The Li family's dinner that evening saw Mother Li showcase her culinary prowess, preparing a feast.
"Tiantian, I owe you. Back then, we only had sweet potatoes left, and my body was in such a state... The good conditions now are all thanks to you, yet I've poured my energy into Yaoguo. My heart is both proud and guilty."
Tian Jing waved her hand, "Mom, times have changed. Ouyang Meihua and eldest cousin have too big a disparity. All eldest cousin can give her is his sincerity."
"If she finds out later and compares, she should be able to understand. Look at her dowry; it shows she doesn't value material things."
"I also hope to have a magnanimous sister-in-law. At least there's hope for improving our relationship."
Li Zhengguo affectionately tapped Tiantian's forehead, "You always worry about these things. At worst, we can keep our distance. And with how much she admires you, if you become sisters-in-law, she'll surely accept it with joy."
"Oh~" Tian Jing reacted a beat late, "I forgot."
"Sister, forgot what?"
A voice came from outside the door. Tian Jing looked up, "Why are you here again?"
Ouyang Lei blinked, "I never left. I just finished helping eldest brother-in-law move my eldest sister's dowry into the village."
Tian Jing smacked her forehead, "I forgot."
Li Zhengguo looked concerned, "Should we go see Doctor Yang?"
"No."
Tian Jing refused. Why should she see a doctor for no reason?
Mother Li wasn't worried, "Pregnant women get like this. Don't be too tense. We'll see later. If it gets worse, then we'll go to the doctor."
Since their mother was experienced, Li Zhengguo suppressed his worry.
Li Rongguo entered the courtyard, hand in hand with Ouyang Meihua.
Their previous harmonious atmosphere made Tian Jing curious. Could it be that the bane of the steel-straight woman, Ouyang Meihua, was a simpleton like Li Rongguo?
Mother Li warmly greeted them, "Today is a happy occasion. This evening's meal is a simple celebratory feast. Meimei, please don't mind."
Ouyang Meihua felt a bit embarrassed, "I don't mind, not at all. Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Li, uh, Third Aunt."
"It's no trouble. Damai helped me. She really likes having you as a mother. She said she's not afraid of anyone bullying her and Xiaomai anymore."
Ouyang Meihua looked at her two stepdaughters. From today onwards, she too had daughters.
"Damai, Xiaomai, you can swagger around the village with confidence. If anyone dares to bully you, come back and tell mother. I promise to beat their parents until they cry like ghosts."
A child's mistake was a parent's failure to discipline.
Li Rongguo pulled his wife to sit at the table, "The ones who swagger are crabs. But with you as my backing, I'm not afraid either."
"You..."
Ouyang Meihua turned to call this man a coward, but seeing the eagerness and admiration in his eyes, her spirit soared.
She patted her chest and vowed, "Alright, you three father and daughters can swagger around. I'll see who dares to lay a finger on you. If they do, I'll chop off their hand."
"Meimei, you're so good."
Ugh...
Tian Jing felt like vomiting. What was eldest cousin doing? A weakling?
Li Zhengguo rubbed Tiantian's back and cleared his throat, "Eat, eat. Do you want some drinks?"
Li Rongguo shook his head, "No."
"Yes!" Ouyang Meihua responded heartily, "Others celebrate their happy occasions with feasting and drinking, why shouldn't I drink on my own happy occasion? Yes, drink!"
"Then, let's drink."
Li Rongguo followed his cousin's advice: for a woman like Meimei, give her plenty of accommodation and admiration, with occasional flashes of masculine dominance, to keep her securely by his side.
"You and little brother drink. He's our matchmaker. I'll pour the wine. Drink to your heart's content, I'll take good care of you."
Ouyang Meihua nodded, "If I get drunk, you have to carry me back."
"Definitely, I'll carry you all the way."
Tian Jing didn't know if Ouyang Meihua was charmed.
But she glanced at the person who brought the wine. Were these brothers similar in temperament? Or was it taught by a brother?
Li Zhengguo gave the wine to Ouyang Lei and then sat down, putting food on Tiantian's plate, "Eat quickly, the smell of alcohol will be too strong later."
"You eat too."
"Mmm."
However bold Ouyang Meihua was, she was still a woman, no match for her little brother.
She was soon defeated.
Li Rongguo didn't carry her; instead, he cradled his wife in a princess carry and took her back.
Damai voluntarily stayed to tidy the table and then took her sister to sleep in the same bed as their third aunt.
Her father needed a son to support the family.
...
The next day, Ouyang Meihua came over apologetically to express her thanks and took Damai and Xiaomai away.
Seeing his eldest sister looking particularly well, Ouyang Lei retreated and returned to the county town.
...
On the third morning, Mother Li was preparing breakfast when her daughter returned with her son-in-law for a visit.
"Mom~" Li Min hugged her mother and started crying.
Mother Li was startled, "What's wrong?"
"I missed you, eldest brother, eldest sister-in-law, and home."
"You silly girl, you scared me. Alright, alright, don't cry, you'll wake your eldest sister-in-law, and she'll laugh at you again."
"Hmph." Li Min wiped away her tears, "You have a new daughter-in-law and have forgotten your own daughter."
