CHAPTER 80: CHAPTER 078 GIVING HIS WIFE A FACIAL [190+ VOTES]

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The next day, Zhang Shanni and her husband got up early. Each went their separate ways at the door; Xie Jingchen went up the mountain to check on the hunting pits while Zhang Shanni headed to the front yard’s kitchen to help her mother-in-law prepare breakfast.

After breakfast, accompanied by Zhou Xiuhua and Xie Tiesheng, Xie Jingchen and Zhang Shanni visited the Xie Family Ancestral Hall, arriving at exactly nine in the morning.

Given that there were sixteen senior kinsmen to visit just from the paternal side of the family, interacting with peers was relatively simple—just giving them sweets was sufficient. Of course, if there were male elders, they would also need to distribute cigarettes.

Early in the morning, the ancestral hall was crowded with adults and children. As Xie Tiesheng was senior in age, the elders of his generation were at least seventy years old, making him the youngest among his peers.

Xie Jingchen had two baskets on his back, both filled with gifts he and his young wife had prepared. In those days, not even disposable bags were available, and newspapers in the village were in high demand. Fortunately, Xie Tiesheng still maintained some influence, so there was a small pile of newspapers at home. Last night, after returning home, Zhang Shanni had carefully wrapped each family’s gifts.

While the wrapping was nothing fancy, each gift was meticulously organized by family, ensuring no mix-ups—a more systematic approach that both Mr. Xie and Elder Tiesheng implicitly approved.

As for candies and pastries, Zhang Shanni could handle such minor matters herself. Materials were incredibly scarce; even sugar required tickets, and it took considerable effort from Old Xie to gather enough sugar tickets to allocate half a kilo to each of the sixteen families.

In that era, sugar was considered a luxury. Watching mountains of sugar bags piling up in the Space left Zhang Shanni both amused and speechless. What left her speechless was the crudeness of the old-time sugar—it wasn’t the fine, white powder, but rather a light yellow granular substance. The lower-quality white sugar came in small, thumb-sized clumps which were difficult to work with!

Well-known southern native snacks included rice biscuits, puffed rice, fried rice cakes, sweet cakes, etc., all of which were fragrant, crispy, sweet, and delicious hard snacks.

However, at that time, grains were considered precious food. She felt embarrassed to ask her mother-in-law for grains to make hard biscuits, so she took some sweet potatoes from the cellar and smuggled some flour, sugar, and oil from the Space. To make the sweet potato biscuits more fragrant, crisp, and sweet, Zhang Shanni mixed the sugar and flour by herself.

By the time she finished making the sweet potato biscuits, the aroma excited Xiao San and Xiao Liu so much that they ate four or five pieces each, stuffing their little bellies until they could fit no more.

Now, the only ones living in the Xie household were Xiao San and Xiao Liu. The rest of the nephews had returned to their grandmother’s house, which considerably lightened Zhang Shanni’s load. After all, the amount she had to prepare for the relatives alone was substantial, and if all the nephews were home, the quantity would need to increase by another twenty percent.

There’s an old saying: "Teenage boys can eat their parents out of house and home." It refers to boys from Xiao Yi to Xiao San’s ages, who, being in the midst of growth, have bottomless stomachs, eating much and frequently. Indeed, they could eat up the entire family wealth.

The family recognition banquet was quite simple. Accompanied by Xie Tiesheng with Xie Jingchen and Zhang Shan Ni offering incense to Xie Family ancestors, the Clan Leader then wrote Zhang Shan Ni’s name next to Xie Jingchen’s name on the wife’s position, and with just a few words, it was completed.

After that, wherever Zhang Shan Ni went with Xie Jingchen, upon meeting elder family members, she would respectfully perform filial piety, and then would address the people, fulfilling the ceremonial customs.

These past two years, situations have improved, the era of destroying the old has receded, and the Xie Family Ancestral Hall has once again opened its doors. Relatives also dare to come here to offer incense to our solemn ancestors with joy. If not for Zhang Shan Ni’s strong spiritual power, ordinary people really couldn’t recognize all these members of the Xie Family.

It was truly a joyous occasion, not only did people from old and middle generations attend, but also the younger ones who didn’t need to be in school gathered around Xie Jingchen forming a large circle. Zhang Shan Ni took out a big bundle and distributed the large sugar cubes she had bought the day before, which she secretly divided into smaller pieces the previous night. Now, each child who called them husband and wife received a piece of candy.

For this candy, the old lady grumbled all last night, saying that San’er was too extravagant.

Zhou Xiuhua felt it inappropriate to comment on Zhang Shan Ni, the new daughter-in-law. In her view, if not for her own San’er’s approval, where could Zhang Shan Ni get the money to buy sugar cubes? Ultimately, it was San’er giving face to his wife, being so generous!

Looking at the big bundle of candy, which cost nearly five pieces of currency, Old Mrs. Zhou felt a pang in her heart and furiously pounded Xie Jingchen to vent her frustration.

The young lads, seeing that they received candy for addressing the couple, the surrounding crowd did not diminish but increased, as they loudly called out "Uncle, Auntie!"

Xie Jingchen, observing his little wife’s act of winning hearts, secretly commended her. It was just a small amount of money, but it got these monkeys to recognize her, and their parents and grandparents, seeing the little wife’s thoughtful actions and receiving a piece of candy, probably wouldn’t be too harsh on her.

Zhang Shan Ni’s thinking was unlike the people of this era; in her eyes, these were just small candies and cigarettes, but in the rural eyes of this time, they were valuable snacks. In the entire Qing Mountain Team, few daughters-in-law were as generous as she was. It was merely a family recognition banquet, yet she brought out such high-grade gifts and even offered candy, tobacco, and tea, proving her to be a perceptive person.

People from the future, after all, do not blend with this progressive era; in the future, these items are not valuable, and usually, both husband and wife manage separately, unlike now where once married, the family’s finances are generally managed by the wife. If the mother-in-law is tough and the family does not separate, then it is up to the mother-in-law to manage.

Although Xie Tiesheng’s family has not yet separated, each of his sons turns in their work grain on a fixed monthly basis. Like Fifth, who has no income, returns home during the busy farming season to help support the family. Those sons who have an income generally turn in half of their work grain for the family’s collective use.

Before getting married, Xie Jingchen had always sent a large portion of his monthly grain back home, leaving only enough for his own use. He didn’t spend much money while in the military. His smoking habits were minor; he smoked when he had cigarettes and was okay without them. He drank well, but was not a drunkard; he would abstain from drinking unless it was necessary.

He remembered well, drinking leads to trouble. Moreover, as one of the only two in the regiment’s Great Rong Guards who hadn’t married, no one would pressure him to host a feast. After all, he was a single man; where would he find a woman to prepare a table full of dishes?

Now seeing Zhang Shan Ni handle these domestic affairs so adeptly, it made him even more eager. He made up his mind that once they returned, he would file a report to have his little wife accompany him among Sui Rong’s subordinates.