Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Differential Treatment
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Not knowing how long she had slept, Su Wenyue awoke to find Han Yu still sitting beside the bed, unchanged in his position, truly having watched over her the whole time, which gave her some comfort.
"Have you been sitting here all this time just to say something to me?" After a rest, Su Wenyue felt much more refreshed and was in a calmer mood, realizing she had been too anxious.
She knew what kind of person Han Yu was, both inside and out, a very indifferent man. Not to mention her, a wife who had just entered the family, with no prior interactions, even among the Han family members, he truly only valued his parents and his two elder brothers. Han Lin didn't even count, so changing such a person in a short time was impossible; it had to be done slowly. At the very least, compared to her previous life, Han Yu had shown her a bit more concern.
"I...I didn't mean to side with Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law earlier," Han Yu said, finally venting his thoughts and feeling much relieved. "I'm aware of their nature. It was just awkward to speak up for you in front of Father and Mother... In any case, it was my fault. But since you've married into the Han family, you are my wife; you shouldn't easily mention separation or divorce. I was really upset as well; that's why I said those harsh words."
Han Yu could feel a little better after expressing himself, even though it did seem to compromise his masculine pride to some extent. However, he was not an obstinate man. Although he didn't have strong feelings for Su Wenyue at the moment, he did have some favorable impressions of her and wasn't averse to the idea of spending a lifetime with her. Han Yu felt that communication with the woman he would likely spend his life with, would be beneficial for their future, but this was based on Su Wenyue's good behavior. In her previous life, Han Yu would never have considered this with a spoiled and clueless Su Wenyue.
"Fourth brother, Fourth sister-in-law, come out quick, it's time for lunch!" Just as Su Wenyue was about to respond to Han Yu's explanation, Mrs. Liu's voice sounded from outside, with a surprisingly kind and amicable tone. Apparently, those pairs of silver floral hairpins had done their job. Mrs. Liu, having gained an advantage, naturally treated Su Wenyue better, turning a deaf ear to Mrs. Wang's instigation and, without needing the mother-in-law's instructions, took the initiative to call the Fourth son and his wife for lunch.
"Let's go have lunch then, so as not to keep everyone waiting." Han Yu was still himself, even after the explanation and the expressed apology, he remained rigidly formal, especially in front of others. No sooner had he stepped out of the room than he reverted to his expressionless demeanor, causing Mrs. Yang to worry for her emotionally oblivious youngest son. How could the feelings between this young couple develop at this rate?
Su Wenyue nodded in agreement. Internal conflicts could be resolved slowly, and it was essential to maintain the good image she had managed to establish in front of her parents-in-law. Moreover, the fact that Han Yu had offered her that explanation was already a sign of sincerity, perhaps a promising start.
Of course, to teach Han Yu a lesson, or to make him understand that she was not to be trifed with, and that he should consider her perspective more before acting, Su Wenyue's attitude over the next few days remained tepid.
(Content harmonized)
The Han family was a typical peasant family, where everyone, regardless of gender or age, could be expected to do farm work. Su Wenyue had no intention of shirking these duties. Though she had never performed farm work while living with her mother's family, in her previous life, the stern yet gentle Mistress at the mansion punished her by making her do farm work at the Zhuangzi for months. There, under constant surveillance without even the allowance for a moment's rest to drink some water, she truly suffered. Now, doing farm work with the Han family members didn't seem like much at all.
"Fourth Daughter-in-law, there's no need for you to go. What would a lady raised in a wealthy family know about this 'work? Besides, you still have to enlighten Baofu, teach him to read and write. Go do your proper task, and leave the field work to us; we have plenty of people in the house and won't miss one less."
"Father, it's alright," Su Wenyue demurred. "Although I may not be skilled in farm work, everything can be learned with a bit of practice, and I'll make sure to find time to teach Baofu between work, without neglecting either duty." She didn't actually want to engage in such labor, but she also didn't want to give rise to gossip, considering the burning heat of the outside sun at that time.
