Chapter 204: The Zhang Family’s Strengths, the Li Family’s Shortcomings
Chapter 204: Chapter 204: The Zhang Family’s Strengths, the Li Family’s Shortcomings
Lu Cheng clapped a hand over Jiang Moli’s mouth. He glanced around and let out a sigh of relief when he saw no one had noticed them.
He looked down at Jiang Moli’s sly expression, his deep voice filled with helplessness:
"We’re outside. Be a little more reserved."
Jiang Moli pulled his huge hand away. "Next time you want to cover my mouth," she said, "please use yours. I only accept being silenced mouth-to-mouth."
Lu Cheng looked at her, his eyes full of doting affection. "So, should I take you home now so we can kiss to our hearts’ content?"
"That’s not something we have to do at home, you know."
"It’s not convenient outside, and it wouldn’t look good."
"The strong never complain about their environment."
"..."
’He was no match for his wife’s silver tongue.’
Lu Cheng compromised, lowering his head and quickly pecking Jiang Moli on the lips.
After the kiss, he looked up and saw an old lady nearby, giving them a very disdainful sidelong glance.
Lu Cheng touched his nose, a bit embarrassed.
Jiang Moli gave the old lady a polite smile. "Have you never seen people kiss before?"
’Hmph. Shameless.’
The old lady shot her a glare and walked away, her thick waist swaying.
[Disdain Value +1. 10,000 Yuan credited to account.]
...
Today was an extraordinary day for the Jiang family of Plum Valley.
From early in the morning, the households of Jiang Dashan and Jiang Dachuan were bustling with activity.
They were cleaning Jiang Dashan’s courtyard, preparing for the noon banquet, and wiping down the tables and stools with rags several times over.
When they were done and it was about time, the two brothers, Jiang Dashan and Jiang Dachuan, changed into their best clothes and went to the village entrance to welcome Jiang Dahai’s family.
When the villagers saw the two brothers dressed so smartly, they asked around. Upon learning that Jiang Moli was bringing her army officer husband back to honor their ancestors, they were all filled with envy.
Many villagers even stopped working in the fields and joined the Jiang brothers at the village entrance, wanting to see what this army officer son-in-law looked like.
Around 9:30, a jeep appeared on the country road about three hundred meters away.
To get from the country road into Plum Valley, there was only a small path about a meter wide.
The jeep couldn’t enter, so it had to park on the country road.
Seeing Jiang Dahai get out of the jeep, the brothers Jiang Dashan and Jiang Dachuan hurried over to greet him.
The villagers at the entrance saw the jeep and erupted with excitement.
"He’s driving a four-wheeled car and everything! How high-ranking of an officer must he be?"
"I heard he’s a battalion commander. He’s got four or five hundred soldiers under him."
The villagers were deeply shocked.
Plum Valley itself didn’t even have four or five hundred people.
To have snagged such a powerful son-in-law, the Jiang family’s ancestral graves must be smoking with good fortune.
Meanwhile, the brothers Jiang Dashan and Jiang Dachuan had already met up with Jiang Dahai.
Jiang Dahai chuckled and made the introductions. "Big Brother, Second Brother, this is Xiao Lu. Xiao Lu, this is your First Uncle and Second Uncle."
Lu Cheng nodded to the two brothers. "First Uncle, Second Uncle, hello. I’m Lu Cheng."
"Ah, yes, yes, very good!"
Jiang Dachuan, feeling overwhelmed by the honor, sized up Lu Cheng and thought, ’This nephew-in-law of mine is so tall and strong. I wonder what he eats to get that big.’
Jiang Dachuan stared at the jeep behind Lu Cheng, his eyes practically glued to it.
’Well, I’ll be damned. That thing is just too impressive for words!’
Jiang Moli walked up to Jiang Dashan with a beaming smile. "First Uncle, it’s been a while. I hope you’ve been well."
"Haha, yes, good, good."
Towards his niece, Jiang Moli, Jiang Dashan’s feelings were very complicated.
On one hand, the fact that Jiang Moli knew about his shameful affair made him feel both guilty and awkward.
On the other hand, he was also full of gratitude towards her.
If not for Jiang Moli’s warning, which had been a wake-up call, he would have inevitably ended up just like Zhang Tiesheng.
After the pleasantries were over, Jiang Dahai called for his two brothers to help carry things.
After all, it was his first visit, and Lu Cheng had been very thorough in preparing gifts.
