12, stop causing trouble and pay up, now.

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The matchmaker, Madam Li, had seen countless gatherings and people like these. She wore a kindly smile as she listened to the women praise their children’s virtues and list the qualities they expected in a spouse.

By noon, the wedding feast was finally ready. Under Madam Li’s direction, Jin Yanchuan appeared in a scarlet wedding robe, his hair bound with a red ribbon. He looked tall and dashing, and the red wedding clothes lent a gentleness to his usually stern features. With an elegant bearing, he went to Meng Yun’s room and led her out, her face hidden beneath a red veil.

In the courtyard, Jin Shan and Zhou Yaru sat in the seats of honor while Madam Li gazed at the newlyweds and nodded repeatedly.

“First, bow to Heaven and Earth, in gratitude for the marriage fate they have bestowed.”

“Second, bow to your elders, in gratitude for the grace of your parents who raised you.”

“Now bow to each other. May husband and wife cherish one another and grow old together.”

“The ceremony is complete! Send the newlyweds to the bridal chamber, and let the wedding feast begin!”

Madam Li’s voice rang out as loudly as any man’s.

Jin Yanchuan grinned broadly, completely at odds with his usual bold and dashing image, and helped Meng Yun back to the room.

In the courtyard, the feast began. This time, Zhou Yaru had gone all out to save face, preparing an abundant spread of chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

The clan head and the village chief were very pleased with the Jin family’s hospitality. Watching the couple greet their guests with warm smiles, they found themselves changing their opinion of them considerably. Of course, those so-called opinions had all come from Zhou Yaru’s family.

“You ungrateful wretch! Your family is holding a banquet, yet you didn’t even notify the old homestead. You let a bunch of outsiders eat and drink their fill of meat and delicacies! What shameless ingratitude!”

The villagers were eating and drinking merrily when a discordant voice suddenly rang out from the gate.

Several women waited gleefully for the spectacle to begin.

“Old Madam Zhou has brought those daughters-in-law of hers. The Jin family is in for quite a show today.”

“Keep your voice down. It’s someone’s wedding day.”

“Actually, I think the Jin family seems decent. My husband said we should come, and I didn’t want to, but just look at the couple. They’re so modest and respectful, and the children are well-behaved. The feast is generous too. Our family gave five copper coins for five people, and they didn’t say a word. I think the Jin family is all right.”

“I agree. Before this, everything we knew came from Old Madam Zhou and her daughters-in-law saying how awful the Jin family was. But after seeing them today, it seems that isn’t the case at all.”

“All right, enough talking. Look at that old woman. She looks ready for a duel.”

The villagers who were still eating hurriedly shoveled food into their mouths. If a fight broke out and the tables were overturned, what a waste all that chicken, duck, fish, and meat would be.

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“Mother, you’ve come!” Zhou Yaru’s expression turned rather unpleasant.

“What? Am I not allowed to come?” Old Madam Zhou replied in a lofty, aggrieved tone, her face hanging as though the entire world owed her a fortune.

She strode into the courtyard with the swagger of someone who feared neither Heaven nor Earth, then dropped herself onto the chair in the seat of honor.

“Where is the new bride? Hurry and bring her out to kneel before our ancestors, then listen to the rules of the Zhou family,” declared Zhou Yaru’s eldest sister-in-law, Zhu Danni, shaking her enormous head.

Everyone turned to look. They wanted to laugh, but none dared.

Who did not know that Old Madam Zhou and her three daughters-in-law were unreasonable women who could turn even the most absurd argument into a righteous cause? In their world, neither law nor reason mattered. Everything depended on whose voice was louder, whose fists were harder, and whose heart was more vicious.

“Eldest Sister-in-law, Yun’er, she—”

Zhou Yaru had only just begun to speak when Old Madam Zhou strode up and slapped her across the face.

“She spent fifteen taels marrying some worthless wretch, and now you’re defending her? Where did you get the silver?”

Old Madam Zhou was utterly unreasonable. The slap sent Zhou Yaru spinning three full turns where she stood.

