Chapter 178: Chapter 178: The Bride Has Arrived

Xu Family Village

The old Xu family was bustling with wedding preparations.

From early morning, a large group of village women had come over to help, chatting away as they worked, gossiping about this and that.

Although Lin Xiaomeng had been resting these past few days, she hadn’t really had any leisure. She’d already spent money to have two rooms that belonged to her family sectioned off, and had re-planned a small courtyard for herself.

Because the ground was frozen and work couldn’t be done yet, she’d just fenced it off for now, planning to rebuild the walls come spring.

She didn’t want to wait another moment—she wanted to draw a clear line between herself and the old Xu family.

Since the kitchen and toilet weren’t convenient, she had someone put up two temporary straw sheds, with a makeshift stove inside. She’d make do for now and fix things up properly next year.

With the courtyard fenced in, she sealed off the inner door to the Xu family’s yard and opened two new doors, finally starting her own peaceful little life.

Family scandals shouldn’t be aired in public, so no matter how dissatisfied Xu Huaizhi was, he still came back today to support his younger brother.

As for how sincere he really was—only he knew.

Using her postpartum confinement as an excuse, Lin Xiaomeng stayed holed up at home, keeping Dacheng inside too, not wanting to get involved in Xu Huaiyu’s affairs, afraid she’d get dragged into his mess.

The village women were all speculating, openly and secretly, about what was going on with the Xu family. How could Liu Guifang, such a domineering mother-in-law, agree to split the family? And Lin Xiaomeng—she’d finally gotten pregnant again, so how did she end up miscarrying?

Everyone let their imaginations run wild, making up all sorts of dramatic stories.

On this joyous day, Xu Huaiyu should have been dressed up and full of spirit, heading out to fetch his bride. But right now, he was lying in bed, looking listless.

The wound from the animal trap was rusty, and the barefoot doctor had only done a simple cleaning, without proper sterilization. Dirt had gotten into the wound, causing it to become inflamed and pus-filled, and his ankle was swollen like a big steamed bun.

The constant high fever had left him exhausted; he hadn’t slept well for two days.

Yesterday, Xu Mingshan went to the commune to get a doctor, who gave him two bottles of antibiotics. Only today did he start to feel a bit better.

Liu Guifang came in with new clothes to help him change.

“Mom, who did you arrange to fetch Lijun? Was it big brother?” He’d been muddle-headed these past two days, with no energy to care about the family’s affairs.

Liu Guifang raised her head and said, “She’s a grown woman—does she still need someone to fetch her? I had someone send word to the Yan family, told them to figure out their own way to get here.”

Xu Huaiyu jolted upright. “What? Mom, what are you doing! If you do that, will they still marry their daughter over? Isn’t that just humiliating them?”

Xu Huaiyu might have been a bit of a rascal, but he still knew that on a wedding day, making the bride find her own way to the groom’s house was inappropriate.

“What are you yelling for! Isn’t it because you hurt your leg and can’t go? Who told you to act tough? You think you’re your second brother?

Listen, Xu Huaiyu, when a new wife enters the house, if you don’t give her a hard time, you won’t be able to keep her in line later.”

“What if she doesn’t come?” Xu Huaiyu felt his mother had a point, but still asked weakly.

“She wouldn’t dare! She’s taken our Xu family’s betrothal gifts and got the marriage certificate. If she doesn’t come, who else is she going to marry?” Liu Guifang said confidently.

“Alright then. Mom, I’ll leave it to you today.” Xu Huaiyu was good at reading the room and wouldn’t argue with his mother at a time like this.

“Got it, don’t worry. I promise your wedding will be grand and impressive.

You rest for now. When the bride arrives, I’ll have your big brother carry you out.”

—

Yan Lijun was dropped off about a mile outside Xu Family Village.

The village wasn’t like the main road—the snow was thick, and even a bicycle could only be pushed, not ridden. So the person escorting her left her there and hurried off, mainly out of fear of being beaten up by the Xu family, since he knew about the Yan family’s little trickery.

Poor Yan Lijun trudged alone through the snow, dragging her suitcase.

On one hand, she felt the road was endless and every step was hard.

On the other, she almost wished the road would never end, so she wouldn’t have to face the Xu family’s questions and scolding.

But every road eventually ends, and she finally arrived at Xu Family Village.

After walking so long in the cold wind, her carefully done makeup was ruined, and her hair was a mess.

As she walked through the village, people pointed and whispered. She kept her head down, pretending not to hear, afraid of catching any harsh words.

“Who’s that girl? Never seen her before.”

“She’s dressed so brightly, and carrying a suitcase. Could she be the city bride Xu family’s third son is marrying?”

“No way. Liu Guifang said they gave her the ‘three rounds and one sound’ betrothal gifts. But this girl came alone, not even a single bridesmaid—can’t be her.”

…

It wasn’t until everyone saw her heading straight for the Xu family’s blue-brick, tiled house that they realized this was Xu Huaiyu’s new wife, and immediately followed to watch the excitement.

What’s going on? Wasn’t the bride supposed to be from a good family? Why did she look so disheveled?

It was almost eleven o’clock. Liu Guifang stood at the door, anxiously looking out. She still hadn’t seen the bridal procession and was getting nervous—could her son have been right? Was the Yan family angry and not coming?

Just as she was getting frantic, she finally saw a flash of red in the distance, and when she looked closely, who else could it be but Yan Lijun.

Liu Guifang breathed a sigh of relief—thank goodness she came, or she’d have no way to save face today.

In her hurry, she didn’t notice that Yan Lijun had come alone, assuming the rest of the bridal party was behind her and Yan Lijun had just come ahead.

She quickly told Xu Huaizhi to get the firecrackers ready—the bride had arrived.

Amid the loud bangs of firecrackers, Yan Lijun entered everyone’s view.

She was actually quite pretty, but after all the recent troubles, her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her makeup was smeared, making her look rather shabby.

The people in the yard who’d come to see the city bride were a bit disappointed. So this was a city girl? She wasn’t all that.

A sharp-eyed woman noticed the bright red suitcase in her hand and said enviously, “That suitcase is really nice.”

“Yeah, I think only a few brides in our village have brought a suitcase as dowry. City folks really are different.”

…

The chatter greatly satisfied Liu Guifang’s vanity. She raised her chin and said, “Of course! My third son’s wedding—how could it be lacking? There’s even better stuff coming! The ‘three rounds and one sound’—I bet you’ve never seen that before!”

“Oh wow, ‘three rounds and one sound’? That’s a first for our village. Most people are lucky to get one or two of those for a wedding, but you got the whole set. No wonder—the Party Secretary’s family really knows how to put on a show.” Yang Fengmei, who used to be at odds with Gu Qinghuan, chimed in flatteringly.

“Exactly, what a show.”

Most people praised Liu Guifang for handling the wedding so well, so properly.

Only the brigade leader’s daughter-in-law, Chen Fengqin, sneered but didn’t say anything.

Her father-in-law was a respected elder in the village and had witnessed the Xu family’s division. When he got home, he told them all about the Xu family’s true colors.

The old Xu family really was something else, especially Liu Guifang. Even a tiger won’t eat its cubs, but the money the second son risked his life to earn wasn’t given to him at all. As soon as he went mad, they kicked him out and gave him a hundred yuan to get rid of him.

The third son, lazy and greedy, got a house and money, and now such a grand wedding. Liu Guifang’s favoritism was really something.

Chen Fengqin had two sons herself—one older, one still young. Honestly, it was impossible to treat them exactly the same, but she swore she’d never be like Liu Guifang, treating one like grass and the other like treasure."