It was a bright, sunny winter day—not cold, but definitely not warm either.

Ding Jiangchuan had apologized and now stood there awkwardly.

Leng Yuan paid him no mind.

So the awkwardness simply continued.

Leng Shuyue’s expression was ugly as well.

She didn’t think she had done anything wrong.

But her husband looked displeased, and the people around them were staring at her strangely.

Leng Shuyue thought they were all sick in the head.

Except for her husband.

She took a deep breath.

"Leng Yuan, I’m your paternal aunt. Would I ever try to harm you?"

"To attend your wedding banquet, your uncle and I specially took time off to come back. We even bought a pile of things. Is that not formal enough for you?"

"Is there anyone here who brought more gifts than I did?"

Leng Shuyue lifted her chin, a hint of pride in her expression.

Everyone was rendered speechless.

Just then, the accountant’s wife reminded her in a low voice, "Shuyue, before you got back, one of Leng Yuan’s brothers came by with gifts."

"He brought several bags of milk candies, fruit preserves, a small box of cured meat, two old hens, and several packs of snacks... There were two other boxes, but we couldn’t see what was inside."

"You only brought a bag of fruit, two jars of preserves, and two packs of snacks."

Normally, that gift wouldn’t be considered small.

It was even perfectly adequate as a wedding gift for Leng Yuan.

But you shouldn’t act like your gift was the best one here.

To put it bluntly,

anyone could afford to give the kind of gift Leng Shuyue brought, if they wanted to.

But the things Lu Yuanbin brought—like the cured meat, milk candies, fruit preserves, and old hens—were things that money couldn’t necessarily buy.

The milk candies and preserves required ration tickets.

Cured meat was an absolute rarity.

Not to mention the old hens, which cost two or three yuan each.

Ration tickets were hard to come by, and meat was even harder.

In this day and age, what family didn’t crave meat?

Lu Yuanbin was the one who had truly brought the most generous gift today.

Leng Shuyue stood frozen in place.

She wanted to say it was impossible.

’All those things must have cost several dozen yuan.’

’What kind of moron would give so much stuff?’

Fortunately, she didn’t say it out loud, merely standing there dumbly.

The adults watched Leng Shuyue without a word.

The bustling courtyard instantly fell silent.

Even the children playing off to the side noticed the strange atmosphere and quieted down.

Leng Shuyue and Ding Jiangchuan were mortified beyond belief. Ding Jiangchuan was so angry his head throbbed.

’When have I ever been this embarrassed? That Leng Yuan is so tactless. And all over a house! Shouldn’t the younger generation be filial to their elders? What’s there to complain about, letting your elders live in your house?’

Thinking of the time when her eldest brother was still around, Leng Shuyue couldn’t help but speak up.

"Leng Yuan, your father was the most filial son to your grandmother. He was also exceptionally good to your second and third uncles’ families. It was your father who found jobs for your cousins Brother Man Cang, Brother Man Garden, Brother Fengshou, and Manqiu. By acting like this, aren’t you just breaking your father’s heart?"

A muscle in Leng Yuan’s brow twitched, his eyes filled with mockery.

Gu Jiaojiao, standing off to the side, nearly burst out laughing.

’The nerve of her to say that. Absolutely shameless.’

According to Leng Yuan, her father-in-law had not been an easy-going man. He had done all those things back then to secure some peace and quiet for his own family, not so these people could bully his son.

If her father-in-law were still alive, he would probably be the one teaching these people a lesson himself.

Leng Yuan spoke, holding nothing back.

"You are not qualified to mention my dad. Do I need to remind you how you got your current job?"

Did they really think Leng Shuyue had been lucky enough to become an official’s wife on her own?

When Leng Shuyue was a young, unmarried woman at home, she had always been ambitious but lazy. She looked down on the village boys but had no skills of her own. She was a poor student and spent her days at home eating and avoiding work.

One time, she went to the County Town, ran into Ding Jiangchuan, and immediately decided she wanted to be with him.

But Ding Jiangchuan’s parents looked down on Leng Shuyue completely.

The Ding Family had a County Town household registration, and Ding Jiangchuan had a job. He could have chosen a wife from a family of similar social standing.

Leng Shuyue cried and pleaded at home, begging Leng Junsheng—that is, Leng Yuan’s father. In the end, Leng Junsheng found her a minor clerical job, and only then did the Ding Family finally agree to the match.