SLH | Chapter 10

Changing Attitude

Song Tingzhu lay in bed for a little while, feeling a bit more energetic. Propping himself up against the headboard, he heard voices in the courtyard. He thought it was his mother and sister-in-law coming back from selling vegetables. But then, an unfamiliar voice caught his attention, and he realized a guest had arrived. Judging by the sounds, they were heading towards the west room.

He glanced over himself, ensuring everything was in order, and felt at ease.

“Sister-in-law’s husband, Tian Le from Aunt Zhao’s family has come to see you,” Liu Xiaomei called from outside the door.

“Come in.”

Tian Le entered and, upon seeing Song Tingzhu, felt an inexplicable nervousness, speaking in a softer voice than usual.

“Good day, sister-in-law’s husband. I’m Tian Le, you can just call me Le Ge’er.”

Song Tingzhu smiled and nodded, “Le Ge’er.”

“Yes,” Tian Le rubbed his nose and pulled up a small stool to sit beside him. “My mom asked me to come and chat with you. You’ve been cooped up at home these days, with no one to talk to. You must be bored.”

Song Tingzhu replied, “Not really, Xiaomei and Xia Ge’er keep me company.”

Wow, how can someone be so good-looking and speak so gently?

Tian Le was momentarily dazed, then snapped back to reality and exclaimed, “Sister-in-law’s husband, you’re so good-looking. Are people in the prefectural city all like you?”

Such straightforward words left Song Tingzhu momentarily stunned. He wasn’t sure how to interact with him at first, but now he felt much more relaxed.

He curved his lips slightly, joking rare for him, “I don’t know about outside, but in the Song family, I’m the only one who looks like this.”

His smile is incredibly charming!

Tian Le felt as if he was drunk, pinching his thigh hard, tears almost sprang to his eyes from the pain.

Seeing Tian Le’s eyes suddenly redden, Song Tingzhu frowned with concern, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Tian Le grinned through the pain, “No, no, I’m fine. I just suddenly remembered I haven’t fed the chickens and ducks at home, but it’s no big deal, my mom’s there.”

Hearing this, Song Tingzhu relaxed, “That’s good.”

“Tian Le Ge’er, you stay and chat with sister-in-law’s husband. Mom and sister-in-law should be back soon. I’ll go make dinner,” Liu Xiaomei said, noticing it was getting late.

“Alright, you go ahead.”

“Little Aunt, Xia Ge’er will help you start the fire!”

“Okay.”

After the two young ones left the west room, Tian Le moved his stool closer.

“Sister-in-law’s husband, could you draw some of those pretty patterns you made for Xiaomei for me too?”

Song Tingzhu said, “Sure, but I’m afraid not right now.”

Tian Le quickly waved his hand, “No rush, when you’re feeling better.”

Song Tingzhu nodded, noticing Tian Le fidgeting with his clothing, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated, he asked, “Do you have a particular pattern in mind?”

“Well, I want something festive. I’m fifteen this year, and at the age to be talked about for marriage. My mom says my embroidery isn’t good enough and is urging me to practice.”

Hearing this, Song Tingzhu comforted him, “It’s okay if your embroidery isn’t great. As long as you’re diligent, you can still live a good life.”

Tian Le pouted, mumbling, “I told my mom the same, but she wouldn’t listen. She said if I went to my husband’s house like this, I’d be disliked. It’s just that my embroidery is a bit lacking, my cooking is so-so, and I’m barely managing the fields. Besides that, I’m quite capable…”

He paused, looking distressed, “Come to think of it, I don’t really have any strengths. What should I do? Will I really not be able to get married?”

“Of course not, you’re not bad-looking. Even if you’re not great at chores, there will surely be people who want to marry you.”

“You don’t understand, sister-in-law’s husband. Our Tian family is cursed,” Tian Le lowered his voice, speaking seriously, “My brother has been seeing many families over the years, but none worked out. Either the girl found someone she loved, or the young man was spotted by a rich young master.

Everyone says they’ve seen people who bring bad luck to their spouses, but never ones who bring good fortune. Every day more people come to propose, most hoping to change their luck, but some genuinely want to marry into our family. Strangely, none of them worked out.”

