Chen Song pointed at the old lady and Chen Dachang sitting under the awning. Chen Bai braced himself and, with a stiff expression, went over to greet them.

The old lady and Chen Dachang had been ready since early morning, just waiting for Chen Song to come to their door and formally invite them.

On his daughter’s wedding day, Chen Song couldn’t possibly let the old couple be absent. Even with the friction with Zhao Jing’s family, it had been previously agreed that while the wedding could dispense with the rite of bowing to the grandparents, the old couple themselves had to make an appearance. Otherwise, it would be a social embarrassment.

The old couple knew this full well and were putting on airs, waiting for Chen Song to humble himself. Chen Song did just that, smoothly inviting them in. But then the old lady’s stubborn streak flared up, and she refused to go inside.

She was still grumbling that the couple would rather spend their silver on their daughter’s dowry than help out Chen Lin.

The things she said, both directly and indirectly, were so unpleasant that they made the helpers who’d come for the wedding frown.

Xu Su Ying, however, refused to indulge the old couple. She let them talk, but the idea of them getting even a single coin from her purse was out of the question.

As for the old lady sitting outside and refusing to come in, that was even better. It saved everyone from having to walk on eggshells around her, unable to even speak freely.

The old couple truly detested Chen Bai, not even bothering to show him a shred of courtesy in public.

When Chen Bai went over and called out, "Father, Mother," Chen Dachang just puffed on his long-stemmed pipe without deigning to answer. The old lady’s face was a stony mask, and she looked ready to spout something unpleasant.

Mrs. Qian was not about to let that slide. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

She immediately put on a smile, greeted the old couple, and then deftly changed the subject, calling out loudly to an auntie who had asked a question earlier, "It’s my own niece’s wedding! How could I come empty-handed? A piece of silver is just plain ugly and tacky. And those flimsy silver earrings and rings look cheap when you wear them out. So, I got my dear niece a set of seed pearl jewelry—it will perfectly complement our Wanqing’s beauty."

The old lady’s expression didn’t change, but her ears had perked right up. When she heard it was a set of seed pearl jewelry, she couldn’t help but sneer.

’How much could tiny seed pearls possibly be worth?’

’The second son’s wife is all talk. That stuff probably isn’t even worth a single piece of silver.’

’Just as I thought. The second son’s wife specializes in these kinds of flashy but worthless gestures.’

What the old lady didn’t know, however, was that as soon as they entered the west room, Mrs. Qian pulled a rectangular jewelry box from her sleeve and thrust it into Chen Wanqing’s hands. "This is your Second Aunt’s addition to your dowry. Hold on to it."

Xu Su Ying immediately said, "You must have spent far too much again."

Only Mrs. Ying was in the room, and she teased, "Quick, let me see these seed pearls! Are they set in gold or silver? Oh, my goodness, they really are set in gold!"

It was indeed a set of seed pearl jewelry: a hairpin, earrings, a ring, and a forehead chain—a complete four-piece set fashioned into the shape of lilac blossoms. Apart from the pearls themselves, the settings were all solid gold. This had to be worth several taels of gold.

Paired with the perfectly round and lustrous seed pearls, the design was both unique and elegant. It looked beautiful no matter how you looked at it.

Mrs. Ying, of course, launched into another round of praise, while Mrs. Qian urged Xu Su Ying to have Wanqing put the set away safely.

"I didn’t dare say it was set in gold outside," Mrs. Qian said. "I was afraid that when Wanyue gets married, the old lady would demand I buy an identical set for her. Pah! What kind of relationship do I have with the third branch? I’d never be willing to spend that much on a gift for them."

"Besides, Wanyue has such plain features, it wouldn’t look good on her anyway. This jewelry is perfect for our Wanqing. The pearls might be small, but they’re uniform in size and have a beautiful luster. Wanqing’s beauty is so vibrant—wearing this set, she’ll look absolutely radiant and noble."

Yuzhu, standing nearby, nodded enthusiastically. "My mother and I picked it out together. We fell in love with it the moment we saw it! If Elder Sister hadn’t already put on her jewelry, she should be wearing this set. She would look even more dignified and dazzling—it would take my brother-in-law’s breath away the second he saw her."

Then she asked, "Elder Sister, is the gold set you’re wearing the one Brother-in-law gave you for your engagement? It’s beautiful! My brother-in-law not only has excellent taste in people, but his taste in gifts is just as good."

Mrs. Ying laughed. "You must be Yuzhu. I’ve heard your First Aunt sing your praises many times. You’re just as clever and charming as she described, and so adorable. We can’t risk making your cousin look any more beautiful, though! What if the groom is so stunned he walks right into a wall? When I walked in today and saw her, I thought a goddess had descended to the mortal realm. Her face, her attire... I was absolutely dazzled."

Chen Wanqing was already fully dressed and adorned for her wedding.

Dressed in her wedding attire, with her brows and eyes artfully made up, the beauty she had once deliberately concealed was now on full display.

Xu Su Ying had personally styled her hair and applied her makeup.

Xu Su Ying had little regard for the bridal makeup done by others. They always caked on so much powder and rouge, completely masking the bride’s natural beauty until she looked like a ghost.