Chapter 327 Meeting Relatives
“That jerk, all he does is bully me!”
Yu Tang thought to herself, unaware that despite her thoughts, a sweet smile was playing on her lips.
Today was the day for meeting relatives, so she couldn’t really leave Pei Yan behind.
She only ran for a few steps and then gradually stopped, waiting for him.
Pei Yan chuckled inwardly, quickly catching up to her. He decided to stop teasing her and told her his plans. “After we go to Mother’s to pay respects to our ancestors and meet the relatives, we’ll have lunch there. After we return, do you want to rest? If so, we can take a nap. If you still have some energy and don’t want to rest, we can meet with the household attendants that would serving us in the future. We’ll probably have dinner at Mother’s again tonight. After that, we’ll prepare the things for tomorrow’s visit with your family. Tomorrow, we’ll get up early and go to Qingzhu Lane together. What do you think?”
His tone was completely consultative.
Yu Tang stared at Pei Yan in surprise.
Pei Yan couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “Wouldn’t we be doing these things together? Naturally, it should be decided by the both of us too.”
This was always how his father and mother handled family matters.
Yu Tang felt warm inside.
She nodded with a smile.
Pei Yan, thinking that she would be shy, got worried that she might feel uncomfortable when meeting his family later. He reassured her, “Don’t worry too much about your family. Ultimately, you’ll be living with me and Mother. As for the others, if you get along with them, interact with them more. If not, just be cordial and maintain appearances. As for people outside the Pei family, there’s even less for you to worry about. You are now the matriarch and will be representing the Pei family. Disrespecting you is akin to disrespecting the Pei family. If you encounter such foolish people, you can simply ignore them. Let them come at me.”
His voice trailed off at the end, reminding Yu Tang of her first encounter with Pei Yan— aloof and arrogant.
“This must be Pei Yan’s true feelings, right?” Yu Tang mused as yearning welled up within her.
“To live according to one’s preferences, one must have real ability!”
She couldn’t help but tug at Pei Yan’s finger, letting out a soft “Mmm.”
A warm, delicate touch spread across Pei Yan’s fingers, giving him a sudden, satisfying feeling of contentment.
“Perhaps it’s because we’re newlyweds?” he wondered to himself.
Before the wedding, he worried he might dislike marital intimacy, but after marriage, he felt like he’d received a wonderful toy, and couldn’t put it down.
‘It’s just that those drawings of romance and intimacy are so ugly.’
If he had the chance, he wondered if he could draw one himself.
Drawings just like Yu Tang.
He looked at Yu Tang.
Yu Tang smiled sweetly at him, oblivious to his thoughts.
Her expression was utterly innocent.
Pei Yan smiled back. Suddenly, he felt that painting wasn’t a good idea.
While he was alive, he would be the only one who would appreciate it. But if he was gone, or if something went wrong and it got into the hands of others… Just thinking about it made him very upset.
He should think of another way!
Pei Yan, outwardly dignified and solemn, but inwardly a jumbled mess, arrived with Yu Tang at the residence of Grand Madam Pei.
The Pei family ancestral hall wasn’t far from there.
They first went to pay respects to Grand Madam Pei.
Although Grand Madam Pei was a widow but today was Pei Yan’s after-wedding day. Thus, she wore a maroon, gold-embroidered, long-sleeved thin jacket, and a turquoise-adorned forehead scarf, which was outside of the norm, looking very dignified and elegant.
She smiled at the beautiful couple before her. After they performed the deepest greeting bows, she beckoned to Yu Tang to come closer. She took her hand and instructed Pei Yan, “You’re an adult now. Besides being more composed in your actions, remember to consider your wife and children.”
Pei Yan respectfully acquiesced.
Grand Madam Pei asked if they had eaten breakfast. After hearing that they have eaten, she dismissed them, “Go on! The auspicious time is fast approaching. Go and offer incense to our ancestors first, then come to my place.”
The family recognition ceremony was held at Grand Madam Pei’s residence.
The two of them agreed and went to the nearby ancestral hall.
Grand Elder Yi and the others were waiting there. They had also changed into their finest clothes and were led by Grand Elder Yi to offer incense.
Back at Grand Madam Pei’s residence, all the women and close relatives had already arrived, filling the courtyard with lively chatter. Several children were running around, their wet nurses or head maids trailing behind, sweating profusely and hollering instructions. The scene was comparable to a New Year’s celebration.
In the eyes of the Pei family’s elders, this was a sign of a thriving family.
Grand Elder Yi even stroked his long beard and chuckled, “Keep a close eye on them, don’t let them fall down.”
The steward beside him naturally stood respectfully at his side, replying, “Yes, sir.”
As everyone prepared to cross the courtyard to go to the main hall, several children, unafraid of strangers, rushed forward, some clinging to Grand Elder Yi’s legs, others to Pei Yan’s legs, calling out “Third Uncle” or “Third Grandfather,” wanting red envelopes.
Grand elder Yi laughed heartily, he picked up one of the children clinging to his leg, and kindly advised the other two, “You’ve got the wrong person. Today is your third uncle’s wedding. you shouldn’t find your grand-uncle.”
The children looked around, bewildered, their large, black eyes reflecting the clear, bright sky, softening the hearts of all who looked at them.
Yu Tang quickly glanced at Xing’er, who was following behind her.
Xing’er immediately stepped forward and handed over a large stack of red envelopes.