"You'd better stay comfortably at home. What could you possibly help with out there? You'd be more likely to hinder than help!" Old Man Han had yet to respond when Han Yu interjected gruffly, his tone revealing his disdain, although it was clear to any discerning observer that Fourth child was simply showing concern for his wife.
"Lady Yue, just listen to Yuer and stay at home. Yuer is strong and works hard, better and faster than anyone else, so you can consider that he's done your share of the work," Mother-in-law Mrs. Yang said, in approval of her son's unusual initiation to care for his wife. It seemed the words she had spoken to Fourth child had not fallen on deaf ears. Yet, his tone... Well, a mother knows her own child, and for him to speak so protectively of his wife was not easy.
Hence, Han Yu's character wasn't entirely without its advantages. If any of the other three sons had spoken for their daughter-in-law in such a manner, Mrs. Yang would certainly have felt upset, as if her sons had put their wives before their mother. But for the emotionally inept Han Yu, it was evidently a case of favoritism.
Mrs. Liu didn't mind so much; currently, her sole aim was to ingratiate herself with Su Wenyue to benefit from her, so not having to do farm work was no issue for her. After all, how much could that delicate, pampered Miss truly accomplish even if she went?
Mrs. Wang's face had been sour since Old Man Han began speaking, and hearing Mrs. Yang's comments only made it sourer. Before Su Wenyue's arrival, she had prided herself on having the best family background among the sister-in-laws. Now with Su Wenyue in the family, she felt like a disregarded weed, with everyone fawning over Su Wenyue and paying her no heed.
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Chapter 12: Chapter Twelve: Suspicious Red
"Third Daughter-in-law, don't be displeased with me, thinking I'm being unfair as a Mother-in-law. I've laid it out here for you, if you were as capable as Fourth Daughter-in-law, you wouldn't have to work in the fields either. There's a saying that goes, 'One's actions match one's abilities.' Being jealous of others is pointless." Mrs. Yang also felt that she had been sweet-talked and fooled by Mrs. Wang over time, and found it uncomfortable, taking the opportunity to give Mrs. Wang a lesson.
"Mother, I didn't." Mrs. Wang truly felt wronged now
"Alright, Mother, don't pick on my wife anymore. Look how aggrieved she is. We're supposed to go to the fields, aren't we? Let's hurry along." Han Lin may have been lacking in other areas, but he was good to his own wife. Seeing his birth mother picking on his wife, he quickly helped to smooth things over.
Mrs. Yang became even more uncomfortable in her heart when she saw her own son so biased in favor of his wife and blaming her. Third Child and Fourth Child were not the same; Third Child had never been decisive and was most likely instigated by his wife. Otherwise, he would not have spoken to her like that. Furthermore, thinking about how Third Daughter-in-law had been in the Han Family for four or five years without bearing a child, her heart felt even more blocked.
However, although Mrs. Yang was somewhat biased, she was not a wicked Mother-in-law. Although unhappy in her heart, she just hmphed and left with the hoe on her shoulder.
Seeing that the family members had all gone out to work in the field, Su Wenyue was not idle either. She cleaned up the house, then called Baofu into the room. First, she taught Baofu to recognize his own name and a few simple characters, asking Baofu to practice by writing and drawing with a stick in the dirt of the courtyard.
Baofu didn't even know the basics, like how to hold a pen, so using the stationery set she gave him would have been too wasteful. That's why Su Wenyue came up with this idea. Moreover, teaching Baofu to read was a spur-of-the-moment decision; she wasn't fully prepared. Su Wenyue thought about buying some introductory books for Baofu in town in a few days.
With the family out working, the task of cooking naturally fell to Su Wenyue. When the food was ready and she was about to send Baofu to call everyone for dinner, Old Man Han and the others returned. It was very hot outside today, and they all came back sweaty.
This afternoon, Han Yu didn't join the others to work but instead took a bow and arrow and gathered everything needed to head into the mountains. Su Wenyue looked at Han Yu with some surprise, "Are you going to the mountain?"