He sighed, “My brother is about the same age as Mengzi Ge’er, and Xia Ge’er is already three and a half. My brother hasn’t even seen the shadow of a wife.”

Song Tingzhu listened carefully. It did sound strange, but many things in the world are inexplicable, especially marriage, which is full of uncertainties. For instance, he and Liu Hu were initially set to marry Song Rui’er, but he ended up marrying into the Liu family himself.

He wasn’t sure how to comfort him, but seeing that Le Ge’er didn’t seem to need comforting words, just someone to listen to, he quietly listened.

“It’s not just my brother; I’m cursed too. Other families’ girls and young men start getting inquiries at twelve or thirteen, and many are settled. I’m fifteen this year, and not a single matchmaker has come. I’m not in a hurry, but with no one coming, the village women and aunts gossip, saying our family’s feng shui is bad, and we raise young men who can’t have children.”

The more Tian Le spoke, the angrier he got, “I haven’t even held a man’s hand, let alone tried. How do they know I can’t have children?”

His words were shamelessly frank, making Song Tingzhu’s ears turn red, his face slightly awkward.

He leaned over to grab the teapot on the low table beside him, pouring a cup of water for Le Ge’er to soothe his throat.

Tian Le tilted his head back, drinking it in one gulp, then wiped his mouth, “Sister-in-law’s husband, don’t you think it’s strange?”

Song Tingzhu considered his words, “Maybe the time for marriage just hasn’t come yet.”

Tian Le looked worried, “When will this marriage come? If I don’t settle this year, I’ll have to pay the unmarried tax next year, which is another expense. Luckily, they canceled the arranged marriage system years ago, so besides worrying about money, I don’t have to worry about being forced into a marriage anymore.”

Tian Le continued to chatter about other things until they heard Ruan Xiulian and Tang Chunxing returning to the courtyard. He said goodbye to Song Tingzhu and went home.

Ruan Xiulian entered the room to check on her son-in-law, relieved to see he looked well.

“Le Ge’er is a good kid. You don’t have many companions your age in the village. It’s not busy farming season yet, so Xiaomei can call him over to chat with you.”

Song Tingzhu called out to his mother-in-law and added, “Le Ge’er said he would come over tomorrow to do embroidery and asked me to draw some patterns for him.”

Hearing this, Ruan Xiulian smiled, “I’ve seen the patterns you drew for Xiaomei. They’re all so intricate. If they were embroidered and sold in town, they’d surely fetch seven or eight more coins than ordinary embroidery.”

She estimated based on her daughter’s skills. If it were her or her eldest daughter-in-law, they could charge ten more coins and still have buyers. But there’s no way around it; embroidery takes a lot of time, and they have enough work at home. There’s no time for those intricate ones, so they can only do some in their spare time and let Xiaomei sell them in town for money.

“By the way, Xiaomei said the old woman came to rummage through your boxes yesterday. Books are precious items. Were any damaged?”

Song Tingzhu replied, “No, mother, I checked. They’re all fine.”

Ruan Xiulian nodded, “That’s good. We’ll have the three of them make you a bookshelf, and partition off a space in the storage room just for your books.”

Hearing this, a warm feeling surged in Song Tingzhu’s heart.

When he first entered the Liu family, the family was in chaos over the substitute marriage. Although his mother-in-law was willing to spend money on his treatment, he could sense she wasn’t fond of him. But she didn’t treat him harshly; instead, she fed him white rice and eggs.

Now, a few days later, his mother-in-law’s attitude had changed significantly, and it seemed she had fully accepted him.

Just as Song Tingzhu thought, Ruan Xiulian indeed wasn’t satisfied with this daughter-in-law. It wasn’t that she disliked him, but she was unhappy with the Song family’s conduct, which extended to her dissatisfaction with Song Tingzhu as a member of the Song family. After thinking it over, she no longer had any grudges.

“Thank you, mother.”

“We’re family; no need to thank me,” Ruan Xiulian said happily, “The vegetables in the garden are growing well this season, and we made a few extra coins. When the Lantern Festival comes, if you’re feeling better, we can all go to town and enjoy the festivities.”

Song Tingzhu smiled, “Alright.”

Author’s Note:

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It’s my birthday today, so I wrote a bit less. Please allow me to use my birthday privilege, hehe [throws confetti]