But thinking about it just made her think too much.
Why, Ms. Wang started to feel a bit dramatic. She thought to herself that they were no longer as poor as before, barely affording food. Why didn’t her husband take this into consideration? He was not considerate at all.
Thinking so, she couldn’t help but glower at Yang Dachuan, giving him a dumbfounded stare.
He even scratched his head, asking, "Why are you glaring at me, woman?"
Hearing this, Ms. Wang smirked, thinking to herself that he was really a fool. She was expecting him to be considerate? Forget it, it wasn’t worth losing her appetite over.
Feeling slightly annoyed, she placed a few fried dumplings in front of Yang Dachuan, saying, "I see you haven’t eaten much. Eat more."
Yang Dachuan, hearing this, was somewhat harassed and clumsily thought to himself what a good wife he has, giving Ms. Wang reason to roll her eyes at him again.
It was Yang Chuxia who noticed something was off. She whispered something into Yang Dachuan’s ear, leaving him dumbfounded.
So, after they ate and Yang Chuxia and the rest had gone out, Yang Dachuan started to console his wife. No one knows how he managed to do it, but they do know that by the time Yang Chuxia came back from sticking up couplets, Ms. Wang’s smile was as bright as a flower.
"Mom, let’s make a hot pot for lunch. It’s so chilly today, I just realized."
Stepping outside, she discovered the weather had suddenly turned cold, far colder than the last two days. It felt as if it was about to snow, a rare occurrence for this part of Funan.
"Hmm, okay, I’ve already asked someone to cook it." As she said this, Ms. Wang brought a cloak out from inside the house and handed it to Yang Chuxia, "Here, put this on. I had it made last time but forgot to give it to you."
Yang Chuxia happily accepted the cloak. It was quite nice-looking, satisfying her yearning to live like a young lady from a big family. She seemed to recall it was those high-born girls who enjoyed wearing cloaks all the time.
"Oh, this child!" Ms. Wang shook her head and sighed.
Draped in her new cape, Yang Chuxia went out front to watch the play. Onstage, they were performing a piece about celebrating the Lantern Festival. Even though it wasn’t the Lantern Festival, the lively performance was a fitting backdrop nonetheless.
Yang Lichun, standing amidst the crowd watching the show, naturally spotted Yang Chuxia. Seeing her well-dressed appearance, a flicker of jealousy crossed her eyes. Upon noticing the necklace on Yang Chuxia, she became even more envious. It was made of pearls and silver. It looked so beautiful. However, all she could do at this moment was stay envious; there was nothing else she could do.
Shen Qiu, who was also watching the show, saw Yang Lichun’s reaction and sneered in disdain.
However, on seeing the bracelet on Yang Chuxia’s wrist, her eyes involuntarily deepened.
When Yang Chuxia reached her, she smiled and said, "Xiaxia’s bracelet is really beautiful, as is the necklace."
Upon hearing this, Yang Chuxia smiled and responded, "Thank you!" She didn’t say anything more.
She didn’t know why, but after that incident, her fondness for Shen Qiu gradually cooled, and she even began to feel somewhat defensive around her, even though the other party had done nothing.
Seeing her nonchalant expression, Shen Qiu didn’t say anything more and continued watching the play.
This year, the village festival was livelier than ever because of the arrival of the theatre troupe.
As a result, besides going to pay New Year’s visits on the morning of the first day of the year, the villagers spent most of their time watching the play and enjoying themselves at Yang Chuxia’s house. Of course, mealtimes and sleeping hours were exceptions.
No choice, rural folks didn’t get the chance to watch plays often. Usually, it was the big households who had this privilege. Now, thanks to the Yang family, they had a chance to enjoy it. Although there was a theater in the town, the tickets cost money. This play, however, was free.
Thus, everyone noticed that the daughters-in-law of Yangshu Village returned to their parents’ homes late this New Year.
It was the same at Yang Chuxia’s house. Ms. Wang didn’t go back to her parents’ house until the third day of the Lunar New Year.