There was everything one could want: cigarettes, liquor, candy, tea, and pastries. The three Jiang brothers, plus Lu Cheng, all had their hands full.
Although the people of Plum Valley had long accepted the fact that the Jiang family’s niece had "climbed a high branch," seeing a stream of high-end gifts—the likes of which they had never even seen before—being carried into the Jiang house was a shock and a source of envy that words couldn’t describe.
’The Jiang family has really made it big!’
On the hillside, Jin Yulan watched this scene from afar.
While she felt a sense of envy toward the Jiang family, her resentment for her former daughter-in-law, Jiang Qing, deepened.
The way people in Plum Valley honored their ancestors was simple: they went to each ancestor’s grave, laid out offerings, and burned paper money in worship.
Lunch was at Jiang Dashan’s house, and there were three tables in total.
There wasn’t much meat or fish; it was mostly vegetable dishes.
But that was just the standard of living in Plum Valley, so there was nothing to complain about.
During the meal, the conversation turned to family gossip, specifically Jiang Hehua’s engagement.
Jiang Hehua was Jiang Dashan’s eldest daughter, 19 years old this year.
Because Jiang Moli had married an officer, Jiang Hehua’s "value" had also risen, and she was engaged to a man from town.
From Yang Chunxiang’s beaming, rosy-cheeked expression, it was clear she was quite satisfied with her future son-in-law.
Marrying into a town family was, for them, a step up to a new social class.
"Moli, you have good judgment. Why don’t you go to town this afternoon to meet Li Tao and help Hehua size him up?"
Perhaps because she felt Jiang Moli had married well herself, or maybe she had other ideas, Yang Chunxiang extended the enthusiastic invitation.
Jiang Moli leisurely took a sip of her wine and said, "His last name is Li? A ’Li’ isn’t good."
As soon as she said this, everyone from the Jiang family in the courtyard looked at her.
Jiang Hehua was especially nervous. She was quite satisfied with Li Tao in every respect and was just waiting to marry him after the New Year.
Yang Chunxiang quickly asked, "What’s not good about it?"
"Well, you know the saying about the Li family’s... ’shortcomings’. It’s best not to marry a Li. Oh, and don’t pick a Wang, either. They have a tendency to visit the neighbors."
’The Li family’s ’shortcomings’... was it the ’short’ they were all thinking of?’
The scene descended into a strange and awkward silence.
Lu Cheng helplessly took the wine glass from Jiang Moli’s hand, stood up, and said apologetically to the Jiang family, "Moli’s had too much to drink. I’ll take her outside to sober up. Please, continue eating."
Jiang Dahai quickly chimed in, "Alright, Xiao Lu, you and Moli go take a walk."
Lu Cheng helped Jiang Moli up and walked her outside.
Jiang Moli protested coquettishly, "I’m not drunk."
"Then come take a walk with me. I’ve had too much to drink, and I’m dizzy."
Hearing him say that, Jiang Moli huffed but didn’t refuse.
Watching the two leave the courtyard, Jiang Dahai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. ’This daughter’s mouth is going to be the death of me,’ he thought. Out loud, he called to the rest of the Jiang family, "Don’t mind them, let’s keep eating."
"Eat, eat, eat."
The atmosphere became lively again, but no one mentioned Jiang Hehua’s engagement again.
...
Besides plums, Plum Valley also grew peaches.
On the mountain behind Jiang Dashan’s house, there was a whole slope of peach trees.
Large, plump honey peaches, white with a blush of red, hung heavy on every branch.
Lu Cheng picked a ripe one, carefully peeled off the skin, and offered the succulent flesh to Jiang Moli.
Jiang Moli took a bite from the fruit in his hand. The peach was soft, sweet, juicy, and had a very rich peachy aroma.
"Not bad."
Seeing her eat so happily made Lu Cheng feel even more satisfied than if he had eaten it himself.
As he fed her another bite, he coaxed her in a soft, low voice, "From now on, be a little more careful about what you say in front of the elders, hm?"
Jiang Moli swallowed the peach in her mouth and sneered, "They were already digging a pit for me, so why the hell should I care about the ’impact’? Believe it or not, if I had said the guy was no good, they would have seized the opportunity and asked me to find her a better one. If I had said he was good, then anytime the couple fought in the future, they’d still come looking for me."
Lu Cheng looked at her, his eyes smiling.
’Before, I just thought my wife was beautiful, gentle, and kind.’
’Now I see she also has the profound wisdom to see the bigger picture in the smallest details.’
’I have such good taste.’