"Tomorrow you'll be returning to your mother's family. The gifts I should prepare are all ready, but I can't let them be much more than the Sisters-in-law's, or Mother would find it hard to handle. I thought of going to the mountain to see if I could hunt some animals to bring with me. Then nobody can say anything. Besides, doesn't Father-in-law love game? He will surely be happy to see it."
Su Wenyue thought to herself, how could Father-in-law not be delighted with the game his Son-in-law personally hunted to honor him? Initially, she didn't know which aspect of Han Yu had won Father-in-law's approval, insisting that she marry Han Yu, even though the overt reason was that her grandfather and Han Yu's grandfather had betrothed them to each other when they were kids, and Father-in-law was fulfilling the promise by marrying her to Han Yu.
But Su Wenyue knew her Father was not an obstinate man; he would not sacrifice his Daughter's lifelong happiness for a mere promise. Now, it seemed her Father's judgment was quite accurate; indeed, as her Father had said, Han Yu was not an ordinary man, and he was bound to achieve something in time. Her Father also said Han Yu was a man of responsibility and reliability.
Thinking about Han Yu's future achievements, if the Su Family had a good relationship with him from the start, he would surely look after them more in the future, wouldn't he? After all, although Han Yu was a cold person, he was also grateful and remembered favors. So she subtly spoke well of her family to him, "Of course. My Father likes you so much that he even valued you over me, his beloved Daughter since childhood. I don't know what he sees in you?!"
As Su Wenyue said this, her red lips pouted, her cheeks which still carried some baby fat puffed up slightly, and she looked dissatisfiedly at Han Yu. These words were tinged with a hint of jealousy, like a girl whose beloved possession had been snatched away.
Han Yu looked at his wife's jealous expression and surprisingly quite liked the feeling.
"Perhaps Father-in-law thinks this Son-in-law has a bright future, which is why he married his precious Daughter to me. Don't worry, I won't disappoint Father-in-law," Han Yu said half-jokingly, genuinely pleased to have his Father-in-law's approval, especially since this feeling of making his Wife jealous was not bad.
Su Wenyue, however, stared at Han Yu's smile as if it were a curiosity. In her previous life, although she'd been in the Han Family for three years, she'd hardly ever seen Han Yu smile. She always saw that same expressionless face, distant and cold, wasting such a handsome countenance.
"You look very handsome when you smile. You should smile more, not always keep such a stern face, it's not cute at all. No wonder the kids at home are afraid of you. Sometimes, even I'm a bit scared when you get angry, let alone the children. If you smiled more often, you'd surely charm a lot of girls. I've just realized how handsome my Husband actually is."
Su Wenyue said dreamily. Having experienced her previous life, she could hardly be considered a New Daughter-in-law in the strictest sense. She was more outspoken now, and there was nothing embarrassing about praising her own Husband,
Han Yu, however, did not respond to Su Wenyue, and the smile on his face vanished, reverting to his usual demeanor. After a brief greeting, he headed for the mountain. However, if you looked closely, his earlobes carried a suspicious hint of red.
Han Yu felt his young Wife, raised by Father-in-law and Mother-in-law, was indeed too simple and straightforward with her words, without any subtlety, her earlobes growing redder. Although his face was motionless, his eyes could not hide a hint of amusement. This was a man both (harmonious) and scheming.
During the afternoon, Su Wenyue sorted through her Dowry, and the several large red boxes prominent in the room were quite eye-catching. Which Bride in the area had such a respectable dowry? However, for the Su Family, such an ostensible dowry really didn't count for much, even less than her two Concubine sisters' dowries.
Although Su Wenyue was the most beloved Daughter of the Su Family, the only legitimate Daughter, she was not the only Daughter. She had two older half-sisters born of a Concubine. Mrs. Su, considering her Daughter's future, would never let her only Daughter be overshadowed by the concubine-born ones. After operating the family's affairs for most of her life, Mrs. Su understood what was truly important. Especially considering her Daughter was marrying a Farmer – if the dowry was too lavish, it might attract unwanted attention. The Concubine sisters would likely feel uncomfortable, and they might cause trouble for her Daughter behind her back,
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