The little pony quietly landed on the treetops of the village. After a while, it flew back to report. The men in black had turned the village upside down before leaving with curses. Judging by the direction they left, they were heading towards Doctor Jin's medical clinic.
No one in the village was injured.
Jiang Wan finally relaxed, but a sense of lingering fear gnawed at her.
Fortunately, that day she had moved Gu Chenzhou to the county inn because she found hiding him troublesome. Otherwise, would her family have survived tonight?
Gu Chenzhou and his master were too dangerous. Their small mountain village was merely situated at the foot of the mountain where they lived in seclusion, yet the entire village had brushed past death.
She couldn't get any more involved with Gu Chenzhou and his kind. If their secret were ever exposed, these men in black would surely kill her too.
It had been less than ten days since Yan Li left, with more than twenty days remaining. Would there truly be no other accidents during this time?
Was that inn really safe?
Jiang Wan felt uncertain.
However, she also felt a pang of guilt at the thought of abandoning Gu Chenzhou, this source of trouble.
Where could she hide this person to ensure his true safety?
Jiang Wan was so shaken that she couldn't sleep at all. With great difficulty, she endured until dawn. Before her family woke up, she crept into the horse stable and restored Xiao Hong and Xiao Hei to their original state.
Just as she finished, Erlang's door opened.
Zhang Qiaoxiu emerged from the room, dressed in new clothes, seemingly heading for the kitchen.
Jiang Wan called out to her, "Second sister-in-law, why are you up so early?"
Zhang Qiaoxiu was startled. She thought everyone else was still asleep. Hearing the address "second sister-in-law" made her face blush again.
"I couldn't sleep, so I got up to make breakfast. Wanwan, why are you up so early too?"
Jiang Wan lied without batting an eye, "I got up to use the outhouse. Second sister-in-law, you must have been exhausted last night, you don't need to get up so early."
Zhang Qiaoxiu's face turned crimson at the thought of last night. She wanted to say she wasn't tired, but her body did feel a dull ache.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Wan understood perfectly.
Although she was young in her previous life, she knew what she needed to know. She took Zhang Qiaoxiu's hand and transferred her last bit of supernatural ability to her. "Second sister-in-law, you're not familiar with the things in the house yet. Come, I'll take you to the kitchen to see, so you don't have trouble finding things."
Zhang Qiaoxiu eagerly followed her into the kitchen, completely unaware that the soreness in her body had significantly lessened.
Jiang Wan led Zhang Qiaoxiu into the kitchen, explained everything about the contents of the kitchen, and then sat by the stove to help Zhang Qiaoxiu with the fire.
As soon as she sat down, Erlang came running over.
Upon seeing him, Zhang Qiaoxiu's face, which had just returned to normal, flushed red again.
The air was thick with the scent of public displays of affection.
Jiang Wan wisely got up and handed the task of tending the fire to Erlang.
She walked out of the kitchen and looked back. The newlywed couple were gazing at each other, then blushing shyly, their eyes filled with tender affection. Jiang Wan found it a bit overwhelming.
Shaking off the goosebumps, Jiang Wan hurried back to her room.
Zhang Qiaoxiu was very quick and neat in her movements. Before long, she had prepared breakfast.
Before the meal, Zhang Qiaoxiu brewed a pot of tea, preparing to serve it to her in-laws and elder siblings-in-law.
Although they had held the wedding ceremony yesterday, the bride's tea ceremony was extremely important. Only after drinking this tea would the daughter-in-law be truly accepted and welcomed.
After Chen Yuezhi and Jiang Pan drank the tea, they gave Zhang Qiaoxiu a red envelope.
"Take this money and buy whatever you like. However, don't be too extravagant. Our Jiang family is not a wealthy one, so we must still prioritize thrift."
Zhang Qiaoxiu glanced at Erlang.
Erlang grinned foolishly, "Just take what Mother gives you."
Zhang Qiaoxiu then accepted it with both hands, "Thank you, Mother."
Then she presented the gifts she had prepared earlier. "Mother, I made a pair of shoes for you and Father. My skills are crude, please don't dislike them."
The wedding was rushed, with less than a month from engagement to marriage. Zhang Qiaoxiu had stayed up late in the days leading up to the wedding to make these two pairs of shoes.
Her needlework was good, but it seemed crude compared to Su Shi's, so she was very anxious when she presented them.
Chen Yuezhi smiled and accepted them, looking at the carefully embroidered patterns. "Your thoughtfulness is what matters most. Go and pay your respects to your elder brother, sister-in-law, and brothers."
Zhang Qiaoxiu then turned to pay her respects to Dalang and his wife.
Su Shi, with her pregnant belly, helped her up. "Get up quickly. We sisters-in-law don't need to be so formal. This is the gift I prepared for you. See if you like it."
Su Shi presented a set of clothes made of fine cotton in a lake-blue color, which was very flattering.
Zhang Qiaoxiu was naturally very pleased. She then presented her own gift, a set of children's clothes.
Su Shi liked them very much and accepted them with a smile.
When it was Sanlang's turn, Sanlang first served tea to Zhang Qiaoxiu.
Zhang Qiaoxiu presented an inkstone. Although it was inexpensive, it was a gesture of goodwill. Sanlang accepted it carefully and thanked her solemnly.
After Jiang Wan finished serving tea, she received a goose-yellow dress. "I'll go change into it right away."
Chen Yuezhi smiled and tapped her nose. "You're always so eager to show off. You can't even wait for it to pass the night."
Jiang Wan tilted her head. "This is the first piece of clothing my second sister-in-law gave me. If I weren't afraid of spilling oil on it during the meal, I would be wearing it now."
Hearing this, Zhang Qiaoxiu felt very happy.
Before her marriage yesterday, her mother had repeatedly instructed her to treat this sister-in-law well, saying that the sister-in-law was doted on at home and should be tolerated even if she was a bit willful and mischievous.
But how was she willful or mischievous? She was clearly very considerate.
The family happily put away their gifts and sat down to eat breakfast.
Shortly after they started eating, Wang Hongye arrived.
Everyone quickly invited Wang Hongye to sit down and eat with them. Wang Hongye politely declined, saying she had already eaten at home.
After the family finished breakfast, Wang Hongye helped clear the dishes. Seeing Chen Yuezhi preparing to go to the medical clinic, she hurried after her.
"Sister-in-law Jiang, wait a moment."
Chen Yuezhi stopped. "What is it, Hongye? Is something wrong?"
Wang Hongye said, "Sister-in-law Jiang, I won't be coming tomorrow."
Chen Yuezhi looked slightly surprised. "Why? Do you have other work?"
Wang Hongye pursed her lips, looking a little embarrassed. "Now that your family has a new daughter-in-law, the household chores should be manageable."
When the Jiang family first asked her to help, it was because they lacked manpower. Now that they had Zhang Qiaoxiu, they surely wouldn't need her. However, the Jiang family was kind and probably felt awkward bringing it up, so she decided to mention it herself.