Liang Jin smiled and said, "Fine. You all should stay for two more nights. We have plenty of food prepared at home, so please, Big Sister, feel free to stay."
Seeing how kind he was, Big Sister Liang smiled and replied, "I know you're good to us, but staying one night is enough. Otherwise, my mother-in-law might have something to say if I go back a day late."
Being a daughter-in-law, she didn't have the same freedom she had at her maiden home.
Liang Jin knew that Big Sister's mother-in-law was very old-fashioned, so he didn't want to make things difficult for her and said nothing more.
He walked over, patted his two nephews on the head, and asked them about their studies with a smile.
The two nephews had been raised by Big Sister Liang to be well-mannered, looking very much like children from a scholarly family.
Because Brother-in-law Chen was a *xiucai* (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial exam), the Chen family was highly respected by their clansmen. Naturally, Big Sister Liang had to educate her children well so as not to drag the family name down.
That was why the two children were so refined in front of their uncle, not at all mischievous like other boys.
Seeing how well-behaved they were, Liang Jin stuffed a lucky pouch into each of their hands.
Brother-in-law Chen smiled and said there was no need, "Don't give them anything; we have plenty at home." Liang Jin laughed, "Brother-in-law, don't refuse. It’s just to bring the children some joy."
Once he said that, there was naturally no need for further back-and-forth, and the children said politely, "Thank you, Second Uncle."
Liang Jin patted their heads with satisfaction and told them there was no need to thank him.
Old Madam Liang watched from the side, feeling very warmed. She said to Liang Jin, "Look at how good your son is. Since you don't have to study right now, try to have another son with your wife."
Three would be best; one is hardly enough.
Liang Jin:...
They were just talking, and she had to bring up having sons again.
Especially with Big Sister and her husband still there, Liang Jin felt quite awkward.
"Mother, please stop. What are you planning to eat tonight?"
It had just turned dark, so he figured the family was only just about to start dinner.
Old Madam Liang assumed he hadn't eaten at the Wu household and immediately looked displeased. "What? Did you come back on an empty stomach?"
Liang Jin replied, "Of course not. I ate quite a lot before I left, and my stomach hasn't even digested it yet."
As he spoke, he showed Old Madam Liang his slightly distended belly.
Old Madam Liang glanced at it, snorted, and continued to nitpick, "Eating so much just as it gets dark—aren't you afraid of indigestion? You don't know how to take care of yourself at all, honestly."
Liang Jin was truly impressed by his mother; she could find fault with anything.
"Well, my mother-in-law was just worried I'd be hungry on the road. She meant well."
Old Madam Liang was about to retort when Big Sister Liang came over and said, "Alright, alright. It's the New Year; stop speaking ill of the in-laws. I think the Wu family is quite good."
"Second Brother, the food the Wu family gave you must have been very sumptuous, right?"
Big Sister Liang was quite tactful. She knew that her brother would eventually take over the household, and if he took over, that meant his wife, the Wu woman, would take over. When their mother grew old, it would be the Wu woman taking care of her.
Therefore, one had to leave a way out for oneself.
Liang Jin liked that his sister was a sensible person, so he smiled and said, "You guessed right, Sister. My mother-in-law made twelve hearty dishes at noon. I ate so much I wished I had an extra stomach. The taste was incredible."
As Liang Jin was talking, he suddenly remembered, "Oh, no."
When he left, his mother-in-law had packed several pounds of smoked meat and ham for him to bring back to his sister, but he had been so happy that he’d forgotten. He hurried out to find the carriage.
Fortunately, the young man driving the carriage had noticed the cured meat inside and quickly brought it back to him.
Liang Jin thanked him profusely and gave him a few extra coins as a tip.
The man accepted with a smile and said to call him again next time he needed a ride, which Liang Jin agreed to with a laugh.
He happily brought the smoked meat and ham back and handed them to Big Sister Liang.
"Big Sister, my mother-in-law asked me to bring these back for you. This smoked meat and ham are incredibly fragrant."
In this day and age, being able to give meat and rice was a sign of a solid relationship.
Mother Wu knew that Big Sister Liang was a good person, which was why she specifically sent the smoked meat and ham.
Big Sister Liang also felt the Wu family was good and accepted them with a smile. "Thank you so much to the in-laws. They give so much every time."
If you asked her, her brother had made a good match. The whole Wu family were good people with excellent character; she was very satisfied.
Seeing her bought over by such small favors, Old Madam Liang snorted childishly, "I prepared so much for you today, and I didn't hear you praise me once. You only know how to praise others."
Big Sister Liang was amused by her. "We're mother and daughter, aren't we? What need is there for thanks between us? Don't you agree?"
Old Madam Liang was reluctantly amused and finally told the kitchen to serve the meal.
"Fine. Finish this meal, eat one last one tomorrow, and then go back to your husband's house. Don't stay here and annoy me."
Big Sister Liang smiled and said, "Yes, yes. I'm a nuisance. I won't come back next time."
Old Madam Liang glared at her, and then they all sat down to eat.
The evening was lively. Big Sister Liang sat with her husband, the children sat obediently at the table, and Liang Qing, as the youngest daughter, sat next to Old Madam Liang.
Since Liang Jin had eaten his fill at his in-laws', he didn't eat, opting instead to drink some hawthorn tea to aid digestion.
The family chatted while they ate.
Big Sister Liang looked at Liang Qing and said, "Mother, Little Sister will be fourteen after the New Year. Shouldn't we start looking for a match for her?"
Although girls in town usually married at sixteen or seventeen, one had to look early to avoid being in a rush when the time came and failing to find a good husband.
Old Madam Liang was also concerned about this and said, "I'm looking, but nothing has been quite to my liking yet."
Though she favored sons over daughters, her daughter was still her own flesh and blood. She couldn't just marry her off to anyone, or it would ruin the girl's life.
"A lot of people came to ask during the New Year, but I didn't think any of them were very good. I was thinking, perhaps we should wait until your brother passes the *xiucai* exam before finding a match for your sister. We should be able to find someone with better conditions then."
Big Sister Liang thought for a moment and said, "Conditions are secondary; the most important thing is that the person's character is good. Look at the in-laws' second daughter—didn't she marry a lazy bum?"
They only dared to say this because the Wu woman wasn't home; otherwise, they wouldn't discuss the Wu family's affairs.
Old Madam Liang nodded. "That's true. The family background just needs to be similar to ours, but the parents-in-law must be good."
If the elders in the family had poor character, the younger ones would inevitably be crooked too.
She had to consider this carefully.
Liang Jin also said, "We do need to look carefully. There's no rush. Let's look at a few more families; we'll find a suitable one eventually."
Old Madam Liang didn't want to marry her youngest daughter off in a hurry, so she naturally wanted to vet more families.
Just the day before, several families on the street had come to inquire.
But they knew those families, and the mothers-in-law there were all gossips.
With a mother-in-law like that, nine out of ten would make life difficult for their daughters-in-law. She didn't want to marry her youngest daughter into such a family.
Liang Jin asked, "Big Sister, do you have any good candidates on your side?"
Big Sister Liang shook her head. "Not yet. I've been busy taking care of the house and haven't had time to look. I'll check when I go back. But Mother, are you willing to marry Little Sister off to the next town over?"
Old Madam Liang was, of course, reluctant. She said, "Forget it, closer is better. She has a soft temperament, and I'm afraid she'll be bullied if she marries far away. I'll only be at ease if she's right in front of me."
(End of chapter)