Just as Zhao Jing turned to leave, a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK sounded from the door.

"Jing, what are you dawdling for? Everyone’s waiting for your toast. Hurry up and come out!" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

His Second Aunt’s voice followed immediately. "What’s all the shouting? Do you think Jing doesn’t know what he’s doing? I’m sure he’ll be right out. Stop knocking, or you’ll draw a crowd."

Chuckles and laughter came from outside, along with his Second Aunt’s playful scolding. Zhao Jing paused, then turned back to Chen Wanqing. "I have to go out now," he said. "I’ll have Xiang’er come keep you company later."

The door slid open and shut. Soon, the sounds of chattering and good-natured teasing resumed outside.

A moment later, the footsteps faded away, leaving Chen Wanqing all alone in the new room.

Finally able to relax, she stood up to walk around and take in the layout of the room.

In truth, it was a very ordinary room.

Against the far wall stood a canopy bed. To suit the occasion, it was spread with a red quilt embroidered with mandarin ducks, a symbol of a loving couple. A curtain with a pattern of sprawling vines and gourds—a wish for many children—hung from the frame.

Beside the bed was a writing desk. On a normal day, it would have held writing implements and books, but now it was laden with several plates holding peanuts, red dates, longans, and lotus seeds.

Opposite the door, a row of bookshelves stood against the wall, filled with neatly arranged books. Beside the bookshelves was a small daybed.

The daybed resembled a chaise longue, and on closer inspection, it looked familiar. ’Isn’t this the very one Mr. Zhao was so fond of using all those years ago?’

Mr. Zhao had been frail. After a full day of teaching, he would often be so exhausted he would pant for breath.

Whenever that happened, Mrs. Zhao would have him lie on the chaise longue to rest while she brewed a pot of red date and longan tea to restore his vitality.

By the time he finished the tea, Mr. Zhao would usually have recovered.

Zhao Jing must have moved the chaise longue into the east room to prevent Mrs. Zhao from seeing it and being overcome by grief.

"Sister-in-law, are you in there? It’s Xiang’er. I’ve brought you dinner. Could you open the door for me?"

Chen Wanqing heard the voice and quickly went to the door.

When she slid the door open, a small, beaming face appeared. Who else could it be but Xiang’er?

The girl was tiny, yet she held a fairly large tray. On it was a bowl of shredded chicken noodles, four small side dishes, and two small pastries.

"Why did you bring so much? You’re so small, what if you had dropped it?"

Chen Wanqing quickly took the tray from her and invited her in to eat together.

Xiang’er shook her head. "This is your dinner. Older Brother said you didn’t eat properly today and needed something easy to digest tonight. Please, you eat it. I’ll eat outside later."

"This is too much, I can’t possibly finish it all. Go get another bowl and a pair of chopsticks. We can eat together. Just keep me company, alright?"

Of course, Xiang’er nodded.

She then went outside to get a bowl and chopsticks, let Mrs. Zhao know, and then ran back in excitedly to eat with Chen Wanqing.

Seeing Xiang’er enter the newlywed’s room, the Eldest Aunt grasped Mrs. Zhao’s hand. "Bringing this daughter-in-law into the family was absolutely the right choice. You and your daughter both like her, and Jing does too. When a family is this harmonious, there’s no way your lives won’t be good."

"That’s what I think, too. To be honest, it feels like a dream. I’ve been walking on air all day."

"It’ll feel normal in time. Once you’re used to it, you’ll see what a great blessing it is for our family to have Wanqing."

...

In the new room, Chen Wanqing divided the shredded chicken noodles, giving a smaller portion to Xiang’er and keeping the larger one for herself.

’Xiang’er is little and has a small appetite; she doesn’t eat much to begin with. Plus, it’s late now. I can’t let her eat too much. It would be terrible if she got a stomachache from overeating.’

As the two sisters-in-law ate, Xiang’er chattered on about everything that had happened in the last couple of days.

She started by saying how her older brother had been so busy he hadn’t had a moment’s rest, and then how their mother had been so happy she’d spent a long time talking before their father’s memorial tablet. In the middle of her story, she also mentioned that Chen Wanyue had come over yesterday.

"You saw Wanyue? What did she come here for?"

Xiang’er said, "She came looking for my mother and told her that you’re infertile. It made my mother furious."

Xiang’er had gone to bed early the previous night, but she hadn’t gotten undressed. The adults had been busy, and she just couldn’t stay awake any longer, so she’d fallen asleep right at the table.

When her mother was talking to her older brother, she was jolted awake by a full bladder. She overheard a few words, and it made her so furious that she even smashed a teacup on the table.

The crash startled her mother and older brother, and only then did they see her, her face a mixture of anger and sleepiness.

Her mother and older brother had both warned her not to tell anyone else. They were afraid that if the rumors spread, people might start to believe them, which would harm her new sister-in-law.