Mother Li immediately pushed her daughter away, "Go aside. You just got married and you're coming home to be jealous. How long has your eldest sister-in-law been here? Is this the first day you've understood me, understood your eldest sister-in-law?"
"Mom~" Li Min was very wronged, "Don't you want me anymore?"
Mother Li raised her hand, "Say one more thing like that, and I'll slap you. The sister-in-law relationship you mentioned will soon appear because of your words and your current emotions."
"I..."
Mother Li lowered her hand and pulled her daughter to the stove, "Hurry up and help me light the fire. We were all waiting for you to come home today, and you're being sentimental. If you continue like this, then don't come back."
Given a fire-poker, Li Min wanted to explain, "Mom~ I, it's just that in my heart..."
"Just what? Wasn't it you who was eager to get married?"
"Didn't you say you'd bring Suozhu back? Didn't you say you'd come home every day?"
"Didn't you say you'd work under your eldest sister-in-law? And Suozhu also decided to work with your eldest brother?"
"In just two days, it doesn't count anymore? What are your intentions? Every time you come back, will you fight for status here at your mother's home?"
"Before, you had no status in this family, and you didn't fight for it. Is getting married any different?"
"If you can't change this mood, then never come back, unless you get divorced and come back."
This statement terrified Chen Suozhu. He knelt before his mother-in-law.
"Mom, it's my fault. I haven't given Minmin enough security, so her heart hasn't found a place to settle. Please don't scold her."
"I, I, if Minmin's emotions are still unstable, then I'll be the one who moves in with you. I don't want to be separated from Minmin."
"Hmph."
Mother Li snorted, "It's not that I deliberately chose today to scold you, but you're too out of line."
"Your eldest brother's original plan was for you two to get married next year, right? You two were so lovey-dovey, you wanted to get married that very day."
"What does it feel like after getting married? Responsibility, pressure, a change in status, emotional control. Have you achieved any of these?"
"Suozhu, the responsibility of marriage isn't just about coaxing your wife. You see your eldest brother coaxing his wife, but do you see your eldest brother carrying the burden of the family on his shoulders?"
"Minmin, you only see your eldest sister-in-law being doted on by your eldest brother, but do you see the comfort your eldest sister-in-law provides when your eldest brother is helpless?"
"Men are not indestructible. They are also human. They carry an extra burden of the family, and they are more tired than you."
"After marriage, when two people are together, their words, actions, and moods are different from when they were dating. Coupled with the adjustment period of a new marriage, if not handled well, it will lead to conflicts later on."
"Minmin, you don't have your eldest sister-in-law's ability or temperament to make a man dote on you. Suozhu, you don't have the skill to spoil your wife into a little girl."
"Your moods must be reordered and corrected. If you can't change, I'd rather have no daughter than have you."
"To say something hurtful, Minmin, when I'm old and can't move, I will rely on my daughter-in-law."
"Even if you guarantee that you can serve me day and night, the prerequisite for you to do so is that your eldest brother and sister-in-law agree to let you come back to serve."
"Or you say you can take me in and serve me, but the prerequisite is still that your eldest brother and sister-in-law agree to let you take me."
"Minmin, after a daughter is married, she feels like a rootless duckweed. Returning to her mother's home, she feels it's no longer her home. At her in-laws', she feels like an outsider."
"However, this kind of emotion only occurs when it's completely in the hands of the mother-in-law."
"You have no father-in-law or mother-in-law above you. You can completely take charge at your in-laws'. You are not considered an outsider at all. It's just that your heart isn't with your in-laws'. This is your own reason, and it has nothing to do with Suozhu."
"The words you say when you come home seem like spoiled complaints, like a child being jealous. If I indulge you, you'll definitely say such things every time you come back. If I don't indulge you, you'll think I'm biased towards your eldest sister-in-law."
"Then, think about it from another perspective. If your eldest sister-in-law heard you say these things, and I, for the sake of appeasing you, lied about something that didn't happen, would she feel comfortable?"
"Would she consider the in-laws' home as her home? Would my relationship with her be good? Would your relationship with her be the same as before?"
"Minmin, before you speak, you need to use your brain. If you want to act spoiled with Mom, you absolutely cannot compare yourself to your eldest sister-in-law. Once you compare, conflicts will arise."
Li Min was so ashamed by her mother's words that she knelt beside her husband.
"Mom~ I was wrong."
"Wrong about what?" Mother Li didn't let her off.
"My emotions were wrong. When I come back, I should consider myself the old Li Min, not the married Li Min. This is what eldest sister-in-law expects of me, and it's also what Mom expects of me."
"I haven't been good enough to Brother Suozhu either, completely disregarding his feelings. From now on, I won't be a little girl anymore. I will be a considerate wife."
"Minmin." Chen Suozhu held his wife's hand, "It's my fault. I haven't been able to give you a sense of security, nor have I been able to help you settle your heart."
Li Min smiled at him, "Then we'll change together. Mom said the new marriage is a period of adjustment. We'll slowly explore and adjust together."
"Okay."
Chen Suozhu reached out and wiped away her tears.
"Alright, get up now."
Mother Li was still reassured about her daughter and son-in-law's relationship.
"Thank you, Mom."
"Thank you, Mom."