her early thirties, must have had a hard life.
"Elder sister, last year you couldn’t come, but today, have a cup of tea also in honor of Taiguo and acknowledge kinship!" Mother Qi said on the side.
The aunt retracted her assessing gaze from Cheng Su and nodded slightly.
At that moment, Qi Fenglian had already brought over two cups of tea, and Cheng Su along with Qi Taiguo knelt down to offer the tea to her.
"I don’t have much to give you, just a small red envelope." The aunt opened her coat and fished out two small red envelopes from the pocket of her underwear and handed them over.
Qi Taiguo smiled as he accepted them. When it was Cheng Su’s turn, the aunt said, "As Taiguo’s new wife, you should support your husband and teach your children, be filial to your in-laws, and bear offspring for the Qi family as early as possible, not forgetting the ancient teachings of ’women’s virtues.’"
Cheng Su’s smile stiffened slightly, the corners of her mouth twitching as she accepted the red envelope, and smiled, "Thank you, aunt."
This could be a real problem; she might be an even more traditional and difficult person to handle than the mother-in-law!
After meeting the aunt, and getting acquainted with other people, the elder cousin-in-law Liu Wenjing was a petite woman. According to Qi Fenglian, she was supposed to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, but possibly because of the misfortune of losing her husband, she looked in her early thirties, dressed in drab clothes that made her seem even older.
Liu Wenjing was startled when she saw Cheng Su, managing a strained smile, with a flash of envy quickly passing through her eyes.
Some people just can’t be compared; some are born pretty and look good in fine clothes, and with a healthy and tall husband standing beside them, they really matched well together.
As for herself, why was she so unlucky to become a widow at such a young age?
Liu Wenjing was holding her son, whose eyes were rolling around. Cheng Su teased him, calling her "cousin-in-law," and gave him a red envelope.
As for the Deng family’s children, the second cousin Deng Weixia, who was twenty-three this year, kept his head down, casting glances at his sister-in-law and then at Cheng Su.
And their cousin Deng Weiqiu was also eighteen by now.
Although they were all unfortunate, the children of the Deng family had grown up and could go out to work and earn money.
"Is the rice ready? If it’s ready, let’s get the food on the table!" Mother Qi looked toward Cheng Su.
"Almost, there are two more dishes to cook, I’ll go and stir-fry them now," Cheng Su replied and then called her sister-in-law to help her set the table.
Qi Fengping went unwillingly.
Cheng Su returned to the kitchen to continue her busy work, while the men talked with Father Qi, and the women were with Mother Qi.
"Erzhen, this daughter-in-law of yours seems like she can’t sit still!" The aunt said to Mother Qi, calling her by her name.
Mother Qi heard this, pursed her lips and said, "Sister, you have sharp eyes indeed. My daughter-in-law is full of big ideas. She’s not easily scolded."
The aunt frowned and said, "No matter how big her ideas are, she is still a daughter-in-law of the Qi family. Can she be bigger than you, the mother-in-law? You need to take charge, otherwise, does this family bear the Qi name or the Cheng name? A daughter-in-law should act like one, she needs to be well-disciplined."
Liu Wenjing, who was not far away, heard this, lowered her head, a shadow passing across her eyes, and her response to Qi Fenglian’s questions also seemed distracted.