13 Chapter Thirteen: Somewhat Amusing


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    If her daughter had married into a good family, Mrs. Su An wouldnt be worried, but her son-inw was nothing but a farmerhow could he protect her precious daughter! In her heart, Mrs. Su An resented Master Su for stubbornly adhering to some foolish agreement,pletely disregarding his daughters happiness and marrying her off to such a man. What sort of good life could she expect in the future? She always imed to love Lady Yue the most, but in the end, it was the concubines daughters of lower status who somehow married well. Thinking about this made her feel suffocated with frustration.


    Nevertheless, now that her daughter was to be married off, Mrs. An ensured that everything possible was arranged for her daughter. Although Su Wenyues dowry appeared to be just a few boxes of items, looking somewhat humbleand some even spected whether she fell out of favor at homethe truth beneath was another story.


    What most saw was merely the surface. The illegitimate daughters had an ostentatious wedding, with one dowry chest after another, yet the contents were standard fabrics, porcin, and the like, nothing particrly valuable.


    In contrast, Su Wenyues few boxes, though seeming modest, were filled with treasures. Mrs. An had almost emptied the familys stores to fill these chests with items such as premium medicinal materials rarely found on the market, ancient antiques, the most fashionable and beautiful cloths, including some contributed to the court, and several sets of gold and silver jewelry made in the Capital Citys finest Silver Store, all exquisitely beautiful. Though her daughters current status rendered such items unnecessary, it was good to be prepared, and with that, she nearly filled severalrge chests.


    To avoid drawing too much attention, Mrs. An had to convert the rest into banknotes. Originally nning to give Su Wenyue a couple thousand silver coins for the bottom of her box, sheter reconsidered her daughters naive nature with money, fearing it would either be quickly squandered or swindled away.


    After discussing with Master Su, they decided to leave only one thousand taels of silver for Su Wenyues dowry and used the rest to buy a Zhuangzi for her. The Zhuangzi wasnt far from the Town so it would be convenient to manage if Su Wenyue and her husband moved there. Fearing his daughters ignorance with farm affairs, and to prevent the staff from deceiving her, Master Su assigned a loyal old servant to manage the Zhuangzi on her behalf, ensuring not only that she wouldnt squander the property but also guaranteeing an annual ie.


    In her previous life, Su Wenyue, resentful towards her parents, had not even wanted to look at her dowry, carelessly using it when needed and even gifting much away, cheapening her parents heartfelt efforts. Back then, she had been raised too naively, with little understanding of money, oblivious to the richness of her familial support. Reflecting now, she felt a blend of gratitude and guilt.


    When Han Yu returned home in the evening, his hunt was fruitful. Not only had he caught a muntjac weighing over twenty pounds, but his traps in the mountains also captured several pheasants and hares, a bountiful harvest indeed. Thinking it over on the way back, he only brought the pheasants and hares home, leaving the muntjac at his good brother Chen Shuangs ce halfway up the mountain, nning to retrieve it the next day. Chen Shuang, orphaned from birth and unmarried, was tight-lipped, so there was no worry about leaks.


    Han Yu didnt want concerns over his daughter-inws return to her mothers family to upset his household. After all, such game could fetch a decent sum of silver if sold at the Towns restaurant. His sister-inw and third sister-inw would surely be envious. It wasnt that he cared much, but he didnt want Mrs. Yang to feel ufortable, possibly leading to resentment towards his daughter-inw.


    Han Yu understood his mother well. Though she seemed kind to his daughter-inw now, it was only for certain reasons. They hadnt been together long enough for true family bonds to form, and if she felt her son sided too much with his wife, forgetting his own family, she would certainly stop being so agreeable.


    How had Han Yu, in his previous life, risen from a humble farmer to a high-ranking official? Although he appeared cold and stern, his thoughts were meticulous and he was adept at gauging others hearts. Currently willing to consider everything for his daughter-inw, he had managed to arrange everything so well that even the unmentionable content was harmonized.


    By the time Han Yu arrived home, Su Wenyue was still organizing her boxes, categorizing the trousseau contents ording to the list, separating the needed from the unneeded. Previously, such tasks were handled by servant girls, but now she had to sort through it all herself, which was no easy task. Luckily, Mrs. Li hade home early today, so she didnt have to prepare dinner, allowing her to focus on sorting these items.


    Mrs. Li hade home early at Mrs. Yangs suggestion. Firstly, before Su Wenyue was married into the Han Family, she agreed with her wifes parents home that Su Wenyue need not be involved in such work. Additionally, while the family wasnt prosperous, and although they werentcking basic needs, life was tight. Everything from oil and salt to rice and flour was calcted daily. Although the daughter-inw was skilled in making delicious meals, they were also costly. A jar of oil intended for several days was almost depleted by Su Wenyue after just two meals, and the rice and flour were also noticeably lessened. The household couldnt afford such extravagance.


    Actually, that was Su Wenyue being conservative, considering the Han Familys situation. Mrs. Yang was too embarrassed to voice her thoughts directly to Su Wenyuewho had married into a more affluent family, had been lenient about many things, and surely could not be begrudged a little oil and rice flour. So Mrs. Yang decided it was better to have the daughter-inw cook less often. With several daughters-inw at home, it was enough for the youngest to teach the children and embroider.


    While Su Wenyue had suffered much in her previous life, she never had to be thrifty with such essential items. No Wealthy Family evercked such basics, and even when she was begrudged, it was never in this manner, which is why she never noticed Mrs. Yangs thoughts.


    Han Yu, upon hearing that Mrs. Li hade home specially to cook and putting the pieces together, somewhat understood the situation and found it amusing. Yet, he felt this arrangement to be favorablehis wife, with her delicate skin, should be taken care of. She had not been married to him long enough to have her worn down by hardships. Thus, even with his clear understanding, he didnt reveal his insights, allowing his wife to think it was her mother-inws considerationa nice misunderstanding.