Witty Wife, Better Life
Chapter 154 - 148: The Shabby Wedding Banquet

Chapter 154: Chapter 148: The Shabby Wedding Banquet

Shen Yunfang steadied Li Hongjun as they left the west room and, seeing that the food was being prepared in the outer hall, she told someone to begin the meal. Then she asked Li Hongjun where their bridal chamber was. Following the direction he pointed, Shen Yunfang laughed, "Are you sure you’re the biological son of your parents or is it because I’ve dragged you down?"

Li Hongjun kept a straight face as he told Shen Yunfang about the situation with the house, "Originally, my parents wanted us to live in Xianghe’s room, but I declined."

"Mm, okay, it’s not a big deal. Whatever you decide is fine," Shen Yunfang said with a forced smile.

She was already married into the family, and it was pointless to quibble over this now. Even if the Li Family hadn’t prepared a bridal room, it didn’t matter. She could take Li Hongjun and march straight home.

Li Hongjun turned to look at her and sneakily took her hand, "Are you angry?"

"No, what’s there to be angry about? Even if your family didn’t prepare a room for me, I wouldn’t be upset. I have my own house. Besides, I won’t be staying here for long. Just for your sake, I have to endure it," Shen Yunfang glanced at him sideways.

Li Hongjun pressed his lips together without speaking, but the slight upturn of his mouth gave away his good mood.

Shen Yunfang supported him into the room, only to see that it had been hurriedly cleaned, with some farming tools and junk on the floor, while the kang bed had two large trunks on it, leaving just over a meter’s space for sleeping.

"Your mother sure trusts me, leaving the grain here in the room. Isn’t she afraid I’ll get up at night and sneak some?" Shen Yunfang joked.

But when it came time to help Li Hongjun onto the kang, she couldn’t laugh anymore.

Were these really the beddings meant for their wedding night?

"Wait a moment." Shen Yunfang wasn’t picky about where she lived, but she couldn’t stand the bedding situation. This was where they would sleep close together at night. She could overlook patches, but were all the Li Family’s beddings this shabby? Or had Qiu Shuping specifically found these to offend her? Regardless, Shen Yunfang couldn’t bear it. She let Li Hongjun stand on his own as she swiftly rolled up the beddings and threw them onto the pile of junk by the wall, where they probably belonged originally. Then she went out to the carriage in the yard, opened one of her trunks, pulled out a mat and a covering, and carried them back into the house.

Originally, she hadn’t wanted to bring anything since she would only be staying for a few days before going home—how could she not endure that? But Shen’s mother insisted that she brings two trunks, saying that if a bride went to her in-laws’ empty-handed, people would gossip. Even if it wasn’t necessary, she could still show it for a couple of days before taking it back to Gaijiatun. Thinking it made sense not to let people assume she married into the Li Family with nothing, she obediently brought them along. She hadn’t expected they would actually come in handy.

Shen Yunfang laid down the fur mat first and then let Li Hongjun lie down. Seeing that his complexion had worsened since entering the room, she needed to comfort him, "Alright, now stop worrying. They say a married daughter is like spilt water, and now you’re feeling that more deeply than I am, aren’t you? Your ’spilt water’ is probably unmatched. Sigh!"

Shen Yunfang thought how harshly the Li Family had acted. As a daughter-in-law who wasn’t particularly welcomed, it made her angry, but it was a short-lived feeling since she was moving out soon anyway. She could endure it. But what about their own son? Seeing how his family arranged his wedding, how could he not feel disheartened? Qiu Shuping was a case of outsmarting herself, pushing her own son even further away.

This time, Shen Yunfang really misjudged Qiu Shuping. Insignificant as she might be, she wouldn’t do this during her son’s wedding. It was Wang Dan who had done it.

"Well, wife, now I’m really deserted by all. If you’re not good to me in the future, I won’t have a way out," Li Hongjun tried to adjust his facial expression, aiming for a look of pleasure.

"Alright, from now on, just stick with me. I guarantee you’ll have the good life," Shen Yunfang confidently patted her chest. Complaining would only add to their gloom. After all, you only get married once. It’s better to make some pleasant memories for oneself.

"You stay in the room and don’t move, just rest up, I’ll go out and see how my uncle and the others are doing." We can’t both hide in the room and not go out—now that Li Hongjun is like this, I have to be the one to go out.

After making sure Li Hongjun was settled, she straightened her clothes, adjusted her expression, and then pushed the door open to leave.

The relatives from Gaijiatun were the first wave to eat because the journey was so long. They had to head back after eating, and it would still be dark by the time they returned home.

But the smiles on their faces faltered when they saw the dishes on the table—it seemed the Li Family really didn’t care about losing face.

The Li Family only set up four tables for the banquet. Due to the lack of tables and chairs and the chill outside, the wedding banquet was arranged inside, with guests eating one table at a time.

As the relatives from the bride’s side were esteemed guests from afar, they were served first. By the time Shen Yunfang entered, they’d already finished most of their meal.

"Yunfang," a voice remarked, "I’m not nitpicking, but what kind of dishes has your husband’s family prepared? If I didn’t know this was a wedding, I would’ve thought the Li Family was organizing a funeral."

On the dining table were just four dishes: a stew with pickled vegetables—it was unclear if it was made with large pork bones, since all that was visible was a bowl of pickled vegetables, nothing else. A bowl of muddy potatoes accompanied by a bowl of egg sauce. A plate of shredded white cabbage and radish mixed together as a cold dish, and then there was a soup with shredded radish.

The only dish that had a hint of meat was the bowl of soybean paste; the rest were as vegetarian as could be. Indeed, the banquet didn’t resemble one for a joyous occasion but rather for a funeral, and Shen Yunfang’s face showed her disapproval.

The bride’s family relatives were quite unhappy with the banquet, especially the second elder aunt and Shen Eryi— they had been picking at everything since they sat down. If Shen Yougen hadn’t kept them in check, they might have seriously made a joke out of the Li Family right there and then.

However, when the second elder aunt saw Shen Yunfang approaching, she couldn’t help but make a few sour comments.

Uncle Shen, seeing his niece’s unpleased face, hurriedly advised, "Yunfang, these things aren’t a big deal. We shouldn’t fight over this petty moment. We need to think long-term. As long as you and your husband live well in the future, that’s what matters."

After hearing her uncle’s words, the smile returned to Shen Yunfang’s face. She laughed and said, "Okay, I’ll listen to you, Uncle." Then she turned to the relatives at the table and added, "Sorry everyone, my husband’s family isn’t well-off. Please bear with the meal today and don’t take offense. Once I get back to Gaijiatun in a few days, we’ll host you properly. Wang Dan’s family still has a pig that they haven’t slaughtered yet. That one’s reserved for just this occasion."

"Haha, that’s really something to look forward to. I’m saving my appetite to enjoy that pork." Shen Jide was representing his father’s side of the family at the wedding.

"Sure, there will be plenty."

After a quick meal, the Shen Family relatives hitched a ride in Shen Yougen’s horse cart back to Gaijiatun, of course, spreading the word far and wide about the Li Family of Taoshu Village’s miserliness.

Next up was the Li Family hosting their own relatives and friends. Shen Yunfang made an appearance but seeing that the dishes on the table were indeed just those few, she said nothing and returned to her room.