Wang Xiaoni looked up at her mother.
"Neither Jianxi nor I have any skills or business savvy, we’re both planning to stay in the village."
The eldest sister-in-law and the second sister-in-law immediately stared at her with eyes full of disappointment.
"Are you silly? How can that be the same? Is it because Yue Lao Er doesn’t gain favor in front of your mother-in-law? If you ask me, no matter what, you should follow them to the city."
"Yes, your two nephews are also waiting for their aunt to lend a hand, who knows, maybe they can even go to college someday. Then our old Wang family will rise."
The two of them went back and forth, but Wang Xiaoni just kept her head down without much reaction.
After exchanging a glance, both sister-in-laws thought Wang Xiaoni was too dull, as if beating a stick on a log would produce no sound.
Impatiently, Mother Wang spoke up, "Xiaoni, you don’t come back often, and you, as her sisters-in-law, should know better. Why not go to the kitchen and stew a chicken, and cook the fish that Xiaoni brought as well?"
The two women sheepishly went to the back kitchen, but not before they took the chance to advise Wang Xiaoni.
"You and Yue Lao Er are just too honest. It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. Right now, your mother-in-law is well-off, you should take advantage of this opportunity to get something out of it. Otherwise, when it comes time to divide the family property, you’ll know you’re at a loss."
Mother Wang, who was also a mother-in-law, had a face as dark as an iron pot. Once the two women left, she pulled Wang Xiaoni aside.
"Don’t listen to them. Your mother-in-law knows what’s what. In my opinion, it’s good for you two to stay here. We have fields and fish ponds; life here is no worse than in the city."
Wang Xiaoni smiled and clasped her mother’s hand, "I know."
"You’ve been quiet since you were little, but you understand everything. Have your meal and then head back early, to avoid further instigation by them."
As Mother Wang had said, that meal didn’t shut the two sister-in-laws up. They still wanted Wang Xiaoni to speak to the eldest of the Yue family, to see if he could give their brothers a job under his charge.
Wang Xiaoni only said she was not clear about the situation, and mentioned the Yue family was pretty much separate now, so it wasn’t right for her to intervene in the eldest branch’s affairs.
The two women felt as though they were talking to a deaf person. Wang Xiaoni was truly impervious to their words.
Considering the current situation in the Yue family, uncomfortable as they felt, they didn’t dare show their displeasure to Wang Xiaoni.
With resentment in their hearts, they still had to smile and see Wang Xiaoni off to the crossroads.
That evening, just as Yue Jianxi had finished bathing and gone to bed, he suddenly felt his wife embrace him from behind.
Yue Jianxi was taken by surprise; he and Wang Xiaoni were not ones to express their emotions openly and seldom got clingy .
"Xiaoni, what’s the matter?"
Wang Xiaoni shook her head and sighed deeply.
"I’m just thinking how lucky I am to have married into your family."
Yue Jianxi silently smiled, "Your mom told me you went back to your parental home this afternoon?"
"Yeah, let’s not talk about them."
Yue Jianxi reached out to turn off the electric light that had just been installed nearby, plunging the room into darkness.
He turned around and held his wife in his arms.
"Xiaoni, I will make sure you have a good life."
Even if he was not a businessman, even if he couldn’t read well, he had his two hands.
As long as they were both grounded, their life wouldn’t be any worse than others’.
Wang Xiaoni enjoyed the warmth of her man, burrowing her head deeper into his chest.
She liked the atmosphere at home, free from manipulation and endless quarrels.
"Things are good just the way they are now."
The situation at Wang Xiaoni’s home was not uncommon.
The fact that the Yue family’s banquet for the children was held on such a grand scale did indeed command a certain respect.
But Lin Chunju always believed in the saying ’fortune should not be flaunted.’
Because that’s just how life is, there are always those who are looking for a bargain.
Even if the Yue family wasn’t bothered by it, having people buzz around like flies, buzzing annoyingly, was irritating.
Having seen the Yue family’s prosperity, some people in the village became restless.
One day, when Zhang Ying stepped outside, she was cornered on the road by two people.
"Yingzi, how have you been?" Zhang Tieniu rubbed his hands together, his face full of feigned affection.
Zhang Jinhe also approached, enthusiastically calling her sister.
"Ever since you got married, Dad has been thinking of you all the time."