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Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Marriage 1
As soon as Tong Yao returned to her room, Si Xiaohui rushed in, pouting and acting cutesy, "Sister-in-law, you bought pants for my second brother, why didn’t you get me a pair? I don’t know what pants to wear with this top."
In fact, Si Xiaohui had her eyes on the pair of pants Tong Yao was wearing. The corduroy Xiaohei pants on Tong Yao looked very nice and warm. She wished she had a pair too.
Tong Yao, not really focusing on this, replied absent-mindedly, "I didn’t know what your waist size is, so I didn’t buy."
Si Xiaohui hurriedly responded, "My size is twenty-eight, sister-in-law, you can buy pants for me based on this size next time."
Tong Yao responded noncommittally with a nod, ’hmm’, after Si Xiaohui finished talking about the clothes matter, she didn’t rush to leave. Sitting on the bed with a regretful look on her face, she expressed, "If only our little uncle was home, our house would be even livelier."
Little uncle?
Si Xiaohui’s words caught Tong Yao’s attention, "Which little uncle? I’ve never heard you mention him before."
"Of course, the little uncle is my dad’s younger brother, our uncle!" Si Xiaohui sounded a little emotional when she talked about this matter. "After my father passed away, the little uncle left with a traveling circus that came here. It’s been many years now, he hasn’t come back yet. I don’t know where he is now, whether he is doing well or not. He used to spoil me so much."
If the little uncle was still around, their past years would not have been so tough.
Regrettably, the little uncle had never returned since he left, and it was uncertain whether he was still alive or not. Thinking about the little uncle’s potential demise in a foreign land always brought Si Xiaohui melancholy.
Dad was often out while he was alive, but it was the little uncle who was always at home. Consequently, he had made a deeper impression on her.
Tong Yao became intrigued, raising an eyebrow, questioning: "Why did the little uncle decide to go off with the circus?" She felt that things were not as straightforward as they seemed. Si Chen had an uncle, but nobody ever mentioned him in her presence.
Could her father-in-law’s death have something to do with the little uncle?
Speaking of these issues, Si Xiaohui was reminded of the events caused by her father saving Tong Yaohui, her expression took a darker turn. With exasperation, she said: "We were poor and the little uncle wanted to go out and make money."
After she finished speaking, she left with an audible huff and stomping feet that felt like she wanted to hammer holes into the ground.
Tong Yao: ...
Si Chen and Wen Yun both said that the Tong family did not owe the Si family, but Si Xiaohui always believed that the tragedy of the Si family was caused by the Tong family. Could there be some misunderstanding here?
*
After Si Chen had washed the last dish, he casually dumped the water and walked aimlessly out of the kitchen. Instead of returning to his room, he went to the front door. He happened to meet Si Boyi, who had just finished consoling Zhang Lijuan, so the two brothers stopped at the front door and chatted for a while.
Noticing something was off with Si Chen’s expression, Si Boyi thought he was upset with Zhang Lijuan. In a simple and straightforward way, he said: "Sorry, Brother. I have talked to Lijuan and made her understand the situation."
After all, the sister-in-law is under no obligation to buy clothes for Zhang Lijuan. Moreover, Lijuan had already purchased her bridal outfit for the wedding, so she was not in need of attire.
One should not be dissatisfied.
Si Chen nodded, "As long as you understand."
Si Boyi replied: "Brother, don’t worry. I am not someone who doesn’t understand major principles. I am aware of everything that you and the sister-in-law do for us. I keep it all in my heart."
Si Chen gave him a noncommittal ’hmm’ again, then stopped speaking. His gaze drifted towards the ice and snow on the road. It was unclear what he was thinking about.
Seeing his expression still hadn’t changed, Si Boyi was a bit puzzled. He couldn’t help asking: "Brother, it seems like your mood isn’t very good?"
"Nothing," Si Chen collected his thoughts, turned and walked towards the yard, "Let’s go inside. It’s cold outside."
Si Boyi stood rooted to the spot, then followed him into the yard and said: "Brother, go rest. I’ll heat some water for everyone to wash up."
No sooner had Si Boyi entered the kitchen than he saw Lin Fengying standing there in a daze, her face pale as if she was possessed. She stood rigidly, making Si Boyi jump, "Mom, what’s wrong?"
Lin Fengying snapped out of it, forcing a distorted smile on her face that was uglier than crying, "Nothing, you’re going to boil water, right? We’re out of water in the house, you’ll have to fetch some from the well."
After seeing that she was indeed okay, Si Boyi felt relieved.
It continued to snow heavily outside, the ground was a blanket of white. The footprints he’d made were quickly covered by fresh snow. Si Boyi had only stepped outside for a moment and already, there was a layer of snow on him.
It was particularly cold on a night with a temperature of minus ten degrees. The water that fell to the ground would freeze into a layer of ice in a short period of time. Icicles clung to the edge of the roofs making them appear beautiful, but nobody around had time to appreciate the surreal view.
When filling your stomach and staying warm become issues, people don’t have the luxury to appreciate the wonders of nature.
Tong Yao wasn’t used to having the heater in the room; she felt it was suffocating. She went to bed after washing up, only feeling warm after being cloaked in the blankets. Lin Fengying and Si Xiaohui slept in the living room.
Tong Yao popped her head out from under the covers and saw Si Chen sitting on the edge of the bed washing his feet. She wanted to sneak in a few words with him. However, considering the lack of soundproofing, she didn’t say anything.
It was snowing heavily outside, and by morning, the accumulated snow was half a person’s height. Thankfully, it was a clear day, although very cold. The water in the buckets had frozen into a large lump of ice.
First thing in the morning, Chef Xu came to prepare the ingredients for the banquet. The village folks, both young and old, came to help. The kids followed the adults around, helping to move tables, chairs, and benches. For these children, the festive season or someone else’s happy occasions were the happiest times, as they got candies to eat.
Tong Yao couldn’t find a way to help, so she didn’t. The weather was too cold and Si Xiaohui complained about her hands freezing and her new clothes getting dirty, thus, she wasn’t willing to contribute. The two of them did enjoy a lot of pork bones in the yard though. During these times, pork bones tasted like heaven, very delicious and not overwhelming.
You eat one, and then you want to eat another.
Lin Fengying was as busy as a spinning top, attended to one thing after the other, but the smile on her face never faded.
The busy day came to an end quickly. The next day, everyone got up early. The bride’s house was next door. The villagers ran back and forth from one house to the other, checking on the bride and then the groom, keeping a sunny disposition on their faces.
Especially Si Boyi, who had been smiling since the morning. Dressed in the clothes bought by Tong Yao, he felt invigorated.
According to the wedding customs, the bride needs to arrive at the groom’s house before noon. Since their houses were close, Chen Jinlan felt that simply bringing her daughter over to the Si family lacked a ceremonial feel. The other villages wouldn’t know that there was a wedding here, so they agreed earlier to have the bridal sedan chair circle the village once before returning to the Si family.
In this era, there were no cars for the bride to ride in when getting married in rural areas. Only the wealthier families had the luxury of a bridal sedan chair. The poorer ones could only afford to ride a bicycle or a horse-cart. Bystanders often judged the bride based on what she was riding in, determining if she had a good marriage, or if the groom’s family was wealthy or not.