Just as Yu Tang was about to give each child a red envelope, the oldest child shouted, “We need to wear red clothes for the wedding! We need to ask our third uncle, who’s wearing red, for a red envelope!”
Upon hearing this, all the little ones immediately abandoned Grand Elder Yi, who was dressed in a dark purple and silver-red robe, and rushed towards Pei Yan.
The child held by Grand Elder Yi struggled to get down.
Grand Elder Yi chuckled.
His attendants immediately took the child from his arms.
The little child waddled towards Pei Yan.
Yu Tang smiled, quickly handing each child a red envelope.
The children were well-behaved. One after another, they came to receive their red envelopes, saying in their childish voices, “Thank you, Third Grand-Aunt” or “Thank you, Third Great-Grandaunt.”
Yu Tang was a junior member of her family, and being called “Aunt” was fine since she had just married into the family, but being called “Great-Grand-Aunt” was a bit jarring.
She glanced at Pei Yan shyly.
Pei Yan, however, smiled at her.
Yu Tang could only lower her head and gently pat the child’s head.
The children’s wet nurses and head maids all came forward to take their respective little masters away.
Grand Elder Yi led them into the hall.
Two tables were placed in the central hall. Grand Madam Pei sat at the head of the table on the right, while the head of the table on the left was empty. Several other female elders sat below her, and the other women of the Pei family sat behind them according to seniority. The men were seated on the left.
As Grand Elder Yi and his family were leading Pei Yan and his wife to the small ancestral hall, the seats on the right near the lower end were also empty. Eldest Madam sat there chatting with the other older ladies, while Second Madam instructed the maids to serve tea and snacks and greet the family members.
When Yu Tang entered, Eldest Madam glanced at her, a cold smile playing on her lips. She then continued talking to the other older ladies, as if she hadn’t seen Yu Tang.
Second Madam was extremely busy and only nodded to Yu Tang.
Yu Tang immediately noticed several people craning their necks to spot her.
It was the Fifth Miss and the other ladies.
Yu Tang blushed involuntarily.
Since her formal engagement to Pei Yan, they haven’t met since.
Fifth and Fourth Misses giggled.
Yu Tang returned their smiles shyly.
They laughed even more openly.
Yu Tang didn’t bother with their teasing exchanges. The master of ceremonies began chanting, and she and Pei Yan were to serve tea to the elders of the family.
Grand Madam Pei’s gift to Yu Tang was a silver banknote, which Yu Tang didn’t dare unfurl to see its value.
Eldest Madam gave a set of lapis lazuli jewelry, and Second Madam gave a set of amber jewelry, both of similar value.
The other women of the Pei family gave either a pair of gold hairpins or a pair of gold bracelets. For ordinary families, these were quite valuable but to a prominent family like the Pei family in Jiangnan, they were quite ordinary gifts.
This relieved Yu Tang.
From today onwards, these things will be considered as her family’s income. Whatever she receives, she will have to reciprocate.
Thus, the lesser the monetary value of the gifts, the lesser the pressure will be on her during gift-returning.
Her return gift to the Pei family members was two pairs of shoes and two pairs of socks, followed by a handkerchief or a pair of fan covers depending on seniority.
The Pei family had many relatives, and the lively atmosphere made the morning pass quickly.
Everyone stayed to have lunch at Grand Madam Pei’s residence.
Several younger members of the Pei family brough wine to pour into Pei Yan’s cup, shouting fortuitously, “What Third Grand Uncle / Third Great-Grand Uncle owed from yesterday, we must make up for it today!”
Pei Yan relaxed, accepting all offers and even engaged in playful banter with the younger members, going back and forth to getting them drunk.
Yu Tang found this amusing, but Second Madam smiled helplessly and cautioned Yu Tang, “Your Second Brother-in-law got drunk like this back then, so be careful. Both of you still need to visit your parents’ place tomorrow!”
“What should I do?” Yu Tang was at a loss.
Usually, there were all sorts of formalities they had to abide by, so everyone was taking this opportunity to have some fun. It would be too much of a spoilsport if she were to refuse with a stern face.
The Second Madam helplessly sighed, “I’ll tell the kitchen to make some hangover soup for Third Brother-in-law. Just remember to feed it to him.”
Yu Tang nodded gratefully.
Eldest Madam glanced at the two of them wordlessly, then looked thoughtfully at her son, who was drinking with Pei Chan and the others, trying to get Pei Yan drunk.
Pei Yan pretended to be drunk, escaping the younger generation’s attempts to get him drunk, but he still got a little dizzy. Back in their shared marital chamber, he started behaving indulgently, bossing Yu Tang around, wanting water, candy, and his face washed. He wouldn’t let anyone else attend to him, insisting on Yu Tang. While helping him, he wouldn’t let go of her hand, and if she tried to pull away, he would grumble, making Yu Tang extremely worried – so much so that she almost wnted to call a physician.
Pei Yan said with a lazy drawl, “That lady physician you mentioned last time, did you ask her to come to the outer courtyard to perform moxibustion again? If you think she’s honest and reliable, you can keep her permanently with us. She can help out if you have a headache or fever in the future.”
The Pei family is quite large, and since everyone lives together, some news would inevitably travel, especially things like consulting a physician.
There were only a few physicians in Lin’an City, and even fewer that had excellent medical skills. The Pei family was the most prominent family in Lin’an City, thus anyone who is feeling unwell will consult those few physicians. Even if people don’t know immediately what illness someone in the family has, they’ll find out in a couple of days.
Pei Yan didn’t want others to know about Yu Tang’s health and condition.
