If this happened in my past life, such teasing and banter would have made Shuzhen blush and vehemently deny it, even keeping a distance from Lianshan before the wedding to clear her brother’s ’slander’. But now, she just chuckled casually: "If you’re afraid of that, you and second brother should be nicer to me in the future, and won’t that make me remember you well?
Take right now, for example, instead of making fun of me, you should be hustling to get us some food. Otherwise, when Brother Lianshan gets a head start, won’t you be left at a disadvantage again?
There’s no choice; with both my brother and my husband holding equally dear places in my heart, you can only distinguish who treats me better, right?"
Well, there’s a saying that the shameless get the best gains?
Look at Liu Shouren who just lost to his shameless little sister, failing to tease and was instead completely stunned by her retort. Resigned to his fate, he cast a look full of disdain and targeted his resentment at Lianshan, who declared immediately he’d run out to buy food. How annoying is that? Didn’t you hear your sister say she’s deciding closeness based on who treats her better?
So, showing diligence now isn’t about being considerate, it’s glaringly vying for favor, isn’t it?
Though to better care for my little sister’s life and emotions, I reluctantly let you become the Liu family’s prospective brother-in-law. But, this doesn’t mean you successfully climbed the ranks in my sister’s heart, understood?
Even when being despised, Lianshan didn’t mind at all. Instead, he acted as if after being beaten, he’d still loyally ask his brother-in-law if he’s tired or thirsty. So humble, even Shuzhen couldn’t bear to watch. She shot her brother two stern looks to tell him to stop, and then kept explaining to Lianshan, afraid his self-esteem would be too fragile and be hurt by her brother’s attitude.
Liu Shouren glared, his eyes full of accusation: you say you’ve forgotten your brother for a lover, and it’s perfectly true!
On the other hand, Lianshan laughed straightforwardly: "It’s nothing, I understand. Back when Xiao Yue got engaged, I found her fiancé disagreeable no matter what. Just seeing him annoyed me. Being a brother is like that, I understand your feelings, brother. After all, it’s your beloved sister, who you’ve cherished for many years, being taken by some wild guy from another family; how can one feel content?
Brother disliking me is actually a good thing, it means he cherishes you and values you as his sister!"
Liu Shouren nodded furiously, isn’t that exactly the truth?
With their parents passing away early, as the elder brother, he naturally took on the responsibility of a father, caring for this younger sister as if she were his own child. Especially since she just had a fall, brutally hurt by that scoundrel Dai Weiguo. Of course, he was even more fearful she would get hurt again or be fooled, eager to show off his brotherly temper and strength in front of Lianshan. Making this wild guy wishing to take his precious sister feel intimidated, and not daring to attempt to be like Dai Weiguo and become a traitor?
But before he could say a couple of praising words, agreeing with Lianshan’s insight, he saw his little sister looking at that lad with increasingly gentle and soft eyes, full of admiration and tenderness. Realizing his vigorous efforts not only failed to achieve his desired effect, but instead molded Lianshan into a considerate, humble, and tolerant good image in his sister’s heart. Liu Shouren instantly swallowed all his compliments and instead carefully asked his sister and Lianshan what they wanted to eat, then turned to go buy meals for the two of them. Of course, on the walk, he was constantly thinking about how to change his strategy to guide his sister out of the mistake of prioritizing romance over brotherhood.
Lianshan originally suspected his brother-in-law found fault with Shuzhen spending too much money, buying so many things without consulting the family head. Afraid his future wife would be blamed, he was poised to take responsibility should his brother-in-law hint at it. Though he couldn’t fork out 300 yuan now, if Brother Liu agreed, he could write an IOU for 300 yuan, repaying it annually, treating these as gifts he bought for Shuzhen.
But to his shock: his brother-in-law, apart from complaining they were careless, making them prey to gossip, showed not a hint of being hurt over the 300 yuan. He even praised the purchase of a bicycle, saying he would have their cousin marry a carpenter in the third uncle’s household to make a seat for the rear rack so Shuzhen wouldn’t get jostled around.
The two wool blankets had great quality and colors and weren’t expensive. It was good stuff, not found anywhere else in their town or even in the city.
In short, everything Shuzhen bought was great, great, great, yes, yes, yes, seeing as she’s going to get married soon, she indeed needed to buy some things, buy some gifts for relatives from both sides.
Not only did he completely categorize the 300 yuan spent previously as her dowry, but he didn’t even forget the 200 yuan lent at that time and 50 pounds of national grain coupons. And he explicitly stated for his only sister’s wedding, he and the second brother-in-law would surely have additional dowry prepared. Like getting a plot for a home near them and building three thatched rooms or something.
The current small ramshackle house is hot in summer, cold in winter, not a long-term solution anyway. And with Shuzhen pregnant, she’s due next spring. A decent housing is needed.
Lianshan agreed with this.
But it’s his wife, his child, isn’t it up to him as the husband and father to provide? How could he let his brother-in-law build the house?
He never thought about being a stay-at-home-son-in-law, just worried a brother-in-law who fought for Shuzhen’s attention would be nearby, with the possibility that the wife and child would end up preferring the brother over him as the man or father. Lianshan quickly waved his hand rejecting it, saying to rest assured, when he got back he would look into building a house, ensuring Shuzhen and the baby wouldn’t suffer grievances.
Shuzhen also nodded in strong agreement, saying when she first got married the two brothers didn’t skimp on accompanying gifts, there was no sense in them going through the trouble a second time. Having the bicycle, blankets, and these textiles as a dowry had already made her one of the most fortunate in ten miles around. Her brother should keep the money for himself, so when winter came, he could ask matchmakers to quickly find him a sister-in-law and give him a nephew, which is the real deal.
Two sentences shamed her brother into backing off, and Shuzhen couldn’t help but give herself a big mental V sign. Normally, she wouldn’t mind having her brothers as neighbors, looking out for each other, but now that she had superpowers, she imagined what if they, with little nephews in tow, came for a visit just when she was cultivating some abnormal plant and stumbled upon such an extraordinary scene, it made her feel quite overwhelmed.
Forget it, distance makes beauty, right?
Even if Brother Lianshan’s small ramshackle house nestled against the hill and by the river wasn’t great, the isolation from others had its benefits!