Jin Shan moved to intervene, but Zhou Yaru caught him by the arm.

“Today is A-Chuan’s wedding feast. Don’t ruin it.”

“Mother, the silver was borrowed by Shan and a few of his friends. We don’t have any money,” Zhou Yaru said, holding back her tears.

“Borrowing money to marry off a fool? What a sinful thing to do!” Old Madam Zhou wailed theatrically.

“Mother, today is A-Chuan’s wedding. Can’t you stop making a scene?” Zhou Yaru trembled with anger as she watched her mother launch into yet another performance of tyranny.

“I’m making a scene? Zhou Yaru, do you have no conscience? When your whole family had nowhere to go, it was your mother who took you in and vouched for you. You were able to settle in Zhou Family Village because of me! Without me, where would you be today?”

Old Madam Zhou shouted furiously, pointing a finger at Zhou Yaru’s nose.

Zhou Yaru had heard those same stale accusations at least a hundred times.

“You managed to borrow money before, didn’t you? Perfect. Everyone is here, so hurry up and borrow five taels for me. Xi needs money for his school fees. As his aunt, you ought to help him out.”

Old Madam Zhou thrust out her hand, making it clear that she would not leave until she got the silver.

The village chief and clan head exchanged a glance. They saw nothing but contempt in each other’s eyes.

Old Madam Zhou truly was a vile woman. They had always known her character was poor, but they had never imagined she would bully people so openly.

They said nothing, waiting to see how the Jin family would handle the matter before stepping in. Whatever else one might say, Old Madam Zhou had chosen a thoroughly inappropriate occasion to cause trouble.

“Mother, where would I get the silver? Aren’t you trying to drive me to my death?” Zhou Yaru sobbed.

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“Then go and die!”

Old Madam Zhou rolled her eyes and tilted her head, showing not the slightest concern for the bond between mother and daughter.

“Mother, how can you tell your own daughter to die?” Zhou Yaru cried.

“If you don’t want to die, hand over the money.”

Old Madam Zhou refused to relent.

“I truly don’t have any, Mother. Please wait a few days. Once I manage to get the silver, I’ll bring it to you,” Zhou Yaru begged.

“No. I want it now.”

Old Madam Zhou’s voice was hard and forceful. Her daughters-in-law stood to one side with their arms folded, snorting contemptuously through their noses.

Inside the bridal chamber, Meng Yun was stunned by Old Madam Zhou’s performance. This was even more shameless than Madam Bao, Meng Yun’s own grandmother. Could a person really behave with such utter lack of shame?

By the window, Jin Qiao’er watched the scene outside, tears streaming down her face. Her hands were clenched tightly, yet there was nothing she could do.

“Does your grandmother often come here to demand money?” Meng Yun asked, wiping Jin Qiao’er’s tears with a handkerchief.

“She’s been like this for as long as I can remember. No matter what good things our family has, they take everything away. Whenever Mother shows the slightest reluctance, that old woman beats her. She even threatens to report her to the village and have our entire family driven out. So Father and Mother compromise, again and again.”

Jin Qiao’er sobbed as she spoke.

“Mother was sold by her great-grandmother when she was young. Later, when Father and Mother returned, that family used the fact that they had allowed them to stay as an excuse to keep controlling them in the name of filial duty.”

“Any silver our family manages to save goes toward Father’s, Eldest Brother’s, and Second Brother’s medical treatment. Mother’s health isn’t good either. If she hasn’t yet had time to buy medicine, Grandmother comes demanding money. Sometimes she even searches through the house.”

“That woman is absolutely shameless. And your mother gives in every time?” Meng Yun could not understand it. Zhou Yaru did not seem like someone who was blindly loyal or blindly devoted to her mother.

“What else can she do? Mother says that without this place, we have nowhere to go. There are clansmen here, and at the very least, they won’t let us be bullied.”

“You call this not being bullied? If outsiders mistreated us, we could fight back. But that old woman uses filial duty to keep us under her thumb. She’s worse than any outsider.”

Meng Yun rose to her feet.

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